The last time I replaced a faucet I let the plumber choose cause I really didn't care. Except he brought me a piece of junk. So I need to care a little this time. Thinking single handle; any recommendations, brands, features to get or avoid? Prices seem to be from about $69 to $748. . . .
Looking for kitchen faucet buying advice
- Thread starter badatmath
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We just replaced our kitchen faucet. I was surprised at the lack of inventory and limited options. The inaccuracy of the product descriptions struck me as well. Many say all brass, but they mean “all brass except the plastic parts”. Even the pricey German and Swiss faucets apparently are now made in China, or at least the components are.
travelover
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Buy a quality brand that has a lifetime guarantee - most good brands do. American Standard, Delta, Kohler, Moen, Pfister are the ones I've had good luck with. You can pay a lot extra for custom finishes and fancy features like touch to flow. I'd stick with a basic design. A pull out nozzle to rinse sink is nice.
njhowie
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Visit your local Home Depot or Lowes, their selections are extremely good and you're sure to find something you like within your budget. It is a DIY project that anyone should be able to do.
If your plumber didn't do it the last time, while you're under there, you might also consider replacing the supply hoses from the hot/cold valves to your faucet.
We have Price Pfister in our kitchen purchased about 15 years ago and it's great. Has a single handle for hot/cold, sprayer/hose, and soap dispenser.
Pricewise, you should be able to find something you like which is very good quality for under $200. $300 or more is over the top in my view.
If your plumber didn't do it the last time, while you're under there, you might also consider replacing the supply hoses from the hot/cold valves to your faucet.
We have Price Pfister in our kitchen purchased about 15 years ago and it's great. Has a single handle for hot/cold, sprayer/hose, and soap dispenser.
Pricewise, you should be able to find something you like which is very good quality for under $200. $300 or more is over the top in my view.
Luvtoride
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Just buy a good DELTA faucet through your plumber and his supply house with the features you want. The versions sold in Home Depot and Lowes are apparently not up to the same standards as those carried by the Professional Plumbing Supply houses.
we are very happy with our Single Handle swiveling Delta Faucet that can be extended out as a sprayer.
we are very happy with our Single Handle swiveling Delta Faucet that can be extended out as a sprayer.
OldShooter
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We just went through that for a house we're building. build.com is a good site for selection and for checking prices. We ended up selecting a Kohler "Sous Pro-Style Single-Handle with Pull-Down Sprayer" Model# K-R10651-SD-CP. This appears to be a Home Depot exclusive and compares to a Kohler at build.com that costs twice as much. So once you zero in on type and style you do have to shop around. Usually just plugging a model number into a search box will get lots of hits, sometimes adding the manufacturer name is helpful though.
IMO Kohler, Delta, Elkay, and Moen are reliable brands.
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Dhickman57
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I agree with the Delta faucet, we installed Delta single handle with sprayer extension also. Price was about $200 but that is what you pay for a better quality faucet. Installation not included.
easysurfer
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Are you going to install the faucet yourself or hire someone?
I learned my lesson from a long time ago. This was when I was too involved only w*rking for megacorp and didn't know the difference between a screwdriver and a hammer.
I just blindly let the installer pick out a faucet and do the install, came out the about $500 (back in around 1988) for a faucet that wasn't anything to write home about.
Now, I do the installing myself. I go for the not fancy ones. As long as faucet doesn't leak, and hot is hot, cold is cold, I'm happy
.
The hardest part in installing is getting motivated to crawl under the sink cabinet. Oh, a faucet wrench helps too!
I learned my lesson from a long time ago. This was when I was too involved only w*rking for megacorp and didn't know the difference between a screwdriver and a hammer.
I just blindly let the installer pick out a faucet and do the install, came out the about $500 (back in around 1988) for a faucet that wasn't anything to write home about.
Now, I do the installing myself. I go for the not fancy ones. As long as faucet doesn't leak, and hot is hot, cold is cold, I'm happy
.The hardest part in installing is getting motivated to crawl under the sink cabinet. Oh, a faucet wrench helps too!
