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I have Sensate. The led tip sounds interesting but I haven't needed anything like that yet. I like the clean lines of this faucet. My sink is in the island so having something a bit understated was my goal. It performs beautifully. We frequently ask ourselves why we didn't improve that aspect long before we did the whole reno since I cook daily. It certainly makes clean up easier.

The LED definitely looks cool; the price not-so-much. I don't have any in-home experience to relate, but I've gone to the Kohler store to try out the Sensate (more times than it's seemly to admit), and I like it a lot. The sprayer shoots a blade of water which seems useful and you can turn it down from a blast to a gentle spray. I also like the fact that the spray can be toggled without turning off the water and the head swivels easily. But LED . . .

Rococo, I don't have an answer for you, but it looks like you have two faucets? Which is which?

@meyerk9 - Can I ask how long you have had the Sensate?

@avatarwalt - I went to KWC immediately because I had a faucet of theirs and absolutely loved it. The LED just seems like such a good addition.

Also need to look at the Grohe touch faucets which I forget.

@Linelle - There are 2 faucets. The sprayer is the larger one.

Is anyone buying Kohler Karbon these days?

I have the high-arc Kohler Artifacts with the pull-down berry-soft spray. I can't wait to move into my new kitchen to use it.

I have the Kohler Karbon and love it. I will choose again when we build. Others on GW have installed it recently. I've had mine 1 1/2 years now.

Hi rococogurl, I thought most hands-free or touch faucets were on battery or have battery backups? But, I would highly recommend a Tapmaster or push plate, those are mechanical and make it easy to turn on the water even if one cannot reach the handle or faucet itself (e.g. small children or someone in a wheelchair). Hope you are able to fix your beautiful faucet.

The electronic and touch faucets are on battery. Sensate can be hard wired. There is also lever operation for power outages.

Looks like I may be able to get parts to fix my faucets. That's preferrable, of course. Will advise.

How can there be no access to the back of the sink? Even if the sink is setting on a platform, it should be possible to drill and saw a large enough hole without dismounting the sink to gain access to the faucet. A cover plate can then be screwed over the hole to hide it while still allowing future access. The plumber has special tools for unmounting and remounting a faucet that do not require much space to work. Am I missing something?

Diverter's are easy to replace, and Dornbracht is very good about sending replacement parts wuickly. Were it my faucet, I would rebuild it. Dornbrach no longer makes its own faucets, so a new Dornbracht is not likely to be the quality of the one your have.

The sink was installed 12 years ago -- one of the early farm sinks. It is fully supported across the cabinet with holes only for the lines.

The faucet needs a cartridge and the sprayer needs to be rebuilt with a kit. The parts are less than $150. The sprayer kit will repair the lever -- that can be done from above. Not sure about where the cartridge goes in the faucet.

Dornbracht was great about getting the old part numbers for me. However, they do not sell parts direct. I'm calling around today to try to find a reliable source for their parts.

Does anyone have a reliable source for Dornbracht parts,? I would very much appreciate having the name.

The cartridge doesn't seem to be a problem but the kit may be since that sprayer has been discontinued.

Right now, with a $150 outlay, + plumber visit I'm going to try to repair. Hoping I can get the sprayer kit. The faucet is slave to the sprayer, however.

If I cannot repair then I have a different task. 2003 market was quite different.

I know what I want more or less. Faucet that best fits the criteria is the Sensate but that one has very mixed reviews on Amazon. Trouble with the solenoid it appears and I'm not into buying maintenance.

Again, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Hi! We have had a Koehler karbon for about 2 years now. We like it a lot but for senior living I think it could become difficult with adjusting all of the joints. Also, if low vision is an issue-sometimes we have sprayed it all over the kitchen if it was left it in an up or out position by one of the kids & we didn't notice before turning it on. Our main faucet is a Waterstone PLP -modern, clean & with a high arc. Note:we quite like both of our faucets but both had to have a minor fix within the first year-frustrating!!

I've never heard of having to pull a sink to replace or repair a faucet.

