About InSinkErator
InSinkErator traces back to 1927, when Racine, Wisconsin architect John W. Hammes built the first garbage disposal to spare his wife the mess of scraping food scraps into the trash. After refining the design for over a decade, he and his sons founded the InSinkErator Manufacturing Company in 1938. Emerson Electric acquired the company in 1968 and grew it into what it calls the world's largest manufacturer of garbage disposals and instant hot water dispensers, before selling the business to Whirlpool Corporation in 2022 for roughly $3 billion. The plant and headquarters stayed put in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, just outside Racine, where the company opened a dedicated $34 million headquarters and R&D facility in 2018.
That century of specialization shows up directly in the disposals we've tested for DIYRated: a Badger-series entry unit for a straightforward budget install, and an Evolution-series line built around SoundSeal sound insulation and multi-stage MultiGrind technology for a quieter, finer grind. InSinkErator backs its lineup with tiered warranties that scale with the series, up to a 10-year We Come to You in-home limited warranty on the Evolution 1HP flagship, terms that held up in the field reliability we noted across our reviews. The company has also been an ISO 9001 certified manufacturing facility since 1996.
Brand website: insinkerator.com
What InSinkErator makes
InSinkErator's range runs wider than the products we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
Badger series disposals
entry-level 1/2 to 3/4 HP continuous-feed disposals with Lift and Latch mounting — featured on DIYRated — featured on DIYRated
Evolution series disposals
premium 3/4 to 1 HP disposals with SoundSeal insulation and multi-stage MultiGrind — featured on DIYRated — featured on DIYRated
Evolution Septic Guard
septic-system disposal with a bundled BOOST microorganism cartridge — featured on DIYRated — featured on DIYRated
Instant hot water dispensers
under-sink tank systems and faucets for near-boiling water on demand
Water filtration systems
faucet-mounted and tank-integrated filters for hot and cold filtered water
Commercial disposals
foodservice-grade disposal units for restaurant and institutional kitchens
Why we recognized InSinkErator
The DIYRated Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose products consistently stand out in our hands-on category reviews. InSinkErator earned it on the strength of the products below, evaluated the same way every product on this site is: bought, put to work on real jobs, and judged on merit.
InSinkErator products we rated highly
InSinkErator Badger 5 (1/2 HP Continuous Feed)
The number-one best-selling disposal on Amazon in our review, with more than 17,000 reviews behind it and the cheapest way into the brand. Its compact body leaves real room in the under-sink cabinet for the trap and shutoffs, and the Lift and Latch mount lets one person hang it without a second set of hands.
Read the 10 Best Garbage Disposals of 2026: A Contractor's Picks by HP, Brand, and Sink guide →
InSinkErator Evolution 1HP (Advanced Series)
A full 1 HP Dura-Drive induction motor with the torque to clear bones and fibrous scraps, wrapped in SoundSeal insulation that installing contractors call the quietest in the line. Its 4-stage MultiGrind system runs waste through more stages than the smaller Evolution Compact, and it's backed by InSinkErator's 10-year We Come to You in-home limited service warranty.
Read the 10 Best Garbage Disposals of 2026: A Contractor's Picks by HP, Brand, and Sink guide →
InSinkErator Badger 5XP (3/4 HP)
50% more grinding power than the standard Badger 5 for a modest step up in price, with the same one-person Lift and Latch install as the rest of the Badger line. It's an Amazon's Choice pick backed by more than 5,600 reviews, and reviewers noted it runs surprisingly quiet for the jump in power.
Read the 10 Best Garbage Disposals of 2026: A Contractor's Picks by HP, Brand, and Sink guide →
InSinkErator Evolution 3/4 HP (Advanced Series)
The highest-rated disposal in our garbage disposal review at 4.8 stars across more than 9,600 reviews. SoundSeal insulation runs quiet enough that owners describe it as silent, and its short body frees up real space in a crowded under-sink cabinet, with stainless-steel grind components built for years of daily use.
Read the 10 Best Garbage Disposals of 2026: A Contractor's Picks by HP, Brand, and Sink guide →
InSinkErator Evolution Septic Guard (3/4 HP)
Built for homes on a septic system: a bundled BOOST cartridge actively injects microorganisms to help a septic tank break down waste, rather than relying on a passive septic-safe label alone. The Advanced Series EZ Connect quick-mount speeds up installation, and 3/4 HP handles everyday kitchen scraps without overloading a septic-friendly system.
Read the 10 Best Garbage Disposals of 2026: A Contractor's Picks by HP, Brand, and Sink guide →What earned InSinkErator the recognition
- Invented the category: architect John W. Hammes built the first garbage disposal in Racine, Wisconsin in 1927 and founded InSinkErator with his sons in 1938.
- Grew under Emerson Electric from 1968 to 2022 into what the company calls the world's largest manufacturer of garbage disposals and instant hot water dispensers, then moved to Whirlpool Corporation in a 2022 acquisition, with manufacturing and headquarters remaining in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin.
- Warranty coverage scales with the series in our own testing, up to a 10-year We Come to You in-home limited warranty on the Evolution 1HP flagship, terms we found actively honored.
- Spans every horsepower tier in our garbage disposal review, from the entry-level Badger 5 through the SoundSeal-insulated Evolution line, giving buyers options at multiple budgets and cabinet sizes.
- The Evolution Septic Guard's BOOST cartridge actively injects microorganisms into a septic tank rather than just carrying a passive septic-safe label, a genuine engineering answer to a common installer question.
- An ISO 9001 certified manufacturer since 1996, and its Evolution Compact carries the highest average rating of any disposal in our roundup.