Rococogirl,
You are my rescuer yet again!

Which KWC model did you get?

Thanks so much for helping me. I went to a showroom yesterday and they did not have any faucets hooked up. They also did not have the particular Dornbracht model that I was interested in the showroom. At the showroom, I realized that many of the sprayers has to be "held down" and I did not like that. Currently, I have a lockable spray that pulls out to fill vessels on the counter, ie coffee machine.... However, we have completely gone to French press coffee system and no longer use the coffee machine, so no need to fill the coffee machine!

I really like the look of Rohl Modern also. There are couple Grohe models that do not have big heads, which is THE DESIGN consideration for me, as you have pointed out. These are Minta and Concetto which have "lockable" spray per web site. They are very slim. Not as tall and as architectural appearing as the Dornbracht. My house essentially has all Grohe stuff in 3 other bathrooms except couple Hansgrohe pieces. I just noticed that the plastic on the Hansgrohe shower head is cracked after 10 years of use. I think I will stay away from Hansgrohe.

I will try to find a dealer that specializes in Dornbracht so they can tell me about the button thing. Europeans are so advanced when it comes to little things like this. It is nice to open the drain without sticking one's hand in it when it is full of "crud".....

Is there anyone else that can chime in?

I have not decided if I am splurging on a Julien or getting a no brand zero radius. I may save on the sink and put the money toward a Dornbracht. Decisions! Decisions....

I got the Systema 10.501.212 because it has the dual stream/spray and I snagged it at a great price. But KWC has gorgeous and really good faucets and some with the hi arc. The Ono series also is a beauty IMO though I had specific spout length and faucet height requirements.

Re sinks. I don't feel the Julien is worth the extra money. I went with it because it was one of two that fit my odd cabinets -- I wanted a Franke but couldn't get it and couldn't get the Rohl at all, which had been my first choice -- we were on a strict deadline for the reno.

Here's your Dornbracht

And here's the Rohl

Franke and I think Kohler have the plug drain thingies. Might be called a cable drain? I had one in my ex-kitchen and loved it. If I hadn't gone with a single sink, I'd definitely get that again.

I have the Hansgrohe Allegro Pro faucet and like it. My sink is too large for me to use it to fill things on the counter (without the pullout) but the height would be adequate.

Here is a link that might be useful: franke's popup

kaismom,

Franke and Blanco have remote turn buttons to open and close kitchen drains. "Remote Pop-up" are key words. These are mechanical turn devices that work with a cable. After you install it, our kitchen drainpipe comes out sideways. Good to know if you have to plan your drain pipe route, or if your handyman person is not a Master plumber.

I'll give you suggestions. They all involve the stainless steel version of these faucets. Dornbracht is available only in chrome or platinum-finish.

At the high end of Hansgrohe is Axor. The Citterio semi-pro kitchen faucet, in stainless steel, is the one with the large handle like a paddle. Very smooth and responsive. Big range of motion. This may be the right image :
http://www.hansgrohe-usa.com/us_en/120693_31353832355F32375F3438393537.htm
It has BOTH a big spring and the ability to pull the hose out to cross the aisle and fill pots. I'm not aware of any other "big spring" faucet that does this. I don't know if the Hansgrohe Axor Starck Semi-Pro can do this, or if its hose is fixed to the base. B.t.w., all Hansgrohe faucets are easy to install.

I concur you will like the KWC Ono pulldown. In stainless steel too.

Both these cost a reasonable amount and not more.

The Dornbracht pictures show me a big spring faucet, a gooseneck one too, and a side spray also. If you want three water delivery devices, OK... But my suggestions above were for a single faucet that does it all, or almost does. Dornbracht suggests having two mixers, for these three devices. The philosophy is to give you and your S.O. the option to have water coming from two sources at the same time, and hey why not even at the temperature appropriate for that use at that time.

If you want a pulldown that is not a gooseneck shape, there are a few that have a C clamp shape. This shape is not as high overall, and has less pipe sticking down (which prevents you from getting the big pot under it).

