The best 13-gallon trash cans

Kohler states this fits all 13-gallon garbage bags, and that is the whole argument for it over the simplehuman. You get a robust metal pedal, a slow-close lid that also stays open when you need both hands, an interior ring that holds the bag by the rim, and a fingerprint-resistant finish — without a liner subscription. For most households that is the right trade.

Two things separate this from everything at half the price. The first is the liner pocket: a slot inside the can that stores the roll and dispenses the next bag as you pull the full one out. The second is that simplehuman publishes a code letter for each can and sells a liner cut to that exact size, so the bag sits flush instead of hanging four inches over the rim. The steel pedal is rated at 150,000 steps and the Lid Shox damper closes it slowly and silently rather than letting it clap shut.

EKO states the pedal mechanism is tested past 200,000 steps, a higher published figure than several cans costing more. You also get a soft-close lid and a raised inner bucket with handles, so bag changes do not involve reaching down into the body of the can. It takes standard 13-gallon bags.

iTouchless builds an activated-carbon AbsorbX filter into the lid rather than selling it as an accessory, which is the right call — the lid is where the smell sits. A 12-inch opening takes a standard 13-gallon bag, there is a lid lock to keep pets and children out, and the base is non-skid. It runs on four D cells, or an AC adapter sold separately.

Ninestars states roughly 10,000 opens per set of three C batteries, which on normal household use is the better part of a year. It also has a manual mode that holds the lid open for a big clean-up — a small feature that matters enormously when you are emptying a refrigerator. The removable ring liner holds the bag by the rim, and the non-skid base keeps it off your floor finish.

Every step can eventually fails at the pedal or the hinge. This one cannot, because it has neither. Heavy-gauge steel resists denting in a hallway or a busy prep area, the narrow footprint keeps it out of walkways, and the lift-off rim means bag changes take seconds.