I just did a ton of research on faucets because I need a new kitchen faucet. I found a great site with tons of info., which I will link for you.

I have also been told to not buy this stuff at big box stores for the reasons you mention.

After perusing the site I've linked, I am going with the Wolverine Brass Finale Single Handle kitchen faucet with side sprayer in Brushed Nickel.

I also spoke to Wolverine directly (they're also really cool people) and he told me that, when the laws changed re: lead, while most manufacturers stopped using brass and went to another metal, Wolverine just changed the alchemy of their brass , so that their faucets are still made with brass.

In addition, while their styles are simple (which I like), they have a lot to choose from, esp. bathroom fixtures, and they are solid but NOT expensive, like the hoity-toity stuff big brands are pushing. I want something that looks nice, but I mostly want faucets that work well and will last. From what I read, that is Wolverine Brass (that good old-fashioned quality made, simple in form).

I had never heard of them until I read this site. And it turns out, while you can order Woverine from, say, Matson's Plumbing Supply (which I did) or American Plumber's supply (or Plumbing Supply) Web sites, your plumber has to get the prices and order if you want it directly from Wolverine. Only licensed plumbers can order parts directly from Wolverine, and Wolverine will only give prices out over the phone to licenses plumbers. Matson's has the prices on their site, and American Plumbing Supply will give you prices over the phone.

It was too much for my plumber to pick up the phone and make the call for me, despite being out of work due to an injury and despite the fact that his kid plays at my house all the time and I keep candy for him, make popcorn for him play Sorry and Uno with himâ¦so I ordered it from Matson's. He does great plumbing work, but he's a jerk.

Here is a link that might be useful: Faucet ratings

Anele, any time I have a question like this, I call the tradesperson who will have to fix it someday (my appliance guy is a gem!). I've received some excellent advice over the years. So perhaps call your plumber and ask him/her their perspective on big box vs. smaller retailer, and then which brands have the best internal components.

Yes, when we remodeled our kitchen and powder room, I recall our GC steering us away from big box faucets because, supposedly, the manufacturers insert cheaper components in order to meet the price demands of the big boxes. I'm not sure this is accurate across the board, but I didn't like the selection at my local big boxes so ended up ordering online.

We have Brizo faucets, and have been very happy with them. I needed a replacement head for my pull-down sprayer within a week of install, and Brizo sent it promptly, no questions asked. Perhaps that doesn't speak to quality (?), but the customer service was excellent. The PR faucet has gotten rigorous use by my family for the past few years, and is holding up well.

I believe Brizo is Delta's higher-end line.

Tribb, well, you just saved me a lot of time. You did all the research for me! I think that's what I'll get! How fast are they re: shipping? Boo to your plumber! So nice of you to hang with his kid. I bet he loves coming over!

Peony, I heard the same thing re: the big box items. We bought a Delta faucet from HD (it was an emergency and something DH could do himself), and have been very happy with it, so I would guess the higher-end line is even better. BTW, my friend has known the guy who plays percussion in the Delta commercials for years. She told me that when she saw our new faucet, haha!

That site that Tribbix linked to is a great source of info; I used it extensively. I just wanted to note that it says Wolverine Brass is not certified for sale and installation -- in a very recent update.

Gooster, awwww!! I was hoping to be done. Sigh. I see what you mean.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wolverine

Oh, no! Tribbix, I hope you can contact Matson's about this. (Goodness knows your plumber won't!)

Editing to add that, Anele, I don't believe Brizo is necessarily better quality than Delta. It just had more design appeal, from what I could determine. I wouldn't recommend it as a better constructed faucet over Delta.

This post was edited by peony4 on Fri, May 2, 14 at 12:34

I'm on the phone with Wolverine Brass, and they are confronting this. They assure me that they are in compliance with all lead laws.

They were certified in 2011. They're calling that Web site now to find out what is going on. That warning was not there when I was looking at Wolverine, so it's very odd.

" I read that it was best to avoid buying fixtures from big box stores because the internal parts were subpar "

I keep hearing that, but I've never seen an autopsy of a faucet from a major manufacturer bought at HD versus the same model bought from a plumbing supply house.

The "evidence" is the different SKUs ... but I know from experience that a lot of manufacturers use a unique SKU for a high-volume customer, for the convenience of one or the other's bookkeeping. So the SKU from HD might be different than the SKU from Timmy's Plumbing ... but does it really mean anything?

Plumbers much prefer the ones from the big box stores. I had a bad experience with some that I ordered from Canada which were touted, on here, as the best thing since sliced bread and butter. Now, I don't hold people's opinions against them but they were not and my plumber was right. Delta or Moen would have been much better. I have had all those very expensive, hard-to-get parts and pieces removed and now have Moen and Delta. They are not as fancy nor expensive nor can I brag to my friends about having multilingual faucets, but they work well and when I need parts or a plumber, I can have running water and working shower in a couple days, not 5-6 months.

That you claim WB is not certified because you have not received documentation is NOT the same thing as WB not being certified.

It is reckless of you to say "other companies selling un-certified faucets"⦠as if your not receiving requested documentation is evidence of lack of certification.

Wolverine Brass says it has been certified in all areas and that it complies with all laws. There is no reason to believe them, but there is also no reason to not believe them.

It would be more responsible for you to put up on your site that documentation of certification has been requested but not received and that you recommend verification of certification before purchasing the product rather than declaring that this company is NOT certified, for which you also have no evidence.

This post was edited by Tibbrix on Fri, May 2, 14 at 21:09

@Tibbrix

Actually, proof of certification is the PUBLIC certification document. Absent the certification document, there is no certification.

