Insinkerator Badger Vs Evolution Series; What’s the difference? 

Insinkerator is a company that specializes in manufacturing hot water dispensers and garbage disposal units. While there are several garbage disposal models from this brand, some of their most popular garbage disposal lines are Badger Vs Evolution Series. 

However, despite being produced by the same company, both Evolution and Badger garbage disposal have different features. In general, the Badger Series is considered the entry-level line, while the Evolution contains more advanced features. 

But, what are the exact features that make these garbage disposals different? Well, here’s a detailed comparison guide on Insinkerator Badger Vs Evolution Series. Hopefully, learning the differences between these units will help you choose the ideal garbage disposal model for your kitchen! 

Badger Vs Evolution Series garbage disposals; Notable differences 

Models within the series 

On one hand, the Badger series is available in models like Badger 1, Badger 5, and Badger 5XP. On the other, the Evolution series comes in Compact, Excel, Essential XTR, Cover Control Plus, and Septic Assist. All in all, both models have different capacities and attractive designs. 

Grinding mechanism 

Performance is an important aspect to consider when buying the best Insinkerator garbage disposal for your home. One way to determine the performance of garbage disposal is to check its grinding technology. 

 That said, Evolution garbage disposals are equipped with multi-grind technology, while the Badger units only use a one-stage grinding system. As the name suggests, the Multi-grind technology involves multiple stages in the grinding process. For instance, the Evolution Excel has 2 grind stages, while the Evolution Compact has 3 grind stages. This allows the disposal to break down food waste completely into finer particles that are easy to wash down the drain. 

In addition, the multi-grind technology makes the Evolution Series faster, better, and more popular than their Badger counterparts. Even better, this allows you to grind food items that are generally not recommended to be thrown down a disposal like celery and other fibrous vegetables. So, if you want a garbage disposal that can grind tough food items like avocado pits and beef ribs, Evolution disposals are better than Badger garbage disposals. 

Motor 

Both Badger and Evolution garbage disposals are powered by a Dura-Drive Induction motor. However, Badger disposal units have a motor rating of 1 ⁄ 3 and 1 ⁄ 2 HP. While the motors of Evolution Series have a rating of 3 ⁄ 4 and 1 HP. Therefore, the Evolution units are more powerful and can grind food waste faster than the Badger garbage disposals. Other than that, both garbage disposal models run on 120V of electricity. 

Noise Output 

Most Badger garbage disposals don’t come with any noise insulation. However, the Evolution Series disposal units are equipped with SoundSeal noise insulation technology. Als, some Badger disposals models like Badger 900 have a plastic surround that muffles sound to some extent. Nonetheless, they’re not nearly as quiet as the Insinkerator Evolution garbage disposals. 

It’s also worth mentioning that the noise level from Evolution garbage disposals tends to vary from one model to another. 

For instance, Evolution Excel uses a multi-layered sound insulation foam to block sound waves, making it up to 60% quieter than standard models. On the other hand, the Evolution Compact model uses a different type of insulation and is only 40% quieter than standard garbage disposal. 

Another notable noise-reducing feature in Evolution garbage disposals is that they use anti-vibration mounts. In addition, most units come with a QuietCollar sink stopper. The stopper is specifically designed to hold a layer of water to prevent sound from the unit from coming into the kitchen. 

Build Quality 

Since garbage disposals are constantly exposed to water, it’s important to ensure that they’re made of corrosion-resistant materials. In that regard, the grinding chamber and components of both Evolution and Badger garbage disposals are made of stainless steel. However, the grinding components of some Badger disposal models like Badger 5 and 1 are crafted from galvanized steel. Apart from that, the grinding components of all Evolution units and other Badger models like Badger 15ss and 900 are made of stainless steel. 

Warranty 

Despite being produced by the same manufacturer, Badger, and Evolution garbage disposals have different warranty periods. For instance, Evolution garbage disposal models have a warranty of about 4 – 10 years while Badger garbage disposals have a warranty period of 1 – 6 years based on the specific model. Therefore, Evolution disposal units have a longer warranty than Badger disposal. However, this should come as a surprise seeing that Evolution garbage disposals are more durable and have better build quality. 

Grinding chamber capacity 

In general, Evolution garbage disposals have a larger grinding chamber than their Badger counterparts. For instance, the grinding chamber of Evolution Excel has a capacity of 40 oz, while that of Badger 900 has a capacity of 26 oz. 

Surprisingly, Insinkerator has achieved this without making the garbage disposal any taller. This is because Evolution garbage disposals are wider compared to Badger units. As a result, most Evolution garbage disposals are less than 13” tall, allowing them to fit perfectly under deep kitchen sinks.

Auto Reverse technology 

Although every garbage disposal will get jammed at some point, Evolution units tend to jam less often compared to Badger garbage disposals. Thanks to the Autoreverse technology that comes with Evolution garbage disposal models. As the name implies, this technology automatically reverses the rotation of the unit’s blades when it detects a jam, helping it cut through the blockage. 

Some Evolution garbage disposal models like Evolution Excel have a technology known as JamSensor that detects the jam in advance. Consequently, the torque of the blades increases by up to 500%, giving it enough power to cut through most jams. 

Cost 

Lastly, Badger garbage disposals are more budget-friendly than Evolution garbage disposal models. For instance, the prices of Evolution garbage disposals range from $200 to $450, while the priciest Badger garbage disposal costs less than $150. 

Conclusion; Badger Vs Evolution Series garbage disposal; Which is better? 

If you don’t have any budget limitations, the Evolution series garbage disposals are an excellent choice for you than the Badger series units. This is because they’re a premium line of Insinkerator garbage disposals and are equipped with several advanced features you won’t find in Badger disposal units. 

However, if you’re on a limited budget, Badger series units are a better option as they’re more affordable, yet they still do a good job when it comes to getting rid of food waste.