Customer Reviews

Waste King L-2600 Legend Series 1/2 HP Continuous Feed Operation Waste Disposer

5 star:		(257)
4 star:		(88)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I bought this to replace 20 year old ISE disposer which lost both of its blades and was pretty much useless.

Installation was almost plug-and-play except for the sink flange piece. I had to remove old one (couple of minutes), clean some old plumber's putty and make sure contact surface is clean before I put the new one on. Since I have stainless steel sink, the supplied rubber gasket was just fine to use alone. The outlet orientation and dishwasher inlet were in exact same spot as the previous disposer so I didn't have to mock around with that - perfect compatibility.

Last was electrical hook up. The disposer comes with around 2-3 feet of cable with standard 3 prong plug on one end... I had to cut it off and make electrical connection to old cable. Manual covers that and tells exactly which prong should be hooked up to which color of wire on the other cable. Similarly to plumber's putty, there were no wire caps included with the disposer.

At this point I was finished so I decided to test the efficiency of this disposer... I took all the bits and pieces of food (nut shells, carrots, etc, stuff that old broken disposer could not chew), almost full chamber of it and stuffed it into the new disposer... It chewed thru all of it in about 10s, truly amazing. No wonder since this disposer spins at 2600 rpms which is something like 2x as fast than usual disposer in its class. It is also VERY quiet. When operating in normal fashion (not full chamber of hard stuff at once), you won't even notice much more noise when throwing stuff inside since the food gets chewed into little pieces immediately and has no time to bounce around the chamber generating noise and vibrations for sink to amplify.

The disposer comes with removable splash guard that sits about 2 inches below sink line inside of the flange. It also comes with sink plug, you insert it inside the flange. It is a very effective plug too.

I think this is the best bang for the bucks these days since for one, it is all stainless steel blades and chamber walls secondly it comes with 5 year in home warranty and life time rust warranty.

For comparison, I went to Lowes/HD and what did I find for this price? The cheapest they had was ISE Badger 1 which was actually $76 + tax. That one is noisy as hell, has galvanized steel parts (will rust in couple of years) and very short warranty...

Like the other reviewer I replaced an older one with this. The trick is that older garbage disposals tend to have something called a three-point attachment just under the sink, while newer ones like this have a new design that rotates on. Now if you want to replace the current part that's in the sink this doesn't matter. But then you need the plumber's putty like the other reviewer said (unless it's a stainless steel sink, whose smooth surface apparently doesn't leak).

On the other hand you can do what I did and buy an adapter. This mounted under the sink, allowing me to keep the part you see in the sink when you look down, and thereby obviating the need for applying plumber's putty. It cost about $15 at Orchard Supply, but I'm sure you can get one from Amazon. It bolted to the sink part easily, and the Waste King rotated onto the adapter equally easily.

The only problem was that the adapter lowered the garbage disposal itself half an inch or so. I wound up going to Home Depot and rummaging around in their disordered bins until I found the pieces of piping I needed. It was a snap to install them once I got home, though. Plastic piping has become so standard, and works so well, it's hard to remember the old days when you needed plumber's putty for everything.

Now the installation under the sink looks professional, I've upgraded from a 1/3 to a 1/2 hp. motor, it's quieter (and mostly plastic, as the other reviewer said). This came with a 5 year warranty, and if I'd bought a more expensive Waste King I could have gotten a one-owner lifetime warranty. But this seemed good enough. And it was a much longer warranty than the comparable Kenmore unit.

It also came with a power cord built in. Didn't have to wire up anything.

I'd say, in general, that plumbing has become much easier for do-it-yourselfers. So if you're hesitating, I recommend going for it.

Like several of the other reviewers, I purchased this to replace a Badger 5. I found the Waste King product impressive on a number of areas. The warranty is five years and it includes in-home service, which is a rarity nowadays. Some of the larger Waste King models (1 Hp) have a lifetime in-home warranty. I looked at them, but decided to go with the ½ HP version since I only use the disposal for plate scrapings (bones go in the trash and vegetable peelings go into the compost pile) and didn't want to buy way more disposal than I needed.

