Need a new kitchen faucet-what to buy?

[dennis thompson]

Our kitchen faucet water control is broken. Since it's 12 years old I assume replacement parts are not available. While looking around the internet I saw a new kitchen faucet that was $3,300 ! That is NOT what I want. The current faucet is a Grohe (as was the $3,300 one). Any thoughts on what might be a quality faucet at a reasonable (say $400 or less) price?
Thanks

[Frank Pratt]

Grohe faucets come with a lifetime warranty. If they don't still have the current model, they'll give you an equivalent one. I have a Grohe kitchen faucet (NOT the $3300 one) & think they are very good quality.

[Ole Anderson]

I went with the Moen from HD when I did my kitchen remodel 4 years ago, still running strong. https://www.homedepot.com/p/MOEN-Kaden-Single-Handle-Pull-Down-Sprayer-Kitchen-Faucet-with-Reflex-and-Power-Clean-in-Spot-Resist-Stainless-87966SRS/206144055?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CG%7CBase%7CD29B%7C26-3_FAUCETS%7CNA%7CLIA%7c71700000042659688%7c5870000 4522212418%7c92700038044038690&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4qvlBRDiARIsAHme6ourWcuLHdl7SaQdJu1v 0BQJKrVXjoa3Gk9Eu5bcBQkMl1DiL1JLqNcaAjL0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds Key feature I like is the pull down spout, so much easier to use for rinsing the sink or pots than the old fashioned sprayer. Son just bought one with the spring like a commercial sink, but not nearly as user friendly for washing stuff down the drain.

[Izzy Camire]

A year ago we installed a Delta Cassidy that we are very happy with.

[dennis thompson]

Grohe faucets come with a lifetime warranty. If they don't still have the current model, they'll give you an equivalent one. I have a Grohe kitchen faucet (NOT the $3300 one) & think they are very good quality.

Frank
Thanks for the reply,I spoke with Grohe,my faucet is not covered by a warranty
Dennis

[Roger Feeley]

We have had two Kraus faucets and they are great. Customer service is top notch. The first one had a problem with the head liming up due to our very hard water. They happily sent me a new head every six months. It got to where they were sending them two at a time. We have a water softener now. I see that they've changed the head design. I don't know if it would be a problem or not.

We also have had two Kraus SS sinks. I like single basin sinks that I can put a half sheet pan in and scrub. Old style double basins are of no use to me. Also, the Krause sink comes with two features that we really like. First, it has a very deep basket strainer that eliminates any need for a disposal. The depth means that you only need to empty it once in a while. The second is a rack over the bottom that suspends your stuff off the bottom. We didn't think we would use it at first but love it. You can easily drain things. Also, it provides ridges so you can lean things up and they won't fall.

Our sink is an undermount SS. I can get in there and really scrub it down without worrying about messing up porcelain.

Here's the sink.
http://www.kraususa.com/kitchen/kitchen-sinks/stainless-steel-kitchen-sinks/khu101-23-23-inch-undermount-single-bowl-16-gauge-stainless-steel-kitchen-sink.html
(http://www.kraususa.com/kitchen/kitchen-sinks/stainless-steel-kitchen-sinks/khu101-23-23-inch-undermount-single-bowl-16-gauge-stainless-steel-kitchen-sink.html)
Here's the faucet
http://www.kraususa.com/kitchen/kitchen-faucets/commercial-style-faucets/single-lever-pull-out-kitchen-faucet.html


(http://www.kraususa.com/kitchen/kitchen-faucets/commercial-style-faucets/single-lever-pull-out-kitchen-faucet.html)

[dennis thompson]

So when the faucet broke I assumed it was a Grohe since that is what is in the bathrooms. So I spoke with Grohe and sent them a picture of it...guess what , it's a Moen😊 the plumber is here now fixing ( yes fixing, not replacing) it.
By the way the plumber strongly recommends Moen as parts are readily available
Thanks for the advice

[roger wiegand]

I'd look for one that uses ceramic disk cartridge valves rather than o-rings or washers. Most manufacturers offer them on their better models. As far as I can tell they last forever.