What surface is the sink fully supported on? Metal? If it is wood, a repair person should be able to use a drill to make a starter hole and a jigsaw to widen the space and there shouldn't be any issue about reaching up from underneath, horrible angle of course, but all under the sink plumbing is.

@ Joseph Corlett -- NY Replacement parts tells me neither repair requires access from below. If you saw the sink base you might see what I could think that.

But if faucet & sprayer can be repaired vs replaced then that's not a factor.

@practigal - I have stainless counters on a plywood substrate and an upmounted Rohl sink. No two of those handmade sinks is exactly the same. So sink cannot be changed easily, if at all without challenging the counters.

I don't want to go there.

Rococogurl, I don't have any advice for you, but who makes your filter faucet? Model? Thanks.

@sf treat -- Neither of those are filter faucets. One is an aerator and the other a sprayer.

The brand is Dornbracht and here is a link to their faucets. They do have a filter faucet now. The brand is German and my faucet is German made. Finish on my faucet is integral polished nickel.

The model numbers on the aerator and sprayer have changed. But models of similar faucets are on the link.

The faucets are 12 years old and this is the first repair or issue ever. At the time I bought them the design of these two was not available elsewhere. The design has been widely copied on both and unless you are buying for architectural reasons there are better price points for high quality faucets with the same look.

Hi Rococo, Sorry to hear about your faucet. I am way, way definitely a senior and I love my Kohler Karbon. I have no trouble moving the arms at all and we don't leave the 'spout' in any position where it would spray 'wrongly' the next time it is turned on. Perhaps we are careful because we are seniors--also there are no kids around. Dgs is 16. We are in our snowbird house in Arizona now. We are getting bids to do this az kitchen and I will have a Karbon again. I love it and have sung its praises.

But there is an itty bitty very slightly nuisancy thing, hoping I remember what that was. I think that the faucet was not super strong in force of water. It did not affect the rinsing or washing ability. It is only right for me to mention it. Please be assured that I have not considered any other faucet for this new to us house-gotta be the Karbon. I don't like that the price is way up there. When we bought ours in 2011, it was just under $600. And I think there's other nice faucets with desirable features now, at lower prices. Those would be the touch faucets, but I have never explored them because the Karbon is my destiny, lol. So just another senior voice for Karbon. I hope that they successfully repair your lovely faucet. Good luck.

Oh, and this is a big thing. Because the Karbon is articulating and moves in any direction, especially towards the user, I have never had even a smidge of a backache from cleaning up at the sink. Sure I have backaches, its the American way, but not due to the 10 inch sink depth coupled with my Karbon.

The Sensate looks nice - but have you tried it? I have never yet used a motion-detector faucet that worked well. They all seem to take too long to turn on, are too difficult to get them to turn on, and/or they turn off too quickly. There are many times that I move around in the sink and those faucets usually require you to keep moving right in front of the sensor. That said, I've only used them in commercial situations, not residential, so maybe they're different.

The only comment I have about Kohler is that even though I love my Kohler Vinnata's looks, the pad to switch b/w spray & stream is poorly designed. Ours is in bad shape - the rubber is worn through where the switch underneath meets the rubber cover. At around $600, I would have expected better. When I replace it, it is doubtful I will get another Kohler.

On the bright side, the Sensate appears to have a different pad...so maybe it will be OK.

SEE UPDATE BELOW....Kohler is back on my good side! They're replacing the spray head for free - the have a lifetime warranty.

Note: I have the same pad on my Kohler Fairfax at our prep sink and it's in perfect condition, maybe I just got a lemon with my Vinnata...

@westsider - I am familiar with the Karbon and the features. I know it has many devoted fans here. It's one I thought of almost immediately because of the ease of use.

If I'm forced to go new, I can't see installing a faucet that doesn't advance function and maintenance. Each type has its pros and cons. Price is the least of in in a way. I'm not going very low end or very high end.

Over the years, I've always found great advice and new information here because there are so many different posters. So I'm very glad to hear what you have to say. No better reco than someone who says they would buy the same thing again!

