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aliris19

I have met my nemesis and it is ...

aliris19
9 years ago

Faucets.

Kind readers may remember the misery I suffered in selecting faucets for my kitchen. And I don't love the result much either. I got a Kohler Karbon and I am pretty sure I am the only individual out here who doesn't like it. Though I must say -- on the advice of folks here, I did, finally, years later, phone Kohler and they have promised to actually send me a replacement kit. Which evidently retails for 3x the cost of the faucet itself. Which is all most peculiar.

The whole thing is peculiar. On my other sink I have a ladylux and I do like that pretty well. My favorite is a laudry sink whose name I don't remember that has a sticking on/off spray switch and a hose that bends and sticks. I can't remember its name though I did talk about it here.

With such a very, very rotten history of faucet selection (I returned at least two faucets before sticking with these two which still I don't love, and had trouble with a lavatory faucet as well), I am gun-shy.

This is my need and if anyone has thoughts I'd love to hear them. But it's not a kitchen question, it's a lavatory question. It's just that you guys actually have responses that work better for me than those I've gotten in other forums, so....

Here's a picture of the drop-in sink I have.

It is copper sent directly from the forge in Mexico. I really recommend this place, BTW. The sink arrived with the smell of the forge still over and in it. Very neat. Extremely nice guy, very fast, beautiful stuff. They sell on ebay and direct. The direct-sales are a slightly heavier duty copper, the ebay ones cheaper. Here's his website: http://www.coppersinkscasacruz.com/

I would like to find a faucet that mirrors the black aztec design in the mid section, that's the shape of an upside-down "L", a sort of hard-angled -- well, an "F" shape if you count the handle on top. A single hole faucet is what I"m looking for.

And the rub is, I want it to be a good quality - that's my first priority and toward this end, the Star Builder's treatise on faucets is inordinately interesting and helpful: http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets2.htm

I love it that Kohler really actually sticks by their product. I appreciate that customer service *a lot*. So I thought I'd just buy another Kohler. But I'm not seeing what I want there. Delta is evidently similar in ethic. And Symmons might be, only they have very little product; ditto Wolverine. Ferguson likes Pfister (Pferguson likes Fister?), but Star Builders doesn't...

Anyway, the thing is, the faucets closest to what I'm looking for in styling (rubbed bronze, angular faucet but without nutty bamboo styling, etc) are all from the marketeer end of the spectrum. I really like buying from basically the company itself, nearly-directly. Chicago Faucets is another.

Aaaaggggghhhhhhhh but I can't find what I like from the quasi-direct and quasi-good-quality guys. It's hard to find a website that works well. plumbingsupply.com has a great website, but not many lines of product.

I've gone round and round and round and just can't come up with what I'm looking for. I like the idea of the "middle line" of the "F" if you will, being just a trough, a waterfall-type faucet (BTW - why are "waterfall" faucets always lumped together in a category different from single hole faucet, and these all different from vessel faucet, when it seems to me these are all the same???)

Another thing I don't like is when the top part of the "F" isn't integrated artfully into the line of the middle part of the "F". It needs to look pretty, not like there's a handle just randomly stuck on there. It's remarkable how disarticulated so many of these faucets appear!

I guess to the extent that there's any question here, it's to what degree the "marketeer" faucet companies should be avoided. Lots of people here have Kraus faucets, for example, and I am unaware of a grundswell of complaints. But these guys are new.

sigh. I'm just having a temper tantrum out here, but not imagining anyone can help much. But if you have a brilliant faucet suggestion, I'm all eyes... my "wants": angular, single stem, dark-colored, but of primary importance, is that it be manufactured by a company that exists, that is an asset to its community, etc. Waterfall would be great, but it has to be not-weird... ;)

Thanks for "listening".

Back to the regularly-scheduled program of websurfing, fruitlessly.....

Here is a link that might be useful: Star Builder's treatise on faucets

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