This is actually a very divisive issues. Some people love them, others hate them. Personally, I want as few holes in my countertop as possible and most clients that have used them have had them break.

But it's really a personal choice.

I have had the same soap dispenser for 5 years and the same dispenser in my last house for 10 years with no problems. I love it. I don't like the clutter of a bottle on my counter and I was always knocking over the bottle. Mine is a top fill soap dispenser. I have read people were having problems with the under the counter fill type that has a hose which you stick into the soap bottle that sits in the bottom of the cabinet. Soap dispensers are cheap enough that if it breaks you can just pop a new one in.

I don't use a seperate soap to wash my hands in the kitchen.

Mine are 11 years old and haven't "broken" yet...Kohler brand. Yes, I like mine and would definitely put them in again!

I did switch from hand soap to dish detergent in the dispenser at my prep sink.

For hand soap, I put a bottle at my sink -- I like Bath & Body Works Black Cherry Merlot foaming hand soap -- my favorite!

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"...and then you're left with a hole in your counter."

You can always put in another dispenser or, maybe, an insta hot or filtered water faucet.

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What about your Garbage Disposal -- do you have an air switch? Much more functional than a "regular" switch.

All parts of a built-in soap dispenser - there's really just the bottle and the head, are replaceable.

@Buehl, the garbage disposal switch is on my list of things to check on. We previously discussed it with our kitchen designer, but because we started this project so long ago, I need to make sure she has it down as a definite.

Have had 3 soap dispensers in 3 different homes. Love them and would not do without them. Who needs a bottle at the sink - they get sticky, and can tip over and then dribbles of soap everywhere. Here is the secret to a long-lasting soap dispenser. Don’t use the thick gloppy soaps like Palmolive dishwashing liquid. Use thinner liquids like Seventh Generation. It works great at cleaning the dishes too. Regarding your question about hand soap, I don’t use it at the kitchen sink. My dishwashing liquid is mild and not full of dyes and drying ingredients, so I can use it as a hand soap too.

I wasn't crazy about my soap dispenser until i got the never mt soap dispenser kit, it was difficult refilling the ridiculously small bottle under and up behind my sink. I have a stainless look Lysol no touch dispenser for hand soap at kitchen sink .

Most kitchen sink soap dispensers sold today are filled from the top. There are few left that still require going under the sink to fill.

Totally agree with Shannon_WI. I hate the glop that ends up on the bottle. Had the same soap dispenser in the previous kitchen for over 20 years. Never an issue. I have four dispensers in this house, including one in the laundry room - Kraus, Rohl and Westbrass. All fill from the top using a funnel and are very easy to refill. I use Softsoap Advance Clean handsoap in mine and keep Dawn under the sink. Some like to use the Never MT with their dispensers. Would always have them as I hate clutter on the sink. Also highly recommend an air switch.

I love built in soap dispensers. They fill from the top so much easier. I have not found "glopping" to be a problem both for myself and my clients. I recumbent a genial soap like dawn original [ you can clean oil of ducks with it ], or Ivory as they can act as both hand and dish soap- nice clean counter top . Do it !

Currently having this same debate. I'm leaning towards fewer holes in the counter and buying soap that comes in nice bottles ha!

I was too nervous to put a hole in my counter for something that might break, so I went with this Williams Sonoma hand soap/dish soap/lotion set: https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/williams-sonoma-white-gardenia-hand-soap-lotion-classic-4-pc-set/?pkey=csoaps-lotions-fragrance&isx=0.1

It also comes in a two-bottle set: https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/williams-sonoma-white-gardenia-hand-soap-lotion-deluxe-5-pc-set/?pkey=csoaps-lotions-fragrance&isx=0.1.28300

You can buy replacement bottles or refill these bottles with the soap/lotion of your choice. They also sell the caddys and the soaps/lotions separately so you have a lot of options:

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/stainless-steel-three-bottle-caddy/?pkey=s%7Ccaddy%7C94

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/stainless-steel-double-caddy/?pkey=s%7Ccaddy%7C94

I like regular bottles of soap like the Williams Sonoma set myself. I also like Mrs Meyers bottles. Too many nozzles at the sink start to look like a dental office to me ;-)

If you buy a decent brand of soap dispenser they are sturdy and stay in one place and don't drip on the counter as the spout overhangs into the sink. I wish I had one in my powder room too.

@wilson853 even though the Delta faucet is highly rated, the two soap dispensers that would match aren't getting the best ratings. The one included in the set has a lot of reviews stating it's too short so the soap drips on the counter, instead of the sink. Hm.

I've had them in several houses over the years and none have ever broken. It's easy to fill from the top with dish soap. Then, I have a bottle of hand soap next to it.

