Evolution Compact

Update: It's 2024 and this same unit is still going strong. It even carried over through a kitchen remodel last year since it was in perfect working order. Other than getting a new baffle for very cheap all else is original. Great disposal. ***Important Note!*** Don't do what I did and forget to knock out the dishwasher hookup plug before you get the whole thing mounted up under your sink. That is, of course, as long as you're using the dishwasher hookup. I was lucky enough to remember before I ran my dishwasher, but it was a pain to knock it out under the sink. The previously installed disposal in my kitchen was an Insinkerator Badger 5 of unknown age. It failed in typical fashion due to internal seals breaking down and eventually causing water to leak through the bottom of the case. The best thing about this new unit was that it went in place with no adjustments to the rest of the plumbing. It was an exact fit for the Badger. I replaced the sink flange with all the new mounting hardware, which was perfectly simple. The new unit is relatively quiet and seems effective at disposing what little waste I use it for. I will say that it seems substantially more quiet when actually grinding up food waste than the Badger was, and I'm sure it is due to the combination of sound-dampening and grinding efficiency design improvements over such models. In my opinion, nobody *needs* to spend hundreds more for a disposal quieter than this one for anything more than bragging rights. It's a machine designed to pulverize your food waste into a slurry to go down your drains, and, from what I can tell, the sound of water running in my sink is almost louder than the sound of this unit grinding up my week-old leftovers. I will speak to the rate of water draining through the rubber baffle, as I've seen some people complain about it. In my own experience, I've seen no issues with slow drainage. My sink faucet has an aerator as most down nowadays, which reduces water flow. However, I tested it without the aerator using full water flow from the tap, and still had no problems with water draining through the baffle. If I dump a huge pot of water into the sink, does it drain more slowly than a regular sink drain? Absolutely. That's to be expected. The baffle does have a smaller opening than my previous unit for sure, and I do often have to push food scraps through, but this doesn't bother me. The smaller opening does make the unit quieter by creating a barrier of water as stated in the literature, and it's also less prone to the garbage slurry splashing back out while operating, which did sometimes happen with my Badger. The only tricky part of install was getting the quick mount collar rotated far enough to fully latch. I ended up using a large screw driver slipped between one of the mounting screws and the throat of the flange as a lever to hold the sink flange in place while I rotated the quick-mount collar in the opposite direction with the jam-release tool. This is critical since I've read several reviews around the internet where people had their disposer fall off several weeks after installation. I'd bet it was because they didn't fully engage the collar until it reached the stops. This can be a simple thing to overlook. I nearly did it myself. My previous disposal was hard-wired to a switch inside the cabinet under the sink. Not exactly an ideal arrangement. I rewired the switch as a GFCI outlet and bought the power cord kit ( InSinkErator CRD-00 Power Cord Kit ) for the new disposal along with the InSinkErator STS-00 Dual Outlet SinkTop Switch . This was a great choice and now makes using the disposer much simpler than opening the cabinet, hunting for the switch, dumping food waste, hunting for the switch in the cabinet again, and shutting the door. I know, first-world problems. If I discount the time it took for the electrical work I had to do (about two hours), the disposal install itself took no more than an hour. I'm pretty handy, but if all someone is doing is a direct replacement for another Insinkerator, it should be a fairly simple job. My only minor complaint is that this unit didn't include a power cord, which is a separate purchase if one is not hard-wiring it. In my case I was moving from hard-wired to plug-in installation. Most installations of disposals seem to be going to plug-in judging by the modern homes I've seen over the past few years. I do realize the benefit of waste reduction however in not including the cord for those who would be hard-wiring. It would simply be another part headed for the landfill or squirreled away in a homeowner's miscellaneous junk drawer. Simply be sure you know which type of install you've got and buy the extra parts if needed. I spent a fair bit of time trying to decide between this Insinkerator and a couple units from Waste King which were less expensive. In the end I chose the Insinkerator for the benefit of a direct replacement for the Badger 5, and also seeing a good number of people complaining about failures of the Waste King EZ Mount system used to attach the disposal to the sink flange. There was a lot of talk of plastic parts failing, and I decided that the tried and true Insinkerator mounting system (all metal) seemed like a better choice in the long run. Time will tell if this disposal proves to be reliable and lasts an expected number of years.

