Thermostatic mixer with headshower

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talkingdog

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I finally found out the technical description of what I'm looking for: "wall mounted thermostatic mixer with headshower, automatic diverter bath/shower, with fully equipped sliding rail". Plus I want it in solid metal, with possible exception of the showerhead itself, which may be plated plastic for reasons of weight.

This is a standard item in Japanese baths, and it appeared in a funny little scene in the movie "Lost in Translation." Problem is, the offerings from Toto, Inax and Grohe all contain a good portion of plated plastic, which tends to scratch up easily. I'm not paying up to a thousand dollars for a shower set made of molded plastic.

Scouring the showrooms I managed to find an Italian maker by the name of Gessi that has a fully metal products under the model names of Ovale 21631 (very pricey) and Small (which is actually under $1000).

Anybody familiar with Gessi, and do you have any other suggestions for such an item There must be some other manufacturer that makes this item. A key point is that it needs to be thermostatic.
 

Peanut9199

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I've never heard of Gessi but on the Grohe the only item on it that is plastic is the handles.
Chrome plated brass will scratch just as much as chrome plated plastic.
The plumbers and renovators i think would agree if you need to take of the handles in 10 years to replace a cartridge i would rather try to get a plastic handle off than a brass one.

Just my thought.
 

talkingdog

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I guess I am just too Old World or old school or something, because I just do not believe that plastic trim belongs in high end plumbing fixtures.

In their mixer bar, TOTO claims that their plated plastic shroud is a safety feature, a sort of insulation to prevent inadvertent burns. But in other places I just can't see it.

As for Grohe, I was in a showroom the other day that had gold plated Grohe faucets. I reached down and grabbed onto one and it came away in my hand--plastic. I guess you are right, they are easier to get off!
 

Jadnashua

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This was a long time ago...metal handles, was running straight hot for something. Had to get a cloth to turn it off...the handle got so hot I burned my hand on it. Now, you shouldn't be filling your tub or something like that with straight hot, but the very young and old's skin is quite thin and it is easy to burn...I do believe it is a safety factor. The body of (at least all of those I've seen) from Grohe are solid brass or with a few exceptions, SS (my kitchen faucet is SS, not look-alike, but SS); the handle is (I think) plastic coated metal (black), though.
 

talkingdog

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That's why we use a thermostatic mixer. It has a little safety button set at about 40C, and the water won't get hotter than that. I think one should no doubt have scald protection upstream from there, too.

I don't think I am alone in complaining about these plastic parts, since I see this popping up on forums all over the web; meanwhile the sales reps tell me that the plastic is primarily a cost cutting measure (in places other than where burns are possible).
 

Jimbo

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Some issues if you buy the italian stuff: the fittings may be metric sizes, causing lots of installation headaches. And where would you ever get replacement parts? Unless the distributor can give you a satisfactory answer to those questions, I personally would not use that stuff.


Let me make a general comment on the plastic. Certainly plastic is more and more prevalent. In some parts, it is quite appropriate; for other parts, which need more strength and durability, we could argue that plastic is a poor choice. But lets look at an item like some kind of handle adapter: before there were parts cast of high quality plastic, they were probably cast zinc. That is only slightly better than plastic, maybe not better at all. The days when such a piece could be billet-milled, or cast brass, are gone. Totally out of the question from a cost standpoint.
In summary, welcome to the 21st century and the plastic generation. Like it or not, plastic is here to stay.
 

hj

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Italian

I have a customer right now who needs some parts for an Italian faucet. The company tells me to contact one of their distributors, but cannot/will not tell me who they are. I have been on a scavenger hunt calling and contacting anyone who references that name in their Internet sites, but still have not found a distributor who deals in that brand. It is even possible that the part is no longer made, even though it is only 5 years old, but cannot even find that out.
 

talkingdog

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jimbo said:
Some issues if you buy the italian stuff: the fittings may be metric sizes, causing lots of installation headaches. And where would you ever get replacement parts? Unless the distributor can give you a satisfactory answer to those questions, I personally would not use that stuff.


In summary, welcome to the 21st century and the plastic generation. Like it or not, plastic is here to stay.

Gessi has a distributor here with a very big footprint, and it's their major product, so I suppose I would be covered to some extent. But my local plumber would probably tell me to get the local brands, TOTO or INAX. Except I know full well that most of these Japanese companies only keep spare parts for 7 years, and after that replacement is the only choice. Even Honda, which used to guarantee parts for all products forever, is now only stocking for 15 years.

Speaking of plastic, I was listening to the sales pitch from the NAIS (Panasonic) guy the other day for their top of the line toilet, which is like a Neorest. It's got a plastic cowling that is somehow easier to clean than porcelain. How that could be, I dunno. So I am supposed to pay an extra $1K for a toilet now because it's got some freakin' new fangled plastic, and I am sure that it will, like most other plastic, decay under UV light and become brittle, and break--and there I will be replacing the toilet in 7 years.

Back to plastic fixtures. There is obviously demand from quality conscious consumers for all-metal products. I wish more manufacturers would, like Chicago Faucet, offer an optional upgrade from plastic trim to metal. If Chicago Faucet can do it, why can't Grohe?
 
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