User Reviews

My family and I thoroughly enjoy our nature mill. It is one of numerous composters and compost piles we have and it is perfect for indoor potted plants and other small areas. It only takes two weeks to compost and it requires no turning or manual flipping. The amount of electricity used is the equivalence to the amount our toaster uses and it is quiet too. The Nature mill is great for people just starting out with composting!

This is a really good invention.  It works well and gives me a steady supply of compost all the time, even in the winter.  I wish they had a bigger one for restaurants.  Be sure to ready and FOLLOW the instructions as you can have some real problems with jams otherwise. 

UPDATE: Naturemill has just released their 2010 model which they are calling the XE version.  The reviews on it are very good so we are going to get one for the office.  It seems to address a lot of the earlier reliability issues, as you would expect with any new model.  Way to go NatureMill!  I am so glad this company has stuck around and continues to make cool new products. 

This composter really works.  I use it every day.  The compost comes out every 2 to 3 weeks and is basically ready for the garden.  I don't have the new Xe version although it does look like a significant upgrade with the stronger motor (mine jams sometimes and I even had it repaired once - their customer service is very good by the way).

It is not the cheapest composter, but it is definitely the best.  It works just as they say it will.  It is very small and light weight for the amount of compost that it makes.  For a restaurant you might need two or three of them but for a home one should be enough.  It does not do paper.  But it does meat and dairy and even small chicken bones which is pretty cool. 

This is a must have item for anyone who shops at a farmers market or anyone who cares about the environment or anyone who has poor soil.  . 

I have the newer MODEL XE which is clearly an improvement over the older technology, based on the reviews. I got mine at Target and have been very happy with it.  I have already made a few batches of compost.  It is not like a regular outdoor composter which is extremely slow, or a worm composter which is just gross.  It can do meat and dairy products which is a bonus. 

Well, I received my Pro version about a month ago directly from NatureMill. I've followed their manual instructions to a tee. I have not been able to transfer the compost to the bottom tray even once. Their website says this is a defect in some machines and I need to order a new part. I've tried to get through to their phone support to ask what this part will actually be fixing (and how) but I've been put on long holds, and then hung-up on. I think if you put a defective product that is unreturnable if used, you'd better have responsive phone support! I really want to love this composter, but as it is now if I want to use it I have to scoop out the compost myself. So far, not the "easy composting" they advertise.

I really like this product and the overall concept of composting.  It is great that people now have more choice in composting than previously.  I tried the old tumbler, and even worm composting (years ago when I had a garage).  Now I have very few choices and Naturemill is the best option.  It is a bit pricy, and unfortunately the capacity is limited - don't even think about grass clippings or yard waste!  It is just too small.  But it fits nicely in my small kitchen so I guess I can't complain. 

 My Nature Mill composter made exactly one bin of compost before crashing. Repeated calls to customer service promised fix after fix, but the latest fix would seem to require an advanced degree in mechanical engineering to install. Their promise is to repair or replace for the first year. They have done neither, and I am unable to make their latest "fix' work. Save your money.

This product was bought after alot of thought and finding it in a store here.  Great Idea but far from being correct.  Frist it smells(BAD!!) that light organic odor is a joke, I have tried everything that they recommend and it just smells, so I put it outside.  Then it is hard to get the correct balance in order to prevent it from knoking the neighbors socks off with the odor.  I think that the idea is very good but the chamber is so small that the batch can be thrown off very easy, or jam and it jams alot unless the product placed in is very small or 3/4 rotten.

Do not, under any circumstances, buy the Nature Mill Indoor Composter!!!! I talked two friends into buying units with me to get the discount, and none of our units work properly. They’re flimsily made, and do not perform the way they’re supposed to. My unit broke after two weeks–it stopped mixing. My friend’s unit stopped emptying. My other friends unit stopped emptying. We contacted the company (email is your only option here–no phone help available). We waited over a month for replacement parts. Imagine cleaning compost slime and gook off of many parts in order to take everything apart and replace parts. Two weeks after I got my unit up and running again, it stopped emptying. The unit looks like a phase one prototype. Piece are flimsy and break easily. I ended up rigging up my own solutions (driving nails into the styrofoam backing to keep the motor and motor shaft from coming out) to problems that should have been remedied before they put this on the market. It is the worst purchasing mistake I’ve ever made. Run, don’t walk, from this composter!!!!!

I AM NOW ON MY THIRD NATURE MILL, PRODUCT IS POOR QUALITY AND A MECHANICAL ENGINEER SAID THE DESIGN NEEDS TO HAVE A FEW CORRECTIONS

 

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY

 

THE RETURN POLICY IS DUMB

 

IF YOU REALLY WANT ONE I WILL SELL YOU A BRAND NEW ONE FOR  $199.00

This is a good product BUT you really need to read the instructions, and you need to practice balancing the greens and browns.  Otherwise it will get sour odors and possibly even jam, which can be a mess if you have to in there and remove whatever caused the jam.  We have had ours for about 6 months and now it is like second nature.  We have not had a jam for several months.  They explain in the instructions how to balance the chemistry and they even include some sawdust pellets to accomplish this.  We dump all of our coffee grounds, leftovers, and nasty unidentifiable crud from the back of our refrigerator and it just gobbles it up no problem.  The compost that comes out is very granulated which is easy to spread on the lawn and not all caked up like you get form most backyard bins. 