Haha. Yeah I am not the most skilled or motivated home repair person around but heck the garbage I let him install was a mistake. I think if I had paid $2 it would have been excessive. All plastic under the chipped shiney metal finish. Doesn't stay in place or swivel well. You would have to almost try to do worse I would think. One of those things I never gave any thought to before because they always just worked.
I did just order some light fixtures off build.com. Seems to be an okay site.
I did just order some light fixtures off build.com. Seems to be an okay site.
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I've had good luck with Hansgrohe and Costco carries several nice models at good prices.
Ronstar
Moderator Emeritus
I like our Grohe starlight kitchen faucet. Single handle. Touchless.
We've had a single handle Moen Arbor Motionsense for a little over three years now. It has IR sensors that turn it on and off. We rally like it, just hold your hands near it and it turns on. It turns off when you move your hands away. We always find ourselves waiting for the water to turn itself on when we travel.
On the downside, you manually set the flow rate and temperature using the normal faucet handle, which also works normally for the gadget averse guest. The highest flow rate is about half that of our old faucet, so filling large items with water takes significantly longer. It also has the plastic parts that plague other faucets.
The finger print/water spot resistant finish seems to work very nicely.
We'd get something similar if we had to do it again.
On the downside, you manually set the flow rate and temperature using the normal faucet handle, which also works normally for the gadget averse guest. The highest flow rate is about half that of our old faucet, so filling large items with water takes significantly longer. It also has the plastic parts that plague other faucets.
The finger print/water spot resistant finish seems to work very nicely.
We'd get something similar if we had to do it again.
skipro33
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I replaced our kitchen faucet with a hands-free model. It still has a handle like the standard manual faucets, but two sensors as well; wave your hand over the top, the faucet stays on for a full minute. Place hands under the nozzle, the faucet turns on as long as you keep your hands, a glass, or other vessel under it. It has two power sources; a plug-in power supply and a back up battery in case of a power outage.
Much more sanitary than the old type since no one need touch most of the components. The nozzle will pull out with an extension hose as well. It is a Moen brand.
Moen 7185EORB Brantford Motionsense Two-Sensor Touchless One-Handle High Arc Pulldown Kitchen Faucet Featuring Reflex, Oil-Rubbed Bronze
I paid $275 for it in 2018 and it looks and works as good as the day I installed it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CIXF15Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Just now checked on Amazon via my link above and it now comes in a voice operated mode as well as an app mode. Ha! You tell the faucet what temperature and volume water you want; 6 ounces of 110 degree water, for example, say for a recipe. You can set up presets, like; fill the baby bottle.
Much more sanitary than the old type since no one need touch most of the components. The nozzle will pull out with an extension hose as well. It is a Moen brand.
Moen 7185EORB Brantford Motionsense Two-Sensor Touchless One-Handle High Arc Pulldown Kitchen Faucet Featuring Reflex, Oil-Rubbed Bronze
I paid $275 for it in 2018 and it looks and works as good as the day I installed it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CIXF15Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Just now checked on Amazon via my link above and it now comes in a voice operated mode as well as an app mode. Ha! You tell the faucet what temperature and volume water you want; 6 ounces of 110 degree water, for example, say for a recipe. You can set up presets, like; fill the baby bottle.
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The choices I looked at ran even higher. So my answer, if appropriate for your situation: Let your wife have first choice.
The faucet might be a simple functional device, but I view it as jewelry for my kitchen. The faucet is the accent to the sink, often a focal area of the room since sinks are often under windows. So, unlike say... the faucet in the laundry, or the 2nd bathroom, this is a good place to BTD. If your home has an open layout, you might even be able to see a high mounted style faucet from the living room or dining room.
And the higher end ones typically come with lifetime warranty, and they mean it.
If you have the existing holes... do you want a matching sprayer (you do, makes cleaning the sink so much easier). Matching soap dispenser?
Ours is a Danze, they were bought a couple of years ago but maintain the line I believe. Ferguson is a good place for a specialty showroom if you don't find what you like at a big box.
