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library_girl

Which Model Tapmaster Do You Have - Would You Buy it Again

library_girl
12 years ago

I'm considering a tapmaster - I'm trying to figure out if it's worth the money (seems to me like it would be REALLY handy)...Which sink did you install it on, is it easy to use (barefoot or sockfoot)? Does it draw attention to itself, or does it operate discreetly? Did you just order it from the Tapmaster site?

Thanks...

Here is a link that might be useful: Tapmaster site

Comments (39)

  • jmcgowan
    12 years ago

    Mine is not yet installed, but I ordered the Euro 1775 model. Do a search on Google, put in "gardenweb kitchen tapmaster" and you will see posts with good feedback. Conserv-A-Store was a website that was recommended. I purchased there and they provided an extra, small discount.

  • kateskouros
    12 years ago

    i have the 1756, installed in main and prep sinks. this one does everything: left and right side of the kick plate for hot or cold, or kick the center for warm water. also lockable. i really do love this thing ...and i'd better, considering the price tag.

    Here is a link that might be useful: tapmaster 1756

  • claybabe
    12 years ago

    I have a five year old Tapmaster that just turns on/off and locks on if desired. I love the thing. It is very discrete, doesn't really show at all. I usually lock it on and use the handle when I have new people in the house if it frustrates them at first, and it is not very sensitive these days: Not sure if there is some aging involved or my technique has changed. I think I may just be a little pickier with it now. I can turn it on with bare feet or any shoe, but others occasionally have trouble until they get used to it. I didn't put one in my main sink but did in the island sink next to the range. It was mainly a matter of money: It just didn't seem all that important or wise to have two when I had never had one. At this point, I might spring for a second one or not. We are pretty much used to the differences in the two sinks and don't really think about it being "missing" on the main sink. Sorry I have no idea about the model. The 1756 sounds awesome!

  • zartemis
    12 years ago

    We have the plate version and even after multiple tuning adjustments I have trouble unlocking it in socks. With shoes is fine. And using momentary on/off is fine in socks. I think we need to remount it slightly off the floor.

    I've wondered if we should have gotten the Euro, but with our wide sink, I sometimes hit the edge of the plate rather than the center, so I'm not sure I'd be completely happy with the lever either. And sometimes one person is in front of the plate, say scrubbing a dish with water off, and the other person needs to wash hands, and the width of the plate makes it easier for the 2nd person to sidle up to wash hands without playing too much footsie.

    I'm glad we have it and it is very convenient (we put one on our bath sink as well), but the lock on/off is not quite as easy to use as I'd hoped.

  • breezygirl
    12 years ago

    I've been using the Euro 1775 on my prep sink since November. I consider it one of the best purchases in the kitchen, not only for ease of hands-free use but also for the water savings. Instead of leaving a trickling faucet for prepping certain kinds of veggies (potatoes) or fruits, I use the foot control for quick on/off. Also easy to soap up hands with the water off and foot-push to rinse hands.

    It is absolutely NOT intrusive at all. In fact, when MichelleDT asked about the visibility a couple of months ago, I had to get down on my hands and knees to even see the control. Little DS probably couldn't reach the faucet control lever to turn the water on for hand washing, but easily uses the foot lever instead. He loves to use it as a magic trick for guests new to the house. So cute!

    You can't see it at all in this shot.

    I bought mine from Conserv-a-store. If you have enough lead time, sign up for their email list. Every so often they send a 10% coupon code for any of their products. Unfortunately, they aren't cheap so every little bit helps.

    We are a shoes-off household so all my Tapmaster operating is in stocking, or occasionally bare, feet. Very easy. I was suprised at how much pressure I needed to use to turn the lever to the locked position when it was first installed. It seems to have loosened up over time so even locking/unlocking is easy now.

    Knowing the Tapmaster would function better for me on my prep sink, I installed it there. I do find myself kicking at the cleanup sink base with my hands under the faucet wondering why the he!! the water isn't flowing. I think eventually I'll get one for that sink also. Maybe with the next coupon code?

    I would absolutely purchase my Tapmaster again if I was doing the kitchen over. I use it every single day, dozens of times a day. In fact, I rarely use the faucet lever!

