Which Shower Valve is best?

[jawx]

I am replacing a 20-year old Carefree single-handle shower control--there are no replacement cartridges; Universal Rundle is not supporting them. I found that the Delta protrudes farther from the wall than the others, which is a problem for me, but it seems to be a solid control. I actually purchased several units at HD and Lowes to compare them. The American Standard (AS) seems to make the most secure device, but AS is divesting itself of the retail plumbing and I fear that the AS may go the way of Carefree! The Moen is very small and compact, and has the shortest protrusion from the wall. I haven't seen the Grohe or the Peerless. Are there any honest comparisons with pros and cons? It's tough to change it after it's installed!

[master plumber mark]

as far as dependability, quality and ease of design..

and being able to repair one 35 years from now.

get the DELTA and forget about all the rest...

Peerless is made by Delta.....its good too.



It secures down just fine, never had a problem with that issue
and you are not
supposed to be banging up against the faucet anyway....

Second best you can get is the Moen posi temp...not a bad faucet
but difficult to repair down the road....





American Standard never was a decent faucet, it was a crappy
design from day one......back in the late 80s..?

Kohler, Price Fister, are all
basically junk too...., I wont touch one...

they are not worth the time to hunt down parts for weeks on end.

[Mike Swearingen]

Every faucet in my 1977 home, including the two shower/tub units, are Delta's. I wouldn't have any other brand for durability and ease of maintenance.
Mike

[jimbo]

I don't understand the comment about Amer. Std. I am not aware of them "divesting from retail plumbing"!!!!

Opinions vary. Almost everyone ( plumbers, that is) like Delta for ease of installation and repair.

Moen is good. So is Price Pfister. Most brands, including these, have "good/better/best" arrangements in terms of styling and quality of trim. The internals are all mostly the same high quality.

Repair people hate Kohler because they are hard to work on and hard to find parts for.

Stay away from exotic brands found at design centers, because they are imported, the actual maker is often unknown, and the availabilty of parts and tech supports is usually iffy. Also for a tub or shower, where total replacement is not desired for 20+ years, stay away from generic import brands like Glacier Bay, Pegasus, EZ Flow, ProValue, etc etc for the reasons mentioned above.

[jawx]

Thanks for the opinions!

The reference to American Standard is about the agreement to sell its bath- and kitchen-products business to private-equity firm Bain Capital Partners LLC announced on 7/24/07. See WSJ article for details:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB 118519920959374938.html

Usually, as in "Pretty Woman", the segments of private-equity purchased companies are sliced and diced.

I did like the AS volume control and option to keep the same temperature setting between uses. But if it is junk, then I'll return it.
Does anyone like AS?

[Peanut9199]

"On February 1, 2007, American Standard Companies announced it would break up its three divisions. The company will sell off its kitchen and bath division and spin off WABCO, American Standard's vehicle controls division, while retaining The Trane Company. American Standard is expected to rebrand itself as The Trane Company. It is believed that American Standard wants to drop its kitchen and bath division due to under performance."

With toilets like the Champion it's no wonder

[jadnashua]

Many of the manufacturers make a thermostaticly controlled valve...nobody has a lock on the concept although the quality of the implementations may vary.

[gfe76]

master plumber mark, why are moen difficult to repair down the road? I thought the cartridge just slides out. Although I know sometimes they are difficult to remove.

[Peanut9199]

I think he's talking about the balancing spool on the "Posi-temp".

http://www.terrylove.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15883

[Wet_Boots]

Moen makes a 'pulling' tool for their cartridges, to help their removal. Of course, when an old brass handle thread breaks off flush in the stem, then you are more or less SOL

[Access for All]

And what about Moentrol vs. their Posi-Temp?

I work with individuals with disabilities and want to set up systems with separate temp controls so that they can set the temp once and not need to lean into the shower several times to get just the right temperature. I thought I found a reasonable cost answer with the Moentrol. However, at least one plumber has said that they didn't like Moen (maybe they'd only used the Posi-Temp?) and multiple plumbers use only Grohe, stating that they never need to go back for repairs. Now I'm looking at the Grohemix, but not all my clients can afford a full Grohe set up.

Hence my questions:
- What do you think about Moentrol?
- Can I mix and match components. i.e. the Grohemix, but other co's wall unions, hand held showers, etc. (as long as they're all of course 1/2")?
- If I use a volume control so that the individual CAN have both the shower spray AND the hand held spray at the same time, do they greatly lose pressure in each?
- Given that I want the temp control separate from the on/off/volume, a standard shower head, a wall union, a hand held shower, a diverter or sep vol control for the hh sh, a 71"+ sh hose, adjustable bracket and separate single hook for the hand held shower, do any of you have any specific recommendations? My client's can't deal with plumbing break-downs.

I'd like to get a couple "packages" together in a couple price ranges.
All guidance is greatly appreciated!

Access for All
Independence for all.