If you want a discreet faucet that competes with Dornbracht in Europe and is relatively unknown here, try Vola. Their C shaped faucet is double swivel, and is usually shown on their site with a handspray on the side, that has a separate mixxer all to itself. Again, the philosophy is to give you and your S.O. the option to have water coming from two sources at the same time, and hey why not even at the temperature appropriate for that use at that time. I believe the big spring holding a hose and handspray goes against the Vola philosophy so they don't offer it.
-- http://vola.com/Default.aspx?id=199
This next one is a discreet double-swivel : http://vola.com/Default.aspx?id=205 and it can be a single-handle mixer, too.
Here is the small C shape, also double swivel, with the side spray and handle : http://vola.com/Default.aspx?id=187
They have high-flow and meidum-flow options.
Both Vola and Dornbracht make things smaller than average. Compact and strong. Stainless in Vola. Also, try Newform. It's an Italian company but there are a few retailers who have it. They have the big spring faucet, in the X-Trend, Forma, Mooney series and maybe others.

A good site for all these is http://www.cotswold.com/
They also have MGS Progetti, stainless steel faucets each one individually numbered.

To get an idea of what the big spring can do in real commercial settings, browse through chicagofaucets.com .
Click on Pre-rinse at http://chicagofaucet.com/catalog/catalog.php?CategoryID=FOOD

One other droolworthy option is an extendable spout that works without any bending joints. Moony 3140 from Newform, and Meta.02 & Tara from Dornbracht. Extendable spouts swivel too.

So far I've mentioned only a few European companies. More info later on stateside models. But first, let's hear your reactions to these ideas above.

Since I'm planning to have three water sources (filtered, instant hot, and regular mixed tap water), I have to pay a lot of attention to options these days.

I forgot to mention that you can unscrew the "big head" handspray and replace it with almost any other one. They all work on the same universal size threads. Tell the salesperson you want to buy an extra handspray in addition to a new faucet, and you'll be allowed to walk around with a batch of handsprays you unscrewed from KWC, Grohe, Hansgrohe, most Blanco, etc, and most US makes as well, and you then screw any of them onto the hoses you left dangling. A good time will be had by all.

Also good to know: the outside diameter of the tapered universal thingie holding the hose to the handspray is the same as for shower handhelds, so a shower wall holder / holster can work in a kitchen too, if you need to perch your spray somewhere other than hanging out of the faucet tube. KWC's "Hansa 0444 0200 0017 Hansaclear Mounted Holder" is a cute flexible way to do this.

Thanks much davidro1. I only have 1 large sink, 30 inch interior dimension. So no need for multiple faucets, unless of cource someone can chime in say that this is really helpful.....

http://www.groheamerica.com/p/25_8086.html

http://www.groheamerica.com/m/25_57175/page/modules/pn/article.php?part=view&action=view&product=32665G156&offset=0&amount=15

I have found Grohe Minta and Concetta which both have "locking" pull down spray. They are very clean in look. They don't look as great as the Vola line but I need the spray that is integrated and not a separate mechanism. Been there and done that, and I don't like it.

Dornbrach Tara Ultra
http://www.dornbracht.com/en/index.htm?nav=1210&cid=335&id=3778

has one hole cut out, a must for me. It goes from stream to spray. The only thing not sure is the "hold" versus "locking" spray. The salesperson over the phone thinks "hold".

Thanks all. Systema and Ono are the lines that I like as well...

FWIW my appliance guy adores the Grohe Minta and recommends it very highly. He thinks it's about the best value around and a great product. The scale was wrong for me (faucet was too slim and low) or I would likely have gone with it. They must have copied the Vola, which also is a lovely faucet but I don't see why to go with that over the Minta or the Dornbracht Meta which is more or less the same design.

Good luck with your choice; it will be interesting to see what you get.

The Minta ( http://www.groheamerica.com/p/25_8086.html ) is a C shape pulldown faucet. Great!
The Vola is too small to be a pulldown. The Minta is the same shape as the Vola but a pulldown, so larger.

I would get it and not the high arc Tara Ultra or Grohe Concetta.
Above I had the notion that you wanted a high arc, a gooseneck.

I guess SuperSteel InfinityFinish is a PVD stainless.
The price is good too.

They even mention the low noise.
That is quite daring. Now, they're responsible for it being low-noise.