I read a lot of the reviews and didn't see anyone mention that the geometry of this model fits really closely with that of the Badger 5, which is what many builders install as a standard. So if you are looking for a Badger 5 replacement that will require the least amount of effort to install, this is probably it. The p-trap lined right up and the downtube fit in the same space as well. This unit also fit right on the old sink attachment, so total time for install was about 20 minutes. As far as the disposal goes, it's quiet and works as advertised. I debated a lot between this and the larger capacity model and ended up settling for this one. The additional capacity didn't mean much to us, and any additional space below the sink was welcomed. This unit was also cheaper. A national home improvement chain with a blue and white sign also sells InSinkErators. However, the model names are slightly different. I don't know if there are quality differences or if they just changed the model name so it could be sold at a cheaper price. I believe this model is called the "space saver" because both share the same 34.6oz capacity. However, the "space saver" is listed at 5/8 HP vs. 3/4 for this model. The next model up at the home improvement chain with 3/4 hp has a 40oz capacity. The one feature I hope I don't miss on this one vs. the higher models is that this one does not have an auto reverse. That being said, I've never had a unit with an auto reverse, so I don't know what I would be missing. All of the models are really close in performance and features. If I was in my forever house, I would drop $300ish on the top of the line Excelon model. In any other house, I would go for this model as a good combination of price and performance. The grinding technology (2 stage) is the same across all of the Evolution line until you get to the Excelon model (3 stage). The overall noise is so much better than an entry level Badger model that I don't think anyone will be disappointed with the outcome.

Installation: I've never really done any plumbing, and before installing this unit, the thought of doing any plumbing sounded insane. Useful information: I was replacing a 1/3 HP GE disposal that is probably at least 13 years old. It was installed either by the previous homeowner or by the home builder (25 years ago). It made a lot of noise when it ran and sounded like it would be dying soon. It did still break down food, but slowly, so the sink would sometimes get backed up when we used it. I was planning to pay a plumber to come and install this unit, but hearing that it would take a plumber 1-2 hours to install meant another $100-200 on top of the cost of the disposal, which may be worth every dollar it cost, but is still expensive ($174 when I bought it from Amazon). So, I decided to try my hand at installing it. I figured I'd use an afternoon, and worst case, I wouldn't be able to figure it out, and I'd call someone to come install it tomorrow. Before purchasing this unit, I noticed two things in many of the comments: 1) The unit does not come with a power cable. That needs to be purchased separately. 2) Installation also required plumber's putty, which ranges in price from about .99 to $15, depending on how much you buy. I spent the $15 by buying a large container (14oz). You could probably get away with 1-2 oz -- maybe even less. It is only used to create a good seal between the flange (the park of the disposal that sticks through the sink) and the sink. If you already have an InSinkErator installed, you probably do not need to replace that part, so you don't need the putty. If you have a different brand installed, you should buy some. There are a few things to determine before installing this unit: 1) Do you have an outlet under your sink? I did not, but I had a wire coming directly from the wall that went into the old disposal. I was able to easily unhook the wires from the old disposal and connect them to this one. I did buy the InSinkErator power cable kit from Amazon, just in case, and I'm glad I did. Even though I did not use the power cable itself, I did use the wire nuts and the Romex connector. No matter what, you will need 2 wire nuts and a Romex connector. Buying them outside of the kit would probably cost less than a dollar total, so if you're interested in saving money, I recommend that. If you're nervous about the installation, like I was, just spend the $8 and buy the kit and you'll have everything you need (aside from the plumber's putty mentioned above). 2) Are you hooking your dishwasher up to the disposal. If so, be sure to follow that step in the instructions to remove the dishwasher plug or it won't work. 3) Are you replacing an InSinkErator? If so, you probably will not need to remove the collar from the sink that holds the disposal up. This will shorted installation time drastically. 4) Is anyone available to help you? It's a good idea to have a second set of hands when you are uninstalling your old disposal and when you are installing the new disposal's collar to your sink. I needed my wife to push down on the sink to keep me from pushing the new collar up through the drain hole. It would have been much much harder to do this job alone, even though 95% of it is easy to do alone. So anyway, back to installation... The first step was to remove the old unit. The instructions that came with the InSinkErator described how to remove an InSinkErator, but I had an old GE unit. I tried following the instructions, but eventually had to figure it out myself. It was not difficult though -- just look for screws and unscrew them. The removal of the old unit is definitely the hardest part of a new disposal installation. Some of the existing screws can be difficult to reach and over-tightened. However, once it was removed, installation of the new unit was simple. The total process of removing the old unit and installing the new one took about 1.5 hours -- way less time than I expected. Operation: The unit purrs. I've never heard a disposal that was this quiet. It sounds just a bit louder than the ceiling fan spinning above my head at full speed in my room right now. It would not interrupt a conversation to turn the disposal on. The unit also vibrates very little. At first it vibrated a lot, but then I noticed that I had not tightened the unit in place as much as the instructions told me to. Once I tightened it a bit, there were no noticeable vibrations. Long-term: I literally just installed the unit 15 minutes ago, so I can't talk about how the unit will hold up in the long-term, but if it maintains its current operations, I'll be very happy. Additional notes: The instructions that come with the device are very clear and easy to follow. Just please note the extras that you will need to buy to install it. They are listed above.

