Reliable single handle pull out kitchen faucet?

[PandaBear]

The Price Pfister Genesis that came with the house is starting to leak, slowly. I've tried to fix it but couldn't determine where is it from, and decided it is better to buy another one and repair at spare time for a spare or put it back on if I sell this house (and move the new faucet to another house).

So while shopping for a new faucet I was shocked how expensive single handle pull out kitchen faucet is. Even plastic ones are $88+ (American Standard Jardin), and the cheapest all metal ones is around $140 (Kholer Coralais).

The review seems to go all over the place too. Except I come to the conclusion that plastic do crack over time especially the spout, and Glacier Bay's warranty doesn't cover the spout. While most of them have limited lifetime warranty to the original owner, I'd still want to pick the most reliable one that has a reasonable cost. I need the pull out to bath the baby in the tub (resting on the kitchen sink) ergonomically for wife and my back / shoulder / neck condition, or I would have spent only $60 for a double handle basic faucet that'll last forever.

Which one has better reliability and warranty? I remember Delta and Moen being pretty good, what about Kholer, American Standard, Pfister, etc? How much should I spend and what should I look for (i.e. all metal, ceramic cartridge, PVD / CVD coating, etc)?

Also are there no lead (instead of the 0.25% lead free) faucet in residential consumer grade stuff?

 

[stockrex]

i buy whatever is in stock in costco or sams,

 

[Smoky14]

The PF I had in my house was origional made in USA good faucet. PF has been taken over by Black and Decker and is made "in our off shore facility" and last as long as a snow ball in july.

All replacement parts I got were lucky to last 10mo.
YMMV Smoky

PS: I went with Delta, so far so good.

 

[rjundi]

Delta seems to have the most parts available.

Pure luck of the draw at the low budget end and honestly the mid budget($250-$400). They cater to folks who renovate to look nice and throw away vs making products that last.

Another huge factor is your city or well water quality. Some is very corrosive to the parts while others quite gentle.

 

[SLCraig]

They are horribly expensive I agree.
I just recently replaced my kitchen faucet with a pulldown "gooseneck" style faucet with a nice Peerless which was insanely on sale (local retailer) and for the money I could not be happier. My dad has dome home reno all his life and his favorite brand is Moen but you do pay a premium for them. They had a Kohler and did not like it, I guess the base was a pain in the rear to setup and kept coming loose.

 

[spackard]

I can't remember the mfgr of ours. It has a ceramic mixer valve; it has a lifetime warranty (your PF may have lifetime too). I found out about that because I needed a new valve and couldn't find one anywhere. I phoned the company, a tech went through what I had done and sent me new parts in the mail for free, and told me about replacing other parts and what lube to use for the O-rings on the swivel head.

If you read the 'net, other mfgrs. apparently do this too, though I grew up buying from the hardware store and replacing parts on an American Standard.

Yeah, very low lead requirements here in Calif since 2010.

 

[UNC017]

Grohe is an excellent brand that normally flies in the price stratosphere.... however they do have some competitively priced pull-outs and they're available at Lowes. Give them a look- I recently installed a non-pullout single-handle Grohe and I think it was right at $100. I don't mind spending on a faucet that will LAST, and I've had two other Grohe sink faucets- the one in my parents' house is now about 35 years old, and the one in my previous house is now about 25 years old (house is now rented out). Both still work great, and the only work I've done on either one is to replace the aereator- that's right, I've never replaced the sealing surfaces at all. And that amazes me.

Next to Grohe, I'd go with Moen or Delta. Price-Pfister is a waste of plastic, not worth the cost of the box they come in.

 

[JTK]

I haven't been real happy with the last few single handled Moen unit's I've had. One was big box, others were kitchen/bath store purchased ($$$).

I too would go Delta (or equiv) if you want to keep costs as reasonable as possible. They hold up and parts can easily be sourced.

Joel

 

[Smokescreen]

I have had Peerless w/ pullout wand I bought on my own because it was on sale too, it lasted about a year before everything on the mounts worked loose and stripped out despite being installed by a plumber who installed for free (my brother). Also it started to leak around the base of the hot/cold handle.

From that point on I went with Delta. It wasn't all that more expensive and just handling it you could tell the materials were of better quality. The same plumber mentions he is slightly disappointed to install Delta as he rarely if ever has to repair Delta fixtures so they make no repeat business for him. As well Delta fixtures have great warranty on items if them do break so he doesn't make money there either.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

Have two from Costco installed (WR brand?). One is over five years old and the other is about three years old. Different styles, but work well. Both are a good value for the money.

 

[NEOhio_Bob]

Agree with 440Magnum that Grohe , Moen and Delta are good choices. If you don't need to do something immediately, watch the clearance shelves at Lowes and HomeDepot. I have gotten lucky and stumbled across some real deals. Check several stores if you can...it seems that clearance items and pricing are manager discretion to some degree.