Best garbage disposals

The Evolution .75HP is my pick for most kitchens. It’s InSinkErator’s 3/4 HP Advanced Series model, number 81224K. The spec sheet lists a Dura-Drive induction motor at 1725 RPM, stainless steel grind parts and a 3-stage MultiGrind system. In InSinkErator’s own lineup, it sits above the Badger and Power series.

Noise is the main reason to pay for that step. InSinkErator says its Quiet SoundSeal design is 75% quieter than the Badger 5. A removable Quiet Collar baffle in the sink opening traps noise inside the unit, and the maker says that baffle is dishwasher safe.

The grind is the other reason. InSinkErator calls it Advanced Grind, made for tough and fibrous scraps like bones and corn cobs. The three stages are meant to grind finer than its 1-stage Badgers, which the maker says helps prevent clogs. No maker publishes a lab measure of grind size, so I can’t put a number on it.

Install is simpler than on older InSinkErators. The spec sheet says the box holds both an EZ Connect cord and a hardwire adapter, so it plugs into an outlet or wires in. The motor protection resets itself after an overload, where the Badgers use a red reset button on the bottom.

Check two sizes before you order. The unit is 8¼ in. wide, and its drain outlet sits 6 11/16 in. below the sink, per the drawing on the spec sheet. If the drain in your wall sits high, that drop matters. The under-sink chart below lines up every pick.

The warranty is 9 years, in-home, under InSinkErator’s We Come to You program. My call: this is the one to buy for a busy family kitchen that wants a quieter run without paying for the 1HP. It was new, in stock and sold by Amazon.com when I checked.

The Evolution 1HP is the .75HP with a bigger motor and one more grind stage. InSinkErator’s spec sheet lists a 1 HP Dura-Drive induction motor, stainless steel grind parts and 4-stage MultiGrind. The fourth stage is a cleansing paddle that the maker says rinses away leftover residue.

It’s the quietest unit here by the maker’s own scale. InSinkErator rates its Quietest SoundSeal at 80% quieter than the Badger 5, against 75% for the .75HP. Waste King says the L-8000 is lined with sound insulation. Moen doesn’t list a sound rating for the GXP50C, so I can’t rank all six on noise.

The drain connection is different too. The 1HP uses a 1½ in. anti-vibration connection with a hose clamp, per its spec sheet, where the .75HP uses a cushioned slip joint. The average load is 10.2 amps, against 9.5 for the .75HP. Both run on 120 volts.

Watch the cord. InSinkErator’s spec sheet says the box holds both an EZ Connect cord and a hardwire adapter. This Amazon listing says the cord is sold separately. I go with the listing, since that’s what ships. My call: plan to hardwire it, or buy InSinkErator’s EZ Connect cord with it.

The warranty is 10 years in-home, the longest InSinkErator offers in this group. It ships at 20 lb 7 oz, per the spec sheet, and it’s the same 8¼ in. wide as the .75HP, so check your cabinet. The outlet drop below the sink matches the .75HP at 6 11/16 in.

My call: the extra money buys a quieter run, a fourth grind stage and one more warranty year. That’s worth it in a kitchen where the disposal runs after every meal. For most homes, the .75HP does the job. It was new, in stock and sold by Amazon.com when I checked.

The Badger 5XP is the strongest of InSinkErator’s basic Badger line. Its spec sheet lists a 3/4 HP Dura-Drive induction motor, a 1-stage grind, stainless steel grind parts and a 26 oz grind chamber. This version, the W/C, comes with a factory-installed power cord.

The mount is why it’s a quick swap. InSinkErator calls it a Twist-On, Twist-Off Quick Lock mount, made for fast replacement of an existing InSinkErator. Its manual asks one question: is the new disposer’s mount the same as the old one? If yes, you can skip the steps that pull the sink flange.

That shortcut saves the messiest part of the job. You leave the old flange and its putty seal alone, hang the new unit and hook up the drain. If the old flange already leaks, use the new one in the box. Every pick here ships with a full mount and sink flange.

It’s slim, too. The Badger is 6 5/16 in. wide, and its drain outlet sits 6 in. below the sink, per the spec sheet drawing. Add ½ in. on a stainless steel sink, the maker says. That’s the highest outlet here, which helps when the drain in your wall sits high.

The trade-offs are noise and grind. There’s no SoundSeal rating, and it grinds in one stage. The motor uses a manual reset button. The warranty conflicts: InSinkErator’s page and spec sheet say 6 years in-home, while the Amazon listing says 4. Keep the warranty card from the box.

My call: buy it to replace a worn-out InSinkErator in a hurry, or for a kitchen where noise isn’t a worry. If you want the same 3/4 HP with a quieter run, the Evolution .75HP is the step up. It was new, in stock and sold by Amazon.com when I checked.

