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Abstract We consider two types of the generalized Korteweg–de Vries equation, where the nonlinearity is given with or without absolute values, and, in particular, including the low powers of nonlinearity, an example of which is the Schamel equation. We first prove the local well-posedness of both equations in a weighted subspace of H 1 that includes functions with polynomial decay, extending the result of Linares et al (2019 Commun. Contemp. Math. 21 1850056) to fractional weights. We then investigate solutions numerically, confirming the well-posedness and extending it to a wider class of functions that includes exponential decay. We include a comparison of solutions to both types of equations, in particular, we investigate soliton resolution for the positive and negative data with different decay rates. Finally, we study the interaction of various solitary waves in both models, showing the formation of solitons, dispersive radiation and even breathers, all of which are easier to track in nonlinearities with lower power.