opinions on bath tub and basin stopper designs?

[tom12]

We nowadays have a range of bathtub stoppers and plug arrangements, and in my opinion, the spring loaded "toe-tap" stopper is the worst design of the lot, quickly followed by "you've got to be kidding me - the works are in the waste shoe" linkage and spring pop-ups. With clevis and rods for basin pop-up bad design.
A well known hardware store still do a .49 cent traditional rubber plug, but few want them so it seems. For me, that simple rubber stopper/plug is still the best arrangement, with a couple kept in reserve for breakdowns and losses. The day can't be all that far off when high powered, complex, digital drainage devices are sucking unwary babies and pop stars down plug holes.
Opinions please.

[tom12]

Just a quick resurrection for my Feb 2012 question. Any comments or opinions, because, believe me, what the country needs now is a damn good cup of coffee and a blitz on plumbing junk. Perhaps the issue can be raised in the next "debate" between the two guys who most faithfully represent big business in this country ... ... I've just had a long march thro a basement wall and a re-arranging of the tub head joisting ( trimming and bearer's ) to gain access to a waste and shoe with a distorted stopper.

[nestork]

I just use 1 1/2 inch rubber plugs that I buy from my local wholesaler who orders them in bulk from Master Plumber.

They're simple, reliable and easy to repair be replacing them with a new one for 68 cents. In my books, that makes them better than anything that needs periodic repair and costs a lot more.

[jimbo]

I like the tip-toe and also the lift-and-turn stoppers. Keeping track of a rubber stopper is a pain. Remember on the "real" stoppers, they are a wear-and-tear item. Just replace the insert every so often. And don't buy the original or the parts at the hardware store. Get a good OEM brand, or a Watco or Gerber, and buy OEM parts when needed.