  • bostonpam
    12 years ago

    We have Euro model 1775 in use for over 2 years on both the prep and main sink. We have food allergies so I was my hands much more than most to stop cross contamination. We love our tapmaster and will probably add it to the master bathroom! It's one of DH's favorites in the kitchen. At first he balked at the price but now he loves it.

    Very easy to use (takes maybe 1 or 2 days to have it down pat) in both shoes and socks. If someone is staying with us for a few days and they are having trouble adjusting to it we just lock it in the "on" position. This is usually with much older relatives. When I go to other peoples houses I'm always kicking their sink and wondering why the faucet doesn't work. We bought ours from Conservastore. I either called them or Tapmaster directly and discussed the different options. The person on the phone was very helpful in guiding me to the one I wanted.

  • library_girl
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thank you all for your positive comments on the Tapmaster. They've always just seemed like such a great idea, but I wanted to make sure it worked easily enough so that we would use it.

    And thanks for pointing me to Conservastore - I haven't found that site yet and they're $40.00 less from there. I'm going to try to hold out for a coupon - thanks for that info, Breezygirl, I have about 4 weeks to make the purchase.

  • oldbat2be
    12 years ago

    I just got an email from Conserva-Store, to gauge satisfaction with the one we purchased. I told them we were thrilled and were considering a second one and asked whether they could give us a discount towards the next one. Sure enough, they did. So... It might be worth calling and saying you were waiting for a coupon but are ready to purchase now and can they provide any sort of discount?

  • michoumonster
    11 years ago

    has anyone had issues with conserv-a-store customer service? After signign up for their mailing list, they sent me a 10% off coupon which I used to buy a tapmaster about 2 weeks ago, but I still haven't received it, and I never got any reply from them at all when I emailed.

  • Fori
    11 years ago

    Conservastore was very responsive (and fast) for me a few years ago. Better call them, Monster!

    I got the basic one, sounds like Claybabe's. SHoes, barefoot, whatever. It always worked just fine unless there was a crayon stuck under it. Had it on main (and only) sink and need to get off my rear and get it again since I moved.

  • michoumonster
    11 years ago

    thanks fori, i will have to give them a call! will post outcome..

  • michoumonster
    11 years ago

    wow, i think someone at conservastore reads this forum! just posted yesterday complaining about them, and then this very morning, i got an express ups delivery from them with my tapmaster. albeit i got no communication from them and the wait was a little long, in the end i got my tapmaster. yay!

  • burntfingers
    11 years ago

    SLightly off-topic, but somewhat on, so...

    I'd always planned to put foot pedals on the kitchen sinks - you know, like they have in hospitals and commercial kitchens? Then here on GW I found out about Tapmasters, which say they can work with any faucet (the pedals apparently need special faucets.) I looked at the Tapmasters website but I'm confused about how they work. Do you need to turn the faucet *handles* to the on position and then leave them/it there so that the tapmaster will work? Or can you use either the handles or the tapmaster? If the handles are in the "off" position, will the tapmaster still turn on the water?

    Please enlighten me! Thanks!

  • oldbat2be
    11 years ago

    Yes - to the turn on the faucet handle to the on position and leave it there. Then use the foot pedal to activate. Good luck, you'll love it!

  • breezygirl
    11 years ago

    For the foot pedal to turn the water on, you must have the faucet handle turned to the on position. This can be in any position you want--a trickling creek, rushing stream, or raging waterfall. Leave the faucet handle on all the time if you wish. With the foot pedal pushed, you can use the faucet handle to adjust the water flow or temperature as needed. When you release the foot pedal, water turns off.

    If you want to disengage the Tapmaster, push the foot pedal to the locked position (all the way to either the right or to the left) and use the faucet handle as you would a regular faucet. No need to use the foot.

    To reengage the Tapmaster, unlock the foot pedal by pushing it back to the middle/down pointing position.

    If the faucet handle is off, the Tapmaster will not turn on the water.

    Hope that helps! I love mine.

  • burntfingers
    11 years ago

    Thanks Breezy and OldBat! I'm sold!

    Burntfingers

  • akcorcoran
    11 years ago

    Hi - Picking this back up, sorry! So if we're a "pad around in bare feet or socks" family, then we need to go with the Euro? That little bar on bare feet doesn't look all that comfortable? Maybe it's not as hard as it seems?

