This is flattering; I would like to respond regarding your inquiry about Ammara Designs. My name is Rebekah and I am the customer service contact for the brand. We are part of the Forte Buying Group, an elite collection of the finest decorative plumbing & hardware showrooms across North America. Ammara Designs is not found everywhere for the following reasons, it has been designed and created by Forte's most design oriented members to fill a niche in design that our showrooms felt the large manufacturers were missing. I would obviously recommend going back to your original dealer and discussing the line further. We now have designed coordinating floor tub fillers in each series that will be available in March. Or you may always contact me directly at rcovay@buyforte.com with any other questions you may have. www.ammaradesigns.com

Wow, thanks very much, Star Craft! What a comprehensive review! I'm glad to know I've decided against the Ammara. I've also decided against the Huntington Brass. Any info on a Kohler Bancroft?

janelor
Kohler faucets are hard to beat. For a comprehensive review, see

Kohler
Faucets Review and Rating.

StarCraft,

Thank you for taking the time to comment on the Ammara
Designs brand. While we do appreciate
the background you have given on some items as being truthful, several other
points made are false in your summary.

First fact I would like to clear up is in regards to the
design capability of our team. We are all stateside and work together to design
and engineer our product. The design team consists of ex Moen and Elkay faucet
engineers, as well as leading luxury kitchen & bath designers from Forte
North American showroom members. This team has been responsible for some of the
leading designs and specifications in fine homes and hotels across the globe.

Another item I would like to address in your response are
the cartridge references. We do not, nor have we ever, used Chinese cartridges
in our product. We specify Kerox, Vernet and Fluhs valves, elements and
cartridges to be used within our line. In fact, each widespread lavatory
faucet, deck valve and wall volume control is labeled with Fluhs’s 'Engineered
in Germany' markings. (http://www.fluehs.de/home
http://w2.kerox.hu/ http://www.vernet.fr/site/UK/ )

And lastly, the warranty on the product is indeed handled by
the Ammara Designs dealer individually. Most Forte Members are second and third
generation businesses and have been in business longer than many decorative
faucet companies. Each dealer creates
their warranty action and supports it in house. No Ammara Designs client is
left hi and dry, should an issue arise.

This being said, I would love for you to see a faucet from
our line and inspect it. Should you want more information or samples to view,
please do not hesitate to contact me directly and I would be glad to assist
you. rcovay@buyforte.com

Thank you, rebekahcovay, for clearing some of this up.

@ rebekahcovay

Thank you for the corrections to my summary of what we know about Ammara faucets. Now we know a little more.

I am still a little fuzzy about how a buying group designs, engineers and prototypes faucets. It is an unusual capability for a buying group to have in house, requiring not just a considerable amount of product design and engineering talent, but a facility at which the casting, machining, and finishing of a prototype faucet can be done. Do you have such a facility at your disposal?

"No Ammara Designs client is
left hi and dry, should an issue arise."

I am certain that such is the case, but from our viewpoint in trying to understand and report on Ammara faucets to possible buyers what do we say? At the moment we can only say that (1) Forte Group itself offers no warranty. (2) Any warranty that is available is provided by the individual showroom from which the faucet is purchased. (3) These may vary considerably. (4) We do not have access to the actual terms of the showroom warranties, if any, and therefore cannot analyze the adequacy warranty coverage.

Thank you for the offer to provide us with sample faucets. However, we generally acquire review faucets through ordinary commercial sources using straw buyers to eliminate any possibility that the faucets we receive for review are anything but the ordinary commercial product.

Please call me at any time, I am happy to discuss our design process. 708-283-2770 , Jeff

To follow up, so we are not spreading misinformation:

We have indeed confirmed that the cartridges used in Ammara Designs lavatory faucets are from Kerox and Flühs.

Flühs, the German cartridge maker, is well-known as a manufacturer of one of the world's best faucet cartridges. Kerox, made in Hungary, is likewise found in some of the best faucets made, and is, in addition, a well-regarded supplier of ceramic disks to other cartridge makers.

We sincerely apologize to Ammara Designs and to anyone misled by our earlier statement that the cartridges are generic Chinese. They are not.

Star Craft,

So, how did you come to believe that they're made by a Chinese company? You slammed them pretty hard.

janelor

My apologies. Your comment deserves an answer, but I have not been back to this post in a while, and missed it.

We do extensive research on a faucet company before we publish a review: up to two years in some instances. In fact, we just published our review of Santec faucets that was 13 months in preparation.

It is not, however, perfect research, so we do make mistakes. Our initial post was published before we had completed our research and was based on what we knew at th time (and resulted in a change or policy which now prohibits giving out any information on a faucet line before our review is vetted and published).

We always send a draft copy to the company for comment before we publish, giving the company an opportunity to identify any mistakes of fact (but not of conclusions, which are our own). Information provided by the company always has to be confirmed independently, but after we confirm the information with at least one outside source, we make the change

In subsequent discussions with Ammara management, and further research including a conversation with Flühs Drehtechnik, we updated our information, and the correct facts are included in the finished Ammara review.

We invite anyone who spots and error in one of our reports to get in touch with the correct formation. We can becontacted through our website host or at reviews@starcraftcustombuilders.com.

Starcraft - thank you for the research. It is a confusing field and your work to help the consumer is appreciated. Sounds like Ammara might be a good buy right now as I found their prices reasonable relative to competitors and was concerned about quality - which you clarified to have European parts.

I have actually purchased an Ammara shower faucet so I can speak as an actual user. My shower is less than two years old and has broken twice. The part, a pressure balance cartridge, is only available through the showroom I bought the faucet from and is $175! Thankfully the showroom has agreed to replace this part for free but only after I pay for it and then send the defective part back. This of course doesn't include the cost of having a plumber come out. I have total buyers remorse over buying this faucet. Stick with a major brand with a proven track record and readily available parts!

After our condo renovation back in 2014, we are now experiencing a problem with the ensuite faucets provided by Ammara Designs: water will not stay in one of the sinks. I've tried a replacement of the flat O ring, but this doesn't work, and I've been told that the entire drain assembly has to be replaced. One plumbing shop told me to contact Ammara Designs as the part is probably covered by a lifetime warranty, but just finding a contact number to call this brand proved challenging (at least in Toronto, Ontario). Can anyone give me advice on how to proceed?

Thank you in advance,

Mark Satterthwaite

Unfortunately, Amara Designs is out of the faucet-selling business. Some of its warranty obligation has bee assumed by Crosswater London which may be a source for parts.

You can find contact information at Crosswater Faucets Review and Rating. (https://www.starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets.Crosswater.htm).

Thanks you very much for this information. I'll contact Crosswater Faucets, and I've also found a seller of the faucets in Ottawa, Ontario. I still don't understand why my replacement of the washer didn't solve the problem. If there's no warranty coverage, I'll have to pay over $50 for the whole assembly if I can locate it. An expensive repair.

Mark