Choose Garbage Disposal

Q: I’m looking for something pretty quiet, but not terribly expensive. Any suggestions?

A: I’ve had good luck with InSinkErator. Their Badger line (the cheap $50-100 line) is your run-of-the-mill loud garbage disposal but they work like a champ. The Evolution line will run you $90-250 but are incredibly quiet. I recently purchased the Evolution Compact (I think it was the Compact, ~$150 at Lowes) and amazed at how quiet it is. It does a good job and I can barely hear it.

Installation is relatively easy. Just get rid of the existing hardware, then screw in the new sink mount and slip on the pressure ring, twist the disposal into place on the mounting ring, wire, plumb, and done.

Tools needed depend on if this is a new disposal install or a replacement. If a new install (existing sink), you’ll need a 4” wrench or something to unscrew the current fitting. A replacement will likely just need a screwdriver to unscrew the old disposal mount (it is likely “pressure” fit with 3 or 4 screws). You’ll also need some plumber’s putty to create a good seal in the sink. The rest is just plumbing and varies depending on what is under your sink. Lastly, a lot of garbage disposals just come with a hole to run electrical wiring, in which case you should be comfortable (yah, yah, yah, I read the thread with the flame war about the word “comfortable” in the same sentence with “electricity” but you know what I mean) with doing minor electrical work. Sometimes you get lucky and the disposal will have an attached power cord in which case you just have to have a place to plug the thing in.

A: The often overlooked tool needed for install is a car jack. Takes nearly all of the effort out of removal / install of the unit.

A: I final splurged this last time, I was tired of 2-3r warranty cheap or mid-range units that lasted just as long as their warranty, so I got the top-of-the-line 7yr ultra-quiet InSinkErator.
It is WAY better than any of their mid-range units. You can barely hear it running (really, it is amazing) and with its 3-stage grinder will dispose of even fibrous veggies. (Actually claims it can handle bone, but I’m not testing that).

A: My top of the line KitchenAid (which has most of its parts made by InSinkErator, so probably the same thing that Scott has) is awesome. I haven’t tested bone, but I have ‘tested’ metal. My sister-in-law dropped two measuring spoons down the drain, one was never seen again and the other was so mangled you wouldn’t have known what it was if you weren’t looking for a missing spoon.