My sis worked for a high end kitchen/bath distributor. She has had a touchless installed for 4 years and loves it. Of course, hers is very high end, since she got it from her work. It's a very well know brand but can't remember the name. Whenever she goes to family/friends homes, she automatically touches their faucet to turn it on/off out of habit, when she needs to use it. BTW, you can always search on touchless faucets and see if you find many posts/reviews about issues. Just remember, you get what you pay for.

We've had the pull down faucet for 8 years and love it. It's a Moen, classic look, not fancy, to go with our classic style kitchen. We use the pull down feature ALL THE TIME without any issues in that time.

Though you say you may not use the pull "out" feature, I bet you will surprise yourself.

I hv pull out and I use it too. Very handy . I hv a pricey faucet but can't remember name. At first I was afraid to use feature it for fear I might break something but fears were unfounded. However, wise not to yank or be otherwise rough with it.

My feedback is that I have neither because of the TONS of research I did before I got my new kitchen faucet last spring.

I tried out the touchless (never seriously considered one) at the store , and the thing drove me nuts within the first 30 seconds. Had I been considering one, that idea would have been out the window in approx. 15 seconds after trying it. It's like it has a mind of its own. For the touch less, I would say absolutely do NOT get one.

Also keep in mind that, for things like plumbing fixtures, which you no doubt want to have for decades, you want something that is made and works well and has as few moving parts as possible. It's stuff made of cheap materials and moving parts that give you trouble, so go with the KISS rule when it comes to these things: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Next, I had planned on getting a pull-down faucet, UNTIL I saw a presentation of a pull-down by a manufacturer (can't recall which one, sorry) and even they said they recommend a side sprayer over pulldowns if your sink can take a side sprayer. Again, it's the moving parts thing.

I was looking at $700 faucets and they were making my stomach hurt. All this new-fangled stuff appeals to our egos, IMO, but they hide that they're not made well or will look ridiculous in a few years, or whatever.

So, my rule of thumb is, with this sort of thing, be practical. Get a well-made faucet with simple lines.

Along the way, I discovered Wolverine Brass, which I'd never heard of. Turns out, they've been around since @ 1900, and they sell only to plumbers. They're faucets are still made from brass (although they've been updated to meet lead laws, and they did it by changing the metallurgy of BRASS, not changing the metal itself, like most companies have done).

I bought mine through matsonsplumbing.com (again, only plumbers can buy directly from WB) and dealt with Elizabeth there, who was wonderful. I got the single handle Finale kitchen faucet with side spray in brushed nickel. VERY high quality faucet, PERFECT height, handle on top - so you can use either hand to turn the water on and off comfortably, versus the new side-handle faucets, which are so counterintuitive, IMO. You're holding something in your right hand and want to turn the water on, you have to reach either over or under the faucet with your left hand to turn the water on and/or off. Total pain.

My plumber, who installed it, told me he was so impressed that I'd discovered WB and that I'd made a great decision. I LOVE that faucet, which seems like such a ridiculous thing to say, but I do. So much so, that I just ordered the Finale shower/tub trim kit, and the valve, for my master bathroom, also from Matsons, since the one in there is totally shot.

In addition, for this very high quality faucet and sprayer, I paid only $208 ($165 for the chrome). I couldn't believe you could still get a good looking but high quality whatever in this country, no bells and whistles, but at a great price. That is Wolverine Brass.

The only disappointment was that they had told me the sprayer hose was the nylon, but it's not, it's the rubber. However, for $20, I bought the Moen spray hose weight, which just clips around it under the sink, and it is PERFECT now. It retracts perfectly and sits straight up in its caddy.

They do have a Finale pull-down as well, and Elizabeth told me they were/are coming out with the pull-down in a lower height. The original is very tall. Ick.

Good luck!

This pic is of the one I got. The link has the line of them, including the pull-down. Btw, you can't see the little tap where the water comes out, the round knob there. It's hidden, when the faucet is in, by the overhang of the faucet.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wolverine Brass faucets

This post was edited by Tibbrix on Mon, Oct 27, 14 at 13:09

I like mine, but it does not switch from stream to spray without holding the button down. When I replace it, I will make sure the new one can stay on spray without holding it manually. Mine is a Grohe. Oh, and it has a side handle that is impossible to clean around where it meets the faucet, at the base;

I have a pull down with a sprayer. I use it to wash the sink, water plants on the counter, wash fruit, clean the garbage can as they sit on the floor and more. It's not touchless. No problems at all and it is not high end. It was a closeout at a kitchen supply place and cost less than $200.

I love my pull down and would never go without one again. It does depend on how you personally use that sink though. My mom rarely uses hers and I use mine everyday.

Like madeyna, I have (and have had for many years) a pull-down and would never want a faucet without one. I use it for all the things sixty uses hers for. I didn't want touchless because I hate how they don't work in public restrooms, so I had no confidence in them for my home. We have never had a problem with the docking mechanism or the hose (have had Brizo Venuto, Hansgrohe Talis and Hansgrohe Citterio. We did have an inexpensive pull-out years ago that developed a leak after a lot of years). I don't think they're about ego at all - I think they're about function.

I have the Moen pull out also and love it. I never thought I would use it that much, but I use it much more than I ever used the separate sprayer before. I often wish I had gotten touchless, simply because turning off the faucet with wet hands means water dripping onto the granite and I hate that.

I have a pull-down in my kitchen sink and I rarely use it.
I also have a Delta touchless faucet in my dog room. I really like the touchless feature.
However, you do have a limited number of options w/ touchless. In my main kitchen, I wanted a faucet I could turn on hands-free but didn't like the looks of the touchless in that room. So I got the faucet I wanted and I got a tapmaster so it can be turned off and on by kicking a little lever under the sink. I really like the tapmaster (better than the touchless).