The Waste King L-8000 is the 1 HP pick that plugs in out of the box. Waste King’s spec sheet lists a permanent magnet motor at 2,800 RPM, stainless steel grind parts and a reinforced polymer grind chamber. The cord comes pre-installed, and it comes off if you’d rather hardwire.

The motor works differently from the InSinkErators. Waste King says its permanent magnet motor gives fast, powerful grinding that helps reduce jamming. InSinkErator uses induction motors at 1725 RPM. A higher RPM doesn’t prove a finer grind, and no maker publishes a lab test, so treat it as a design difference.

The warranty is the longest here at 20 years. The spec sheet says Waste King will replace the disposal free if it develops a material or mechanical defect in that time. The Amazon listing calls it a 20-year in-home warranty. Read the terms in the box before you count on in-home service.

Size is the catch. Waste King’s drawing shows the unit at 16 in. tall and 8½ in. wide, and it weighs 11.94 lb. The drain outlet sits about 7½ in. down, measured from the top of the unit. Measure your cabinet height and your wall drain before you order.

It uses Waste King’s EZ Mount, a twist-and-lock system, not a 3-bolt mount. The box holds a new EZ Mount assembly, sink flange and drain elbow. The manual says your old mounting ring may be compatible and could be reused, so check its seals first. The manual’s service address is Moen’s, in Ohio.

My call: buy it for a 1 HP unit with a cord in the box and the longest warranty here, in a cabinet with room to spare. Check the bottom serial label against CPSC recall 17-129 before use. Waste King says it’s safe with properly sized septic tanks. It was new, in stock and sold by Amazon.com when I checked.

The Moen GXP50C is the slim one. Moen’s spec sheet shows a body 5¾ in. across and 13⅛ in. tall, at 9.25 lb. That’s the narrowest and lightest unit here. It leaves room for a water filter, an instant hot water tank or a trap that runs close to the disposal.

It’s built for swaps. Moen says it installs easily on most existing 3-bolt mounting assemblies, and its spec sheet says it fits most existing assemblies, including the InSinkErator brand. If your old InSinkErator mount is in good shape, you may not need to touch the sink flange.

The motor is a 1/2 HP permanent magnet Vortex motor at 2,600 RPM. Moen says the motor’s fast, powerful grinding helps reduce jamming. The turntable is stainless steel, but the grind ring is galvanized steel, so it isn’t all-stainless like the 3/4 HP picks.

Moen is clear about the job it’s for. It pitches this Prep series at homeowners who prepare basic food, grinding everyday scraps like celery, potato peels and seeds. Its 360° Clean Rinse design is meant to rinse scraps away and cut odors. My call: that matches a one- or two-person kitchen.

The drain outlet sits 6⅝ in. below the sink, per the drawing, plus ½ in. on a stainless steel sink. The dishwasher inlet is 7/8 in. and sloped, which Moen says drains better. The cord comes pre-installed and removes for hardwiring. The sink can be up to ½ in. thick.

The warranty is 5 years with in-home service. Moen says it’s safe with properly sized septic tanks. My call: buy it for a tight cabinet or a quick 3-bolt swap in a light-use kitchen. It was new, in stock and sold by Amazon.com when I checked.

The Badger 1 is InSinkErator’s entry model. Its spec sheet lists a 1/3 HP Dura-Drive induction motor, a 1-stage grind and galvanized steel grind parts with stainless steel lugs. It shares the 26 oz grind chamber and the 6 in. outlet drop with the Badger 5XP.

It’s the shortest unit here at 11½ in. overall, and 6 5/16 in. wide. InSinkErator lists its shipping weight at about 12 lb 10 oz without a cord. That size helps under a shallow bar sink or in a cabinet crowded with a filter.

The factory-corded Badger 1 W/C was out of stock on Oct 21, so this pick is the no-cord unit bundled with InSinkErator’s CRD-00 kit, sold new by Amazon.com that day. The kit adds a 3-foot cord, a strain relief clamp and wire connectors, which you attach before you hang the disposal.

It swaps the same way as the 5XP. The Quick Lock mount is made for fast replacement of an existing InSinkErator, and the manual lets you skip the sink-flange steps when the new mount matches the old one. That makes it a short job on a rental turnover.

The trade-offs are real. Galvanized grind parts aren’t stainless, and InSinkErator moves to stainless at the Badger 5XP. The motor uses a manual reset button. At 5.6 amps average load, only the Moen draws less, at 4.5 amps, per its spec sheet.

The warranty conflicts. InSinkErator’s page and spec sheet say 2 years in-home. Amazon’s listing for the factory-corded W/C says 1 year. I show the maker’s number in the chart below, but keep the warranty card from the box, since that’s the one that counts if it fails.

My call: buy it for a bar sink, a rental or a kitchen that rarely runs the disposal. For a main kitchen sink, step up to the Badger 5XP for stainless grind parts and a longer warranty on the same mount.