I would take a look at Moen or Delta. I picked up a Moen Lindley in bronze for around $150 on eBay brand new. I like the look of the Vinnata but I also had no interest in spending that kind of money on a faucet.

There is the Kleo at Home Depot for $188 which isn't too bad.
Kleo at Home Depot

Moen Lindley at Home Depot $218

Or if you want to roll the dice, apparently Globe Union is the maker behind Danze which people seem to like, and they have what looks like a Vinnata look-a-like for cheap.
Globe Union $129 Look A Like

Article on Faucet quality that someone posted on here a long time ago that I used when looking at faucets.

HTH

Have you tried efaucets.com?
Check out the Price Pfister pull outs. I bought one for my kitchen in brushed nickel, I haven't used it yet but it had great reviews and is priced under $250. There were quite a few from Price Pfister to choose from and I think they're all pretty good looking too.
I couldn't bring myself to pay that much for a faucet either. If I have a bad experience with it, I'll save up for a new one and swap it out someday.

We bought a cheaper Delta at HD about 8 years ago. It leaks a bit and has from the very beginning. As we approach a complete remodel, we went to a kitchen and bath fixture store. The woman there said to be careful of cheap faucets because some of the parts inside are plastic, not metal and ceramic. I have heard that same thing from three contractors we consulted. This time around I am going to pay more for a faucet that doesn't leak. But man, they sure can be expensive!

Brickton - I looked at the Moen Lindley a few weeks ago and really liked the look. How do you like it - is the water power strong while using the pull down (and is the pull down a true pull down or more like a pull out)? I was looking at the stainless steel finish.
Thanks!

allnewapps-

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit how far away from installing the faucet we are. Suffice to say it hasn't had water flowing through it yet... nor will it by this Christmas. It was a good deal on the faucet we wanted so I picked it up. I like the look and the weighty feel of it, but that's about all I can tell you.

Brickton - you are just ahead of the ball then : - )
I went to a few more places this morning and saw some new faucets that I really liked, but they were all around $600...so I went back to Home Depot and bought the Moen Lindley! I kept on going back to that one everytime I went faucet shopping so I figured I would bite the bullet and buy it already!! I didn't get it at the great price you did, but the Home Depot price is pretty inexpensive compared to the other faucets I was looking at.

Thanks for that link on faucet quality! It was very interesting.

My father, who could really be a cheapskate sometimes, would never buy a cheap faucet. He would always buy something a little better. Maybe you don't need a very expensive faucet, but do consider something mid-range.

OTOH, in the grand scheme of a kitchen remodel, a faucet is something you use multiple times per day, so perhaps getting the one you want with quality is worth it.

allnewappliances, the article
http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets.htm#the%20model%20game
says to call Moen and ask if the one you bought has cheaper parts or not.

One word: Ebay.

My brand spanking new $550 Moen Boutique was $132.

My brand new $240 Delta Leland was $123.

There is never a shortage of choices on Ebay for new faucets either, at least when I was looking.

I agree it seems like plumbing is expensive.
But keep in mind the Faucet is the work horse of the kitchen.
Think about it, How many times are hands washed, vegetables
cleaned, pots filled, dishes rinsed off, or even just making
some sweet lemonade.

The faucet is probably touched 10 maybe 50 times per day.
You want a good quality faucet that will stand the test
of time, handle little hands or old ones using it while
in the kitchen. I know, they can be pricey but you can
find a fairly good quality brand that can last 10 years.

Kohler (Cheaper less fancy style ) $200 on E.Facuecets.com

Delta Leland $240 Faucets.com

Check out E-bay, Negotiate with Home depot or Lowes,
or see if you can find it on Overstock.com. Keep searching
and maybe you can find the Vinnatta or another that is
a fair price.

Good luck,
~boxer

Here is a link that might be useful: Vinnata from E-bay at $237.00

breezygirl your Delta would have a limited lifetime warranty and they will either send you replacement parts or replace the faucet. We had a problem with a Delta shower/tub faucet and called them about it. I don't even think we had the paperwork because ours was a new build and builder didn't leave any receipt for it. They replaced the faucet no problem. It might be worth a try. Here's the # 1800.345.3358

Sorry to hop on here, but how do you know if the faucets that sell online are the quality ones or if they have plastic parts inside?

I think the article I linked to addresses this, or I read it somewhere else on here but the best way to know if you have the cheap version of a faucet is to read the model number. If the model numbers match two faucets are exactly the same.

So if site A list a faucet as all metal construction, brass this, cermaic that, and site B has the same model number faucet for less then they are the same.

If the model number has an extra letter, character, number appended / inserted in it somewhere then they may differ in some ways.

I think the article specifically references Big Box stores having 'their own version' of some faucets. The faucet would have a different model number that calls it out as varying from others. And in that case, yes, it may have cheaper parts in order to give it a better selling point on the shelves of big blue/orange.

And again to reiterate, the best deals I've found were in fact on eBay. I set up a saved search to email me whenever 'Moen Lindley Bronze' was posted and within 2 weeks I got it for $75-$100 less than the HD price at the time (which has since come down a bit).

You guys seem to know a lot about faucets, so I'll ask this here:

I'm looking at Price Pfister pullout Parisa or Clairmont and can't tell for sure whether the stem swivels. I called the company and the guy said 'yes' but he didn't sound too confident.

If anyone knows for sure, great. Otherwise I'm going to call them again tomorrow.

Here is a link that might be useful: Price Pfister Parisa faucet page

My experience is that the cheapest faucets don't perform well over time. They develop leaks and such. But get to a certain moderate price point and the quality is fine. I.e. the $50 bar faucet I bought once worked fine for years and only got replaced because we needed wanted a pull out or down in the remodel.

After some point, you are mostly paying for finish and design - issues about looks. But that said, I love how the pullout on my LadyLux Pro works. It goes in and out so smoothly and easily - none of the feeling that you are pushing a rope that some of the cheap ones have. The price point for performance is probably higher when there is a pull out or down functionality.

nancyfay ask them how many degrees the swivel goes, since you want to block it instead of letting it swivel 360 degrees. This will get them thinking. When the followup person comes back on the line you can be sure they've had a discussion about your question. Ask them if they have the faucet in front of them in their hands. They often do.

KWC has a chart showing which models can swivel how many degrees.
Other manufacturers give you the option to block the swivel to a smaller swing / arc / radius, by turning an irregular shaped washer inside the stem.

Sandlll, I don't know of a way to tell, but I suppose it depends on your priorities and budget. For me, the sinks and faucets were an area I deliberately chose to scale back in as far as costs so that I could splurge in other areas that were more important to me (cabinets) so it wasn't critical (for me) to have zero plastic parts. When they give out, we won't be in the midst of remodel and therefore should have an easier time affording the more expensive ones. For now, I will risk plastic.

If it's an area that really matters to you, you probably don't want to buy online.

On faucets, both the metal and the precision machining are expensive -- the more metal the costlier. Those with plastic parts are less since the material costs less. But there are a lot of excellent value and quality faucets around. Weight is a good indication of metal vs plastic fittings. Heavier is generally better.

I insist that the main sink faucet is probably the most heavily used item in the kitchen. I'd save elsewhere but everyone has their priorities.

Considering the damage a leaking faucet can do, the price of a better built one is well worth it. The pull down/pull outs have more moving parts so quality is especially important for them compared to a bathroom fixture. But you can probably find that quality in mid-range faucets without the luxury faucet price.