Universal Replacement Pop-Up Sink Drain Plug w/Strainer Review

Universal Replacement Pop-Up Sink Drain Plug w/Strainer Review

Buy it at Amazon: Universal Replacement Pop-Up Sink Drain Plug w/Strainer [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Super simple installation, durable, high-end finish, works well without leaks.

This sink drain plug comes packaged with a plastic cover cap to protect the polished stainless steel finish. The diameter of the upper metal plate is just under 2.5” and the pop-up plunger is 7/8” in diameter. To open and close it, just press firmly in the center and it’ll pop up ¼” to let the water drain. The plug comes with three silicone rubber gaskets. The flat one should always be installed flat against the bottom of the cover plate and can be used without the other gaskets in drain pipes 1.02-1.41” in diameter. Add the smaller gasket for drains 1.42-1.8” in diameter and the larger one for wider pipes up to 1.96”. The depth requirement for your drain should be at least 1.67” in order for the drain to sit flush with the inside surface of the sink bowl, and you’ll need to make sure there isn’t any built-in strainer or plunger post in the drain. The plunger in the drain is removable for easy cleaning by placing it in the open position and twisting the plunger counter-clockwise. It has an all metal construction of brass and stainless steel. The top of the spring plunger is removable too, and it also has a replaceable gasket. The catch basket under the plunger has fairly wide openings to allow water to flow freely, but it might not catch everything like small gemstones or earrings. However, there’s a limited amount of objects that can fit under the plunger cap, for example most rings won’t be able to fit through the opening.

Our bathroom sink drain has been missing its plug a long time, and originally it had an older style lift mechanism that would raise the plunger when you moved a lever, but we never really liked that style and these tend to clog and break easily. The opening of the sink drain is about 1-1/8” which is a bit smaller that most contemporary standards. I didn’t want to have to remove or replace any of the pipes, so a drop-in solution is ideal. We had been using a mesh strainer basket int he drain to prevent things from falling into it like jewelry or toothbrushes, but of course you can’t fill the sink with water using that. When we need to fill the sink, we placed a large rubber cover flap over the drain hole but it never quite fit well and it’s getting old and discolored.

For our size drain, I used the universal pop-up drain with only the flat gasket. All I did was drop it in, making sure it was flat to the bottom of the sink bowl and that was it. When the plunger is closed, the sink fills up and holds the water without any leaks, so we can use a full sink for things like washing up, shaving, and cleaning. Pressing the pop-up plunger is simple and lets the water start draining immediately. One thing to keep in mind is that the plunger drain opening is a bit smaller than the original drain, so the water does drain more slowly. I did find that after the water has cleared, there’s always a tiny bit of water left on top of the plug, maybe a half teaspoon or so, because the top is pretty flat. But as I mentioned, the opening is pretty small there's not a lot other than hair and water that will actually end up going down it. If you do need to retrieve something from the catch basket or clear out debris, the plug just lifts out, so it’s upper simple to remove. Overall, the stopper works well, is durable, should work with a wide range of sink drains sizes, and there really isn’t any effort to installing it.

Buy it at Amazon: Universal Replacement Pop-Up Sink Drain Plug w/Strainer [Affiliate Link]