If you're going to get this, I strongly recommend splurging for the newer upgraded model - the pro.  It has the bigger motor and you can hear it grind through your scraps like nothing.  I saw a clip of the older model on utube and it definitely seems to be struggling and will probably jam or break eventually if you use it the way I do (a lot that is).  No problems yet to report, and the compost is truly amazing!  You can't buy that kind of compost!  Take it from me the compost alone is worth the price you pay for this machine, and the added convenience of not having to ferry your scraps back to the yard when it is raining/snowing is an added plus. 

I've been looking at these for the past six months and have to say that the mixed reviews had me really worried.  We do not have enough room on our suburban lot to make a compost pile, so this looked like a good solution for us.  But, the reviews and price seemed like a real gamble.  I bought ours from Target online because they have a good reputation for taking back problem products.  Well, so far, so good.  Our little machine is chugging along, mixing yucky after dinner stuff, and turning out beautiful black compost.  I did end up moving it from our pantry onto our deck since I haven't been able to get a handle on the odor yet.  While it doesn't smell like "trash", it does smell very strong (sort of like bad mushrooms) even though I kept adding sawdust and baking soda.  On the deck (just off of the kitchen) it's still easy to get to and no odor at all.  So far, I'm in love and telling everyone who will listen about our latest addition to the family. 

OK, Where to start.... Be prepared, it is loud.... all the time a constant loud hummmmm. I have a wine cooler that I can't hear, but boy the composter is always making noise. Next, it gets jammed so easily. Like all the time. I eneded up 3 times having to put on rubber gloves and try to get everything unstuck. I had to throw away the half composted smelly compost to finally get everything cleared. Still don't know why it was jammed?  OK, that was week 2, week 3, same thing, and I was very very careful to cut everything up into small little pieces. Still there was a jam and I had to repeat the process. Oh, did I mention it smells, even though I followed the directions. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. It's loud, poorly made, just a lame product.  Save yourself a lot of money and fuss.....

This is the best composter ever invented.  It actually works, unlike the other composters.  If you live in an apartment, this is the only way to go.  Worms are not for me and I travel a lot anyway so can't take care of those nasty little critters.  As some people noted you have to set it up correctly in order to avoid odors.  It will jam if you use paper.  The instructions are not entirely clear on that but trust me, you do not want to add paper to this thing because they you have to dig it out. 

I really like this product.  It works just as they show in the video.  Astoundingly fast!  I still can't believe it and have had it for several months already.  Just be sure to follow the instructions.  It is tempting just throw any old thing into the machine.  Don't do it.  You have to balance the greens and browns.  For an outside composter you also have to do that but if you forget you will not notice because it is outdoors.  If you keep your naturemill indoors as I do, then an imbalance will cause a sour odor when you open the lid.  Add in the sawdust as they recommend, keep the balance in check, and it will smell like hay and all is well. 

I had the PLUS edition for 9 days. It made a nice compost in almost 6 days but when I transfer it JAMMED I could not clear the jam. I foudn from customer service and other reviews that JAM is a frequent problem. But lot of people have had luck with this. BUT IF SOME ONE LIKE ME WANTS TO KEEP TRYING TO MAKE IT WORK, I SRONGLY SUGGEST TO BUY FROM "COSTCO.COM" where you can return any time ( no time limit) for a full refund. Thats exactly what I did. I returned my 9 days old faulty Naturel Mill and re-ordered one again at COSTCO.COM. Only PLUS is available at cost for 299.00 + FREE 6 months supply of wood pellets. I thought it is a wise thing to do, instead of loosing 300, or 400 0r 200 dollars if you buy some where else and ran out of luck with the product.

Great machine!  I was worried about its performance as it seems their older models were not as durable.  But my has been chugging along for several months making great compost right on schedule.  I definitely suggest getting the more expensive model because that one has all stainless steel material on the inside.  I am very careful about what I put in it - no bones or paper or lemons.  It is amazing how fast it happens - with just one day you can see compost happening!  It is under constant heat and moisture and mixing several times per day which speeds up the process.  This is a great invention.  One day we will all look back and remember the days when people didn't compost - like way back when before recycling. 

I just got my Nature Mill a few months ago.  Darn!  Now they have the new color models out and I really want a red one.  Oh well.  Such is life with new technology. 

 

But I have to say, it really works great, even if it is the plain black version.  It just chuggs away quietly in my kitchen (had to carve out a corner for it and now there is no space for my little pathetic wine rack).  I was a little concerned about using power to make compost, which seems to defeat the purpose, although it uses less power than a nightlight and I whave a few so I will just unplug one and not feel so guilty.  I've lost count of how many loads of compost I've made, and my plants are extremely happy and I have never seen them to big and healthy.  It's probaly just my imagination but then again you never know. 

 

Smells kind of like mud.  Looks kind of like mud too.  A little more chunky.  More like coffee grounds, but kind of fruity.  Definitely better than the fish heads I put in there to begin with.  Strange how you can go from fish heads to fuity/muddy/coffee-like substance in just a couple weeks.