# any kitchen faucet brands to avoid?



## daniel2229

We are looking for single hole faucets at Lowes or Home Depot and are wondering if there are any brands to avoid. So far we have seen Price Pfister, Moen, Kohler, and Delta faucets that match our needs. All of these models have a spray nozzle that pulls out and a single handle for controlling water flow.

I have already discovered that the numbers on the boxes must be done especially for Lowes as when we Google the numbers, they can't be found.

Is there one brand we should just stay away from? We are going with the stainless finish this time. The last one we had was a Price Pfister in an oil rub finish. It worked well but the lime crust showed up rather quickly with our hard water and the dark finish.

The faucet before that was a Moen with a white porcelean? finish (probably just cheap white enamel) that chipped off in several places. We had to get replacement parts from the customer service, and it was a bear to replace. Of course, they did not want to replace the faucet, just the parts. I had to talk to the guy on the phone while replacing the the part. What a pain!

We have Moens in our bathrooms and have never had trouble with them.

Thanks for your help.


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## Big Al

Hi: I"m not a plumber. I"ve lived in my home 19 years. Borrow money if you have to. Buy the most expensive one. Then you"ll be done.


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## inspectorD

No price...I would go kohler, or moen.

I would also go to a plumbing supply store.


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## glennjanie

Hey Daniel:
I agree with InspectorD 100% on this one. We destroy the finish on our faucets with harsh cleaners and bleach. They are best cleaned with soap and water and then dried, which will extend their life and improve their looks.
Glenn


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## majakdragon

You are correct that those brands were made exclusively for Lowes or Home Depot. The differences can range as far as being brass to being plastic. Buying from a Plumbing Supply store will cost more but worth it in the long run. A company I used to work for doing new homes always installed crane faucets. A customer set a Sterling faucet on the counter with a note to install it instead. I did, and could not even get water to flow through it. he complained later and took the Sterling back and wanted us to install the Crane. Was real mad when he got charged the labor fee.


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## handyguys

Price Pfister, Moen, Kohler, and Delta all have a good reputation. Probably Delta would be the cheapest of the bunch. If you had your heart set on a Delta I wouldn't hesitate to put it in. Moving down the quality ladder would then come American Standard then the store brands like Glacier Bay. I would at least avoid Glacier Bay and the like unless maybe I was flipping a house.

My favorites are Moen, Price Pfister and Kohler. I have Kohler everything in my current house.

You also have those Italian sounding company names with euro price tags as well.


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## kok328

I believe Delta is guaranteed for life.  Must be good if there willing to stand behind it for that long.


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## jack3140

after trying various brands  i have settled on moen  have had nothing but for a long time and anytime something has gone wrong  i go to to rona and they hand me replacement parts free and no questions asked    strongly recommend   god luck


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## TaskBoy

Price Phister's plating sucks as does their body mat'l, IMHO. They can't take hard water well--ours started getting eaten away in a few months and actually froze so it wouldn't swivel. 

Moen rocks. Moen installs faster and even gives you a long fiber-filled socket to tighten the keeper nut. With PP, I had to get under there with one of those dumb knuckle buster faucet wrenches. 3 local plumbers said Moen when asked. We have the Moen Caprillo pull-out in SS.


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## NYDonna

The *Price Pfister *I bought is not the top of the line by any stretch of the imagination, but not the bottom of the barrel either.  Basically all I wanted was water IN my sink not UNDER it.
The cup where the diverter fits the shank is defective and when I called Price Pfister they said that they didn't have a replacement part for that 'yet'.  Uh, I don't want a replacement part for a brand new faucet  Long story short:  returned the PF and got a *Moen*.  Again not the top of the line but this time's the water's in the sink.  Thanks *Moen*.


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## Plumbing And Lighting

Delta, Moen, and Kohler are all reliable brands but if money's not an option, go with Hansgrohe. They're a German company who make really elegant, functional, guaranteed products. 

I would be wary of purchasing a faucet made by Kingston Brass.


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## cre8tivman68

Delta faucets have a lifetime parts and finish warranty for the original owner.  They are reliable and simple to repair.  If you are looking for something a little more high end, then choose Brizo which is Delta's higher end (used to be Delta Select).  I work in customer service for Delta Faucets.  I can honestly tell you that we care about our customers.


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## thisdmnhouse

We've had Glacier Bay faucets in our bathroom sink for five years. Never an issue.

We paid good money for a very nice kitchen set (Peerless/Delta) about 10 years ago. Trouble within the first year and regular issues ever since. It&#8217;s been one thing after another. Replace this part. Replace that part. The warranty doesn&#8217;t cover X (fill in problem of the week). Thankfully, a new sink and faucet set are on the list of a kitchen upgrade that is currently in progress.