I have one and the pull out mechanism is broke...but it was not an expensive model. I am planning on getting a new sink and faucet and want to go with a high gooseneck and a side sprayer, I think. But most of the stuff on the market are pull downs, I think.

I like mine. It was already in the house when we bought it. It's main use is to fill the coffeemaker every day- I put it next to the sink and it's much easier than filling it by pouring from its carafe.

I don't think I use it for much else though. It's starting to get a bit loose.

We have a KWC pull out (since 2007). We use it a lot, mostly for rinse spraying the sink but also for filling large pots on the counter. They get too heavy to lift out of the sink, but are easier to move from counter top to stove top. Ours has a lifetime guarantee and KWC replaced the hose w/o charge when it began to show wear.

I love it, and would never go back to a separate sprayer. Yes, you get what you pay for and we use this faucet many times throughout the day, everyday. We wanted something that would perform effortlessly.

-Babka

I have a pull down and love it. It also has a feature that allows you to stop the water by holding in a button, very helpful if you're pulling the faucet over to the countertop to fill something and don't want the water to run continually.

I have a separate sprayer, although we once rented a home that had a pull-out faucet spray. I didn't really like the pull out, it was bulky. It didn't always retract back correctly. I'm sure there are higher quality faucets out there, but in my mind I just wanted a faucet to be the faucet, and the sprayer to be the sprayer. I do like having only a single on/off/temp handle thought :-)

I use the separate sprayer for spraying out large pans, spraying out the sink when I clean, washing the dog or cat, and watering plants at the sink.

My touchless is Moen, it's been almost 5yrs and I'm still on the same battery...sure wish I had gotten another sink though I think it was Swanstone and it's awful.

I have a Hansgrohe pullout faucet in my kitchen, and I'm pretty satisfied with it. I did not want a pulldown, as I find those awkward to use, and I've heard that they droop by themselves sometimes. Mine stays in place perfectly and is easy to put back. The faucet I had before had a much stronger spray feature, which I missed at first, until I remembered how much of a mess it made with spraying water all over the place. I like the gentle spray better, but it would be nice to have both options. Mine is probably designed to save water, and since I'm in California, that is a good thing.

Lars

Had a Grohe pullout for 14 yrs in the last kitchen. It does switch from spray to stream without holding down the button. Put a similar Grohe in our new house. The Tapmaster is waiting to be installed -- we have that on another faucet and love it, esp our littlest guy who can now wash his hands without a stool!

Mine's a Grohe Ladylux something or other. I like the spray feature and use it a lot, especially to spray it around the sink to wash stuff into the garbage disposal. You have to hold the button in to make it spray. I would not get that again. It's better if you can switch from spray to stream and have it stay how you want it.

I just got a Delta pulldown faucet about six months ago. My plumber recommended Delta because he said they are great about replacing parts for you if you have any problems, and they are well made. Make sure to get one that has a magnet that holds the sprayer in place. From what I understand the ones without a magnet end up not keeping the sprayer in place after a bit of use but the magnet prevents that from happening.

I have a Kohler pull down. You don't have to keep the button pushed in to spray. There's also a feature that allows you to temporarily stop the flow of water by holding in a button, very handy if you're pulling the faucet over to the counter to fill something up and don't want water flowing the whole time.

I love it. It wasn't super expensive. I wasn't sure about the high arch profile of this faucet, but it sure provides a lot of maneuvering room beneath it for large pots. It will also swivel out of the way. I haven't checked the features in the link, but I assume the current model is the same as mine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kohler Simplice faucet

I put in a Kohler Vinnata almost 10 years ago and would do it again in a heartbeat. Its great for rinsing all kinds of things. I can switch to spray or stream and it will stay that way. I also like that the handle can be mounted in front thereby keeping you from dripping dirty hands over everything.

Plus it looks nice!

P.S. We did need a part replace after several years and Kohler sent the part right out, no questions asked. That was nice.

This post was edited by rnmomof2 on Mon, Oct 27, 14 at 20:17

We have the moen motion sense faucet with pull down sprayer. Like others, I use my pull down faucet multiple times a day. We love ours and have never had any problems with it. We have only had it for 6 months though, so I can not speak of longevity at this time. We also bought the ac power supply so we never had to worry about batteries going bad for the motion sense feature.

My pull-down sprayer faucet is either a Moen or a Kohler. It was not terribly expensive, & I've had it for 6 years plus. No drooping, and the spray stays on w/out holding the button. I've had the separate sprayer before, and would never go back. This is so much better.

We have a pull-out Moen that's about 10 years old or more that's still going strong! I like it a lot.

Wow-thanks for all the feedback! I didn't think of spray/stream issues, but that's a good point. I'm halfway leaning toward a gooseneck style, but my sink is pretty deep, so it's not an issue filling deep pots. Don't water plants or wash dogs in it-so that's not an issue, but I like the spray option and ability to move the hose if needed. My seperate sprayer trigger broke so I haven't used it.

I'll now have to start visiting the plumbing fixtures store now that I'm armed with better informationl

Just to summarize (because in some cases model with the same names will still have different features -- for example, the Hansgrohe Citterior comes in locking and non-locking versions).

Look for:

1. The ability to switch between stream and spray (toggle back and forth) without turning off the water. In the case of my Hansgrohe Citterio M, there are two buttons on the faucet head, once for stream and one for spray.

2. The ability to lock on the spray (rather than having to hold the button in while you spray).

3. The ability to pause the stream/spray (very few have this, but it sounds like a really useful feature).