Help us shop for a new kitchen faucet!
August 18, 2022 8:12 AM Subscribe
Help us shop for a new kitchen faucet!
Our kitchen got wrecked by a slow leak, and we're getting a new one! We're zeroing in on what we want for most of the critical elements, and it's getting to be time to pick out a kitchen faucet. What we'd like:
- Looks nice!
- Useful! It's gonna be about a 36 inch wide sink with no divider, and I cook and bake a ton.
- Easy to clean, and stays clean. Our current faucet is covered in shitty little decorative ridges that fill up with gunk, and the handle itself has a wide-open ball and socket type joint that is constantly sliming up. It's disgusting.
- Wife prefers a "complete" arc (vertical to vertical) vs. a faucet where the end is not parallel to the upright coming out of the counter. So more like this, and not like this.
- Wife also prefers that the end be "not a bell" like this one, although she's open to more industrial/functional looking faucets with larger sprayer heads like this one.
Given the colors in the kitchen (upper and lower cabinets will be Sherwin Williams Privilege Green, floors will be "Willow Wind," counters will most likely be white quartz with some modest flecking and walls will be white. Backsplash TBD), we're leaning towards something either in the silver/nickel range, or maybe black. Gold/brass probably aren't gonna fit. Right?
One of the factors that has brought us here is price: there seems to be a WILD range in terms of what you can spend, and neither of us has any sense of what those price tags mean in terms of quality, ease of use, reliability, etc. Like, $2000 for a faucet? So one thing we're trying to understand is, does a $700 faucet give you something that a $180 one doesn't? Also, should we avoid buying from Home Depot et al. due to shittier quality versions from their suppliers?
If you have advice, if you have things to look out for, if you have specific retailers or even models to suggest, I'm all ears. Thanks!!!
Our kitchen got wrecked by a slow leak, and we're getting a new one! We're zeroing in on what we want for most of the critical elements, and it's getting to be time to pick out a kitchen faucet. What we'd like:
- Looks nice!
- Useful! It's gonna be about a 36 inch wide sink with no divider, and I cook and bake a ton.
- Easy to clean, and stays clean. Our current faucet is covered in shitty little decorative ridges that fill up with gunk, and the handle itself has a wide-open ball and socket type joint that is constantly sliming up. It's disgusting.
- Wife prefers a "complete" arc (vertical to vertical) vs. a faucet where the end is not parallel to the upright coming out of the counter. So more like this, and not like this.
- Wife also prefers that the end be "not a bell" like this one, although she's open to more industrial/functional looking faucets with larger sprayer heads like this one.
Given the colors in the kitchen (upper and lower cabinets will be Sherwin Williams Privilege Green, floors will be "Willow Wind," counters will most likely be white quartz with some modest flecking and walls will be white. Backsplash TBD), we're leaning towards something either in the silver/nickel range, or maybe black. Gold/brass probably aren't gonna fit. Right?
One of the factors that has brought us here is price: there seems to be a WILD range in terms of what you can spend, and neither of us has any sense of what those price tags mean in terms of quality, ease of use, reliability, etc. Like, $2000 for a faucet? So one thing we're trying to understand is, does a $700 faucet give you something that a $180 one doesn't? Also, should we avoid buying from Home Depot et al. due to shittier quality versions from their suppliers?
If you have advice, if you have things to look out for, if you have specific retailers or even models to suggest, I'm all ears. Thanks!!!
I'd recommend a Delta or Moen unit because the standardization of parts, especially the valve cartridges, makes it easier to fix later. Nothing else really wears out (although I just had the docking magnet ring in my Delta faucet fall apart so there's that).
It was also touch-sensitive and the dishwasher makes it go off spontaneously so I had to disconnect that.
But yeah, mainstream kitchen faucets from these majors will still run you $400-$700 at a bigbox. I would not spend more than that. The $180 builder specials will fail on you in a few years.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:23 AM on August 18, 2022
It was also touch-sensitive and the dishwasher makes it go off spontaneously so I had to disconnect that.
But yeah, mainstream kitchen faucets from these majors will still run you $400-$700 at a bigbox. I would not spend more than that. The $180 builder specials will fail on you in a few years.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:23 AM on August 18, 2022
I was also skeptical of what is available at the big box stores, and spent a fair bit of time looking and researching. At the start of the pandemic I finally replaced the kitchen faucet. I went with a T&S Brass faucet, the B-0220-060X. That is a 250$ commercial deck mounted faucet, and you might see something like it in a restaurant, hospital or lab.
