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jacquel13

Help with faucet please! Solid metal sprayer?

8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago

Help! We are having a miserable time finding a faucet for our 36" kohler whitehaven sink.
We were about to purchase the Kohler artifact bridge faucet, when we realized the sidesprayer is made mostly of plastic with a flimsy thin metal finish. The rest of the faucet is solid, but we hate the idea of shelling out $700 and having a cheap sidesprayer.
Then we looked at the ROHL country bridge faucet, and while it is gorgeous and the sprayer is solid metal, the sprayer itself gets lousy reviews for the button getting stuck or breaking, as well as the fact that you have to continually push the button to keep the spray on.
We like the look of bridge faucets, but are not opposed to a high arc pull down. Many of the pull down sprayers are also cheap plastic with metal finishes while the rest of the faucet is solid. Ugh!
Any recommendations? Our kitchen is more traditional, so something like the Karbon faucet won't work.
Thanks!

Comments (12)

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Often the faucet sprayer is plastic because a metal sprayer head will get hot while you are holding it when hot water is used. My kitchen faucet has a plastic sprayer head which is 10 years old, and it looks great.

    I got my mother the Kohler Artifacts faucet for her kitchen about a year ago, but the single-handle model, not the bridge (I am not a fan of having to turn two handles all the time). Still looks like the day it was installed, though it's only been a year so time will tell. Love the different spray modes, and the faucet sure is a looker. At the time, I read that the Artifacts was one of the few Kohler faucets still made in Wisconsin, though I am not sure that is still the case.

    Frankly, I would be spending more time making sure the spray functions how you want it. Do you have to keep holding down the button to keep it on spray? Do you have to turn the water off before it will revert to regular flow, or is there a toggle switch? How does the sprayer feel in your hand. That kind of stuff.

  • 8 years ago

    Have you considered Waterston's faucets?

  • 8 years ago

    We have the Kohler Artifacts high arc pull down. Yes, the sprayer head is plastic, but it's substantial. You really wouldn't notice it's not metal, unless you were really checking for that.

    Friedajune is correct...using hot water, metal sprayer heads would be too hot to handle. That's why most are plastic.

    The Artifacts faucet is terrific. The sprayer functions are convenient, and effective. The head glides in smoothly and easily snaps into the faucet.

    I'm not keen on bridge faucets. They are a pain to clean around, and needing two hands to achieve a desired temperature, is inconvenient, when compared to one handle faucets. Also, more things go wrong with side sprayers, than with a sprayer head of a pull down faucet.

  • 8 years ago

    I have a Moen Showhouse Waterhill faucet in bronze and it has a metal sidespray. It does not get hot. It is going on 8 years now and looks exactly like the day I bought it. HTH

  • 8 years ago

    My Kraus pull down is solid metal and it doesn't get hot. You don't have to hold down the toggle switch and it goes back to stream when you turn off the water.

  • PRO
    8 years ago

    Waterstone. In my opinion the finest made faucet anywhere. Lifetime mechanical warranty. It is the only brand I am aware of that you cannot buy parts for. Don't believe me, See the list of brands this company offers parts for. You won't see Waterstone!

  • PRO
    8 years ago

    Waterstone makes gorgeous faucets - gorgeous and pricey. If I were replacing my Perrin & Rowe (I'm not!), I'd buy Waterstone.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Re Waterstone, read this thread linked below before plunking down such an extraordinary amount for a faucet that Waterstone costs. While Waterstone did come through for the poster, eventually, nevertheless at that price point the finish should be "integral" as Rococogurl puts it, and shouldn't have had so many problems and require that amount of babying and such a process for upkeep. Given Waterstone's poor response at first, you have to wonder whether the Houzz thread made them behave better later.

    There are many other brands of faucets that are at a high price point - but not as high as Waterstone's - that have finishes that look good for decades. For that matter, there are many lower-tier faucets that look good for years.

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3449576/waterstone-faucets-horrible-customer-service?n=53

  • 8 years ago

    I have had my Danze about 18months and it has worked very well. I had a problem the first day - needed to remove and clean the aerator a few times in the first 24 hours - I think there may have been some debris from the manufacture process. Since then no problems and the sprayer is solid metal. I have the single handle to reduce wet hands dripping on the counter, but I believe it comes in a bridge style.

    My Danze Opulence:

    https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~58831076

    Here is the bridge style.

    https://www.amazon.com/Danze-D404457BS-Opulence-Handle-Kitchen/dp/B01AUS9D2C/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1506724882&sr=8-20&keywords=danze%2Bopulence%2Bfaucet&th=1

    I think it is pretty and I almost got it but decided I was tired of needing two hands to turn on the faucet and was warned about wet hands dripping around faucets directly mounted to a countertop causing puddles. That is why my handle is over the sink. I have seen bridge faucets with lever handles mounted so the handles were over the sink and I turned it a bit to the left out of personal preference.


  • 8 years ago

    Thank you all for the advice! Since we have a prep sink and a main sink, the Waterstone faucets are just too pricey. We also live in rural Wyoming and will frankly never be able to have anyone work on a high end faucet if it ever breaks.

    Eventually, we realized that most faucets have plastic sprayers, and hopefully they won't bother us too much. The expense pretty much ruled out the all metal sprayers.

    We ended up with two Kohler Artifacts, both with one handle and a side sprayer. Sort of a compromise on the bridge faucet. The arc pull down seemed a bit too tall with our windows, etc. We were also concerned that a one hole pull own arc faucet would feel a little simple behind the 36" sink, and hopefully the side sprayer and air switch will balance the sink.


    Thanks for the help!


  • 5 years ago

    We have Eclipse brand Eclipse is a brand many granite countertop supploers sell. It has a solid stainless steel pulldown sprayer. I ove thst feature and I have not found it anywhere else.