Waste King offers two mounting options - the traditional three bolt method, and the EZ method. This model is the EZ method and, true to its name, is really easy! Very clear instructions come with the unit, plus there are videos on the Waste King site to walk you through the process. If you have even the most basic of tool skills and can follow instructions, this is a job you can handle.

The other feature I liked about the EZ mount option was that the rubber guard (the piece of rubber at the top of the opening that you push scraps through) is removable for cleaning. It is not removable in the 3 bolt mounting option and, considering how horrible the one looked in my Badger after a few years, I wanted something that I could take out and clean (or replace). But, all the parts in the 3 bolt option are stainless steel, whereas there are plastic parts in the EZ mount option. The plastic seems sturdy enough, so I hope it will last a long time.

I'm especially pleased to report that Waste King has outstanding customer service. I emailed them some questions before I ordered, and they replied in a few hours, and answered all my questions in full (versus just those canned boilerplate responses you sometimes get from companies). After it arrived I had a question regarding if the sink flange (the part you see when you look into the sink) was plastic or stainless. So I called them and got an answer very quickly (it is stainless). Very pleasant phone call, and minimal (3 or 4 min) hold time.

Product works great. It runs faster (higher RPM) than the Badger, so it grinds quicker. Not as ultra quiet as the really high end ones, but less noise than the Badger. It has stainless cutters which should outlast the galvanized ones in the Badger by a long time.

Works well, easy to install, great warranty, excellent customer support, great price. What more could you want!

I bought the Waste King L-2600 1/2 hp disposer to replace an old Whirlaway 1/3 hp (which is made by the same company) that had broken after many years of use. The L-2600 is an upgrade and was an easy replacement, since it uses the same mounting system as the Whirlaway. In fact, I just re-used the existing sink flange and support ring/mount ring hardware already installed on the sink, and the new L-2600 fit right on (it uses a "bayonet-style" mounting system, so all you do is turn a locking ring to mount it). I'll save the newer sink-mount components for use with a new replacement sink I intend to buy later.

The price of the L-2600 from Amazon was right for my purpose, and free shipping was fast enough. The power difference between 1/3 hp (the original) and 1/2 (the L-2600) is not really significant, but this one comes with a stainless steel turntable (the part that rotates at high speed) and stainless steel pulverizing (swivel impeller) hammers, which is an upgrade from the Whirlaway.

Although this unit has a plastic outer housing that is supposedly noise-insulated (it says-so right on the box), I really could not discern a difference from the non-insulated Whirlaway it replaced. In any case, I use it only occasionally and it only runs for a short time, so the noise is not an issue for me (for comparison, a slightly higher-priced Insinkerator brand that I installed for my parents 2 years ago is noticeably quieter, but would have been too large to fit the space I had). Waste King does make more expensive versions with higher power and better noise insulation, if that's important to you, but they are also physically bigger.

As far as performance, it seems to work well enough for my purposes (mostly plate scrapings, vegetable peels, etc; no large bones or other really hard-to-grind items). It is not commercial quality, but for that you would probably have to pay hundreds more. I have been using it for a little over a month now, and have had no issues with it.

This unit comes with a power cord and 120-volt household plug, for use with a typical under-sink switched outlet, but the cord can be removed if you need to hard-wire it to a junction box. Drain pipe connection is standard for home-use disposers (plastic tail-piece), from what I have seen, and it can take a dishwasher drain connection (you have to remove a simple plastic plug).

I replaced my InSinkErator (ISE) Badger 5 which started leaking after only a few years and was already out of warranty. I read a lot of generally negative reviews of ISE products so when I ran across this model and read the positive feedback I decided to give it a try and I'm very satisfied with my purchase.

