Kushlan Products Cement Mixer Drum Lid,For 450DD 450-4

Product is exactly as described, with the exception that the lid utilizes "friction" closure. There is no friction; it loosely sits on the drum. [This review was collected as part of a promotion.]

I feel like this product is a great idea, but someone never finished properly designing it. The main issue is this: The drum sits in the mixer, held in only by a ring attached with short bungee cords. As the bungee cords are too long and they don't securely attach to either the drum or the ring, so when you tilt the drum to dump out the contents, the entire drum will slide right out of the mixer. No kidding. After several trips to the hardware store, we found alternatives to the bungee cords and all is secure. Major issue #2: the manual is vague, poorly written, and just plain confusing. After my employee assembled the mixer, there were 6 extra parts. They weren't listed in the assembly instructions and a couple weren't even pictured in the diagrams. We eventually figured out where most of them go, but have a couple of huge washers that remain homeless. In several places in the manual, references are made to gear lube and oil. However, absolutely nowhere does it tell you where to put either one. I had to take the manual with me to an auto parts store to buy them. The store owner was so confused by the manual, he drove to our store to inspect the mixer himself. He said to ignore the manual, showed me where to put the oil, and he took the grease gun and lube back with him, as he said there was nowhere to put it. Issue #3 isn't huge, but an annoyance. The mixer itself isn't very loud, but the drum tumbles around inside of the cage and makes a lot of noise. Enough so that hearing protection is recommended. This is an easily fixable problem, which the manufacturer should've dealt with, but now I'm forced to do it on my own. If this mixer cost $200 less, I don't think I would be as annoyed by these major issues. When I pay this much for a mixer, it should be a finished product, not a project in itself. [This review was collected as part of a promotion.]