Garbage disposal is a real investment that needs proper space to be installed. However, nowadays there are compact disposals, made specifically to fit under all types of sinks especially the ones with limited under-sink space.
Those are called low-profile garbage disposals. They have compact dimensions and are lightweight, which makes them easy to be installed. Along with that they are powerful enough for daily use and operate quietly with the sound insulation technology they are given.
Who Needs A Low-Profile Garbage Disposal the Most?
Garbage disposals are needed to keep your kitchen from smelling foul and reduces the hectic work of cleaning the food scraps manually.
However, if you use a deep sink or a farmhouse sink or for any other reason you have small under-sink space, it certainly does not mean you cannot have a garbage disposal.
Garbage disposals are essential, particularly in confined spaces where quality cannot be compromised.
Low-profile garbage disposals are used when you need garbage disposal that is quiet, reliable, and long-lasting. If these features are essential to you, the low-profile garbage disposal is the solution.
What to Look for In A Low-Profile Waste Disposal?
The features you need to look for in low-profile garbage disposal depend upon your requirements. However, the features to consider are:
Horsepower
The horsepower of the garbage disposal powers the motor to rotate the grinding components of the disposal. The range for power for garbage disposals is 1/3-1 HP where 1/3 HP motor can grind all the soft food scraps and 1 HP motor can grind tough food scraps including even small bones.
If you are getting low-profile garbage disposal because of light use, then you may opt for lesser horsepower.
Noise Level
The noise produced by the disposer plays an important role. Rarely, anyone would willingly buy a disposer that is loud and causes disturbance in the kitchen.
But it is important to notice that the more powerful your disposer is, the louder it will be. For this purpose, you should check out the ones with sound insulation technology. InSinkErator quiet series are good for functioning quietly.
Feed Type
There are two types of garbage disposals:
The batch feed disposal consumes and processes food scraps in batches. The food scraps are put into the grinding chamber, it is then closed, turned on to cut down the food scraps.
When safety is an issue and a significant volume of food must be ground at once, batch feed disposals are recommended. It is important to remember that these are more costly than continuous feed disposals.
The continuous feed disposals operate continuously, as suggested by the name. Once turned on, the disposer will grind whatever goes down the sink.
Due to this, safety is a concern for most continuous feed disposal. Nevertheless, many disposals come with a stopper. Furthermore, continuous feed disposals are recommended when you spend a lot of time cooking and your kitchen sink to be cleaned quickly and often.
The one with continuous feed. Click here to see more.
The one with batch feed. Click here to see more.
If you are looking for more information about the difference between continuous feed and batch feed, click here.
Switch
The type of switch you need depends on how much of a flexible use you are demanding. There are 3 types of switches for a garbage disposer.
Wireless switch: it is a replacement for a standard wall switch. The power adapter is plugged into the switch which is then operated through a button from afar.
Air switch: It is usually mounted on the countertop. It is used as a safer way to operate garbage disposal. When pressed, the burst of air powers the disposer to turn on.
Foot pedal switch: As expressed by the name, just by using your toe you can click the switch, which is located at the bottom of the cabinet, and run your disposer.
Auto Reverse Features
The auto-reverse feature is made to avoid jamming. In case a food piece is stuck in the chamber, the grinding plate will move in the reverse direction to help that piece come undone. This feature is important if you have large food scraps that accidentally go down your drain.
Best Low Profiles Garbage Disposal Reviews
Here are the 5 best low profiles of garbage disposal recommended by professionals, gaining large popularity among users.
1.Budget-friendly Garbage Disposal
Waste King L-2600 (recommended for a low price)
This is an ideal low-profile garbage disposal. Features such as the low price, compact size, easy installation, and smooth operation make this a customer’s favorite. It also operates quietly while its ½ HP motor efficiently grinds the soft food scraps you throw into it.
- What You Benefit from It?
- Low Price
Since you are looking for low-profile garbage disposal, low price is probably your top concern. The top quality of this garbage disposal as told by people is that it is budget-friendly. This garbage disposal offers the same efficient motor power, and performance as its competitors but at much lower price.
- Suitable for Soft Food Scraps
If the stuff going down your disposal includes potato peels or soft vegetable leftovers and stuff like this then the ½ HP motor will be adequate for you. It will swallow every soft food scrap you have got within seconds. This will also prevent the jamming of the device.
- Stainless Steel Components
The stainless-steel grinding components to do not give away to rust or corrosion. All the grinding components are made to last long. In case of any corrosion, the manufacturers offer a lifetime corrosion warranty of the stainless-steel components. Hence, you won’t be spending your money replacing the grinding parts of the disposal.
