Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

To cut to the chase: Would I buy the Food Cycler again? Yes - but...... I grew up with composting, courtesy of a Midwest farming mother who fell under the influence of Louis Bromfield. I've been composting for over three decades, experimenting with compost piles, plastic and wire bins, before happily settling down with two metal compostumblers. Because I don't have a large yard, I purchased a Food Cycler a few months ago. To date I've run about 150 loads, at least one per day. Given the high costs of the Food Cycler and being somewhat analytical (obsessive?), I decided to keep careful notes on usage and results. Here we go: 1. Be prepared to put a lot more thought and planning into composting. For example, loads should be varied in content: you especially want to avoid starch-heavy loads that will gum up the Food Cycler. Because the Food Cycler basically dries and grinds the inputs, you can help a bit by letting the compost inputs drain before putting them in. 2. I've yet to have a load take less than 3 or 4 hours. That's a long time if you're doing some serious cooking, baking or canning, and the compost materials are piling up in the sink, waiting for their turn. 3. The machine is noisy. We have an open floor plan, and the Food Cycler can be heard throughout the first floor. It's not terribly loud but the noise is uneven and sometimes quite disconcerting. It's also getting noisier, which makes me wonder how long it will hold up. 4. The output isn't what I would call compost - it looks more like a mulch. I've put corn kernels through, many of which emerge intact. With this in mind, sprinkling it on your beds is not a good idea if you have pets. Trust me on this one. 5. The Food Cycler is expensive...but in addition, you will need to buy replacement filters, currently available on the company's website for $22.95. I haven't had to replace the filters yet, but if cost is an issue, keep this in mind. I hope this review helps anyone considering buying the Food Cycler. I will be happy with my purchase if it doesn't break down before I've reached 500 loads (or a cost of about $1 per load). However, if you've got a large yard where you can hid a compost pile or a compostumbler, it probably makes more sense to stick with the tried, true and cheap. 1.