The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?

[neverman]

New Build...

We have to select a ton of Faucets and would like to stay partial to one or two vendors at most. So what are the "love it, hate it's" concerning faucets and valves from Kohler, Moen and Delta. Some of the more boutique names are out of the question but feel free to add a name if I missed anyone your really partial to (ie. Grohe or something)

If you had to outfit a house and live with the end product (don't just base this on ease of installation please) which company would earn your dollars. Retail not special consideration prices please.

Thanks,
Right now we have some delta's roughed in for the kids and guests shower/tubs and some Kohler 304's in the master shower. Other than that we're quite open to opinions.

[Dunbar Plumbing]

I've always thought Moen faucets had an exceptional line of styles but their "down the road" repairs are very aggravating. I just did a service call where a high-end Moen add on shower head fell apart inside, allowing parts to float into the shower pipe leading down to a Delta tub/shower faucet. Told the customer to take it back and buy something other than that particular showerhead. I favor Delta strongly for the repair aspect greatly. I've installed numerous brands such as Danze, Pegasus, Franke, Grohe, American Standard, Kohler, Delta, Moen. I've installed faucets that even the customer had no idea of the brand name. I tell any customer that knows they have a Kohler that it is a two-trip repair; one to look at what they have, then come back once I order parts for the valve. I hate working on Kohler faucets because of the lag time involved. Their toilets I can live with but their faucets can be troublesome. I can't help that Delta has an ominent presence in my community as much as it does. Trac-packs were the common install for new construction.

[neverman]

Thanks for the input. Are there any install it and forget it parts? Real workhorses or do they all break?

You gave me a great tip without even trying I think.... I'll keep a file of all the actual valve numbers and trim kits on a diskette or CD.

Do Delta's break more than the others? I had heard the Kohlers once installed were pretty stout. Any truth to that notion?

[sulconst2]

for the kohler 304 valve i'd use the finial trim. sweet piece. imo. also the 306 valve is high flow. (3/4")

[master plumber mark]

dont let anyone here tell you any different.....

if you want the "work horse" of faucets, then put in the Delta...
and they do make some very high end expensive ones too if this will make
your wife happy,,,,



just like Rugged said..

KOHLER is junk. parts impossible to get down the road.

American Sandard is junk same about parts..

Price Fister is absolute JUNK> they are the very bottom



Moen is an ok faucet but they usually self destruct
when you try to take them apart





In my own home I would only put in DELTA.

[sulconst2]

like i said before. since you already have the kohler 304 valve the finial trim is fine looking piece.

[jimbo]

You will rarely find any plumber on any of these internet forums say bad thngs about Delta. That says alot. Personally, I have not been fond of Delta styles, but from a reliability and repairability standpoint, they are hard to beat.

I agree with the comments about A/S and Kohler. Beautiful to look at, but nearly custom repair parts for every model! I do have an A/S lav in my home. I got it because at the time it was a reasonable price for a very nice looking single handle faucet. It is now 12 years old, has never dripped, and looks as good as the day I put it in.

You will hear lots about P/P , BOTH good and bad. It is widely used as a "builders brand". They do make some good looking faucets. Reliability is probably about average overall. They made some engineering mistakes in the past: Flowmatic, Hydro-seal, and Avante. Overall, right now I consider their quality to be improved but find them a little pricey for what they are.
Parts availability is almost universal because the volume of faucets produced is so large.

I agree with the comments about Moen.

[plumber1]

I also echo the positive statements above about Delta and Moen. There was a day when Kohler and A/S were good looking AND they were very repairable and that was long ago. Kohler is over priced and a lot of those boutique
faucets are nothing but a cheap faucet with a lot of fluff. Don't get too carried away with looks. Just look for serviceability.

[hj]

Delta and Moen two handle and single handle kitchen faucets have SERIOUS reliability problems. Mainly because of the many plastic parts used. I have had no problems with Price Pfister two handle faucets and use them in my own house and recommend them to my customers. They were all brass with ceramic disc technology stems. Single handle tub and shower valves, the only one I recommend is the Delta 1700 series.

[jimbo]

As usual, opinions on the forum are split right down the middle, 60/40! Hopefully there has been enough information to aid you in your research.

[hj]

In other words, the "best" faucet depends on who you ask, so the best one for you may be the one you think looks the best.

[neverman]

Checked prices on the Finials... figures that's one of the more costly trims They did look nice however.

The Delta's for the 2 other baths need trims too. Not too fond of the Graves line, a little bulky for us. Anything that sticks out as nice? It's for a kids shower and a Guest bath/shower. Home is craftsman in style... until you get to the kitchen and master bath anyway.

I was more or less looking for a warning about poorly designed faucets, not so much style. In my job, high tech maint (wafer fab) there are known discount parts that are much cheesier in design than some of the more robust parts. If all these company's are apples and oranges we'll figure out the style somehow but feel free to offer insights on extra nice items

Thanks again,