Well, what I've done is chose the faucet you really want, get the name and model number and start looking at internet sites. I've even gone into real expensive plumbing shops, found a unique fixture, then went on the internet and found it at a savings of around $100. With the build industry being down, now is a good time to get great deals but you'll have to hunt around on the internet sites as there are many of them.

Delta Leland? Delta is super reliable in my experience.

I have a very nice Kohler, purchased for $135 at Expo.

No, you do not need to go broke (unless you want to, that is) :)

Our faucet is a Danze Melrose from Costco, approx $125 with soap dispenser. It will stay with the remodel. It's nothing fancy but we like it and it works : ) I'd rather spend some extra $ on other items, like new dinnerware or accessories when the time comes. I have searched ebay for a few items and you never know when someone buys and needs to sell because something doesn't match or fit.

Do you go to Costco? I got a very nice faucet with pull-out spray for $99. The brand is Water Ridge. I think that's a brand name made for Costco by someone else. It's a kitchen faucet I'm using in our laundry sink. Our main kitchen faucet is a Kohler Simplice, which was about $209. Our island faucet, which is also full-sized, and like the Kohler, has a pull-down spray, is an Elkay Moda model that I got for about $219 from IraWoodInc.com. I ordered the Kohler from Faucetdirect.com.

We just got a nice name brand one on Ebay for $79 that HD sells for $259. Very nice.

We have a steel Kohler Simplice which I got (without the soap dispenser) for $127 from eBay. It's fabulous. Fairly modern in line. I've posted elsewhere that it works much better than a Price Pfister Contempra we had chosen initially.

Delta Leland here. About $200.

Here is a link that might be useful: Delta Leland Movie

I love my Delta Victorian faucet. Heavy and substantial feeling. Five and half years no problems. Special order from Lowes, $300. Can probably be found for less on line.
Monica

FWIW the Delta Victorian is now available in Lowes stores for $218 - looked like a very nice faucet, and it seems to use a similar "twist-lock" action like the Leland (but also seemed a little smaller?)

It does seem that faucets can creep up in price REALLY fast; I noticed that if you are using a deckplate and/or 2-handle design there seem to be a LOT more choices, and they're way, way cheaper... FWIW.

I was mostly interested in Danze and Delta models, but wound up with one from Ikea because it had the look I wanted, a steel hose for the pullout and was smaller than quite a few of the others on my list. Ikea stood behind the product when we had initial problems, and I'm very happy with it so far; it has a 10 year guarantee, so I figure that should get me through for a while... That said, the major brands seem to have lifetime guarantees - if you're worried about parts availability and long-term replacement, I would probably consider an AMerican brand like Delta or American Standard. (Geez - I'm talking like I have some kind of authority on this - I don't, I just had to do MAJOR research when picking out a faucet, and this is what i learned in my travels!! Take it all with a grain of salt :)

Thanks everyone.
Of course, i am already going broke after ordering my new kitchen cabinets - super-contemporary, all the way from Italy. So the question was somewhat rhetorical.
I have been reding this forum for the past 5 days and i am in awe over your collective knowledge. Of course, i realized by now that i am doing everything wrong! I just ordered a full set of KirchenAid appliances, and there is a thread here that says it is a NO-NO.
But here is what i am trying to figure out about the faucet.
Fisrt of all - does it really make a difference whether it is ceramic disc, or washerless valve?
Second, people say it is best to have the all brass construction, but the Delta website for example does not even specify that?
Third - what is the optimum height between the tap and the sink?

That's a big problem, in my opinion, that many faucets today have brass waterways but the exterior is plastic. I'm totally against plastic exteriors in ALL faucets, but especially kitchen faucets because they are cleaned every day. It seems that unless you get up into $300 faucets and beyond,most of them are plastic exteriors.

My favorite kitchen faucet is the single lever pull-out type. You have a sprayer, regular faucet, and it pulls out to fill large containers. It's especially handy if you have height issues.

Sometimes you can call the companies you find online and you end up talking to someone who knows more details on the products. If you want brass construction throughout, you need to keep asking that question until you get the answer. I am doing the finish work on a custom home I had built, and there is no way I want plastic faucets in THIS house.

The faucet I wanted was a Chicago Faucet wall mount in nickel (residential line--which has ceramic cartridges). It was over 600 bucks. Not gonna happen!

I got the same faucet in chrome (commercial line--which doesn't have ceramic cartridges) at a local plumbing supply store for about 220 bucks. Yay! (Btw, the faucet itself was 120, the pretty upgraded handles were an additional 100.)

The ceramic cartridges are supposed to last forever. So, I guess I'll have to upgrade mine someday (supposedly free through the company). But I've been using it for 2 years with no cartridge issues, so I keep forgetting to call the company to ask for the upgrade.

Of course, my eye sees the difference between nickel and chrome. So I am bummed about that. But probably no one else would really know. I just happen to be a nickel fanatic! So try local plumbing supply stores!

:-)

Francy

I think you get what you pay for and I have a hard time believing that any $99 faucet will last for 20 years... I hate installing faucets and will spend the extra $$ to get one that guarantees that I don't have to crawl under the counter every 3 years to replace or fix each cheap faucet. That's not to say they aren't good, but I will NOT install a plastic faucet. Only parts of the aerator should be plastic -- the rest should be solid (IMHO) ...

To that end, our kitchen faucets (2) are both KWC and they're not cheap but they'll EASILY last 20+ years...

We've had very good luck with Kohler faucets, now they seem to be middle of the road price wise when compared to Grohe, KWC, Chicago. Their customer service is excellent too.

Anyone use a Blanco?

I saw some good faucets online lately. These are danze faucets. I think they got reasonable price.

I had made up my mind about PP Marielle for my kitchen but now I don't know. I looked at the Delta Victorian and that looks the same, so that could work. But how can you tell if a faucet is plastic as previous posts mention?