    The one with the hot and cold pedals looks like driving a stick shift to me - along with whatever I'm doing at the sink, it's going to take advanced brain activity to manage that. Kudos to kateskouros!

    I'm excited about this one - just going to order and install and see what hubby's reaction is! My girls (8 and 10 yrs old) are going to FLIP OUT!

    hee, hee!

  • akcorcoran
    11 years ago

    breezygirl, you rock. done and done. euro model. right of center. thanks!

  • burntfingers
    11 years ago

    BRILLIANT! Thank you so much, Breezygirl! We haven't installed ours yet, but I certainy would have centered it without your hint. And it makes so much sense! So now I have to ask .... for those who have Model 1756, do you have it centered?

    Thanks!

  • shoshannah
    11 years ago

    Breezygirl said: Thanks to advice from another member (wish I could remember who), I installed the foot lever to the right of center. If you square up to the sink, your feet fall on either side of center. Since I'm a righty, I put it about halfway between center and the far right edge of my small prep sink cab. My right foot lines up perfectly for easy use.

    SO True! I wish I had read that advice before we installed ours. Ours is perfectly centered. As a result, when I stand at the sink my body is not centered wit the sink. My torso is more to the left of the sink so that my right foot can line up with the tapmaster. I've gotten used to it.

  • monicakm_gw
    11 years ago

    When my husband installed ours over 10 years ago, I walked into the kitchen to find that he'd cut the hole (for the wires and plate) dead center of a two sided sink. Oh no!!! How am I going to tell him it needs to be center of the right side of the sink? I said "it needs to be center of the right side of the sink" :) He just put the plug back in that he'd cut, used some kind of tinted Spackle (I think) and cut another hole. No one has ever seen it. One of my best purchases EVER. Bought one 5 years later for the master bath reno. My brain doesn't even "think" water...it's just there, like magic :)

  • breezygirl
    11 years ago

    Happy to pass along that tip. Thank goodness for this forum!!

    Monica--Wow. Five years! I'm seriously contemplating one in our new master bath also. I feel like an idiot standing at the cleanup sink or the bathroom sink with my hands under the faucet kicking my foot around waiting for the water to go on. Even little DS did that the other day. We had a good laugh.

  • Lorenza5064
    11 years ago

    wow! I just added another item to the list for the perfect kitchen. This seems like a wonderful tool. I tried hard to see it in Breezygirl's kitchen. Invisible to me. Breezygirl, do you have extra deep toe kicks? I plan to have 4"-5" recess for my toe kicks with the base board stained to match the floor. The idea is to have the toe kick "disappear". I think that would accomodate the Euro Tapmaster that is being lauded in this thread.

  • mudworm
    11 years ago

    Not sure if this was mentioned earlier, but I personally feel that a Tapmaster will make more sense if you also have another faucet that's not on tapmaster.

    We have the Euro model at the main faucet, and we love it. I have the faucet set to always generate a proper amount of warm water for hand and dish washing and will go on days without touching it again. But when I cook, I do find myself needing cold water only or hot water only from time to time, and that's when my hot/cold drinking water faucet (at the same sink) comes handy. For anyone buying a Tapmaster, it's something to think about.

  • Lorenza5064
    11 years ago

    Mudworm, if I understand your post, you are saying that you have two faucets at your sink. One is connected to the Tapmaster and one is a conventional faucet. Would like to see a photo of that.

  • burntfingers
    11 years ago

    We will be putting in two tapmasters for just that reason - the Euro version at the prep sink because it can be hot or cold, and the 1756 at the cleanup sink - it is much larger (and much larger than I'd anticipated) but it allows you to do hot, cold or warm, as well as having the water stay on without having to keep the pedal depressed.

  • mudworm
    11 years ago

    Lorenza, sorry for the blurry quality of the picture. I blame it on my phone. I didn't take a photo of the foot pedal but I can tell you that there is no point because it absolutely blend in with my dark toekick.

    We have strong water pressure. Before the remodel (and installing Tapmaster), I used to have to fidget with the faucet control everytime I use it in order to get the temperature right and the flow rate right for my washing. Once I turn it off, it's all over again next time I use it. With the Tapmaster, no more fidgeting. I love it! That's why I really like having the instant hot and filtered cold water from a separate faucet so I can always get what I want without messing up my main faucet setting. Hope that clarifies.

