Faucet Basics
You should decide whether you want a single handle
or 2. That will narrow down your choices a lot. Singles win out a lot because
you can operate with one hand, obviously, while holding a pot or dish or veggie
to be washed with the other. It's also much easier to adjust the temp with a
single handle than with 2, although we do it all the time in our bathrooms, but
there, we are not usually holding anything else at the
time.
Some like the pullout sprayer
because they have one less item on the sink. I got a faucet based on the design,
with a high arch so I could get any pot under it, and it came with a side
sprayer.
Finish is important too. Oil
rubbed bronze, satin nickel and chrome or stainless are very popular, as is
copper.
Faucets can be really cheap or
really expensive, but the more expensive ones are usually solid brass, well
constructed, often with lifetime guarantees, and beautiful finishes that will
last well. You can find a faucet you want, then shop online for better prices.
============
Steve_o
wrote:
You want a quality faucet. The
very best faucets use lots of cast brass and are heavy for their size. They have
ceramic disks instead of cartridges or a ball valve. There are good faucets that
have some plastic parts and cartridges or ball valves, so don't forego a faucet
for these features if it otherwise meets your needs. Note that finishes beyond
chrome or stainless steel really can drive up the price of a faucet. You might
also consider how well that finish might match similar finishes on other
products in your kitchen.
I prefer
one-handle faucets myself -- easier to deal with when your hands are full or
dirty and they are a better match for my contemporary house. I might think twice
about a single-lever faucet in a Victorian house, though, for esthetic
reasons.
As for side-sprayers vs.
built-ins, I think diykitchen covered it well; I will add that most plumbers and
honest dealers will tell you that a pull-out faucet will not last as long as a
non-pull-out faucet before it needs repair, and it will be significantly more
expensive (or impossible) to replace that pull-out part than to simply buy and
connect another side-sprayer.
A couple
of other tips: There are several lesser-known brands; many of them are discussed
on this forum. Buying a lesser-known brand is not a bad thing. But look for a
brand that has fairly wide retail distribution. I'm skeptical of the
quality/level of customer service I'll get with a brand available only from a
big-box store or on eBay. There are some excellent deals on eBay, BTW, so you
might want to check there. Make sure you know what you're buying, though. As for
faucets at big-box stores, some will tell you that these faucets are inferior to
those available at plumbing-supply houses. That's not necessarily true. Compare
part numbers; if the part number for the big-box-store faucet is exactly the
same as the plumbing-supply-store faucet, it is the same faucet. If they're not,
make sure you understand what is different.
==============
*
Posted by: HeyPearly on Mon, Jul 4, 05 at
9:21
Quality of "lesser known brands"
can be better than the top of the line well known brands. I am thrilled with the
form and function of my Cucina faucet. Italian made, heavy weight solid brass,
with a Tuscan Bronze finish that is PVD protected and appears to have a "living"
finish. Delta and others PVD coatings look like a big dip in the plastic pot!
Not inexpensive but not insane either. The Herbeau I was interested in ran about
$1200.00, the Cucina equivalent with MORE options went about $600.00. Google The
HICO Group and you should find it. Home base is Chicago, VERY nice and VERY
effecient customer service. They sent me a sample of the metal finishes
overnight. Think I bought it from Homeclick. Just love it!
Posted: Mon - July 4, 2005 at 05:12 PM