Lomi vs Tero: Which is a Better Home Composter?

Did you know that 50% of waste sent to landfills in North America is compostable material? With households generating more food waste than grocery stores, restaurants, or office buildings, the world demands a solution.

Electric composters are an amazing innovation for this everyday problem. Not only do they rapidly convert household food waste into dirt, they do so in the corner of your kitchen without the smell or inconvenience of your local composting program.

Finding the perfect electric composter for your kitchen comes down to many factors. Let’s dissect the biggest differences, pros, and cons of the Lomi and Tero home composters.

• Lomi vs Tero: how do they compare?
• Who should buy Lomi?
• Who should buy Tero?
• Tero vs Lomi: 5 other things to consider before you buy
• The bottom line: which composter is better?

We’re all about breaking things down here, so let’s start with the facts.

Lomi vs Tero: how do they compare?

Lomi and Tero home composters both break down food scraps and help eliminate waste, but the machines vary in quality, price, key features, and even eco-friendliness. Let’s dig into it.

 

Now that you have a general overview of the features and how the two composters compare, let’s take a deeper dive into who should consider buying Lomi vs Tero!

Who should buy Lomi?

If you’ve been eyeing Lomi for a while, we’ll help you figure out if this product is a right fit for you. So what kind of person, home, and lifestyle does Lomi best suit? Let’s take a look.

1. People searching for a reliable home composter: With great reviews, a 30-day risk-free trial, and a 3 year extended warranty, Lomi offers a stress-free start to your composting journey.
2. Environmentally conscious people: Created by a leading brand in sustainability, Lomi is designed in the vision of a waste-free future. Pela is B Corp and Climate Neutral Certified, meaning you can be sure that all stages of Lomi development are environmentally and ethically conscious.
3. Plant lovers and owners: The nutrient-rich dirt produced by Lomi loves being returned to the earth. Whether it’s an outdoor garden, army of house plants, or lawn, Lomi dirt is microbially rich and can support the growth of all our green friends.
   Don’t have plants to feed your dirt to? No worries, Lomi dirt can also be disposed of in the garbage or local compost.
4. People who use bioplastics and paper products: Lomi is a stand-alone solution for breaking down bioplastics. This is something you cannot do at home any other way, either through traditional composting or with any other electric composter. Additionally, unlike Tero, Lomi can handle paper, coffee filters, tea bags, and paper towels.

Let’s take a bird’s-eye-view of the pros and cons of Lomi:

Pros	Cons
4.7/5 rating High quality microbially rich end product Can break down bioplastics 3 modes of operation 30-day risk-free trial	Sells out quickly Carbon filter has to be replaced Might be too small for large families

If you are an eco-conscious person seeking a well-rated appliance to reduce your food waste, Lomi is for you. Lomi especially benefits gardeners, growers, and bioplastic-lovers.

Who should buy a Tero composter?

Tero composters are simply different from Lomi. Let’s unpack who should consider a Tero.

1. People who have a very high volume of food waste: The Tero composter holds 4L of food waste, a higher capacity than Lomi. This is good for people who regularly have a great deal of food waste. However, a larger capacity often encourages users to run the appliance less often, creating a pile-up of food waste and unwanted odors.
2. People who are worried about carbon filter waste: Tero utilizes a carbon filtration system that doesn’t rely on disposable cartridges, and uses refillable activated carbon   granules instead.
3. People who don’t have plants or gardens. Tero’s end product is a low-quality material with no microbial life. Without biotic add-ins, such as the LomiPods, Tero simply heats, dries, and breaks apart your food waste. This means it will not support healthy growth for your potted plants, garden, or lawn.
4. People who don’t use bioplastics or paper products: If you have an outstanding system of reusable products at home and don’t use paper towels, paper cups, coffee filters, tea bags, or bioplastics, Tero could provide for your needs. However, if you want to dispose of these products sustainably, Tero isn’t your solution.

Let’s take a look at the overall pros and cons of Tero:

Pros	Cons
Extra large capacity Low waste carbon filtration Two separate models available	Expensive 3.9/5 rating (and untrustworthy reviews) Low quality end product  No risk-free trial or money-back guarantee Unpredictable shipping times Cannot break down bioplastics, coffee filters, paper towels, or tea bags Only 1 mode of operation

If you have an extra-large mass of food waste and are unconcerned about potential odors, Tero is a good option. It is also suitable for people who don’t want to use the dirt for growing or have no need to break down bioplastics or paper.

 

 

Tero vs Lomi: 5 other things to consider before you buy

Both Lomi and Tero serve the same purpose of eliminating your household food waste. However, the products have important distinctions. Let’s dive into additional considerations to help you make the best choice for your home.