For what I paid ($75) the Waste King L-2600 came with everything I needed to replace my ISE in the box with the exception of plumber's putty which you must use if your sink is not stainless steel but this is reasonable. I have a non-stainless steel sink so I could not use the included rubber gasket but putty works just as well maybe adds an extra 5 minutes to installation. It also comes with a 3-prong cord which will plug into any outlet no fancy wiring needed which saved me time. Compare that to the ISE Badger 5 which costs more and they charge an extra $10 on top of that to get the 3-prong adapter kit so the Waste King was a better deal for me.

I removed my old ISE and replaced it with this one on a Saturday afternoon with time to spare. Included instructions are adequate but be sure to read all the steps, especially if you have a dishwasher since you need to punch out the plug BEFORE you install the unit. This was my first time replacing a garbage disposal and I can attest to the ease of installation.

As with other reviewers I found the unit to be quiet, fast, maybe too quiet. I'm so use to the loud roar of the ISE that the quiet buzz of this unit may make you think it's not working on but rest assured it works fine and handles everything we throw at it within reason. Also a 5 year in home warranty beats the competition as well.

The only negative I can think of is that this unit is made in China while the ISE is made in the USA. As much as I would like to support ISE their shoddy quality and cheap warranty were deal breakers for me. I highly recommend the Waste King L-2600.

I bought this unit from Amazon for $75. It replaced my "insinkerator badger 5" food disposer which began to leak water from the unit's bottom where the outlet cord goes in. It lasted 4 1/2 years.

Installation of the Waste King was simple and straightforward. However, a couple of things to note. This disposer is noisier than the insinkerator that I replaced. Also, the intake diameter of this Waste King model is smaller than the insinkerator model.

And, an important installation tip: Remember to knock out the plug on the disposer for the dishwasher hose!! I didn't read the instructions carefully and after installing this disposer, our dishwasher stopped draining after a wash. Called repairman; after five minutes he pulled out a white plug from the dishwasher intake hole. That cost me $75 for that simple diagnosis and fix... all because I didn't read the instructions carefully!!

Very easy installation, (taking the old one out was the hardest part), is fairly quiet and seems powerful. Of course most of it is plastic where the 18 year old In-sink-erator it replaced was almost all steel. One thing I really liked is the easily removable splash guard. One thing I didn't like is if your sink isn't stainless steel, you'll be running to the hardware store in the middle of the installation for some plumber's putty. For a couple of pennies, they could have included in the install kit a small rope of plumber's putty for the sink flange. I hope it lasts at least half as long as the old In-sink-erator did!

P.S. I always feel good buying from Amazon. They're one of the best internet dealers period. I received this disposal in just 2 days after ordering!

The installation was very easy for someone who has not done this sort of thing before. Saves about $150-$200 (plumbers quoted rate for disposal installation). The manual was detailed. I didn't have to look at web videos. Just spent 10 - 15 minutes skimming thru the manual. Removed the old Badger 5 - removing it was the difficult part. The installer of the Badger 5 had put glue and sealed the connection between the black elbow/bend pipe connector and the home 1 1/2" drain. So I had to cut just under the joint and remove the older black elbow/bend connector. Also the thin ring on the 3-bolt system was a bit tough to get off - had to use a strong screwdriver to push it down and out from the top - a difficult angle on something that is so close to the sink.

My sink is stainless steel so used the seal that came with the Waste King.

The Waste king comes with the black 1 1/4" elbow connector. Followed directions to first install the EZ mount on the stainless sink and test the seal by putting the stopper and half filling sink and letting stand for 3-4 minutes. Left the water in the sink for the duration of the install so that if any installation step causes seal break it will be known immediately.

