Plastic doesn't heat up like metal. Good plastic is more durable in many ways than a similar metal product.

DeWayne, good point !

I've done 11 bathroom remodels/builds over several years and have found that buying from just one brand doesn't give me the best choice in every category.

This is what I bought:

Bathtub faucet and drain for alcove bathtub - I've used several brands over the years. The last batch were from Brizo and I've been happy with them

Shower valves etc. - buy same brand as tub faucet, Brizo for me.

Shower head - Speakman Icon

All metal. This one matches Brizo Luxe Gold pretty well. https://www.speakman.com/products/productdetail?PartId=926

Slider/grab bar - all metal. Handheld slider and also rated as a grab bar. Also comes in color that closely matches Brizo Luxe Gold.

https://www.jaclo.com/detail/48-g40-straight-grab-bar-g40-48-

CB - Caramel Bronze closely matches Brizo Luxe Gold.

Need to specify the handheld attachment separately, lower down on the page. You want the "Fork style".

Shower hose - Jaclo 79" Brass hose. Also comes in the CB-Caramel Bronze color.

https://www.jaclo.com/detail/79-double-spiral-brass-hose-3079-ds-

Handheld Shower (multiple functions) - I think I also got mine from Jaclo. Pretty much all of them these days are plastic.

Chispa, thanks this is very helpful. I guess I didn’t realize you could mix different brands like this. What about a diverter so I could select either the shower head or the handheld shower. Would that have to be Brizo to match the Brizo valves? As you can tell I know nothing about plumbing.

@Susan Liles I would check out borhn.com if you haven't already. I've been using them for my last few projects with no complaints. The shower set I used https://borhn.com/product/premium-shower-set-meridian/ came with all the metal components you describe.

The hand shower isn't multi function but it is metal, it feels great!

I have done some digging but haven't been able to find a metal multi-function hand shower, let me know if you find any :).

Thanks so much Warren!

@Susan Liles Yes, diverter would be from the same brand as the rest of the valves.

What about thermostatic valve? Control/maintains water at the temperature you selected.

What about volume control? I really dislike plumbing fixtures that only offer ON or OFF. Your faucet allows you to select the volume, so why wouldn't you want that for your shower?

Here is a unit I used in one of the bathrooms in my previous house. Compact set up that has thermostatic, volume and diverter. These rough-ins were from Zucchetti and matched the faucet brand at the sinks. Notice the Jaclo shower/grab bar and Speakman shower head. These were all in chrome.

Delta and Kohler are both great. U might also look into Moen. As far as shower hoses they are usually plastic and for a guest bath is it really needed? Why spend extra money to have a potential leaky item? Also they never seem to look right to me and get quite costly with the sliding bar.

Thanks!

This Hansgrohe 27143001 Croma Thermostatic Showerpipe makes purchase as easy as pie because it includes all the components except the required Hansgrohe 16181181 Basic Set. I have a similar Hansgrohe Showerpipe but it's in a shower so there's no tub spout. Chrome only. Additional feature: since everything except the Basic Set -- which as no moving parts -- is outside the wall, everything can be repaired or replaced without opening the wall.

Wdccruise, thanks!