Marginally.

Any well-known brand should work fine for 20+ years. Reliability is almost never an issue in ceramic-disk faucets.

Some finishes are touchier. That's the only place I'd worry.

I had Brasstech faucets in my last kitchen. Who has ever heard of Brasstech??? Right? They were wall mounted (3 of them!) and sooo much cheaper than anything else out there. Two of the wall mounted faucets only cost about $60 a piece in satin nickel. I was worried, since they were wall mounts and could potentially be more difficult to replace if something went wrong, but they were ceramic disk faucets. We were in the house for two years and they worked great. We have since rented the house for a year and no complaints. I know that is not long term proof...but they looked fab and worked just fine. I am planning to used them again.

The long term trend over the last several years seems to me that (now in 2010) medium price faucets have fantastic quality parts now. That statement includes almost all the brands that are mentioned in this forum. This spreading of quality seems to have penetrated 100% of the mid market, in recent years. So, none are bad, and all are good.

If you go down market, you can have leaks right away. And other problems. That would be for brands almost never get mentioned here. But an internet company with no serious overhead costs might have great quality product. We'll know more in five or ten years from now, so in the meantime the mid market has time to keep on innovating and improving. I think there is a legislative gap when it comes to stuff imported by an internet person using UPS for pick up in China and delivery to your door. A faucet made in China might have a lot of lead in its brass alloy body. No agency seems to be studying this, a.f.a.i.k. The current Chinese state is not a proponent of regulation to ensure consumer health and protection; they just want to sell anything they can get away with for now while promising to be more moral in the future.

KWC is very good value, like many other of the top Swiss and German manufacturers. The other two also have good reputations; I haven't investigated them much.

If you go upmarket you can pay for incredibly good quality (e.g. the Dornbracht platinum finish), and you spend hundreds more per item. It is easy to spend thousands when you add it all up.

hth

Thank you all, especially davidro1. I appreciate the information!

I just ordered the Perrin and Rowe 4719 and was able to try it out in my local showroom. Not only is it one of the most elegant bridge faucets I've seen, it feels great to use. The side spray is nicely finished and everything feels substantial and smooth to operate - no clunking and tugging (I also tested some Kohler faucets which didn't feel as smooth). My soon to be ex-faucet, a Home Depot Expo country/lever w sidespray looked nice, but the sidespray isn't insulated and burns my hand when using hot water. If you have a chance to try any of your wish list faucets in person, I highly recommend doing so. For something you'll use every day, it's worth it to get exactly what you want and what you'll enjoy using. All of your choices look beautiful!

I sold high end Whitehaus Collection faucets for a couple of years. I even put one in my house. It leaked. And I had several customers have issues too. One client, I told her I wouldn't sell her one. She insisted...and I only did it by telling her she was on her own with any warranty issues. She'd have to contact the manufacturer directly...which is usually the case anyway. Well, a year later...she called me and asked me for their phone number.

I will now only by American made faucets. The one from Whitehaus, I believe, was manufactured in Italy.

The website I am linking below has ratings and commentary on a good list of manufacturers. It also shows country of origin for the faucets. They are missing some brands I'd like to see, particularly Rohl and Newport Brass (which they mention in a box at the top). Anyway, I think it's helpful.

P.S. Isn't Kallista (one of the OP's choices) made by Kohler?

Here is a link that might be useful: Faucet Ratings and Country of Origin

my perrin & rowe 4719 bridge faucets aren't installed yet so can't comment on function but they are the best looking things i've seen since laying eyes on my babies for the first time!

p.s.: got them on ebay!

Whoops! My faucets are Kingston Brass. So many "Something-something Brass" out there, it gets confusing.

The prices on their site are a good amount more than if you Google Shop it. I really liked my faucets!

As you can see from the link, they blah blah blah that they are into low lead.

Here is a link that might be useful: FAQ @ kingston brass

Oh, thank you for "enabling" me to go for the Perrin Rowe 4719! And I will look on eBay -- thanks!

go for it. i think mine were from home & stone ...around $700 each, polished nickel.