You can put it on either side, depending. The spigots usually rotate all the way around, though it may depend on make and model.

LOL, jrueter, I almost missed this one! (Considering I on the East Coast was in bed when you posted this, it's no surprise.) I almost went ahead and posted the question myself, glad I looked first.

I'm curious to know which side everyone has the lever on and why and if you love it/hate it/never thought about it.

mine is on right and sometimes i have the same problem, but i can swivel it around to the other side (kohler simplice)

I'm right-handed and find that I use my right hand to turn things on/off, adjust temperatures, pump, etc. I hold a glass or dish with my left hand. So for me having the handle on the right makes the most sense.

Why do I use my right hand to control things? Because it has the best fine-motor skills...so it's more important that I use that hand to control the water (or soap dispenser) rather than using it to do something simple like hold a pan or glass.

I'm severely right handed (a throwback in a family of ambidextrous people). My plumber decided, since I was too sleep deprived to think about it, to put the control on the right. I might have chosen left if I'd thought about it. But when my hands are free, I naturally reach with my right, and even when I'm holding something it isn't a problem, so I guess he was right.

The euro controllers for the Tapmaster on my island are positioned midline to the sink, but both are to the right of where one would choose to stand. Wouldn't you know, that it turns out I'd rather use my left foot? No biggie. One lives. One learns. The water still comes on. (I love running water!!!!)

Now that you mention it, I am also severely right-handed, but apparently I do some things left-handed that most people do right-handed. The only thing I can think of at the moment is dealing cards. My mom noticed this. She plays bridge and tends to notice things like that. She is also right handed and also deals cards the way I do (so I got it honest) but said most right-handed people deal the opposite way.

The other thing is I'm going from separate hot and cold handles to the single with the Leland. With the two, I might turn on either hot or cold with the same frequency, but I almost always made adjustments by turning the hot up or down and leaving the cold alone. So I am accustomed to using my left hand for that as well.

See, jrueter, I told you you didn't do it incorrectly! : )

This is also like the DW question, L or R side, that was posed recently.

We're all right-handed in my family and having the controls on the right works well for us. I've only gotten my arm unintentionally wet a few times. I think it would have happened a lot more if the handle had been on the left. I probably turn the water on more often with nothing in my hand but it's second nature now to hold an item in my left.

I have found that it doesn't take long to adapt to making the proper maneuvers (i.e. in which hand to hold an item while turning the faucet on) fit a new situation. It may feel awkward the first couple of times but quickly becomes habit.

Oh, good question and thanks for making me think about it. We're building a new house and I'm trying to make kitchen decisions now. Last house had separate hot/cold handles--I liked the look, but after being in the apartment since our move, it has the single lever and I'm liking that I can adjust the temp with just one move....and the back of my hand, at that. So, that's what I'll go with.

I'm right-handed and I've found that I hold my dishes in my left hand while using a sponge or brush in my right, so I guess it'd make sense for me to have the lever on the right. Same way my DW will be to my left--so I don't have to turn, or switch hands, to put stuff into it.

It bugs me that my handle is on the right, because I realized too late that I usually use my left had to turn on faucets and my right hand to manipulate whatever is under the flow -- sponge, glass, etc. I am constantly criss-crossed.

I'm right-handed and my controls are on the left. I occasionally find myself reaching across, but it's not a big deal. With the tall arch, it's easy to reach behind the water flow. I have a Moen Aberdeen and love it!

Like jstell, my control is centered on the front of my new faucet (just installed last Friday!). So far, we love it that way and I cannot think of any reason not to have it there.

It has especially made life easier for my younger daughter, for whom reaching the faucet is still a bit of a stretch.

I would recommend considering a center placement for your handle.

Sandy

Mine is on the right and I like it that way (I'm right handed) but my lefty mom has to reach across to use it.

I have seen some faucets pivoted at installation time so that they are mounted with the control in front; this was to accomodate a nearby backsplash I think. You'd just have to be careful that the spout is turned to the side when you turn it on so you don't soak your arm.

We started out with the control on the right, but we moved it so that it is centered in the front. Mainly because we had so much water dripping on the counter. Like busybme, it easier for some of the younger kids now.
What I don't like is that now cold is to the left and hot is to the right. I need to see if that is something we could change...

Actually, chicagoans, so far none of us have soaked our arm when turning on the water. That's because, when you reach with your left or right hand, your arm extends from the side of your body, not the center of it. The arm never comes in contact with the water (unless, of course, the spigot is rotated to the left or right and the water stream is right in the path).

timber.j, my hot and cold would have been reversed, as well, but I had the plumber switch them under the sink so that we have cold when we toggle right and hot when we toggle left. If anyone peeks over the top of my handle they will see that the little blue/red indicator is backwards, though. : )

My faucet is an attached single-handle. I don't know if I would have centered it if it were detached from the faucet.

busybme-Thanks! I should probably do that. I can't decide if it would bug me to see the red and blue not correspond with the water temp, but visitors always expect that left is hot, right is cold even though the decal says otherwise. :)

I have never had a problem with my arms getting wet either. Another plus is that I don't have to worry about the thickness of the backsplash tile anymore (one of these days I will hopefully pick a backsplash) with the control in the front. When the handle was on the side, it came pretty close to the wall when turned on all the way to hot.

I think this is one of those things that you tend to adjust to. We put our handle on the right and DH and I are both right handed. It just seemed the most natural.

Another thing to consider, if you have a double bowl sink. We have the bigger/smaller bowl setup and the bigger bowl is on the left side. So the faucet is usually swung over to that side, thus giving easy access to the right side and the handle.

I just went to check mine and was surprised to discover that the faucet is on the left. I reach under the neck to turn it on with my right hand and have never really thought about it.

So the plumber was doing me a favor to put it on the left, but I have never gotten around to using my left hand. Same reasons as above: right hand does better at adjusting, left hand at hanging on to something.