However &#8230; for the bathroom upgrade that is also in progress, we recently replaced yet another once pricey Kohler shower/tub set that only started to give us fits shortly before its replacement. (It was at least 15 years old, maybe a little older. And the brass finish held up beautifully for most of those years.) We bought a Kingston Brass set (from VanDyke&#8217;s). Not installed a week and problems already. Wish I'd seen this thread last year!

Can&#8217;t say this is giving me a lot of hope for or confidence in the kitchen set also from Kingston. But I&#8217;ll reserve judgment until it goes in and let you know!


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## goodbloggers

daniel2229 said:


> We are looking for single hole faucets at Lowes or Home Depot and are wondering if there are any brands to avoid. So far we have seen Price Pfister, Moen, Kohler, and Delta faucets that match our needs. All of these models have a spray nozzle that pulls out and a single handle for controlling water flow.
> 
> I have already discovered that the numbers on the boxes must be done especially for Lowes as when we Google the numbers, they can't be found.
> 
> Is there one brand we should just stay away from? We are going with the stainless finish this time. The last one we had was a Price Pfister in an oil rub finish. It worked well but the lime crust showed up rather quickly with our hard water and the dark finish.
> 
> The faucet before that was a Moen with a white porcelean? finish (probably just cheap white enamel) that chipped off in several places. We had to get replacement parts from the customer service, and it was a bear to replace. Of course, they did not want to replace the faucet, just the parts. I had to talk to the guy on the phone while replacing the the part. What a pain!
> 
> We have Moens in our bathrooms and have never had trouble with them.
> 
> Thanks for your help.



I dont know what brand name to avoid. but for me the kohler forte faucet is the best


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## goodbloggers

I dont know what brand name to avoid but for me the kohler forte faucet is the best


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## AlexMK

I think Delta Kitchen Faucets are the best.


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## Wuzzat?

For me, the Moen cartridges get seized by calcium and you have to destroy it to get them out, even if you have the special extraction tools.


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## CallMeVilla

My experience?  DELTA and Moen.  Price-Pfister is cheaply made.  Customer service at DELTA is superior to them all for installation and replacement parts.  I had a shower handle snap off (drunk lady  --  long story) and they sent out not just the handle but the replacement cartridge ($45) and all the screws and parts  --  FREE.  I'll stay with DELTA forever.


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## elbo

everyone has their own preferences, and dislikes. My dislike is delta because when I had a problem with one of their faucets, they said they couldn't help me as the faucet is made in some other country and lease the delta name. We installed a Moen pull out single lever faucet in the kitchen, after a long time the spray head began to discolor, I contacted Moen and they sent me a new head, even though their warantee says that all claims must be accompanied with a copy of the sales reciept, which I no longer had


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## gunit

I agree, I have had good luck with Delta, when I had a leak in my bathroom faucet, i brought the parts into one of the bigger retailers and they actually gave me a free replacement.  I was very happy about that.... of course the smaller plumbing shops were charging $100 bucks for the same item that the Delta rep gave them for free, so i was abit disappointed with that.  Lucky they gave me a refund, but very relunctantly.


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## smith931

My favorites are Delta and Kohler.But most favorite faucet is Delta and I have set Delta everywhere in my current house.After trying various brands I have settled on Delta.
Moen, Pfister, Kohler, and Delta all have a good reputation. Probably Delta would be the cheapest of the others.


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## Wuzzat?

I recommend ball valves for the supply lines.

A supply valve washer failed and partially jammed the faucet.  Couldn't find all the pieces.  

The plumbing supply house could not furnish me with a right-size screen like found in washing machine supply hoses to prevent this debris from causing problems.

The new faucet from overseas was only $79 but needs tweaking, balancing the hot & cold supply lines.

So, get a faucet that can be completely disassembled, if you can find it.  Not one with the check valves stamped in place.

Centering the faucet rotation-wise is another whole project, the hoses/pipes want to torque the thing away from your setting, not to mention that it shifts when you tighten the large nut. 
:hide:


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## billshack

majakdragon is absolutely right about faucet made for lowes, they are made cheaper just for lowes, For example go and pick up any faucet that you are thinking about buying  at lowes, then go to a real pluming store and pick up the same faucet, you will notice that the lowes faucet weighs considerably less that the plumbing store faucet
then return the lowes faucet. and install the plumbing store one. 
Bill


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## maxdad118

Thinking of going with this for my kitchen remodel?


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## m4p

I've had good luck with Delta faucets, plus their customer service is great, something that I think is really important.  I needed to change the cartridge in our shower.  Delta sent me the part at no cost and their video on how to change it really helped.

I think when it comes to faucets, it's not worth buying cheap to save money.  Buy a well-known brand with good customer service and warranty.