@buehl - No, haven't tried Sensate though have seen a video. It appears to be very fast. The issue would be how far away from the sensor one would be --- it would be annoying if I'm emptying something and the faucet turns on when I don't want it to -- no question. I also would also need to see length of the pull down cable, strength of the flow etc.and more. But would do the same for any new faucet. Too important to buy blind.

Interesting points you raise about Kohler quality. Surprising in a way since they claim a lifetime warranty. And a contrast to how @westsider feels. Having the spread of opinion is valuable.

Update: I just called Kohler and they're sending me a replacement head for free. Apparently all their faucets have a limited lifetime warranty - I thought it was only one year. So, they're back on my "good" list! :-)

Your thread prompted me to call - I've been meaning to for quite awhile now! I was all geared up to try to get it for free - and they just told me it was free - no battle!

I have had similar experience with Kohler. Moen and Price Pfister are also excellent companies to buy from. They will simply send you the replacement part, no shipping either.

@buehl - Fabulous. So glad for you.

I have Sensate and I have had it almost a year.
The sensor is in the curve of the neck of the faucet. By raising your hand up into the curve, you will activate the on/off. It doesn't matter where you stand since the sensor is in the curve not facing you, per say. I can stand on the other side of the island to activate the faucet as long as my hand can reach to the curve of the faucet. My hose will go to the bottom of my sink and to the far corner of the shelf of stages 33. I have it center mounted. Once it wasn't behaving quite right. I checked and the plug had come out of the plug just a little because of the long hose hitting it. Once I re-seated the plug, all was well.
The spray is very handy/powerful in preparing dishes for the dishwasher and sweeping debris to the disposal.
If I cook pasta or potatoes, the heavy steam will activate the sensor, turning it on or off. To avoid that, just press the lever into the off position and there won't be any water until you activate the faucet again using the lever. There is a tiny indicator light on the hand lever that indicates sensor function is on and ready to go. I keep mine off unless I am cooking/cleaning.
BTW, amazon has some Kohler on daily deals if anyone is preplanning.

The articulation is my favorite thing about the Karbon, along with the ability to position it and free my hands. IMHO it is beautifully engineered. When I go to my DDs house and use her pull down, it's so awkward and limiting to me now that I've discovered the Karbon. I have not had any flow problems. I had read threads years ago about making sure installers did not get debris in it during the install. When I started my kitchen remodel a few years ago I was set on getting a hands-free but once I researched, Karbon won. I will definitely get it again.

Hi Rococogurl! I don't know enough about faucets to give you worthwhile advice. However, I just wanted to say that: a) I LOVE your screen name AND the beautiful sign over your sink! b) I also really love your kitchen, the part I can see in your pictures! I'd love to see pics of the rest of it! c) I have a mobility disability (rheumatoid arthritis ) and also some vision impairment from my diabetes. I didn't know until I read your post that there are faucets with lights in the tip. I think that's amazing!! Touchless may be a good way to go, especially considering your DH's vision impairment. Best of luck in whatever you decide! :-)

@Debbie B - I hope you've been able to arrange your house to make yourself more comfortable. It can be a challenge as our bodies change which I've learned since DH had his vision loss. It's nice not to need to think about these issues, which I certainly didn't 12 years ago. But now, of course, some of us do.

I've always maintained, and posted here many times, that the kitchen faucet is perhaps the most often used fixture in the house. But it's also sink jewelry so a new one requires a lot of mulling.

There's' a big picture window over my sink, actually. Taking a photo into the light is hard so the window gets blown out and I stuck my watermark in there. Here's a link to My kitchen. It was redone 12 years ago but I'm happy to post finished pics. They are from my blog so there's some explanation along with them.

@meyerk9- water running when I'm draining pasta is a good thing as I have a fireclay sink. Sensate seems to have more features than any of the other electronic faucets.

Dyhgarden mentioned her Kohler artifacts faucet.

my dd finished her kitchen remodel not too long ago and has this faucet on her farm sink and her prep sink. This faucet is fabulous!! I can't say enough good things about it. I want it.