I believe that Grohe makes their own cartridges instead of buying them.
This too is hardly ever seen.

Davidro 1
At this point, I don't know WHAT I WANT! Hence lies my problem. The ONLY pro look I like is the Dornbracht Tara Ultra. All others look "clunky" to me. I think functionally, I like the pull down that has a "good" reach, ie 20 inches or so.... which are the Grohe items above.

Why would you get the Grohe and not the Dornbracht? Based on quality? Looks? Price? I am not quite following you.

What is PVD stainless?

Type "what is pvd stainless steel" into a search engine, and you'll get yourself up to speed in no time. Also "pvd coating".

Is there a Dornbracht in the shape I like?
I've described my criteria in the thread linked to below.

Is this the KWC Ono you are referring to? It is smokin' hot!

Can I ask a stupid faucet question? (blushing) What is the horizontal stem in the middle of the faucet? I saw some specs that (I think) refer to it as a 'kitchen mixer'. Does water come out there as well? I'd love to see a video of this like the Kohler Karbon video someone posted!

I was not thinking of commercial faucets when we did our reno, but after seeing some of the ones posted here I think I might have one in my future...

It's not the Ono I was thinking of.

There must be a series of Ono.
At http://kwcamerica.com/, I click on kitchen, then Ono, and then I see among several thumbnail images, two options of high arc gooseneck. One is bar, one is kitchen. This faucet has a pulldown that is almost invisible, and looks better "in person" than on the web. It's 10.151.991.700

The image above has a "pull-out" spray (their term) that immediately returns to its original position after use.But, I remember that I tried moving it around, at a showroom, and I found it fought against me, and also it always bent in one place (that means it will get weak there or have be replaced when it wears out at that one place). It says it has a flat spout can swivel 360 degrees so I fuess that flat piece is it. From KWC: "With its two-stage operating system, the wear-resistant, flat-topped spout produces a low pressure stream that automatically switches to a more powerful stream for extra cleaning power.
When the spray lever is pressed down completely, it operates in the pressurized spray position..." I can't see any spray lever here.

Thank you Davidro - good information!

It's really hard to compare the Tara Ultra to the Minta. Both are nice faucets but the two brands really aren't equal at all for many reasons. The Tara has scale and an amazing presence the Minta simply doesn't have, nice as it is. I do understand kaismom's sentiments -- I love the original sprayer and would love that faucet just as much.

Unless you're dealing with MGS stainless is no better or worse a finish than nickel or chrome. Just another choice. The Dornbracht nickel is brushed but the chrome is equally nice.

The biggest difference in faucets is whether the finish is integral or a coating. I had a Hansgrohe Axor ss faucet and it wasn't integral; inner parts were plastic. You tell the difference by weight -- the heavier they are the better. The Dornbrachts can hardly be lifted. Ditto the KWC and also something like Barber Wilsons or Samuel Heath, Waterworks. That's what you're paying for (with Dornbracht it's also styling as they are one of the industry leaders design wise).

Dornbracht Tara is actually a collection of faucets -- Ultra is newest. There is another completely different sprayer and then a combo of the two and then the twinset I have, each with name variations.

Ono also is a collection with many variations. My Systema is only one of several configurations etc.

The horizontal piece is the spout. It's probably a 12" projection. Those are great for certain sinks but it's an incredibly long spout. The Onos have a very cool handle -- the KWC quality of the works and the finish is really terrific IMO. Sink jewelry for sure. But Dornbracht is like D Flawless IYKWIM

OK, I went to dornbracht.com and saw The TARA ULTRA series.
They are all high arc (gooseneck).

I think they are all single handle mixers.
32 835 875 is a hose in a big spring. With a separate mixer handle on the side.
3 800 875 is a bit smaller than average
33 816 875 / 33 850 875* / 33 816 876** have a bigger arc and project forward about 9.5"
33 818 875 is an even bigger arc
(So I guess Goldilocks' choice is the middle one)

Then there are some packages, a "regular" Tara Ultra with something else in a package
33 826 875 / 33 826 876** + 27 719 970 medium arc, and a spray on the side.
33 826 875 33 826 875 / 33 826 876** + 27 789 970 medium arc, and with the 32 835 875 hose in a big spring but without the separate mixer handle

33 860 875 is a hose in a big spring. The handle is on the body.

