What Makes The American Standard Garbage Disposal Unique?

Garbage disposals are one of the most useful kitchen inventions. Without one, cleaning up after a big meal can be a chore. Furthermore, you have to make sure that food doesn’t make it down the drain and begin to clog up your pipes.

Garbage disposals are also easy to install for the most part, so you don’t have to hire someone to put in a new one for you.

The American Standard 1.25 HP garbage disposal is one of the popular models on the market. It’s powerful, safe, and quiet, which attracts a lot of new customers who want to install a garbage disposal in their home.

In this review, we’ll take a look at what makes the American Standard 1.25 HP unique, and give you our recommendation on whether or not we think it’s worth the investment.

What is the American Standard 1.25 HP?

The American Standard 1.25 HP is the preeminent American Standard garbage disposal you can find at hardware stores or on Amazon. American Standard is one of the leading North American plumbing fixture companies. They make everything from kitchen sinks to toilets, and their garbage disposal is a popular option for homeowners who need one in their kitchen.

Garbage disposals, for those who don’t already know, allow you to grind-up leftover food products in the sink drain with the assistance of a heavy flow of water.

These products make cleaning up after meals simple. You don’t have to take out the trash as often to prevent food from rotting in your kitchen, and you don’t have to worry about fat and other congealing substances getting stuck in the drain.

Another reason why garbage disposals are attractive is that they’re easy to install. You don’t have to be a DIY maven or amateur plumber to install a garbage disposal in your sink. These products come with installation directions, and as long as you follow them, you shouldn’t have a problem.

A proper garbage disposal will be strong enough to handle any food you put down there, and the American Standard garbage disposal excels in this area. The high-torque motor in the American Standard disposal chews through food with ease, making it a top choice for many homeowners who are sick of dealing with food scraps after meals.

What Makes the American Standard Garbage Disposal Unique?

American Standard Garbage disposal sets itself apart from the competition in a few different ways. In this section, we’ll take a look at the standout features of the American Standard 1.25 HP that would make you want to choose it over some of the comparable competitors out there.

Torque

The high torque is by far the most notable feature of the American Standard 1.25 HP. One of the biggest complaints people have with their garbage disposals is that it isn’t powerful enough. You won’t have that problem with the American Standard 1.25 HP. This garbage disposal can tackle almost anything you throw at it.

With 2700 RPM, the American Standard garbage disposal eliminates any food it encounters. Breaking down large chunks of food is what garbage disposals are supposed to do, and the American Standard garbage disposal can do this better than almost anything else we’ve seen.

You might not need the most powerful garbage disposal for every application, but it can certainly come in handy for the bigger cleanup jobs. The RPM on the American Standard 1.25 HP might be overkill for daily meals, but you’ll be happy you have it when you’re hosting events and holidays at your house.

Turntable

It’s fair to assume that such a powerful garbage disposal will create a lot of noise and vibration. This is usually the case with high-RPM machines we’ve reviewed, but we were pleasantly surprised by the results of the American Standard 1.25 HP.

This disposal boasts a balanced turntable that cuts through food without shaking your entire sink in the process. The noise level is moderate – but quieter than almost anything else you will find with similar power capabilities.

Although it’s usually a good idea to make sure the disposal grinds everything properly, the American Standard 1.25 HP doesn’t require much supervision. After a few uses, you’ll start almost to ignore the disposal as it grinds food away until you’re able to shut it off and go back to your evening entertainment.

Although some noise is unavoidable in a powerful garbage disposal, you can easily hold a conversation or watch a video while the American Standard 1.25 HP works – something you can’t with some similarly powerful disposals we’ve seen.

Magnetic Guard Ring

Dropping a knife or fork into a traditional garbage disposal is a scary scene. You have to stop the disposal immediately to make sure the cutlery doesn’t come flying out and injure someone,

Digging a knife out of the disposal can be particularly dangerous. You will suffer a deep cut if you’re not careful – all for trying to save time by washing silverware while running the garbage disposal.

The American Standard 1.25 HP doesn’t have this problem. This product includes a magnetic ring that catches any silverware you might drop down the disposal. There’s no worry of a spinning blade of death jumping out of the sink and cutting anyone in range.

The metallic guard ring is one of the unique features of the American Standard 1.25 HP that we haven’t seen in many other disposals. Some companies use them, but this idea seems like one that more garbage disposals should be using to limit hassle and potential injury.

Stainless Steel Construction

The stainless steel construction of the American Standard 1.25 HP means it’s very low maintenance. Other disposals require frequent cleaning to make sure that food doesn’t stick to the blades after continued use. Too much water can cause the blades to rust, meaning they won’t function properly.