We got a used but like-new, very nice KWC stainless steel faucet that sold at the discount plumbing supply places for $1600 at the local ReStore for $100. Worth a look if you have one nearby. Buying the matching soap dispenser at retail was painful, though!

[Frank Pratt]

So when the faucet broke I assumed it was a Grohe since that is what is in the bathrooms. So I spoke with Grohe and sent them a picture of it...guess what , it's a Moen the plumber is here now fixing ( yes fixing, not replacing) it.
By the way the plumber strongly recommends Moen as parts are readily available
Thanks for the advice

Moen & Delta are safe bets because the parts are readily available, but the quality of both is pretty poor.

[Jim Koepke]

Any thoughts on what might be a quality faucet at a reasonable (say $400 or less) price?

That is out of my league. My wife starts to flinch when they get above $40.

Glad to hear yours is being repaired instead of replaced. My tendency is to not buy anything that can not be repaired by a handy homeowner like myself.

jtk

[Mel Fulks]

Have a brother in law who is a former plumbing rep . He likes the American Standard with ceramic swivel and lifetime
warranty . Ours is holding up well. Took me a long time to figure out that seeing lots of available parts is convenient ....
but not always a good sign.

[dennis thompson]

Have a brother in law who is a former plumbing rep . He likes the American Standard with ceramic swivel and lifetime
warranty . Ours is holding up well. Took me a long time to figure out that seeing lots of available parts is convenient ....
but not always a good sign.

The plumber told me that the original purchaser ,with a purchase receipt, gets a lifetime warranty with a Moen product

[Bill Dufour]

Watch out I bought a name brand faucet with a pull out spout that swiveled for some reason. It looked cool and could be angled without having to pull it out and hold it. The little swivel had a hole less the 1/4" diameter so there was very little flow. took several minutes to fill a pan. I returned it the same week I installed it.
I think California is home of low flow water saving faucets. I like my my low flow toilet by Amercian Standard. It flushes better then any older style since it has a 4" flush valve with cast in ports to fit.
Bill D

[Kev Williams]

407528
We bought this Danze faucet setup about 5 or 6 years ago. Very impressed with it, the lever still works very smoothly, unlike many that get 'grabby' from calcium deposits or worn seals, no leaky's, and still looks like new...

And who said low-flow... What a farce-- Ok, for the bathroom, YES a low flow makes sense because we like to let the water run while we're brushing our teeth and shaving and all, and a little less water out of the showerhead won't be noticed much... But a low-flow in a kitchen faucet is just plain stupid. There's usually only 2 reasons to let the water run in a kitchen sink-- waiting for hot water, and filling the sink... In both cases, all slowing the flow does is waste time, because (a) the same amount of cold water has to exit the pipes before the hot shows up, and (b) the sink takes X amount of water to fill-- What genius calculated that slowing down the flow rate of the same amount of water, will save water? http://www.engraver1.com/gifs/banghead.gif

[Bill Orbine]

Watch out I bought a name brand faucet with a pull out spout that swiveled for some reason. It looked cool and could be angled without having to pull it out and hold it. The little swivel had a hole less the 1/4" diameter so there was very little flow. took several minutes to fill a pan. I returned it the same week I installed it.
I think California is home of low flow water saving faucets. I like my my low flow toilet by Amercian Standard. It flushes better then any older style since it has a 4" flush valve with cast in ports to fit.
Bill D

Maybe you ought to mount your toilet on the kitchen sink......:D

[Neil Gaskin]

Delta faucet hands down for value.

[Jim Koepke]

One thought comes to me in all of this. In our old home the faucets and toilet valve had to be repaired or replaced regularly. In our current home the toilet valves used to be the ball float type and have both been changed once. The kitchen faucet developed a leak and SWMBO wanted it replaced instead of fixed. The only real difference is we used to be on a municipal water system. Now we are on a well.

How much do all the chemicals and other additives required in 'city water' mess with faucet washers and seals?

jtk

[Roger Feeley]

Maybe you ought to mount your toilet on the kitchen sink......:D

Regarding California and low flow toilets: I read some time ago that San Francisco had gone too far with their water saving measures. They found that there was insufficient water to fully move the solids through the sewers. At the time of the article, they were exploring the idea of periodically flushing the sewers with water at strategic points.

