Customer Reviews

simplehuman Butterfly Step Trash Can, Fingerprint-Proof Brushed Stainless Steel, 38 Liters /10 Gallons

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I would have never believed that an expensive (more than $10) trash can would be worth it - after all it just needs to hold the trash. But after waking up to find the dog tipping over the trash can and shredding the bags, we decided we needed a change. After some research and testing we found this trash can and have had it for the last few months and really appreciated it.

*This is a great trash can, that we think will be worth its price over the many years we plan to use it.
*It is heavy enough to not be tipped over, but easy to pick up and move when it is in our way.
*The plastic inside liner bin in a nice touch which makes cleanup easy while keeping the bag/liners out of sight.
*The opening is large enough for a gallon-sized milk container or a pizza box, so we no longer just stack those next to the trash can.
*The no-slamming controlled closing of the cover make it quiet and easy to use.
*The mechanism to open the doors is solid, responsive, and looks to be well made.
*The exterior & interior is easy to clean and keep looking sharp.
*Normal tall kitchen garbage bag liners fit well, saving on expensive trash can liners
*The lids can lock in the open position which makes it easy when we are cooking and need to dump lots of things, such as onion peels, chili stems, etc.
*The dog has tried and FAILED to get into the trash, tip the can over, or otherwise have an extra meal from the trash.

So, I know that this trash can is expensive, but I think it is will be a worthwhile investment for you and provide all the joy that a trash can could ever provide. It certainly eliminated many annoyances we had (and some we did not even realize we had) with our previous trash containments and not introduced any new ones. A clearly well thought out, well engineered product that should eventually be in every home!

I'm surprised this can is getting only top reviews. It is a good trashcan, but in my opinion there is one fatal flaw. We put this can in our kitchen, on our newly finished wood floors (just moved into the house). There had never been anything on the floor before this can. After a few weeks of use, we noticed a long (about 4") scratch on the floor beneath the foot pedal. I turned the can over, and discovered that, amazingly, the underside of the foot pedal has the heads of three large screws sticking out, facing down towards the floor. So every time we stepped on the pedal, or the can shifted a bit, or my husband moved the can while switching out the bag, we were scraping phillips-head screw heads along our oak floor. Unbelievable! I covered the screw heads with masking tape, but I began to get nervous thinking the tape would wear through. So I put a round felt furniture pad on each screw head and it seems we have not added to the floor scratching. So I guess that's the solution: when you unpack your new trash can, be sure to turn it over and install felt furniture pads on the underside of the foot pedal before you use it. Small price to pay for a nearly $200 trash can that looks pretty, you say? Perhaps. But if you'll excuse me, now I have to go call our floor crew to see if they can come back and repair our "trashed" wood floor.

First review I've ever made on Amazon actually. That should speak volumes to how crucial this TC is.

I'll keep it short: This trashcan is legit. Sturdy and nice looking. The foot-opening mechanism is smooth as butter. The butterfly opening was perfect for my kitchen setup because I didn't have room for a can which would open the lid behind itself. I also have no idea what the earlier guy who reviewed this can was talking about with the bags. Standard 13 gallon GLAD drawstring bags fit snug in the liner. I've yet to find anything wrong with this trashcan yet but if I do I'll update this review. Assume if you don't see an update that I'm still satisfied.

I have had this trash can for 2 years....love it!!! With two small children it has been great for keeping their hands out of the trash. It is easy to keep clean and change the bags. It closes quietly as well. I will always have a simple human trash can.

I agree that these cans are beautiful, well made, and they operate flawlessly exactly like the other reviewers state.

The issue I have is that standard kitchen trash bags are 13 gallons big. Using a 13 gallon bag in this 10 gallon can is difficult. The bags are about a foot too big around the rim circumference which leaves a great amount of sloppy excess bag to stuff into the little hole in the bin near the top for that purpose.

Ten gallon waste basket bags are too small for this 10 gallon can, they don't quite reach the bottom of the can. The "Simple Human" 10 gallon bags are costly, about 50 cents each bag with shipping. Maybe that's not too costly for a family that can afford to pay about $190 for a kitchen trash receptacle, but to me the cost of the bags is outrageous. Also, the recommended "Simply Human" bags, type "H", included as a simple with the can, fit too well. They are extremely tight around the rim, very difficult to get on or off.