Then I rushed to home depot to get the 1 1/2" to 1 1/4" reducer PVC connector (which I had had to cut off when I removed the Badger) and using glue connected it to the previously cut pipe - the plumbers glue has toxic fumes so make sure to properly ventilate if using the plumbers glue - horrible substance - glad I had to use it only once. Since I had made the cut very close, I did not need to patch the pipe with a union. Since PVC is a bit flexible when it comes to moving things around(as compared to metal pipes), I was able to slip the waste king black elbow into the PVC reducer connection and secure the connection with the screw type flange.

For electrical, if you are replacing a disposal that is directly connected to the home wiring without a wall outlet, then I would recommend the purchase of this part: Leviton 000-515CR-000 (15 Amp Rubber Grounding Plug, Black, also available in Vinyl for $4 - recommend the rubber version) - this is available on Amazon as well as in Home Depot/Lowes. It is only about $5 and saves having to cut or undo the three-prong plug on the waste king. You insert and affix your home wiring into this connector (of course after following necessary precaution of shutting off breaker). Then you plug the waste king into the other end of this which has a three prong female connector.

All the hammering to move the notch to the extreme left (as mentioned in the install guide) had caused the whole assembly to move a bit off the center when seen from the sink. But this was not something to worry. Gripping the Waste King with both hands, I was able to slide the whole assembly to a centered position without having to redo everything and the seal was still water tight.

The noise was much less than the badger. Every time you start it up, it has a little metallic click which can be especially heard if you do not have the strainer on. Initially I was a bit unsure if mine was defective, but then I RTFM where it was mentioned that this is normal.

Start time (start of opening the box and starting to read manual): 8:45 PM, end time 2 AM. In between took about 1.5 hour break to run to home depot as well as get dinner.
I will update review with actual usage experience as well as long term performance in a few months.
Result is not just that I saved money on the installation, but now feel confident to do a lot of minor plumbing tasks.

Considered new ISE low noise products before buying this, but didn't really feel that the trade off of noise to price was worth paying $100 plus. After all the disposal is used only once or twice a day for a few minutes and a 10-20% louder noise during these times is perfectly acceptable - this one does have good noise reduction though when compared to the badgers.

Would have been nice if Waste King had included the Leviton electrical connector as well as the PVC reducer in the package for upgraders, but for price that's expecting too much I guess.

Replaced an old Insinknerator that had a cracked casing.

Pros:
-Quiet but I really don't think this is because of sound insulation, I think it is just a quiet motor with good bearings. (see cons below)
-Inexpensive
-If you are mechanically inclined enough to use a screwdriver and know how to read, you can install it yourself.
-Does what it's supposed to

Cons:
-The outside shell is only two pieces of flimsy plastic (one on top, one on bottom) that were screwed together to make the disposer look bigger than it actually is. I thought this L-2600 looked bigger than the L-1001 because of the sound insulation mentioned in the specs but either there is no real sound insulation or they forgot to put it in mine. There is just a whole lot of empty space in between the casing and the actual disposer itself. If they had made the casing to fit this disposer just right then it would look like the skinny Waste Maid 58. I would have given 5 stars if it wasn't for this. Basically they wasted my cabinet space just so that they could make it look more heavy duty. For some people this might not be a big deal but it just seems to be a little deceptive to me.

I bought this disposal a few days ago. Installed last night. everything runs fine. Since much already said, I won't mention them again. here are a few of my own opinions about the unit: First, not very quiet, if you are looking for a super quiet unit, this is not the one. Second, the installation is pretty simple, but a couple of minor points that Waste King should think about. 1) The unit come with a rubber gasket which is for steel sink only. Wish they provide a small rope of putty so that I don't have to buy a whole can from Home Depot (Cost me $3, and I only used 5% of it).
2) Unit come with a L shape discharge pipe which is for single bowl sink
only. I have to go to Home Depot again and buy a stright discharge pipe for my double bowl sink (cost me $2.95). Wish they provide this pipe with the unit.
Both of above are minor points, but Waste King knew all these installation issues (they are documented in the Owner's guide), I think Waste King should take care of these little things to make sure the installation process quick and easy.