There is no certification document under Wolverine's name at any of the authorized certifying organizations. So, irrespective of what Wolverine may claim, there is no current certification of faucets manufactured by Wolverine.

All I can tell you is every plumber we talked to said get Moen or Delta. I didn't listen and got Sigma faucets. Had to have everyone pulled out as they all broke...2 before we even moved in, and they were expensive. Customer service sucked and we threw them all out and went with Moen...much happier!

I've inherited a lot of Moens from 5-10 years old and the one thing they have in common is leaks. I replace them with another brand when they leak, they've been too prone to failing a second time.

I have heard the same regarding faucets at big box stores; really don't know if it's true but I did want to add that DELTA is fantastic.
The builder faucets that came with our house were Delta low end. I have replaced several in the 24 years we have been here, but only for decorative purposes.
I posted in the kitchen forum a while ago that I had a new Delta kitchen faucet for about 5 years, totally pleased. ( I did order it online though). When our water heater had a crack, the heater was replaced and of course when the new one was installed, the water pressure went crazy. The casualty was the kitchen faucet. It seemed the pressure of the water kind of blew out a small round piece. I called DELTA and asked if they either had the piece or how to proceed. They said the faucet was discontinued, but since they provide a life time guarantee, I should look at their website and find something comparable and they would send it.
I was really impressed with that. They said it would take about 7-10 days for me to receive it.
I got it in like 2 days.
DELTA is the way to go.

(((and it's made in the USA))

This subject of fixtures from the big box stores comes up every once in a while on the Plumbing forum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plumbing forum: faucets from big box stores

My BIL has been a master plumber for 30 years and he recommends Moen and Grohe. He hates Kohler. Don't buy from Big Box stores as the quality is different.

I bought Delta for my bathroom sink faucet on the advice of the plumbing showroom we shopped at. I've read several good reviews of Delta since.

Tiibbrix, you do realize though, that if anything goes wrong with your new faucet you will have to call a plumber and possibly the original plumber who ordered it and installed it for you, as in the past there has been no way to identify the parts. You are locked into using their parts ordered through a plumber for everything as they don't sell retail. Their styles are also fairly uninteresting.

I'm going to get to the bottom of this whole thing on Monday, I hope.

My plumber wouldn't make the call for me, so I ordered the faucet from a place online. Plumbing parts are plumbing parts. That is not something I'm concerned about. I am concerned about this certification thing, and I want Wolverine to show they are certified.

My plumber is licensed and does great work, but he's a jerk.

I like uninteresting faucets. I'm not into the bangles and baubles thing. Somewhere along the way we switched out quality and solid manufacturing (Wolverine) for "shiny object" "must have the latest" superficiality, and that is not my style. I want a well-made faucet from which water runs! I don't care a whit what it looks like. I'm a function over form gal, esp. when it comes to stuff like that.

My idiot plumber was over at my house yesterday, and I was talking to him about this whole issue, and he said that Wolverine Brass makes really great faucets, always has, they've been around forever, etc. And for the quality, their prices are great.

Butâ¦I've got to get to the bottom of this lead certification business.

Peony, thanks for the input re: Delta!

Lazygardens and Graywings, yes, it always seems to come down to the SKU (and you're right-- sometimes maybe it's changed just for logistics). If the SKU would be the same, then I would assume it's the same product. However, BB stores tend to carry products designed as exclusives, or at least the ones I've looked at.

OldTimeCarpenter, I really appreciate your input. It's good to know that the certification is a public document.

Patricia, I hear you re: the fancy brands. When I was looking for a faucet last time, I read reviews of higher-than-my-budget products, and they definitely had their failings, too. Like you said, it can be much safer to go with a known/major brand with easily accessible parts.

Annie, what a shame! Plumbers have recommended Moen to me, but like I said the one I got at a BB store was so cheaply made . . .I think it depends on what price range you get.

Shicksal, that is good to know!

Sheila, that is very impressive customer service. I have read similar good reports re: Delta. I have been very happy with the quality of ours so far.

May Flowers, is the quality different across the board, or only certain brands/models?

Tibb, I am so sorry. How frustrating. Is your order pending or did you already get it? I am totally with you on the function over form re: a faucet. While I usually care about every detail, I don't regarding a faucet (esp a shower one!) other than if it will last!

So, it sounds like Wolverine has a great history, but has changed, as some are now manufactured in China.

This article seems to support the idea that not all Wolverine faucets are compliant. It discusses that Wolverine has been "low-lead" all along (which I still don't get; WHY is any lead in faucets???), but then it goes onto to say:

"Dueger pointed out that the firm has not raised prices on its AB1953 compliant low-lead faucets. Packaging on the complaint faucets is marked âÂÂNL.âÂÂ"

So, doesn't that mean that SOME of the faucets are compliant, and not all? Because you have to check the packaging.

Geesh, in this day and age where we are all aware of environmental dangers to our health, it does not make sense.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wolverine Low Lead

I feel confident about Wolverine Brass, but I do need a definitive answer about this issue.

The plumbing supply place from which I ordered the WB faucet then ordered it from their supplier and it's on its way. However, I spoke to the salesperson I'd been dealing with about this issue, and told her that I assumed that, if there's any problem, that they'd work with me to resolve it, including exchanging it for another brand if necessary, and she said of course. I told her that the faucet itself hast to be marked as compliant, so once she gets it in, we'll look for that.

I find shopping retail these days to be absolutely maddening. As consumers, we're so messed with and BS'd, just to get the sale. Then, once you make the sale, they have no idea who you are and you're the idiot for buying it.

That is why, for example, when I had to buy a blender this year, I bought a vintage GE from eBay. It's awesome! And supposedly, Wolverine Brass is that rare company that still makes its products very solidly.

We'll see what happens on Monday.