How the Five Compare on the Numbers
The five picks are published at capacities from 12.4 gallons to 13.2 gallons. The Rubbermaid Premier Series III is the smallest at 12.4 gallons. The Glad 13 Gallon and the Ninestars 13 Gallon are each published at 13 gallons, and the EKO Mirage-T and the Amazon Basics are each published at 13.2 gallons. On weight, the Glad is the lightest of the five picks at 5.4 pounds and the Amazon Basics is the heaviest at 12.37 pounds.
On the published dimensions, the Glad lists 18.0 inches for one figure, 14.5 for another and 25.0 for the third. The EKO lists 9.8, 14.8 and 24.6 inches. The Amazon Basics lists 14.65, 16.73 and 25.87 inches. The Rubbermaid lists 12.25, 16.0 and 24.62 inches. The Ninestars lists 11.22, 15.24 and 25.04 inches. The listing does not state which of the three figures is the depth or the height of the object.
The table does not tell you how any of these cans behave in a kitchen. No maker publishes a lid opening height, a clearance figure, a decibel number for the lid closing, or the thickness of the steel or plastic. The published features describe what each can is built to do, not how it performs over months of use.
Lid Mechanisms and What Each One Requires
Foot pedals
Three of the five picks use a foot pedal. The Rubbermaid Premier Series III publishes a wide charcoal stainless steel foot pedal and a slow close lid. The Glad 13 Gallon publishes a step pedal design for hands-free operation. The Amazon Basics publishes a manual foot lever with a soft close lid, alongside a stay-open lid and a removable inner bucket.
None of the three pedal picks publishes a battery life, because none of them uses batteries. That is the practical difference from the two motion sensor picks. A pedal can has no power source to replace and no stated month count to plan around. The trade is that the pedal is a moving part, and no maker publishes a figure for how many presses it is rated to take.
Motion sensors
The EKO Mirage-T and the Ninestars 13 Gallon are the two motion sensor picks. The EKO publishes a touchless lid that opens and closes on a wave, and the maker states up to 8 months of use with AA alkaline batteries. The Ninestars publishes a lid that opens on a quick wave, and the maker states up to 9 months of reliable power on 2 D batteries, which are not included.
The two published battery figures differ by one month. Neither maker publishes how many openings that represents, so the month count is the only comparison the fact sheet supports. The Ninestars also publishes a two-year support program, and the EKO does not publish a support period. Both publish a fingerprint-resistant stainless steel finish.
Bag Handling and Odor Control
How each pick holds the bag
The Rubbermaid publishes Integrated LinerLock technology that hides the liner bag from view and secures it to the container to prevent slipping. The Glad publishes an interior bag ring that secures the bag and prevents overhang. The Ninestars publishes a removable liner ring that the maker states keeps messy bag edges out of sight. The Amazon Basics publishes a removable bucket and a carry handle.
The EKO takes a different approach. It publishes a no liner design, and the maker states that this maximizes capacity by offering 25 percent more room. The maker does not publish the base figure the 25 percent is measured against, so the claim cannot be checked from the fact sheet. The published capacity is 50 liters, or 13.2 gallons, the same as the Amazon Basics.
Odor control
The Glad 13 Gallon is the only pick whose lid is formulated with Clorox Odor Protection, which the maker states helps block and trap unwanted smells for the life of the can. The Ninestars publishes a precision-fit lid that the maker states closes softly and securely to seal stubborn odors inside, which is the only other odor claim among the five picks.
The Rubbermaid publishes a lid lock that keeps the lid closed to keep out pets and children, which is a different function from odor control. The Amazon Basics publishes a soft close lid and does not publish an odor claim. The EKO publishes a touchless lid and does not publish an odor claim. None of the five publishes a filter replacement interval or an odor filter at all.
Which One Fits Your Kitchen
If you want the lid to stay open while you scrape a pan. The Rubbermaid Premier Series III is the only pick with a published lid lock, and it also publishes the smallest capacity of the five at 12.4 gallons. It is the second lightest of the five picks at 6.0 pounds.
If the can sits where smells collect. The Glad 13 Gallon is the only pick with a lid formulated with Clorox Odor Protection. It is also the lightest of the five picks at 5.4 pounds and publishes an interior bag ring to keep the bag from overhanging.
If you want no pedal and no contact. The EKO Mirage-T publishes a motion sensor lid and a no liner design, and the maker states up to 8 months of use on AA alkaline batteries. It lists 9.8 inches for one published figure, against 18.0 inches on the Glad.
If you change bags often and want a bucket to carry. The Amazon Basics publishes a removable inner bucket and a carry handle, plus a stay-open lid and a soft close lid. It is the heaviest of the five picks at 12.37 pounds.
If you want the longest stated battery life. The Ninestars 13 Gallon publishes up to 9 months of reliable power on 2 D batteries, one month more than the EKO states. It also publishes a two-year support program and a removable liner ring.
What We Could Not Verify
Several figures a buyer would want are not published by any of the five makers. These are the ones I looked for and could not source.
- No maker publishes a lid opening height or the clearance needed above the can for the lid to swing.
- No maker publishes a decibel figure for the lid closing, only words such as quiet, soft or slow.
- No maker publishes the thickness of the stainless steel or the plastic used in the body.
- No maker publishes a warranty length except the Ninestars, which states a two-year support program.
- No maker publishes the bag size in inches, only the gallon capacity.
- No maker publishes how many lid openings the stated battery life represents.