Those little baskets rust out, though. Ask me how i know...

My cleanup sink has a top-filling soap dispenser filled with dish soap. If it breaks, I'll replace whatever part broke because I don't want a bottle on my counter. I use the dish soap for hand washing as well.

At my prep sink, on the other hand, I have a decorative refillable bottle of hand soap - mostly because it's a narrow sink and I can put the bottle off to the side. I don't usually wash dishes in my prep sink, so no dish soap needed.

I love our soap dispensers! We have a Never MT on the one at our clean up sink and like Shannon_WI said, using a thinner soap works best. We have hand soap in the other one at our prep sink. Works well. Personally I feel it's a much less cluttered look to have a built-in soap dispenser rather than a bottle sitting on the counter. Super handy too!

Here's what a sink with two faucets, an air switch, and a soap dispenser actually looks like. The sink dimensions are 33" x 18-3/4" x 9 1/2" for scale reference. We also used different brands. Never once has anyone made a comment about the different styles.

Clean-up sink:

Faucet: Delta Essa Collection (9113T-DST) 16" high

Drinking faucet: Brizo cold water tap, 9-1/3" high

Soap dispenser: Brizo, 2-3/4" high

Prep sink:

Elkay 16-5/8" x 16-5/8" x 8", E-granite, ELG1515, Black

Soap dispenser: Brizo, 2-3/4" high

Faucet: Delta Essa Collection (9913-DST) 14-1/2" high

"Too many nozzles at the sink start to look like a dental office to me"

Zalco - what are all these nozzles at the sink? I have a single-hole single-handle faucet, a soap dispenser, that's it. Even if I added a hot water dispenser, I cannot imagine it would look like a lot of "nozzles". I think my soap dispenser is a big improvement over the bottle on the counter, just MHO.

I will say though that I avoid a bridge faucet because that adds 3 holes, plus I don't like fiddling with two knobs. But that is OT, and not what the OP was asking about.

I think the Williams-Sonoma bottles look pretty, but seem like they'd take up too much counterspace, but it's hard to tell by the photo. My bigger concern is that when the bottles get used, the insides start looking drippy and hazy and not as attractive as when new.

My sink is in tn the island and I feel a bottle of dish liquid is an eyesore. I love my Moen soap dispenser!!

Had a soap dispenser once, and I hated it. I use a small bottle (refilled from Costco-sized one) that I keep either below the sink when not in use, or in the sink itself. Same for handsoap.

I love mine too. In our previous kitchen, we had one for about 7 years. Worked just fine. I think it was a Moen.

If the reviews of the Delta dispenser are worrying you, you may be able to get a different brand, depending on the finish. Sometimes the finishes are nearly identical across brands.

stillpitpat's comment reminded me: Our soap dispenser is a different brand than the faucet. I picked a more highly rated dispenser than the one that came with our faucet. The finish and lines/style are similar enough that I forgot I'd done that!

I also have different brands of dispensers than the faucets they are paired with.

I have a built-in dispenser, fills from the top. Easy peasy, no drips or glops. Stays very clean. I prefer that to a container sitting there that drips down on the counter and makes a mess.

I have a single hole for the faucet only. I like to have a pretty glass bottle for my dish soap/hand soap that I keep on a small tray. I would love to have a seltzer water dispenser by my faucet, until recently I didn't know they were a thing. Seems like a nice luxury to have.

I don't get the comments about a hole in the counter and the dispenser breaking. If it breaks you buy a new one. The hole is not custom to each dispenser.

I have one at both my cleanup sink and prep sink used with the Nerver MT. I have Bath and Body Works soap for hand washing. I had soap dispenser at my previous house that was there for over 14 years and never broke.

M Miller, I once rented a house with a bridge faucet, pull out sprayer, two soap dispensers and a filtered water tap, all in gleaming chrome against a white porcelain sink. I wish I had a picture :-)

I have them on my sinks, all with the Never MT system. Costco size of Dawn dish detergent underneath. Hated the bottles on my sink. Had them for 8 years and no issues.

"Zalco - what are all these nozzles at the sink? I have a single-hole single-handle faucet, a soap dispenser, that's it. Even if I added a hot water dispenser, I cannot imagine it would look like a lot of "nozzles". I think my soap dispenser is a big improvement over the bottle on the counter, just MHO. "

LOL I was thinking the same thing!! A soap dispenser is much cleaner and better looking than a container sitting there. This is my dispenser - I did not like the one that "matched" my faucet - to me this one looked far nicer, and it works flawlessly.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014KE6YQU/ref=twister_B07N9727N9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1