1. What can be composted? 

Both Tero and Lomi can compost food waste such as fruit and vegetable scraps, leftover meats, fish, poultry, cereals, cheese, egg shells, eggs, coffee grounds, used tea leaves, beans, legumes, seeds, and pet food.

Lomi can also break down a wide range of items which Tero cannot. Importantly, it can handle Lomi-approved bioplastics like compostable cutlery, packaging, and coffee cups. You can even throw your old Pela phone case into the mix.

Lomi can also handle coffee filters, tea bags, and paper products, which Tero cannot. This is an excellent way to reduce the waste from your morning beverage.

2. Price comparison

Wondering what can you expect to pay when you purchase a kitchen composter? Let’s take a  detailed look at how Lomi and Tero compare when it comes to price and warranty.

	Price	Free trial	Warranty
Lomi	$499.00	30-day risk-free trial + full refund	3 year extended warranty
Tero	$595 ($695 for Tero Plus)	No risk-free trial option	1 year warranty

If you want more than just the basic Tero cycle, like the three modes that Lomi offers, you must upgrade to the wi-fi and app-enabled Tero Plus, which costs an additional $100.

3. Quality of the end product

The dirt that Lomi produces is microbially rich, thanks to the addition of LomiPods. LomiPods are a revolutionary blend of beneficial microorganisms like bacteria and fungi that help to accelerate the composting process. Just like if you were composting in your backyard, this microbial life is essential to the healthy breakdown of organic waste.

Lomi dirt varies based on your needs and schedule with three available modes. If you’re looking for the most nutrient dense and microbially rich product for gardening or house plants, the longer Grow mode is optimized for exactly that. If you’re in a rush, Eco-Express breaks down food waste in just 3-5 hours. Finally, bioplastic breakdown is optimized in the Lomi Approved mode.

Meanwhile, the Tero end product doesn’t pack the same punch. Without microbes or fungi, the Tero end product is nothing more than ground up, dehydrated food waste. Its fast cycle and high heat attempt to rush the breakdown instead of mimicking the natural processes of composting. While they openly advertise adding Tero “fertilizer” to gardens and plants, the low-quality product will do those plants no service.

4. Sustainability strategy and company mission

If you are looking to support a trusted environmentally and ethically conscious company, Lomi is the right product for you. Pela is on a mission to create a waste-free future, with a line of sustainable products that extend beyond Lomi. Pela is B Corp and Climate Neutral certified, meaning you can be sure your Lomi was sustainably and ethically made at all stages of production. Supporting Pela goes far beyond the impact of your household’s food waste.

Tero, on the other hand, is not publically B Corp or Climate Neutral certified. The production process is kept behind closed doors and the sustainability of the product as a whole cannot be ensured. If you’re seeking to make more sustainable choices in your everyday life, we recommend—at the very least—doing more research on Tero and their discrete processes before choosing their products.

5. What people are saying about the two composters

Lomi has gained significant buzz since it landed on kitchen counters. Why? Because people can’t stop talking about it. With over 2400 reviews and a 4.7/5 star rating, you have to see for yourself why people love Lomi. In other words, Lomi lives up to the hype.

Tero reviews are more unclear. While Tero boasts a 4.8/5 star review on the product, Google reviews come up at 3.9/5. The Tero website itself is also inconsistent with review claims, ranging from 4.8/5 to under 4.5/5 with only 164 reviews. Additionally, while Tero does not outline specific shipping timelines for their product, several reviewers have publicly complained of a wait time of over 2 years with little communication. 

The bottom line: which composter is better?

When put head-to-head, Lomi is overall a far better home composer option. Lomi stands out with a high-quality end product, ability to break down paper and bioplastics, and multiple modes of operation—not to mention the lower price and reduced purchasing risk. Lomi is the perfect solution for anyone looking to reduce food waste in a sustainable and easy way.

•  Higher quality nutrient-rich dirt
•  Better energy efficiency
•  Higher and more-reliable reviews
•  30 day risk-free trial at home
•  Only composter that can break down bioplastics
•  Longer warranty
•  Offers 3 separate modes you can cycle between
•  Only Climate Neutral certified electric kitchen composter

If you’re still feeling unsure if Lomi is the right product for you, you can easily learn more about the product. If Lomi is the composer for you, you can order yours online today. By investigating home composting solutions, you’ve already made an amazing first step toward being more mindful of your food waste. We encourage you to continue making steps towards the goal of a waste-free future. Go forth, eco-warrior!

Written by: Cassia Attard