Which is better.

which is better in residential copper or plastic (cpvc) ?? and has anyone ever used those sharkbite connectors?? do you recommend them?

cpvc

Which is better is a personal preference. Both depend on the experience of the installer to give a good installation, but it would be cost prohibitive to use Sharkbites for an entire project.

There are places where copper is literally eaten up by the local water, so using it is not a good idea. If that isn't a factor, some would say it is a tossup. If this is a remodel, it's one thing, if it is new construction, it could be another. The plastics (you didn't include pex, which is another one) have some advantages. Neither one works well if the craftsmanship isn't good.

I keep seeing Sharkbites on "Real Plumber" jobs. I am a fan of items that make work easy but come on now they are not very professional looking. I would use that flow guard gold stuff before a sharkbite any day. Pex is a good choice. I think it looks nicer than cpvc any day.

patrick88 said:

. . . Pex is a good choice. I think it looks nicer than cpvc any day.

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I tend to be interested in economics and function.

What would be the difference in cost for the hot and cold water piping (not the fixtures or drainage) for a typical 4-bedroom/2 or 3 bath residence using PEX vs. CPVC?

I'm also curious what drives the large number of "home run" installations that I have seen with PEX compared to what has historically been done with copper. Would a job in CPVC be done in the "branch" style or the "home run" style?