[Kev Williams]

Every silver lining... ;)

[Nathan Johnson]

The plumber told me that the original purchaser ,with a purchase receipt, gets a lifetime warranty with a Moen product

About a year ago, the Moen faucet in our bathroom began dripping pretty bad. I believe it was original to the house in 1992, which we purchased in 2011.
I called Moen, and even though I was not the original purchaser and had no receipt, they immediately mailed me a new cartridge. I thought that was pretty great.

Ultimately, the cartridge did not resolve the issue. I contacted a plumber my brother subs work to, and he stated that if you’re going to buy a faucet at a box store, the only one to look at is Delta. According to him, Delta is the only one putting quality materials into the box store options, whereas everyone else is subbing in cheaper components to meet the price point. I bought the faucet at Home Depot, and had the plumber install it. Since the original install had copper all the way to the fixture, I had him install new lines with shut-off valves and do the faucet at the same time.

I’m not saying this plumber is 100% correct – I have no idea – but it is what a professional conveyed to me.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Moen & Delta are safe bets because the parts are readily available, but the quality of both is pretty poor.

I don't know if they still back their faucets as well these days but the Moen faucet I got for our kitchen has a lifetime warranty. I've called them several times in the last 19 years and they send the replacement parts out quickly, no hassles.

[Myk Rian]

We bought expensive Grohes for the kitchen and bath remodels. Seperate handles and a spigot in the bath, a pull out hose with the kitchen. The kitchen faucet has been nothing put trouble. A plastic ring inside keeps breaking, then it leaks. Even fixed it twice with parts sent by Grohe. I replaced it with a Delta that has been great.
The Grohe has been in a box for 5 years.

[Lee DeRaud]

Regarding California and low flow toilets: I read some time ago that San Francisco had gone too far with their water saving measures. They found that there was insufficient water to fully move the solids through the sewers. At the time of the article, they were exploring the idea of periodically flushing the sewers with water at strategic points.That's a win as far as water conservation goes: they don't need to use potable water for that process.

[Mike Null]

I'm a Moen fan. They have a no hassle lifetime warranty and if you step up in price their quality is pretty good.

[Ronald Blue]

We went with Delta at our kitchen sink. Single handle pull out sprayer combo unit. The counter top company said go with Delta. The spray head is held in with magnets and the others use a friction retention method. The counter top guy said as soon as they get a some usage the spray head won't stay in "home" position and then dangles. The magnet method works the same regardless of how much it's used. So far so good here.

[John K Jordan]

Same here - we put in a good Grohe when rekitchening in 2004. As for the lifetime warranty, twice I've called and twice they have sent out parts immediately, no discussion.

JKJ

[Brian Elfert]

About a year ago, the Moen faucet in our bathroom began dripping pretty bad. I believe it was original to the house in 1992, which we purchased in 2011.
I called Moen, and even though I was not the original purchaser and had no receipt, they immediately mailed me a new cartridge. I thought that was pretty great.

Ultimately, the cartridge did not resolve the issue. I contacted a plumber my brother subs work to, and he stated that if you’re going to buy a faucet at a box store, the only one to look at is Delta. According to him, Delta is the only one putting quality materials into the box store options, whereas everyone else is subbing in cheaper components to meet the price point. I bought the faucet at Home Depot, and had the plumber install it. Since the original install had copper all the way to the fixture, I had him install new lines with shut-off valves and do the faucet at the same time.


Moen makes some lines of faucets that are big box retail only. The Moen faucet I wanted for my bathroom remodel the plumber could not get as it was only sold at big box stores. My contractor ended up going to Menards and buying the faucet for the plumber. I'm pretty sure that not all Moen faucets at big box stores are special big box only models. Both Home Depot and Menards are selling a lot of Chinese faucets with their own brand names on them. I doubt you will be able to get parts for them if required.

I probably should have chosen something else, but the faucet is still doing fine four years later.