This was my first time installing a food waste disposal. Instructions were clear; step-by-step. Hence, installation was easy. I just had to modify the plumbing since I have two drains and the main drain is positioned awkwardly. Bought me a T tailpipe kit from Lowes, around $8, and voila! My old house also had the older version and boy that thing mushed things like nobody’s business. I suppose this equipment is probably better, and quieter. I did some testing and it seemed like it had 10+ years of experience already before the equipment was even invented. I mean, who does not want one of these? This is a must buy if you cook a lot like I do. Potato skins? Give them to it. Uncooked rice? Oh yeah! Plastic spoons? It eats them for breakfast. Just kidding! No, don’t place plastics, metals, etc. Just perishables but small if you want your disposal to last. It’s worth investing. I’m sure my wife will stop whining now and pay me instead of hiring a macho plumber whom I might end up dating with. Nonetheless, if you’re a handyman, you can install this thing easily. I installed it myself with the help of a non-hydraulic jack. You know one of them classic rotate the screw type. I also installed a 3-prong plug suitable for wet areas. That’s just me. You can be ugly but a handy on house stuff and you can get yourself a girl. If you’re a pretty bot, you might get a boy instead, who knows? Maybe that macho plumber is worth calling. Anyway, 5 stars all the way. I’ll put it more to the test. I’m just worried that my son will use it as an excuse. “My grinder ate my homework”

I replaced a 1-year old GE 3/4 HP unit with the InSinkErator yesterday. The first thing my wife said when I ran it was how quiet it was and how little it vibrated compared to the GE. The GE vibrated so much that the mounting flange and sink trap elbow came loose and leaked under sink. The Evolution Compact has an Anti-Vibration outlet tube mount so any vibrations do not get transmitted to the trap. The inlet baffle looks like it would keep things like silverware from falling to the disposal. It is a better design than the GE's which are now so stiff (even a new one) that water has trouble getting in but not spoons. I replaced a 9-year old GE a year ago because a spoon fell in while running the unit and punctured a hole in the side of the plastic mounting flange. A new GE disposal from Amazon didn't cost that much more than what GE wanted for a new flange and a set of gaskets. My only complaint is that despite reading the instructions several times and watching the on-line video several times it is not easy to get the snap ring back on the mounting flange. It takes enough force if you are working under a sink, that even if you place the disposal on top of the flange it still lifts the flange up. I installed an InSinkErator about 30 years ago but it was much easier because it was on a new sink that wasn't in the countertop yet. It is always much easier to install a faucet and disposal in a sink if you can remove the sink or start with a new sink! I decided to call the InSinkErator AnswerLine today and immediately knew I was in trouble. They have outsourced their tech support. Although the tech person was easy to understand, I still had to spell my name 3 or 4 times before the person understood it. And I don't think he had ever really installed one in a sink that was in place. It sounded as if he was reading from a script. He didn't understand the problem of getting the snap ring back on. He suggested using masking tape to hold the flange in place. I tried that and wound up using duct tape. However, the InSinkErator Evolution Compact is a much better disposal than the others out there and overall is much easier to install.

