I've had a worm bin for maybe five years now. My house is on a slope and
has a room underneath one corner - not quite a 'basement', but under the
house. The temperature there is fairly constant. Cool in summer and warm
in winter. I think that may be a secret to my success. The worms won't
do well in the temperature extremes of a garage. I don't really notice
any odor. I do notice fruit flies. At times they are so numerous that I
have found some fruit fly traps that are very helpful. I also have
spiders in the box. They don't bother me - but it might be a worry if
you keep the box inside your house. I don't really have an opinion on
the different boxes since I've only owned one. It's just a simple box
with a spigot at the bottom. Make sure the box has a spigot or something
for drainage. And save that 'worm water', it's great for plants too.
There's even a book on worm composting! "Worms Eat My Garbage". It's an
excellent reference.

-Nancy