Slotted or unslotted — get this wrong and it leaks
The waste is a ten-euro part that decides whether the cupboard under your basin stays dry, and there is exactly one way to get it badly wrong: slotted versus unslotted. A basin with an overflow needs a slotted waste, whose side opening lets the overflow channel drain; a basin without one needs an unslotted waste, which is sealed. Fit a slotted waste to a basin with no overflow and water finds the slot on its way past the seal. The two are visually near-identical in listings, so it is worth reading the word rather than the picture. After that, the mechanism: click-clack (push to open, push to close) has no linkage under the basin and is what most people want; pop-up with a rod needs a tap that has the lifting rod to drive it. Check the height under the basin, because a tall click-clack body plus a bottle trap can foul a shallow vanity unit. We compare thread size, slotted or unslotted, operating mechanism, overall height under the basin, and material and finish.
Pop-up waste · unslotted, for a basin WITHOUT an overflow · 41 mm standard size stated · push-push · stainless steel · double silicone seal
A ten-euro push waste that states the one thing most listings hide — it is the unslotted kind — and asks you to measure your basin before ordering.
Best for: A countertop bowl with no overflow — which is most countertop bowls — where the old waste is being replaced.
≈ 10 €
Pop-up waste · 1¼ in stated · slotted, for a basin WITH an overflow · push-push · chrome-plated brass · plug and strainer lift right out · 5-year warranty
A chromed brass waste whose plug and strainer pull out completely — which is the difference between cleaning it in ten seconds and not cleaning it.
Best for: A basin with an overflow in a household with long hair, where the waste actually has to be cleaned.
≈ £20 / 19 €
Pop-up waste · 330 g solid brass body stated · click-clack · gold finish · overflow type CONTRADICTED in the listing
A brass waste that publishes its own weight — 330 g, which nothing else here does — inside a listing that says both "with overflow" and "without overflow" in the same title.
Best for: A gold-finish basin scheme, once the overflow question has been settled directly with the seller.
≈ 12 €
Pop-up waste · 1 1/4 in stated · slotted, for a basin WITH an overflow · push-open · an unslotted variant offered in the same range
A push-open waste that states its thread AND its overflow type, and points you at the other version if yours is the other kind.
Best for: A conventional basin with an overflow, bought alongside the same range's flat trap.
≈ £10 / 15 €
Pop-up waste · 1¼ in stated · for a basin WITH an overflow · chromed brass · fully dismantles for cleaning · sold since 2012
A chromed brass pop-up waste sold since 2012, aimed specifically at replacing an old rod-operated waste with something you press.
Best for: Replacing a rod-operated waste whose linkage has stopped working, on a basin with an overflow.
≈ 19 €
