Whats the difference between corded and uncorded garbage disposal

Waste King vs. InSinkErator Garbage Disposals

Two of the best-known manufacturers for garbage waste disposals are InSinkErator and Waste King. If you are thinking about buying a garbage disposal for the first time or would like to replace your current one, you may want to know how the disposal from these two manufacturers differ from one another.

Whats the difference between corded and uncorded garbage disposal

Comparison between Waste King and InSinkErator

We compared the most important features of garbage disposals. Keep in mind that this comparison is based on garbage disposals for home use.

Navigation:

  1. Motor – Winner: Waste King
  2. Material and Build Quality – Winner: InSinkErator
  3. Price – Winner: Waste King
  4. Warranty – It’s a tie
  5. Accessories – Winner: Waste King
  6. Verdict – 3:1 for Waste King
  7. On a commercial level
  8. Contact information

1. Motor Winner: Waste King

Let’s begin with the most important part of a garbage disposal, the motor. Both Waste King and InSinkErator use high-speed electrical motors to grind up kitchen food waste.

But the two manufacturers use different types of motors inside their disposers. Waste King uses a permanent magnets (PM) engine, which uses magnets in and on the motor’s rotor.

Whats the difference between corded and uncorded garbage disposal
Waste King uses permanent magnets motors while InSinkErator uses induction motors.

This produces a consistent and instantaneous motor flux (rotation) instead of requiring a stator field to produce a constant flux through a physical connection to the rotor, as is the case in the slower induction motors used InSinkErator. (For more technical information, see this link).

On average, a Waste King garbage disposal reaches an RPM of 2,500 while an InSinkErator disposer only reaches a maximum of 1725 RPM, which is 30% less than the Waste King. Though InSinkErator offers some models with multiple grinding stages to make up for this disadvantage. These stages ensure that the food scraps are ground up into small particles before it is flushed away.

Permanent magnets motors offer instant power when turned on so they jam less often in comparison to induction motors.

This comes down to that permanent magnet motors reach their maximum speed (RPM) immediately when turned on, while inductions motors take a few seconds to speed up.

Overall, PM motors are smaller and lighter than induction motors and are considered more efficient and trustworthy, too, because they tend to jam less often. So, most people would agree that Waste King takes the lead when it comes to the motor of a garbage disposal unit.

Check best garbage disposals


2. Material and Build Quality Winner: InSinkErator

Even though the motor is arguably the most important criterion to consider in the buying decision, it is not the only criterion that could entail a deal-breaker. The build quality of your future garbage disposal, for example, is another criterion that needs to be considered.

Whats the difference between corded and uncorded garbage disposal

Metal and plastic

Both Waste King and InSinkErator offer durable garbage disposals, but one is more durable than the other. Although both brands have steel turntables and impellers in their disposals, InSinkErator’s chambers are made of steel, while Waste King’s chambers are getting made of corrosion-proof polymers. As for the exterior shell, both brands use plastic.

However, it appears as though InSinkErator’s nonbudget disposals have a body made of more durable and high-end plastic, compared to InSinkErator’s badger line and all of Waste King’s disposals.

Whats the difference between corded and uncorded garbage disposal
Plastic is more fragile than metal.

The mounting flange is where the difference is

The mounting flange is an important part of the food scrap disposer, where we spotted a difference between the two brands. Waste King uses plastic mounts in their ‘Legend series’ and metal mounts for the ‘Legend 9000 series’.

The more budget-friendly ‘Legend series’ comes with the EZ mount, such as the popular Waste King L-8000, while the ‘Legend 9000 series’ comes with the 3-bolt mounting system.

Whats the difference between corded and uncorded garbage disposal
Metal versus plastic mounting system.

In InSinkErator, we see that this brand only offers garbage disposals with a stainless steel mounting flange, which is far more durable than a plastic mount.

Waste King’s sacrifice for price

Waste King offers a wide range of sizes with their garbage disposals, and you can easily find small and light disposals for small kitchen cabinets. But you can also find larger and more bulky disposals when more power is needed. However, all their disposers produce considerably more noise while turned on compared to the more quiet InSinkErator.

Why is that?

One of the reasons is their standard modern EZ mount, which is being used for the more budget-friendly Waste King disposers. This mounting flange is made of plastic and is supposed to be quick and easy to install for customers.

Whats the difference between corded and uncorded garbage disposal
Waste King’s EZ-mount and 3-Bolt mount

However, the softer plastic material allows for more vibrations. Thus noise, compared to mounts made of metals, like stainless steel. Nevertheless, Waste King claims to be taking steps to decrease their machines’ noise level without having to sacrifice their lower prices.
One of Waste King’s adjustments to their newer disposers is the installation of a foam layer between the shell and the grinding chamber to reduce noise. But this insulation is still less effective than the sound insulation of InSinkErator.