I choose this for several reasons: first, the design looks like Jeff Goldblums. Seriously, I saw that in a fancy design mag and though, yessss. T&S brass have others, but I really like how mine looks. Second, it's a commercial product made in the US. So for around 250$ I get a product that can be serviced (relatively easily), can be expanded and repaired and will last me my expected life of this location. Eventually the cartridge will fail, and T&S use universal cartridges so I know I'll be able to get a replacement. The only hassle is that it does not use a typically size connection - but after a bit of fuss I was able to connect it to my house.
It is pure utility and the platonic ideal of what a faucet should be/do.
posted by zenon at 8:39 AM on August 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
I choose this for several reasons: first, the design looks like Jeff Goldblums. Seriously, I saw that in a fancy design mag and though, yessss. T&S brass have others, but I really like how mine looks. Second, it's a commercial product made in the US. So for around 250$ I get a product that can be serviced (relatively easily), can be expanded and repaired and will last me my expected life of this location. Eventually the cartridge will fail, and T&S use universal cartridges so I know I'll be able to get a replacement. The only hassle is that it does not use a typically size connection - but after a bit of fuss I was able to connect it to my house.
It is pure utility and the platonic ideal of what a faucet should be/do.
posted by zenon at 8:39 AM on August 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
I installed a $180 Kraus faucet in my last house, not one of the models you linked but same manufacturer; in my new house I installed a $400+ Moen. The Moen does feel more substantial, but other than that I think I liked the Kraus better - it pulled out smoothly, had a good range of motion for my deep double sink, felt good in hand, and never had any leaking or other issues. However, I only had it for about 2 years before moving so can’t speak longevity after that.
One of the reasons I choose my Moen was the motion sensing on-off feature. In fact I rarely use it and it turns the water on every time I wipe down the counter near it. Wouldn’t recommend.
posted by tinymojo at 8:48 AM on August 18, 2022
One of the reasons I choose my Moen was the motion sensing on-off feature. In fact I rarely use it and it turns the water on every time I wipe down the counter near it. Wouldn’t recommend.
posted by tinymojo at 8:48 AM on August 18, 2022
We had a crappy builder-grade pull-out faucet that had been leaking for much longer than we realized. We only learned about how bad the problem was when the leak sped up, leading to puddles on the counter. When I replaced it I discovered the whole back side of it was corroded. My general problem with pull-out faucets with concealed hoses is that if the area under your sink is even remotely crowded the hose will find something to catch on, and the head will always droop a bit unless there's a magnet to hold it in place. I hated that with our old faucet, and whenever I was done I'd often open the cabinet, reach under the sink, and pull the hose clear so the head wouldn't droop.
I wanted to replace the pull-out with an old school non-spraying faucet and a separate sprayer, but my wife really wanted a one-piece system. For my part if we were going to have just a single functional head, I wanted it to be big enough to grip quickly with my whole hand and not require fingertip grip (like your first "complete arc" link). Given those constraints we ended up with a pull-down faucet with a visible coil spring, as in your "more industrial" link. It's maybe a little more steampunk looking than either of us really wanted, but between our mutual design and functional constraints, the color requirements of our kitchen (ours is what Delta calls "Antique Bronze"), and trying to stick to reliable brands that was pretty much our only option.
posted by fedward at 8:56 AM on August 18, 2022
I wanted to replace the pull-out with an old school non-spraying faucet and a separate sprayer, but my wife really wanted a one-piece system. For my part if we were going to have just a single functional head, I wanted it to be big enough to grip quickly with my whole hand and not require fingertip grip (like your first "complete arc" link). Given those constraints we ended up with a pull-down faucet with a visible coil spring, as in your "more industrial" link. It's maybe a little more steampunk looking than either of us really wanted, but between our mutual design and functional constraints, the color requirements of our kitchen (ours is what Delta calls "Antique Bronze"), and trying to stick to reliable brands that was pretty much our only option.
posted by fedward at 8:56 AM on August 18, 2022
To approximate what your partner is looking for in commercial faucets - that would be a low profile, deck mount pre-rinse unit with is a single hole, and no add ons. The great thing about these commercial units is that you can customize them for your specific situation. So this wall mounted unit could easily be a single hole deck (ie normal faucet) with totally different handles.