- What Others Say About It?
“The ½ HP motor is quick to destroy any type of food scraps I throw in it. I feared throwing carrot peels into it but not anymore since it completely gobbles anything. Also, it is super quiet.”
“I’m impressed by how quiet this disposer is compared to its competitors on the market”
“This disposer is a perfect choice if the price is an issue. It is also really easy to install”
- You May Care For
- Safe to use with septic tanks.
- 2600 RPM.
- 5-year warranty and lifetime corrosion warranty
- You May Prefer
- A removable splash guard makes it safer, and the interior is easy to clean.
- Relatively quiet.
- Stainless steel components to avoid rusting in the long run.
- You May Dislike
- Not so quick for large amounts of food scraps.
2. Long-lasting Waste Disposer
InSinkErator Badger 5 (recommended for long term use)
You can get this garbage disposal at a fair price for your daily household use. It is long-lasting, cost-effective, and a trustable product. From the quick and effective grinding, efficient motor, to the quiet functioning; you will not be disappointed with its quality features.
- What You Benefit from It?
- Suitable for Daily Use
For moderate residential use, ½ HP motor and 1725 RPM is sufficient. Garbage disposals are not meant to accommodate all kitchen leftovers you have, once the bulk of the leftovers are removed, the remaining soft food peels such as potato peels can be managed easily by a ½ HP motor.
- Cost-effective
For the price you pay, you get quite much in return. The badger 5 is one of the affordable ones on the market. And offer good performance. The motor power is adequate to cut down the soft food scraps.
It is relatively quiet as well. The galvanized steel parts do not rust in the long run and overall, the product turns out to be value for money.
- Easy Installation
The top feature needed for low-profile garbage disposal is easy installation. The lightweight and compact dimensions of the device make it easy to install. For small spaces, where space is already the problem, it is easy to lift this model up and install it using quick lock installation.
Most parts of this model are also compatible with many other garbage disposals and replacements of parts is not needed.
- What Others Say About It?
“It is much quieter than my previous disposal. I got lucky with this purchase.”
“At the given price, it is a properly functioning unit. Simple to use and easy to install.”
“½ hp motor chops down everything fairly quick. It also operates quietly”
- You May Care For
- Continuous feed disposal.
- Quick-lock installation.
- Sufficient for small spaces.
- You May Prefer
- Galvanized steel parts that are just as efficient even after years of use.
- Cuts down all soft food scraps.
- No vibrations or rumbling while operating.
- You May Dislike
- A safety stopper is needed
3. Compact and Powerful Kitchen Disposal
InSinkErator Evolution Compact (recommended where high efficiency is required)
The evolution compact is one of those garbage disposals that come with big promises and delivers them too. The device has a powerful ¾ HP motor, multi-stage grinding technology, and is also lined with sound insulation and leak guard liner.
If tough food scraps are going down your sink, this disposer could be the one for you.
- What You Benefit from It?
- Multi-stage Grinding
The powerful grinding components crushes all types of food scraps that are thrown into it. The alloyed stainless steel multi-stage grinding process even the tough food scraps including fruit pits, and carrot peels efficiently.
When everything is removed from the sink quickly, there is nothing left behind to cause jamming and hence no leakage occurs.
- Quiet
For the powerful motor of ¾ HP, this device is quiet. It has sound seal insulation technology that makes the operation of the machine sounds like it is humming. It is a great addition to your kitchen to not cause any disturbance in your daily kitchen works.
- Leak Guard Liner
The leak guard liner makes sure there is no leakage in the disposal. The leak guard liner squeezes the water flowing during the grinding process and this prevents water spillage in your cabinets.
- What Others Say About It?
“It is amazingly quiet as compared to my previous disposer. There is no vibration. It only makes a humming sound.”
“The disposer works great. It is powerful enough to handle tough food peels. And I highly recommend it!”
“It easily disintegrates the powerful food I throw into it. It is also affordable as compared to other disposers of the same power.”
- You May Care For
- Compact dimensions for small spaces.
- Quick-lock mounting makes installation easier.
- Alloyed stainless steel components.
- You May Prefer
- Anti-clog features to avoid clogging and jamming.
- Sound seal technology to make it quiet.
- 2 stage grinding to avoid jamming.
- You May Dislike
- The user instructions can be a bit tricky to follow.