Another adjustment or option they have provided is that for a small extra cost, Waste King offers their customers an old school 3-bolt mount that is made out of metal and minimizes the vibrations created during use at the expense of a more hands-on installation process.

InSinkErator’s smart investment

In contrast, InSinkErator’s more durable build quality makes the disposal larger and heavier. But this has allowed InSinkErator to use its signature ‘SoundSeal technology’, which significantly decreases the noise level of their machines during use in the kitchen.

Moreover, InSinkErator garbage disposals have a metal ‘QuickLock Sink Mount’ for quick installation and replacement of their garbage disposals.

In summary, InSinkErator provides garbage disposals made of higher quality material compared to Waste King. However, this unavoidably also results in higher pricing for the InSinkErator garbage disposals.

Watch Video about the sound seal technology for InSinkErator disposers on Youtube


3. Price Winner: Waste King

While the motor and build quality can say a lot about the durability of a garbage disposal, all this doesn’t matter if the disposal is utterly overpriced. This is not the case with Waste King or InSinkErator, but there is a clear price difference.

Whats the difference between corded and uncorded garbage disposal

We found that Waste King offers garbage disposals for a lower price, which means a lower price for more horsepower than InSinkErator. But you do need to compromise on the build quality of your disposal, which you don’t need to do with InSinkErator.

Different classes of food disposers

Both Waste King and InSinkErator try their best to provide garbage disposals that suit their customer’s needs and budgets. While Waste King generally offers budget-friendly disposers, especially with their EZ-mount, InSinkErator has also attempted to sell lower prices and lower quality disposals with the Badger series.

Whats the difference between corded and uncorded garbage disposal

Even though Waste King’s prices may seem challenging to compete with, InSinkErator did make an attempt at it with their budget Badger line. This budget-friendly InSinkErator has a plastic shell much like Waste King’s and doesn’t feature their ‘SoundSeel technology.’

In contrast, its motor still does not compete for the permanent magnet motor Waste King uses in their disposals. As a result of this, it appears logical to conclude that Waste King scores the price department’s point.

Check best garbage disposals


4. Warranty Winner: It’s a tie

The warranty may also be a criterion you want to consider before purchasing your disposal, especially if you are unsure about the quality of the disposal you want to buy. The warranty lengths vary quite a bit for the two brands, and therefore we would consider this round a tie.

Generally speaking, what you pay is what you get, meaning if you are willing to invest more, you will get a better quality disposer with a more extended product warranty.

More power usually equals longer warranty

Additionally, garbage disposal units with more horsepower (HP) tend to have more extended warranties. For example, InSinkErator’s budget badger line only has a 2-year warranty, while their other more expensive product lines provide between 4 and 7 years of warranty.

Likewise, Waste King has given their 1/3 and 1/2 HP models only two years of warranty, but their 1 HP model has a limited lifetime warranty. A limited warranty means that only a limited number of problems fall under the warranty. For example, damage from an incorrect installation is not included in the limited lifetime warranty from Waste King. For more information, here is a clarification document from Waste King.


5. Accessories Winner: Waste King

A few garbage disposals also offer optional accessories, which can be very convenient to use. While Waste Kings are considered basic and cost-saving disposal, they have the option of the 3-bolt mount mentioned earlier.

They come with a power cord pre-attached by default, unlike most InSinkErator disposals. When you buy an InSinkErator, it is recommended to check if a power cord is included in the packaging. Otherwise, you need to buy it separately.

Whats the difference between corded and uncorded garbage disposal

However, InSinkErators have the option of a convenient SinkTop switch button, similar to the Air Switch button from Moen that Waste King sells on their website. We would choose Waste King as the winner for their included cord and optional mount upgrade on this topic.

The preinstalled power cord is incredibly convenient for people looking for an easy and fast installation process.

If you are interested in seeing more accessory options for garbage disposals, we also have a blog post on popular garbage disposal accessories.


Verdict Winner: 3:1 for Waste King

Pros:

Waste King

  • Superior permanent magnet motor
  • Lower average prices
  • Longer average warranty
  • Power cord included
  • Smaller and lighter
  • Air Switch & 3-bolt mount option

InSinkErator

  • Metal exterior
  • Quiet (‘SoundSeal technology’)
  • Optional SinkTop switch
  • Manufactured in USA


Cons:

Waste King

  • Loud
  • More use of plastic

InSinkErator

  • Inferior induction motor
  • Larger unit
  • No power cord included
  • Shorter average warranty
  • Higher average prices
  • Heavy weight


What do consumers say? Common consumer complaints

While from a factual perspective, Waste Kings’ garbage disposals take the lead. From a consumer perspective, the better build quality of InSinkErator disposals also deserves heavier weighing. This becomes apparent in consumer reviews, complaints, and problems that are useful to sift through before proceeding with your purchase. We point out a few common issues that Waste King and InSinkErator both have from these consumer contributions.