I bought the Insinkerator Compact Food Waste Disposer to replace a leaky, poor-quality Gourmet King disposer that had been causing me problems ever since I moved into my place. The plumber told me that in order to replace my old one, he'd charge me $350 for labor and parts! When I finally asked what make and model of disposer he planned to replace my old one with, he said the Insinkerator Badger 5, which may be a good product, but I could've bought it for about $80 online, which meant the plumber was going to charge me close to $300 in labor!! So, after reading the reviews on Amazon, I decided to buy the Compact instead and try to install it myself. And sure enough, with some help from my boyfriend (who gets major kudos for this!), I was able to save over $150 by buying this one and installing it myself. As soon as you take it out of the box, you can tell that the Insinkerator Compact is a high-quality product. The materials feel strong and sturdy and it weighs quite a bit, so it definitely has a substantial motor. It's also good to know that Insinkerator offers a 4yr warranty, so be sure to register your prodcut once you install it. Moreover, there are plenty of online tutorials on how to install, so if you need a visual (not just the instructions in the package), go to YouTube and type in 'Insinkerator installation.' The company has it's own fool-proof video of how to install the disposer. The best part about this product is how quiet it is!! I sometimes wonder if it's really grinding stuff up because it's seriously half as loud as my old one, if not quieter! And it doesn't leak, which is also good. My old one had a major leakage problem and caused all sorts of water damage under my sink. Bottom line: If you're looking to replace your garbage disposal and want something quality, but don't want to spend a lot on a plumber or the super high-end Insinkerator, the Compact is just right as it's affordable, easy to install, looks and feels high-quality, and is great for small spaces. I would highly recommend!

When my home was built 8 years ago the builders installed an Insinkerator Badger 5. This unit was extremely loud, but fairly reliable up until two weeks ago when it suddenly seized up, and wouldn't work anymore. I did a lot of research, and decided to go with he Evolution Compact as a replacement because it was very similar in size to the badger 5, but clearly an upgrade. Install: Although the Evolution Compact came with no instructions (Possibly a function of buying it as a Warehouse Deals open box item), it was easy to install. The old Badger 5 just twisted off the Insinkerator mount, and the new Evolution Compact twisted on in it's place. The two ports in the side lined up with where they were on the old Badger 5 as well. However, the lower PVC pipe leading to the drain had to be cut down by about 3 inches since the Evolution Compact is a bit wider than the Badger 5. Other than those two connections, I just had to wire in the power (also reused from the Badger 5, and I was ready to go. Overall, even with cutting, the install took less than an hour, with no trips to the hardware store. (NOTE: I didn't find it necessary to replace the drain portion in the sink since I already had one from the Badger. If you choose to replace this, you will need some plumbers putty). Operation: The Evolution Compact is noticeably quieter than the badger 5, and takes up the same space. It is operating as expected, so i couldn't ask for more. I strongly recommend this product if you are replacing a Badger 5. 6/11/12 Edit. Two things I wanted to add. First, the top port on the unit is your dishwasher hookup. This comes sealed. If you have a dishwasher you need to punch out the hole otherwise the dishwasher will fail to drain (Again if you have install instructions you will know this already... I didn't) Second, Just for fun, I stuck some fairly big stuff down this disposal. It makes short work of everything so far, even watermelon rinds. Just a little extra vibration as it works.