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## jeffrun36

Having worked in the plumbing wholesale industry as well as for plumbing manufacturers, I would say go with Delta.  Like most manufacturers, they do make private label/exclusive products for stores like Home Depot or Lowes.  You will get better products through a plumbing supply store (also known as the trade channel).  Brizo is their premium brand and can be found at a place like Ferguson Enterprises.
From my experience, plumbers like Moen because they almost always guarantee an easy service call.  Kohler makes nice looking stuff, but the replacement parts are terrible as they are often not interchangeable.  I have had good luck with American Standard, Chicago Faucet, and Pfister too (both selling and installing in my own home) but would still say Delta is my goto faucet.


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## mabloodhound

Pfister is guaranteed for life.  Bought one years ago and the sent a replacement control element for FREE when the old one broke.  Later, when the faucet started leaking they sent a complete brand new faucet....for free.  Don't know if Delta does this.

Dave Mason


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## nealtw

I picked up a Moen sample at the Restore, it was mounted to a nice plastic base and everything under the plastic had just been chopped off. I called Moen and told them what I had and they sent me everything I needed to put it back together. Free. I like that service. I could not complain if they had said no.


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## Flyover

I have a Volk Tuscany commercial-style pulldown faucet. Bought it at Menard's for about $130. It replaced a broken P.O.S. Delta faucet that was there when we bought the house.

Pros of the Tuscany:

- Easy to install
- Hose can't get stuck or not retract properly because it's already out in the open
- Flexible: easy to get to any part of my sink or even fill a pot on the counter next to the sink
- Durable: made from metal, not plastic
- Less expensive than the top of the line faucets of this type, but not suspiciously cheap either
- Nice strong water flow
- The moving parts feel sturdy and well-made
- Their customer service is excellent: they immediately resolve issues by sending new parts, no questions asked

Cons:

- The thing broke twice in the first 6 months we owned it. (First the screw keeping the main hose part connected to the base, so water went EVERYWHERE, and then later the hose sprung a leak.) They were always good about sending replacement parts as mentioned but it was still inconvenient and it just shouldn't have broken in the first place.
- If you turn the water on full blast suddenly, it sometimes sends a kind of shockwave through the hose in a way that makes the head jump out of the holster and it ends up spraying water on you or on the floor. The holster should do a better job of keeping the head in place even if the hose moves.

So, I'd recommend this faucet, just make sure you address those issues by making sure you aren't buying a model that's sat on a shelf for a long time, and don't jam the water on full blast (until I learn about and can report a fix for that issue).


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## Melvin

Does anyone know anything about Jiuzhuo? They have some crazy cool faucets on amazon but I 'm leery of unknown brands.


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## Flyover

@zannej liking my post about my Tuscany pull-down faucet above prompted me to go back and read it, and since I wrote it there's been an update: the company's fix for the "hose jumping out of the holster" issue was to send me a new replacement hose. It solved that issue but now my maximum water pressure is relatively weak. It's strong enough to do dishes and it's probably saving me water so I don't complain too much, but I definitely don't get that satisfying blast of water I expect from a kitchen sink.

My new recommendation is to avoid this brand and go with a better one. If you buy stuff at auction like I do you can frequently find the same style faucet from a more reputable brand. Wish I'd had the patience to do that initially.


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## Burgy

Stay with the name brands as mentioned earlier....that is why they are "name" brands.  I have a Delta that has worked flawlessy for years.  It has the pull out feature that is attached via magnet.  So it grabs itself when it rests in the base.  My brother has a similar model that is slightly loose when it is in base as it doesn't have the magnetic feature.  Spend the money on a name brand.  Delta, Moen, Kohler.


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## Honest_Nigerian

My brother bought a few Grohe faucets years ago. They were expensive. They last a long time. The good thing is that when they break it is a bit hard to find parts LOL.
And the other good thing is that the parts are expensive LOL
But seriously, they are very well built.


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## Eddie_T

I have been unable to determine if the pull downs are full flow. My old Elkay has a full flow side sprayer and I do not want less pressure and flow that it provides.


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## billshack

I like moen, but there are two types of moen, One you buy at a real plumbing store, the other you buy at one of the big box stores. if you buy both and take  them out of the box you will see one is much heavier that the other. guess which one is made better .


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## havasu

Avoid Glacier Bay, Home Depot's home brand, since they are pure junk and like to leak right out of the box.


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## Jeff Handy

Avoid any no-name brands from Amazon or anywhere else. 

They will be hard to get parts for eventually, and those weird vendors come and go. 
This goes for tub and shower valves also. 

If you do buy one of these mystery brand faucets or valves, buy some extra cartridges or repair kits right away, before the company disappears.


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