Hi, we just got some great faucets.. check this site out.. www.superiorbath.com. Very affordable and the quality is exceptional!

radiobern - Thanks for the name. I will check them out.
Clare

akchicago - Wow thanks for the warning. I have never had that happen before. I will look at the Newport Brass. I wanted at least all the faucets to match. Everything else can sort of match. Thanks.

Clare

Other solid brass brands, that are not chinese imports like superiorbath.com, are Sigma, Altmans, Phylrich, and California faucet. These are all beautifull quality, but you may choke on the price for a Roman Tub filler. Then again, it can look and work like new for at least 15 years. Then replace the cartridges to get another 15.

luridlloyd - Thanks for the list of brand names. I will check them out. Prices don't scare me anymore, after all the looking I am prepared. And as I found out in the past, you get what you pay for (to a certain point).
Clare

You can also look at Renovators Supply depending on the style you are looking for.

Other manufacturers that don't use plastic not already mentioned are Graff, Sonoma Forge and Santec.

are kohlers (purist for example) not all brass?

I used Hansgrohe and Danze. No plastic.

brickeyee - Thanks I will go to the website and check it out.

flyinghigh - Thanks for the brand names. I will check them out online.

advertguy2 - Don't know. I thought Moen were but some are and some aren't. I guess you have to look at them physically to find out.

galinphilly - Thanks for the names. I like both of them and almost got Hansgrohe for my kitchen.

Clare

Only the high high end faucets don't use plastic. I have 3 Hansgrohes, all stainless, and there is plastic in them under the stainless.

Solid brass faucets are still made by English firms. Barber Wilsons is tops. Samuel Heath is tops. Those are English style and modern and you might look on their websites.

Dornbracht is a modern line of solid brass faucets.
Rohl has many solid brass faucets -- check carefully. Waterworks should be all brass -- check.

The rule of thumb is the heavier the faucet the better (because brass is heavy).

Moen is a very reliable, good brand but any brand that is inexpensive has plastic. Kohler should be checked. It's also an excellent, reliable brand as is their higher end Kallista line. There's nothing wrong with any of the brands mentioned above and nothing wrong with plastic in the faucets unless you don't want it and are willing to spend the money not to have it. Which means you are basically in the $600-800 range for a sink faucet and in the high end range for shower components as well.

rococogurl - Thanks for the information. We decided to go with solid "metal" and instead of solid brass. It was cheaper then the $600-$800 range. At least it is not plastic. Actually it is a combination of solid brass and other metal, American Standard at HD.
Clare

Clare -- Glad you got what you wanted. The combos will likely live every bit as long as the solid brass.

We've gotten Kohler Stillness faucets - haven't installed them yet, but they have come in and I thought they were all metal. . .they certainly are heavy enough!

rococogurl - Hopefully they will last long enough. At least till the next remodel or till we sell and retire to an old folks home.

atsmith - It was the trim pieces (called estuchions) that were plastic. The spout was metal. But chrome peels off of plastic in a few years so it would look like you-know-what. You can test it with a magnet to see if it is metal or take off the trim pieces and look inside to see if it is white plastic.

Clare

I bought a Price Pfister faucet for under $30 (clearance at Lowe's)...it retailed for over $150...I just installed it today and all the trim pieces were made of the same metal as the faucets (polished chrome/brushed nickel)...the only thing that was plastic was the mechanism that connects the stopper to the pulley thing behind the faucet and that's all under the sink.
Tara

Just shopped on line for Hansgrohe shower fixtures and found they have a lot of plastic now.

Plastic doesn't corrode like metal does. It doesn't have the mineral reactions.

That's why many VERY EXPENSIVE ($800-ish) brand name shower heads are plastic now. Think about it.. the cartridge inside the shower valves has always been made out of plastic and that takes the most water pressure. When installed, you can't tell what is plastic and what is metal.

I disagree the discerning eye can tell if it’s metal or plastic, especially to the touch! Plus the color variation when a faucet or shower set mixes metal and plastic. Yikes.