[Mel Fulks]

I'm sure you guys are right about some companies having two tiers of products. I don't like advertising that seems to
indicate it's all great stuff. GM never tried to tell you the Cadilac and Corvair were equal.

[Jim Koepke]

I'm sure you guys are right about some companies having two tiers of products. I don't like advertising that seems to
indicate it's all great stuff. GM never tried to tell you the Cadilac and Corvair were equal.

Some of this can be described as consumer's demand for lower pricing. As the big box stores wrestle with manufacturers for lower prices, they also try to convince consumers the $1.98 item is just as good as the $4.98 item sold at competitors.

Consumers start to judge their purchases on price over quality. It becomes a vicious cycle of dropping quality to meet a price.

Some may remember a time when many products were made in the U.S. of A. Things like towels were a high quality product. Then one retailer continually pushed for lower prices. Eventually manufacturing had to be moved overseas to meet the price demand. Loss of jobs and lowering of quality, but the prices are good.

jtk

[Bob Grier]

In 2014 I installed a Delta touch faucet. The one I chose is single handle with pull down spray head. Magnets are used to hold the spray head in place when not pulled down. The solenoid gave up the ghost in 2018 and the faucet reverted to having to use the handle to turn on and off. When I called the help line to determine exactly what was wrong, Delta walked me through diagnostics and then said they would ship me a new solenoid that day. It was easy to replace and they sent along a larger batter pack. I didn't install the larger battery because the original batteries (AA) lasted for years. When they go dead, I may choose to change out for the larger capacity battery pack.

I really like the touch technology. I haven't tried the touchless faucets. Just thinking about it I think the touch would be easier and quicker than using the touchless technology. I don't think I would be happy going back to the ones where you have to use the handle to turn a kitchen faucet on and off. Maybe the touchless might be better for a bathroom.

[Larry Edgerton]

I thought it was suspicious that a 12 year old Grohe would break. All Grohe here and no issues so far. the sink faucet weighs 13 pounds.

Faucet direct has clearance on Grohes all the time, I paid 50% for my kitchen and bath fixtures.

[Allan Dozier]

Regardless of brand here are my biased opinions:

Stay away from single valve faucets. The tendency is the user lifts the handle straight up which means it is mixing hot and cold water. What a waste of hot water when not needed.
Stay away from the combo faucet and spray head. I've had two in the past and the heads start to sag and don't stay recessed after a while.
After using them for my commercial needs, I now use T&S Brass fixtures at home also. Not only are they located not far from me so orders are quick but the quality has been excellent. I have talked directly to their engineers on the phone and they are very helpful.

[Frank McGuire]

Thx for comments, pals! I purchased Moen 7185ESRS (https://cookspot.org/best-kitchen-faucets-for-hard-water/#product10). Hope it's better than Kraus or Delta faucets.

[Lee Schierer]

Price Phister faucets are warranted for life. We have several that are more than 15 years old with no problems. The one I had to work on needed a new cartridge after, 20+ years,which was supplied by Price Phister at no charge.

[michael langman]

I'll second the Price Pfister Pfaucets. I have one in the kitchen 26 years old that I just received a new ceramic cartridge from them under warranty, and new o-rings.

Not their high end faucets but still have excellent quality, in their metal plating finishes and valves.

The one in the bathroom has been trouble free for over 20 years also.

[Bill Dufour]

I bought a Kohler pull down faucet at HD. It was a closeout on sale. Got home and looked closely. It had a little swivel connecting the spray head to the pull out hose. The outside of the metal was under 1/4" diameter. I took it apart and the water path was about 1/8" diameter. Since our house is on about 75' of 5/8 iron supply line, flow is not great and pressure drops 50% and more when water is flowing.. I returned the faucet. Even if flow and pressure was perfect this would have taken many many minutes to fill a pot. I think it was a flawed design and not a California water saving "feature".
Bill D.

[Myk Rian]

I think it was a flawed design and not a California water saving "feature"..
Yeah. Those CA. laws have been absorbed by the whole country.

[Frank Pratt]

I have a Price Pfister faucet several years old that had the finish chip on the drain basket. I just emailed customer service a pic & they shipped me a new drain assembly. No receipt needed, easy and painless.