Thankfully, the American Standard 1.25 HP doesn’t have this problem either. The stainless steel blades don’t rust, and the cutting mechanism inside the American Standard 1.25 HP allows food to chop and slide through with ease.

Enhanced Insulation

Insulation is one of the lesser-mentioned features in garbage disposals, but it’s important nonetheless. Anyone who has used a garbage disposal knows how loud they can be – often disrupting people in the next room.

As we touched on above, the enhanced insulation of the American Standard 1.25 HP reduces noise and vibration.

Overall, this is one of the most powerful and low-maintenance garbage disposals we’ve seen, and that includes the noise level.

Some of the sound quality will depend on your sink and kitchen setup, but we can ensure that the American Standard 1.25 HP garbage disposal will be one of the most powerfully quiet garbage disposals you’ll try.

The Negatives

There aren’t too many notable downsides to selecting the American Standard 1.25 HP over a comparable disposal. The price – which we discuss below – falls slightly above average for garbage disposals, but you’re paying for power, enhanced safety, and a lack of maintenance in the long-run.

One of the biggest downsides isn’t inherently a downside.

This model didn’t come with a power cord for the wall, which can be annoying if you purchased the product and assumed everything was included. You can solve this problem with a quick trip to the store or online order, but you should know about it before you buy.

Some other garbage disposals we’ve reviewed have easy mounting capabilities, which makes installation a breeze. The American Standard 1.25 HP doesn’t have this feature, so you’ll have to use a bit more effort when getting it into place. We also advise that you keep some putty on hand in case the machine doesn’t completely fit in your sink.

Still, the American Standard 1.25 HP is relatively small, which means installation isn’t especially difficult. It also saves some room under your sink for storage, whether other units take up the whole area with their size.

Pricing

You can purchase an American Standard 1.25 HP which falls in line with most of the other garbage disposals of comparable value. Units in the same price range don’t seem to offer compact power like the American Standard 1.25 HP does, though, which means it’s one of the top options you can find.

The warranty is another notable feature with the American Standard 1.25 HP. American Standard provides a ten-year warranty for the garbage disposal, which should show how confident they are in their product. You shouldn’t have any issues with rust or damage, but you can return or replace the American Standard 1.25 HP if you do.

Public Perception

The American Standard 1.25 HP is quite popular with consumers. Most of the reviews on Amazon and other websites that sell American Standard products are overwhelmingly positive. Customers seem to love the unique features and power that the American Standard 1.25 HP presents, and it’s easy to see why after using the product.

Like any product, there are some negative reviews out there.

Most of them complain about receiving a damaged product from the distributor, which you can hardly blame on American Standard.

We saw a couple of negative reviews that cited the noise level of the American Standard 1.25 HP. While we thought the insulation provided enough of a buffer to make this one of the quietest garbage disposals we’ve seen – apparently this isn’t universal.

Some units might make a bit more noise than others, but the consensus seems to be that the American Standard 1.25 HP is quieter than other garbage disposals.

How it Compares

The American Standard 1.25 HP stacks-up quite nicely against some of the other competitors. Most other units can’t come close to the 2700 RPM of the American Standard 1.25 HP, which means it’s difficult to compare too many other products in the same price range.

The InSinkErator Badger is a suitable alternative but only provides 1725 RPM. It’s also much louder than the American Standard 1.25 HP. The only advantage the InSinkErator Badger has is the chamber size, which can work against it if you have limited room underneath your sink.

The biggest competition to the American Standard 1.25 HP comes in the form of the Waste King Monarch. The unit is more compact, cheaper, and boasts the same RPM as the American Standard 1.25 HP, making it a strong alternative. The disposal is even isolated like the American Standard 1.25 HP, meaning noise levels are equally minimal.

The power cord comes with the Waste King as well, which means you can install it and start chopping without running to the hardware store for additional parts.

The only aspect that gives the American Standard 1.25 HP the edge is the safe magnetic ring. The Waste King doesn’t have this feature, which can be enough to tip the scales if you’ve dropped silverware down the garbage disposal in the past.

Other than that, we didn’t see much difference between the two, so the end decision is up to you. These are both powerful, compact, and quiet machines that will dispose of your garbage with ease. The Waste King is a bit cheaper, but it doesn’t come with the safe ring – a plus for a lot of customers.

What We Think

The American Standard 1.25 HP was one of the best garbage disposals we saw at its price point, with the only suitable competition coming in the form of the Waste King Monarch. Those who are looking for a powerful, quiet garbage disposal should be pleased if they choose the American Standard 1.25 HP.

Of course, this garbage disposal isn’t for everyone. If you don’t think you need the full power of the American Standard 1.25 HP, then a product with fewer RPM should do the trick just fine. You can likely save some money by downgrading, and spend it on upgrades to other kitchen appliances.

Last update on 2023-03-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API