A Gardening Controversy Part 2: A Tale of Two Composters

I wanted to present a comparison of two of the composters that I know are out there for others to be able to look at if they wanted to. I know that Vitamix has a version as well, but I didn't want to get too bogged down in a blog. I wanted to compare specs and how these work and will provide links to the companies if anyone happens to be interested in these. I am going to just straight out say that I have bought an indoor composter and, to be honest, I bought the Reencle one. I could not afford to purchase both for an in-person comparison.  I want to do an honest review of it once I get it in for all of those who read my posts on it and yes I bought it myself and no I did not get it for free. 

The Lomi overview

Lomi is an indoor composter created by the company Pela. The product itself is made in China. Lomi originally started on Indiegogo for funding, but now has its own webshop that you can find here: https://pela.earth/

*****Update: There is an interview with the Lomi CEO on EpicGardening's youtube, in which the CEO indicates that the Lomi does not make compost, but what he calls "2/3 compost" that needs to be placed in compost piles to finish breakdowns. The video can  be found here: 

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*Specs: Lomi measures 16" W x 13" D x 12” H and the total holding area is 3L. It has three modes: co-Express, Grow, and Lomi Approved. The amount of noise made is listed as <60dB. The only setting that gets you the nutrient-rich compost for your garden is the Grow setting and which requires additional additives from Lomi and takes about 16-20 hours to complete. The Express cycle makes organic matter soil to add to a compost pile or "green bin" and completes this in 3-5 hours. The "Lomi Approved" setting allows you to compost "Lomi approved" biodegradable plastics in 5-8 hours. The company recommends recommend adding only fresh fruit and vegetable scraps and, as always, including a diverse mix of both fruits and veggies. The end product from oily, cooked foods or processed foods high in salt and sugar are not recommended. They also recommend running eco-mode first then adding more food and "browns" and running on Grow mode and leaving in 3 cycles worth before emptying the container. Do not add bones! 

*Mix ratio: Lomi recommends mixing their compost 1 part compost to 10 parts soil to add to the garden.

*Testing-"Lomi’s end product has been tested using the microBIOMETER soil test kit to evaluate the microbial biomass and fungal to bacterial ratio in the sample soil to determine its health. The results below show that the dirt from Grow mode (specifically with our additive) has the highest microbial biomass (820 ugC/g). Soil with higher microbial biomass has improved soil structure, stores more water, has more nutrients naturally available to feed soil organisms and plants, leads to increased plant productivity..."

*Electricity use: Eco Express: less than 0.60kWh per cycle, Lomi Approved: less than 0.75 kWh per cycle, Grow Mode: uses around 1 kWh per cycle.

*Cost-$499 for the Lomi by itself, includes 1 year warranty, but you can buy an extended 3 year warranty. Additional Lomi Microbial tabs for 90 days $34.95. 

Future product: Lomi Harvest for restaurants. This one is about the size of household garbage can with grinders and a lower bin for the compost.  

Reencle overview

Reencle is an indoor composter created by Hanmi Flexible located in and made in Korea. The Reencle was actually released for use in Korea in 2019, and the new Reencle Prime is being offered as an Early bird special on Indiegogo internationally which can be found here: https://reencleus.com/collections/reencle/products/reencle-food-waste-composter?sca_ref=3223740.gI4UstVn7r

They do not currently have a website in English, but I have been told by the company that they are making one that is set to go live in October for direct buying.

*Specs-Reencle measures 12" x 13" x 18" and can handle up to 2.2 lbs of food waste a day in a 3.7-gallon capacity. There are 3 buttons: Power, Dry, and Deodorize. The power button is just to turn it on. Dry and Deodorize are to help regulate the microorganisms if needed. The amount of noise is 28 dB. The Reencle works with a microorganism mix that is self-sustaining. You add this at mix at the beginning and add water. Then you slowly add in foods, increasing as you go to build the culture over a 4-week period. The Reencle is made so that you can add food over the course of the day as it continuously runs, so no waiting for one point in the day to add the waste. Composting can be completed anywhere in 6-24 hours depending on the fibrous nature of what is added. If the item is extremely high in fiber, it may take longer to break down than the average. When you empty Reencle of the compost, you are supposed to leave some amount of the compost in the container (min level at least) to sustain the microbes for further composting. The Reencle can handle salty and sugary foods. Do not add bones. Does not recommend higher fiber items due to longer breakdown times, but this does not harm the machine. The company recommends adding varieties of food for best composting results. 

*Mix Ratio: Reencle recommends 1 part compost to 4 parts soil before adding to plants.

*Testing: 

*Electricity use: Edited-0.5 kwH. A tech review youtube channel indicated that it cost them about $2 per month to run and Reencle runs continuously, however, the amount will depend on factors such as your kWh charges from your electric provider.

*Cost-Current cost, as of writing this, is $459, including a 1-year warranty. After I contacted the company for an end price point once they have their direct buy website, Reencle is supposedly going to be around $500.

*Future product: Reencle has a prototype currently in use for their cafeteria which is commercial-sized. It looks like a small, outside dumpster that works the same way as their home product.

My Decision

I personally decided to go with the Reencle because of the self-perpetuating microbes. I had really considered the Lomi for a long time, but originally you were required to pay for a 2-year lomipod subscription as well. It appears Lomi has at least moved away from that being mandatory as you can buy the unit by itself now. I also felt that the Reencle seemed like it could handle more if necessary. Whether that is true or not I am not sure, but was just my perception. Something I have considered is that Lomi does indicate to use "brown carbon" items in addition to "green nitrogen" items, whereas Reencle has not really indicated to use brown items as of yet. Reencle has quite a few youtube test videos to show end results of 24-hour composting, and they do not recommend certain things that are high fiber, but only because it appears to not meet that 24-hour mark and will take longer processing times (per a discussion with their customer service) and not because it damages anything. For example, they do not recommend egg shells, but in their test video they stated that the egg shells took longer to break down but would not hurt the machine. Reencle also is moving towards their own direct buy website, which will be good to not have to wait on Indiegogo. Overall, I am looking forward to trialing this product out once I receive it here in a few days. Until then!

Lomi site: https://pela.earth/

Reencle site: https://reencleus.com/collections/reencle/products/reencle-food-waste-composter?sca_ref=3223740.gI4UstVn7r

Part 3 can be found here: https://www.minds.com/theminiatureprepper/blog/a-gardening-controversy-part-3-the-unboxing-1420215762550788116