33805875 really small high arc version. The handle is on the body.

kaismom, which one of these ?

I find the chrome Dornbracht to be good, and the platinum finish to be great.

davidro if you were to look at my post with the 3 photos you will see the Ultra. It's the second photo. It's the single-lever sprayer/faucet in the chrome finish.

TARA ULTRA
33 860 875
Professional single-lever mixer, 240 mm projection

is where the handle is on the side and it is on a spring.

I would istall it with the waste pop up and a soap dispenser on the deck. I do not have the kind of design that can carry a wall mounted faucet.

Rococogurl, I completely understand the plastic body with coating versus all metal workings. Some of my cheapo (midpriced) faucets have nicks where the plastic are showing underneath. I have had good luck with Grohe but have not done as well with hansgrohe.

How do you use the Dornbracht faucet so you can fill the pot on the counter? Maybe you can't. This to me is the biggest drawback of these pro sprayers that do not extend beyond the 'hose' that is visible. I really like the presence, however. I do not have any uppers on the sink side of kitchen. The sink is in front of a very large window, 6 ft wide or more, so the larger scale would look better from a design point of view. It's just the reach outside of the sink that I am worried about. I think they all reach well within the sink, but I would like it to be able to fill the pot on the counter so I don't have to lift the heavy pot up and out of the sink since I am short. If I fill it on the counter, I can just slide/carry it to the stove.

A part of me has an attitude that if it isn't great, replace it in a few years. We tend to "wear out" things. We are hard on our stuff. I am not a great housekeeper and my house cleaner is "hard" on things, I think. They have been with us for 10 years or more and I don't have the heart to look for a new house cleaner.

For example, our handheld shower heads get dropped all the time (not sure more by the cleaners or us), so there are cracks on the plastic. It is relatively cheap to get a new shower head for a small pick me up! Why not a faucet! It helps that my DH can replace these things with some ease. (even with an Ivy league PhD, he has his practical uses.)

Decisions. Decision. Now that I have put in the cabinet order, I can move onto the faucet and the counter. i also have to decide on the railing system; glass, metal, or cable.

A friend of ours is doing their house with all Dornbracht plumbing stuff. Amazing and beautiful! She has the tub filling from the ceiling. Cool, man!

My sink is on a peninsula. I've always had a low profile pullout faucet. I'm not sure whether to stay with this type design similar to KWC Ono,Ava Suprima or buy a gooseneck pull down faucet like the KWC Eve. I don't like the idea of a dangling pull down and the one on the Eve seems secure and the size is discreet.
http://www.kwcamerica.com/-hansa/doc/technical/specsheet/10.121.103%20Spec%20Sheet.pdf

I over-winter a lot of hanging plants in my kitchen. The 2 in one pre-rinse sprays with the spring and the extra faucet would allow me to hook up a hose for easier watering. I looked at a few of the pre-rinse style faucets but I think they look too big for a peninsula and except for the Dornbracht they seemed to be stiff and have limited reach.

I use the spray a lot and would prefer both soft spray and a jet spray. Does anyone know a faucet with a spray that can be adjusted for both types of water flow?

Any reasonably priced suggestions for me from all you faucet gurus?

Sandca, my reasonably priced suggestions for "professional" faucets with a huge spring "pull" spray (like a pre-rinse or not) along with a rigid spout faucet all together on a single-hole stem and mixer are these:
--- Ikea's Hjuvik (either large height about 30"+-, and small, about 18"), and
--- overstock.com's Vigo or Geyser.
The springs allow a lot of movement.

Sandca, the 10.151.991.700 Ono faucet has a rigid pipe and a pulldown that is almost invisible, and looks better "in person" than on the web. It's like the Eve but the pipe is not bell flared so it's even more discreet.

You asked about faucets that "can be adjusted for both types of water flow" i.e. both a soft spray and a jet spray. Is this what you were asking? I think that the $5 add-on aerators they sell in hardware stores can do this. But paradoxically I am not aware of any faucets that cost hundreds and that have these two options in them.