It wasn't obvious to me in the Costco on-line site that this can wasn't a standard size. Even though we paid about 1/4 of the Amazon price for the cans, I'm sorry we bought them. I'd gladly trade them for any decent standard size 13 gallon kitchen step can.

Oh my god, I can't believe how much I love this trash can.

After my first-grader broke our previous step can (which cost upwards of $50), I went searching for a new one and cheaped out with a $25 one. It was TERRIBLE! So began the search for the perfect trash can. It had to be able to withstand a 7-year-old boy and his parents, be cat-proof (although in their old age they've gotten less nosy), and not fill up in ten seconds flat or shred garbage bags.

This can got such great reviews that I finally got over the price tag and said "what the heck."

After having used it for about a month, I would gladly have paid more!!! This thing does everything short of empty itself. And it doesn't look filthy all the time like our last stainless can. It is incredibly easy to replace the bag (although I much prefer Glad tall kitchen bags to the simplehuman ones that came with it). The "hold open" feature is not as easy to use as our previous one, but it's certainly not much of a chore either. The "soft close" feature is nice because you don't get the jarring lid slam (and this thing gets used A LOT, so that's a lot of lid slamming). But I think my favorite thing about this can is that when it's full, the BAG IS FULL. I hate pulling an overflowing bag out of a trash can only to have the trash settle to the bottom of the bag, leaving it half empty. It's a waste of bags and a waste of time emptying the can before the bag is full. And even at max bag capacity, when I pull up on the bag with this can, it COMES RIGHT OUT. Trash doesn't spill everywhere because I'm not having to wiggle it back and forth to get it out. There is no stupid vacuum effect to fight.

Buy this trash can. I know it's expensive, but you won't regret it.

A trash can ought not to draw attention to itself. The rectangular shape makes it convenient to unobtrusively store along side a kitchen cabinet, the butterfly lid keeps odors from escaping, and the dampening mechanism that operates the lid makes the can completely silent. So, this trash can performs its little unappreciated task as well as anyone could expect.

Despite the advertised size of ten gallons, standard "tall" (13 gallon) kitchen trash bags fit perfectly - I have no explanation for reviewers that complain about an unusual size requirement. It's wide enough to easily accept scraps from a cutting board.

The fingerprint-resistant surfaces clean easily and the interior plastic bucket is easily removable for cleaning. Mine is over a year old and I'm very satisfied with the purchase.

Oh and one more thing - I placed the order with Amazon one evening and it arrived the following morning. That's just spooky!

This is our second purchase of a Butterfly Step Can. Our first purchase had us sold on getting another one. The quiet, slow and tight closing of the lid makes it a winner for me. No odors seem to escape and no little fingers can get caught unaware. Our first can didn't have the finger-proof feature and so far we have found this to be a great addition. We had our first can for about 6 years before the springs that open and close the lid broke. Our daughter, who has the same can, had the same thing happen in about the same amount of time. The can still opened and closed, but w/o the quiet slow action. But that didn't keep me from wanting to purchase another. All in all a great looking and working step can that's worth the money.

We have had this butterfly trash can for a couple of years now and I personally really do like the overall design, but the only bad thing I have found is that the stainless steel it is made of is a low-grade type that will actually rust and pit very badly... and quickly, if you happen to use any type of bleach based cleaning product to clean and disinfect it, even one time. A regular ferrite magnet will readily stick to it, which would seem to indicate that it is likely made of the 400 type stainless steel.
I used Bar Keeper's Friend liquid cleanser with a 3M Scrunge sponge to remove the rust, then polished all of the steel surfaces, both inside and out, with Glass Wax metal polish. This seemed to do the trick in restoring the cans original appearance. Overall, a very decent can. I just wish it was made with a better grade of stainless steel. Especially when considering the price point for this product.

Despite the high cost, we bought this can because other buyers suggested it was dog-proof. Well, it took my 35 pound terrier exactly ONE DAY to knock this thing over and raid its contents. And because it's stainless steel (not plastic like the RubberMaid it replaced), it now has a nice ding in the side from the tumble.

Now I'm off to Home Depot to buy a nylon strap and some kind of bracket to tie it to the wall with. So another $10 and probably an hour or so of f'ing around with that rig and I'll have a $130 garbage can with a ding and a strap. Classy.

As a can, it's nice enough, though the foot pedal requires too much effort to push. At this price, I think I expected more.