4. Powerful and Reliable Waste Disposal
InSinkErator Evolution Excel (Recommended to cut tough food scraps)
This is one of the most powerful garbage disposals that you will find out there. 1 HP motors are the strongest you can get for yourself. This one has that powerful motor but along with the quietest operation. It cuts all tough food scraps and operates extremely quietly.
- What You Benefit from It?
- No Jamming or Clogging
The jam assist in this garbage disposal avoids the jamming of the garbage disposal. The food scraps are processed and cut down by passing through 3 stages of grinding.
When no food scraps are left stuck to the disposer, the machine does not jam or leak. And saves the hectic work of looking for leakage in low-profile disposal.
- Grinds Everything
If you cook often or are used to throwing large food chunks down the drain, then this 1 HP disposal cannot do you wrong! We are not making up stuff when we say you can throw everything into the disposal.
From fruit pits, small watermelon rinds to even small bones, all will be grinded and gone within seconds.
- Efficient in Long Run
The alloyed stainless-steel components are resistant to corrosion. The use of such proper grinding components makes the device last long. There is no effective budget required for the maintenance of the grinding components of the machine.
- What Others Say About It?
“This is a terrific garbage disposal. It has good built, operates quietly, and chops down everything quickly. I expect it to last long for me.”
“The thing about this garbage disposal is that it swallows everything! And you do not even hear it running. It is also very easy to install. Who knew garbage disposal could make me this happy?”
“This is very quiet and has had no issues with whatever I have thrown into it.”
- You May Care For
- Continuous feed disposal.
- Jam assistance to avoid the jamming of disposal.
- Sound seal technology.
- Leak guard liner.
- You May Prefer
- Efficient grinding with 3 stages of grinding.
- Alloyed stainless steel components to the device durable.
- You May Dislike
- Quite expensive
5. Space Efficient Garbage Disposer
Moen GXS75C (recommended for small spaces)
Moen offers top quality with this product of theirs. The 10-year warranty given by the manufacturers shows they are confident about how long their product will last.
This Moen garbage disposer is one of the best low-profile disposers. It is quiet, efficient, and durable to save you the maintenance cost of grinding parts in the long run.
- What You Benefit from It?
- Suitable for Small Spaces
For certain kitchen sinks, where under-sink space is a problem this Moen garbage disposer eases your problems. It can fit into a tight space easily with its compact dimensions.
The device is also lightweight which makes its installation easy into tight spaces.
- Simple Operation
Whatever you require from low-profile disposal; this one can offer it to you. It has good motor power to grind even tough food peels, it is also easy to install.
However, what we prefer is that it is easy to operate. The splash guard can easily be removed to retrieve any item that fell in the drain accidentally. This makes the disposal safe and allows it to be cleaned properly.
- Built to Last Long
This garbage disposal has a sturdy built and design. The stainless-steel grinding components do not give away to corrosion or rust either. The company’s promise of this product lasting long is backed by the 10-year warranty they offer.
In short, getting this product means no more worrying about changing a disposal every now and then. It also saves your expenses in the long run by saving maintenance costs.
- What Others Say About It?
“I had no trouble installing this garbage disposal. It is reasonably quiet as well.”
“This garbage disposer does its job exceptionally well. It has decomposed everything I have thrown into it.”
“Really impressed with the build of the disposal. It is easy to install, and quiet. I would give it full marks in all the features.”
- You May Care For
- Sound shield to make it quiet.
- 10-year warranty.
- Safe to use with septic tanks.
- You May Prefer
- Durable parts that make this device last long.
- Grinds all types of soft and some tough food scraps.
- Removable splash guard to do a thorough cleaning of the interior.
- You May Dislike
- While it is quiet for ¾ horsepower motor, it is still not that quiet for some people.
Does A Low-Profile Garbage Disposer Work Well?
Nowadays, where most kitchens are designed to look modern and have a different stylized look, the kitchen sink has had some modifications too. This results in the under-sink space being confined. For such a small space a low-profile garbage disposer would work well.
Their design and shape are compact, lightweight, and made to make installation easy. They also have good motor power ranging from 1/3-1 HP to grind food scraps, from soft to all tough food scraps.
Most of them are sound insulated and have a leak guard to prevent leakage too. In short, yes, a low-profile garbage disposal works well. There are many you can choose from, but each has some special features to offer.
Conclusion
Low-profile garbage disposals have become quite common, surely, they are the only ones you will hear about for residential use in years to come.
They are compact, efficient, budget-friendly, quiet, and get the job done. If the low space is already a problem, getting such disposals become critical. Nevertheless, you can never go wrong with low-profile garbage disposal.