This Chicago Faucet might be close to what you are looking for, and my general point is that I would strongly consider commercial products first.
posted by zenon at 9:28 AM on August 18, 2022
This Chicago Faucet might be close to what you are looking for, and my general point is that I would strongly consider commercial products first.
posted by zenon at 9:28 AM on August 18, 2022
I got a similar style of the visible coil spring faucet too - about 4 years ago I guess? - and it's perfectly satisfactory, I've very happy with it. I wanted to avoid the hose-under-the-counter thing with the pull-down style, it just annoys me. We went with Moen because of the lifetime guarantee on the cartridges, which we've used to repair other faucets over the years. I think the one shortfall with this kitchen faucet is that you have to hold down the button for the spray function; the one I have in the laundry sink has a clicky-button that keeps it on spray or stream until you change it (good for dog-washing).
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 9:38 AM on August 18, 2022
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 9:38 AM on August 18, 2022
Go fiddle with these. The pull down that's more bell-shaped feels easier to grasp with soapy hands. My ordinary single-hole Ikea faucet has lasted 10 years, and I only had to replace a cheap O ring. for ease of cleaning, I prefer chrome. Black shows waterspots.
posted by theora55 at 9:47 AM on August 18, 2022
posted by theora55 at 9:47 AM on August 18, 2022
Just a quick note that you should pick a faucet that defaults to a fairly low position (not more than a couple inches above the deck of the counter) to minimize back spray out of the sink, especially if you are rinsing a bowl or cup or something. This is not an issue for filling large vessels if the head is removable or there's a remote filller nozzle.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:54 AM on August 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:54 AM on August 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
Given those constraints we ended up with a pull-down faucet with a visible coil spring, as in your "more industrial" link.
My in-laws had that faucet, and the end part fell apart in less then 4 years, but Delta warranties are pretty good and their stuff relatively standardized as in they don't replace all their stuff every season, so they were able to replace the end. It's been fine since.
posted by The_Vegetables at 10:54 AM on August 18, 2022
My in-laws had that faucet, and the end part fell apart in less then 4 years, but Delta warranties are pretty good and their stuff relatively standardized as in they don't replace all their stuff every season, so they were able to replace the end. It's been fine since.
posted by The_Vegetables at 10:54 AM on August 18, 2022
We installed this pull down Delta faucet in our old house. It was easy to grasp, pulled down smoothly, and despite my husband's abuse (he stretched that thing around like a garden hose), still looked brand new when we sold the house four years later. We're installing the same one in our build.
posted by BlueBear at 2:25 PM on August 18, 2022
posted by BlueBear at 2:25 PM on August 18, 2022
We bought a Symmons pull-down faucet in a kitchen renovation & liked it enough we spec'd the same faucet in our new house! I can't be 100% sure the linked faucet is the exact model we have but it looks close.
I'm pretty sure we paid in the low $200s but that was in the before times, they seem to be over $300 now (price varies quite a bit by finish, chrome is cheapest).
It works well & was one of the cheaper options, but what sold us on it was the way the spray unit is controlled. You twist the head to go from solid stream to spray, and you can twist it part-way, which leaves you with a less potent spray & doesn't splash everywhere. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it has worked well for us.
posted by mr vino at 4:24 PM on August 18, 2022
I'm pretty sure we paid in the low $200s but that was in the before times, they seem to be over $300 now (price varies quite a bit by finish, chrome is cheapest).
It works well & was one of the cheaper options, but what sold us on it was the way the spray unit is controlled. You twist the head to go from solid stream to spray, and you can twist it part-way, which leaves you with a less potent spray & doesn't splash everywhere. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it has worked well for us.
posted by mr vino at 4:24 PM on August 18, 2022
We have a KWC Luna E. It’s around $500, lovely to look at and a joy to use. A significant update over what’s sold at Home Depot. I’d install the same one again.
posted by david1230 at 4:26 AM on August 20, 2022
posted by david1230 at 4:26 AM on August 20, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
I cannot recommend against this strongly enough.
It's like being haunted by a ghost whose unfinished business is water conservation.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:19 AM on August 18, 2022 [11 favorites]