  • breezygirl
    11 years ago

    Lorenza--My toe kicks are standard.

  • kksmama
    10 years ago

    (Started new thread, should have added to this very helpful one). We find the foot lever is hidden under our standard toe kick right of center, it is easy to use and comfortable on bare feet.

    In my part of Florida, the cold water tap is rarely colder than 72 degrees, in summer it is closer to 80. I'm happy washing hands and produce and doing all other prep tasks, including light washing, with cold water only. So I saved a few bucks and had the tapmaster 1776 installed, after ascertaining that I could later use parts to convert it to a 1775 if it didn't work out.
    But it is working out great! I keep the (single) handle all the way over to "cold" and no water flows unless I "tap". If I wanted hot only, I could use the handle to get it. If I wanted a blend, I'd have to engage the tap and adjust the handle. The guy at conserve-a-store was happy to get the friendly and helpful folks from Canada on the phone when I called to inquire, and they all agreed it was worth a try.
    I'm enjoying this so much I may well need to get them for the cleanup sink and bathrooms.

  • gwlolo
    10 years ago

    Glad the cold water one worked for you. Clever of you to figure out that you might not need the warm water.

    Our euro model in the kitchen sink and prep sink is a really favorite feature in the new kitchen. It took us a day or so to get used to it and it was a great GW tip to position it to the right of center.. Lines up neatly with the feet. Talk about muscle memory.. Both DH and I stubbed our toes in the bathroom looking for the Tapmaster :)

  • kksmama
    10 years ago

    I really like this euro style foot lever, it is fine with shoes or barefeet. No one sees it, but no one has a hard time using it, either.

  • firstmmo
    10 years ago

    Bumping this for any new info from those with a recent Tapmaster install.

    Romy and I are on the fence and would love some opinions :)

  • granjan
    10 years ago

    I had a Tapmaster for 10 years in my old house and adored it. Our one problem was that when I would turn it off for guests and I would forget and just walk up and kick it unlocked. Actually had another problem. When I would visit my friend who had the same faucet I'd walk away and leave the water running. LOL!

    But when we did the kitchen n the new condo I got a Delta touchless. Lots cheaper and they have really improved touchless faucets. I'm very happy.

  • smiling
    10 years ago

    I'll second what granjan said about the Delta touchless, they are fabulous! You can touch it with clean wrists, elbows, backs of dirty hands, I guess even your forehead if you had to! and it comes on instantly to your previous setting. Touches off just the same. I have one on each faucet and would never be without them again. Also, it is a considerable savings over the faucet and tapmaster combo.

    I certainly would have done a tapmaster if the touchless hadn't come out yet, just wanted to share an equal but less expensive solution. All it takes is one demo and anybody can use it.

  • andreak100
    10 years ago

    We just got a Tapmaster...we're reusing our prior faucet because we've been happy with it and it doesn't have touchless technology. I think that touchless techology has come along from what it used to be even a few years ago, but I still get hung up on all the different places that I do and have to fight with faucets to get them to turn on. so I thought the Tapmaster was the way to go for me.

    Currently waiting for the GC to come back so it can be put in.

  • illinigirl
    10 years ago

    We are also installing a tapmaster with our new build. I'm wondering about where to install it relative to the sink center. I read Breezygirl's suggestion about right of center, but I'm wondering if anyone has put it left of center?

    My main prep space is to the left of my sink, so I'll be standing left of the sink for prep. I was thinking that I could reach it with my right foot if I'm standing left of the sink, and if I'm standing at the center of the sink that I'd use it with the left foot. The dishwasher is to the right of the sink, so I don't anticipate many people standing at that position using the sink.

    In my instance does left of center make sense?

  • berryjam
    10 years ago

    I've had the delta touchless for about 3 years and love it. My old-fashion mom has learned how to use it too and asked for the same faucet to be installed in her kitchen now.

  • eaconnolly
    7 years ago

    Do any of you Tapmaster lovers have dogs? I'm wondering which model would be best to keep my big hounds from accidentally turning on the water?