The faucet might be a simple functional device, but I view it as jewelry for my kitchen. The faucet is the accent to the sink, often a focal area of the room since sinks are often under windows. So, unlike say... the faucet in the laundry, or the 2nd bathroom, this is a good place to BTD. If your home has an open layout, you might even be able to see a high mounted style faucet from the living room or dining room.
And the higher end ones typically come with lifetime warranty, and they mean it.
If you have the existing holes... do you want a matching sprayer (you do, makes cleaning the sink so much easier). Matching soap dispenser?
Ours is a Danze, they were bought a couple of years ago but maintain the line I believe. Ferguson is a good place for a specialty showroom if you don't find what you like at a big box.
Lewis Clark
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We've recently worked with two plumbers on different jobs and asked them what they recommended.
One said Moen was the best, by far.
The other also said Moen was the best. But he also liked Delta because Delta has many models that are unchanged over many years, so it is easy to get replacement parts for older units.
One said Moen was the best, by far.
The other also said Moen was the best. But he also liked Delta because Delta has many models that are unchanged over many years, so it is easy to get replacement parts for older units.
Badatmath,
I liked my Moen kitchen faucet so much, I bought a second one for my townhome.
Home Depot has them.
Essie, Moen model # 87014EVSRS
Lots of models to choose from for looks. I get the brushed nickel finish.
Good luck,. JP
I liked my Moen kitchen faucet so much, I bought a second one for my townhome.
Home Depot has them.
Essie, Moen model # 87014EVSRS
Lots of models to choose from for looks. I get the brushed nickel finish.
Good luck,. JP
Winemaker
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When looking at a faucet, buy the Moen, Kohler, American Standard, Pfister and to some degree Delta. I use Moen in my rentals, good product, guaranteed for life. However, before you purchase your unit, find out the style of cartridge it takes to replace it. The parts aisle has a book in Lowes or HD you can look at. Get an idea of the cost ( although they're free to replace under warranty). MAKE SURE IT DOESN"T INVOLVE A SPRING AND A CUP STYLE WASHER! Too much maintenance, they were for the longest time used in Delta faucets. I used to buy springs and cup washers in the 100's contractor pack, until I went Moen.
WestUniversity
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I’ve had good luck with Delta and Moen. I will never buy another Price Pfister product…
My son got a Hansgrohe from Costco FOR HIS APARTMENT! He hated his kitchen faucet and bought himself a nice new one and installed it himself. When they bought a house and moved he took the Hansgrohe with him to the house and put the old apartment faucet back where it started.
He liked his faucet so much that when we remodeled our kitchen he and our other son chipped in and got us the same one for our new kitchen.
Yes, it's a nice faucet.
https://www.amazon.com/Hansgrohe-04749005-1-Handle-17-inch-Sprayer/dp/B07YQL2ZBV
We have new counters so did not need the baseplate and we chose to omit the soap dispenser.
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OP, I convinced DW to get a Delta with a wave hand to turn on/off feature, and she was very happy with it. DW was initially concerned that these automatic features tend to stop working after a short while. The touchless on/off feature is nicer than one may imagine since your soapy hands don't need to touch the faucet. After working flawlessly for about 6 months, the sensor seems to work less consistently. We think the sensor doesn't like low battery, so we are experimenting with it. In any case, there is a setting to bypass the sensor all together (back to manual operation) so the faucet would still work in the worst case. I would still recommend the hand waving on/off feature however.
We have 2 Moen single handle with an extension head. No problems after 3 years. I am not well versed at doing most anything with a screw driver. But the nut holding the faucet to the counter had loosened. While it was difficult getting under the sink, I was pleased how easy it was to take the faucet apart and put it back together. I had to take it apart to reach the nut. Given that it performs well so far, this added another positive feature for me.
Somehow it blows my poor little mind that you can talk to your faucet. A sensor yeah I get that. . . but wow. And thanks for the advice about the replacement cartridges. Kind of more annoyed plumber brought me this junk though. He should know more about this. I guess he just assumes idiots like me will call back and replace it all the time. Not correct.
MC Rider
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Whatever you buy, get good quality so you don't have to do it again any time soon, if ever. Plus one on replace the supply lines under the sink. Better to do it now, than when it leaks and damages stuff.
