Winner: Glad Forceflex Tall Kitchen Bags

How It Performed: This 13-gallon bag is surprisingly hardy for its size and light weight: It held just as heavy a load as the winning 45-gallon trash bag did. The embossed diamond pattern gives the ForceFlex extra elasticity, helping it stretch around pointy things without tearing—meaning that you can trash the boxes after the pizza party without worrying about tomato sauce dribbling onto the kitchen floor or, even worse, your shoes. Drawstring handles help you keep smelly kitchen refuse at bay.
To Buy: $4 for 20 at supermarkets.

Runner-Up: Hefty Cinchsak Ultra Tall Kitchen Bags

How It Performed: The fact that it’s thicker than the other kitchen bags tested (1.1 mils, versus 0.9 or less for most) helps explain why the 13-gallon Hefty CinchSak held more weight than any of them—though it fell behind the winner in other tests. You may not appreciate the drawstring handles with heavy loads, since they stretch under the weight and dig into your fingers, but they are convenient with lighter loads.
To Buy: $4 for 18 at supermarkets.