Amazingly quiet!!! This Evolution Compact 3/4 hp ISE unit replaced an ISE model 333 1/2 hp unit purchased at Price Club 17 years ago. The latter unit stood up to raising a family of six and finally quit being reliable (bearings in motor going out). The new "compact" one is rated higher in power, is about the same size, and (possibly because it is attached to a cast-iron sink embedded in a tiled sink top.....) it is super quiet by comparison to its predecessor. If the radio is playing in the background and the water is turned off at the sink, you may not hear that the unit is still running. The new design of the rubber baffle in the intake throat eliminates outward splash when grinding food waste. It also absorbs a lot of the sound of food being ground up in the grinding chamber. It also is not part of the mounting gasket that seals the disposal to the drain flange. Therefore, unlike the old design, if the rubber baffle ever tears you don't have to take apart the disposal-flange junction to replace it. You simply pull the torn baffle out from the top and put in the new one. (That easy removal feature also makes it nice for viewing the inside of the grinding chamber if you want to retrieve an object....just lift out the baffle and go for it) The only two downsides for this unit: 1. The new rubber throat-baffle slows the passage of water from the sink into the unit and down the drain....so if you are in a hurry it takes a few seconds longer to empty the sink. (Not really a negative for most people) 2. The new stopper that plugs the drain flange, allowing the sink to be filled with water, is a solid plug. The one it replaced (from the 17 year old unit) had two positions: one that allowed filling the sink, and one that allowed water to drain but partially blocked the disposal's throat from an inadvertent dropping of objects into the dosposal. In reality the new baffle helps to accomplish that function....so a solid stopper is not all that bad. Fortunately for me the new ISE still uses the original stainless steel drain flange design, so I didn't have to remove and replace that. The removal and installation was done in 15 minutes.....and I can still use the old adjustable stopper, or I can use the new solid one. Unless this company has started to use cheaper materials or shoddy assembly processes I expect this new unit to outlast me.

I’ve been running this unit every day for the last five years. It runs flawlessly. Nice and quiet. My wife is cleaning out an aquarium and got some gravel into the unit. One piece got stuck inside. It was an easy fix all I had to do was use the tool supplied and crank it back-and-forth to free the stone. Hit the reset button and way it goes again. Would highly recommend this unit.

Es muy buen aparato, de buena calidad, medianamente ruidoso y muy fácil de instalar, el problema con estos aparatos radica en las tuberías. Me parece que no es apto para México pues aquí las tuberías no necesariamente son lo suficientemente gruesas para que los residuos no las tapen. Mi experiencia fué de 2 veces tapadas, yo lo usaba pensando que trituraba todo, no tiene cuchillas, (es un sistema diferente del que dicen las descripciones, giran unos tambores a gran velocidad y los residuos se desbaratan al chocar con las paredes y entre sí, tuvo que venir el plomero a destapar. Por consiguiente lo uso muy poco y para pocos deshechos porque hay muchos que no se pueden desintegrar. Si van a adquirirlo asegúrense de no lidiar con este problema. Cómo último comentario mi hija descartó su uso. Se tapó el drenaje de su casa como en cuatro ocasiones.

This model cannot be used in the UK, the UK Model is Evolution 100. My Evolution Compact was supplied from the US, with electrical cabling removed and no serial number.

Cambié mi triturador de desperdicios viejo por este. El anterior era de la misma marca pero modelo 55 (1/2 HP). compré este por la garantía de 8 años y porque todos los componentes eran de mejor calidad. Fue fácil de instalar y me sorprendió lo silencioso que es. No puedo decir mucho sobre su durabilidad pues apenas tiene unos 10 días de uso. Espero me dure; cuando menos, los 8 años que está en garantía.

Works very well and a lot quieter than our old one. Very easy to install.