Whats the difference between corded and uncorded garbage disposal

These issues include that disposers tend to smell bad if they aren’t cleaned frequently, especially in Waste King disposers. Some customers mentioned an issue with mold in the rubber rings.

Additionally, for both brands, consumers reported clogs and jams that happened frequently or were not easily fixed. Furthermore, consumers voiced their disappointment with the limited range of problems covered by InSinkErator and Waste King’s warranty after they received a defective or short-lived device or were delivered missing/defective parts.

Moreover, problems with the installation seemed common due to “poor manuals” from Waste King and InSinkErator’s Quick-Lock technology, which appears to be less quick and easy than intended.

Finally, people noticed that the EZ-mount isn’t very durable because of its plastic build.

Whats the difference between corded and uncorded garbage disposal

One additional issue that became apparent is that disposers from both brands can have leaks that can damage your kitchen cupboard/cabinet, your wooden floors, or worse, in rare cases. The cause of these leaks can be damaged material or poor installation, in which case the entire disposer could come loose.

In an InSinkErator disposer, this damage tends to be inside the machine and the motor. In contrast, Waste King disposers more commonly have a damaged exterior shell or the grinding chamber.

Overall, both manufacturers have consumer reviews on Amazon that describe all of the issues mentioned above. While InSinkErator, in rare cases, has internal problems with the lesser motor causing the disposal to break or get jammed, Waste King appears to have more problems with the exterior.

The less durable material causes problems such as cracks in its plastic shell, which cause the second problem, leaks. Even though this part of the blog focused on the flaws of the two garbage disposals manufacturers, the positive consumer reviews and comments outweigh the negative ones.

The overall impression is that consumers are very satisfied with their household food waste disposals, but what about the commercial and industrial level disposals that both brands have developed?


Waste King vs. InSinkErator on a commercial level Heavy-duty build quality

Both Waste King and InSinkErator have developed garbage disposal units for commercial and industrial use. It is safe to say that these professional devices are built to be more robust and durable than your average household disposal.

These disposals from both brands have between 2 to 5 times more power than your strongest household disposer and have a body made entirely of stainless steel and metal, necessary for heavy-duty food waste grinding. However, if the machines are misused or without care, maintenance, or cleaning, problems such as leaks, clogging, or jamming can still occur.

Whats the difference between corded and uncorded garbage disposal
Professional disposal system for food waste.

Check commercial garbage disposals


Contact information

Waste King

  • Official website
  • Contact page
  • Warranty information
  • See all residential garbage disposals
  • Phone number: 1-800-854-3229

More about Waste King

Waste King was founded in the 1970s and has specialized in making garbage disposals for personal and commercial/industrial use and hot water faucets. They are known for their budget and compact products and their permanent magnet motor, EZ mounts, and 3-bolt mounts.

One of their younger sub-brands is Whirlaway who also sells garbage disposals and accessories for personal use. All-in-all, Waste King has built a reputation for a high-quality disposal motor while keeping the product compact and low cost.

More about InSinkErator

InSinkErator originated in Wisconsin and is a part of the most prominent manufacturers of garbage disposals called Emerson, who produce disposals for personal and commercial/industrial use, in addition to instant hot water taps. InSinkErator is also the inventors of the first garbage disposal in 1927.

Since the 1920s, they have advanced and become known for their garbage disposals with SoundSeal and anti-vibration technology. Overall, they stand for the more high-end garbage disposals and hot water faucets.


Garbage Disposal Guide Tips for buying a garbage disposal

Garbage Disposal Guide

What are the 2 types of garbage disposals?

The two primary types of garbage disposals are batch feed and continuous feed disposals. Before you shop, look under your sink to see how much room you have to add or replace a disposal.

What is corded garbage disposal?

Garbage disposals (sometimes called food disposers) can be connected to the electrical power supply in one of two ways. They are sometimes hardwired directly into a dedicated circuit, or they can be wired with an appliance cord that plugs into a wall outlet that is usually located inside the sink base cabinet.

Should garbage disposals be hardwired?

Garbage disposals should be either hardwired or connected to an outlet through a grounded electrical outlet. A dedicated circuit is generally recommended, although a circuit that is shared with a dishwasher is sometimes appropriate.

Do all garbage disposals need a cord?

Most batch feed garbage disposals will require an electrical cord and an outlet near or under the sink in order to install, so always be sure the electric cord is included in your purchase.