Broan 15BLFully Integrated Trash Compactor with 3000 lbs. Compacting Force, 1.55 cu. ft. Capacity, 1/2 HP Motor, 6:1 Compact Ratio, 6 Month Manual Advance Odor Control System and Full Extension Drawer: Black Door

We purchased a house that had a Broan Compactor 23 years ago. That Compactor never gave us any trouble in the 10 years we were in that house. We moved to another state and in 2008 had a new home built. We decided to purchase a Kitchenaid Compactor because it had a foot pedal and it matched our refrigerator. That compactor started giving us trouble in 2011 and eventually broke down completely this year 6/2013. I was delighted to find a Broan to purchase and install ourselves 8/2013. This product is far superior in performance and quality. The Kitchenaid was tinny sounding and can't compare to the quality of the Broan. Thanks for making such a superior product.

This product works very well. I like the fact that it does not have a foot pedal to open it, but rather the "door and drawer" method. I installed the product myself, and it was straight forward and not difficult. There is a green light on the unit that indicates the unit is ready to operate. After several weeks, the light quit working. I contacted the service department and they were ready to send someone out under warranty to fix it. I asked them if I could fix it myself so save the effort of the service call. They said yes, sent me the part, and gave me excellent instructions to replace it. Unfortunately, the light failed again 2 weeks later. Again I called the service department, and they "engineered" a improved light and harness just for me! I replaced it and it has worked perfectfly ever since. Braun customer service is extraordinary!

This is the 2nd summer season of use on my 15SS. I purchased this for a weekly summer rental property I recently built with the intent to reduce the number of bags the follow on tenant needs to bring to the curbside each week. The compactor works great when it works which is most of the time however I have had an intermittent issue with it since purchase. The compactor's compression plate gets stuck either in the up or down position. I have had several (all?) switches replaced on the unit in the off season and the problem re-occured this season. I have this in a rental property which gets use only during the summer months for one week at a time per tenant. In the off season it is in a climate controlled home. The support staff at Broan is troubled by the frequency of issues also. I will say that Broan has stood by this product from a quality perspective and has covered the cost of all repair visits and parts. The staff as Broan is knowledgeable, courteous, and most importantly I'm not speaking to someone in a 3rd world nation when I call. I have a 12" model which has been discontinued in my other house, which works perfectly. Despite the issues mentioned I would certainly buy this product again, in particular because of their service and integrity. In general I am a Broan fan, and I expect this issue to be resolved. I also like the design better on the 15ss. The removable compression plate is handy for cleaning in between tenants. Much better than on my older 12" model. This unit also has the ability to keep the compression plate down to aid with compacting in between additions of trash. I don't really use that because it leads towards people inadvertently dropping trash on top of the compression plate if they don't pull the drawer out to recognize the plate is in the down position.