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fiddleddd

kitchen faucet.....pull down or pull out sprayer?

fiddleddd
13 years ago

Hi folks! I've only had the cheap kind of pull-out sprayer off to the side that gets tangled up, and therefore I never use it. :-) I'm trying to pick out a faucet for my new sink that has a sprayer in it. Do you recommend the pull down kind or the pull out kind? The pull down one has a magnet, which they say is supposed to keep the sprayer firmly affixed to the faucet. I wonder if that really works.

Does anyone have either of these kind? If so, please give me your feedback on them.....positive and negative.

Thanks so much!

Comments (19)

  • asolo
    13 years ago

    IMHO the "pull-out" faucet versions are the way to go. Problem is, the variation between worthless and worthwhile among the offerings is extreme.

    I'll leave you to sort that out but the "nut" is clearance underneath. Those hoses that make it possible must be free to move down there. If you've got a hodge-podge of rigid plumbing down there for it to snag on, you need to change it or forget it. Don't ask me how I've come to this opinion.

  • fiddleddd
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks, asolo......yes, we'll have to make sure there is plenty of clearance under the sink. Why do you like the pull-out kind of sprayer better?

  • trinintybay
    13 years ago

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/plumbing/msg1015585318200.html?2

    Hope this links works for you. If it doesn't look on the kitchen forum where I posted a similar question today. In the replies someone linked to an older posts with many comments and things to think about.

  • fiddleddd
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    trinintybay......thanks for answering. The link you listed is actually the link for this thread....my original question.

    And then I hunted all over the kitchen forum for your similar question, but I couldn't find it. Can you help? Thank you!

  • asolo
    13 years ago

    "Why do you like the pull-out kind of sprayer better?"

    I still remember the first time I installed one of these (Grohe) decades ago after previous lifetime with extra pull-out sprayers and articulated faucet heads. Changed my kitchen-life. I simply found much more useful, convenient and intuitive than anything before. When I have some hard-to-get-to application, I just pull it out and take care of the problem. I do prefer Grohe's spring-return design as opposed to weighted gravity-returns.

  • davidro1
    13 years ago

    i agree the Grohe spring is good. Also, it's a good point to ensure you have the clear air space underneath the counter for the hose to hang down into. Asolo made these points.

    Having a spray to pull out (or down) right from the faucet body seems good (to me), and better than having to pull upwards from another hole to get a side spray to work.

    Here are threads about this same subject.

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg101617413624.html

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1012551116638.html

    http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0309302313055.html

    I have not yet bought a faucet for my new kitchen. I'm thinking of putting the plumbing inside a shelf assembly above the sink. No holes in the countertop. No hoses hanging down inside the cabinets. The hand spray + hose would be like the hose that you pull-off the open channel on a faucet patented by Jaclo / Steam Valve Original.

  • trinintybay
    13 years ago

    Ah! David is a much better linker then me. Sorry for the boomerang link.

  • fiddleddd
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Well davidro1....you're obviously a much better searcher than I am. I didn't have as much luck. Thanks for the links! I'll check them all out.

    As for your plumbing situation.....sounds interesting....certainly different. When you get it done, you'll have to post pictures!

    trinintybay.....no problem....thanks!

  • fiddleddd
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I checked out those links, and they were VERY helpful. I'm going to have my husband read them, and then we'll decide which way to go. The only thing I know for sure is that I do want the sprayer IN the faucet....either a pull-out or a pull-down.

    I'll try to remember to follow-up here after we decide. :-)

  • onthego
    13 years ago

    I've got a Grohe pull out sprayer....and want to in the future get a pull-down sprayer. Had to have the spray hose replaced after a few years, because pulling down to spray off dishes in the sink and/or cleaning the sink over time caused damage because of direction. I don't fill pots with it....ie don't pull it out and over to side on the counter, for example, but use it mainy in the 'down' direction. That's my suggestion....think what you'll really be using it for...that will help you decide which type to buy. Good luck.

  • fiddleddd
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    onthego.....I can certainly see how using the pull-out kind could put stress on the hose. I wouldn't have considered that.....thanks!

  • asolo
    13 years ago

    FWIW, I've had my Grohe pull-out for 18 years. I've replaced the head twice because of my own carelessness in damaging it, but the hose itself is just fine. Have two Moens at mom's house for about eight years both receiving rather heavy usage. Both of those hoses fine, also. Not something I worry about.

  • davidro1
    13 years ago

    good to know.

    FWIW, a plumbing fixture professional I know told me that fabric hoses deteriorate near the spray and people feel upset about it twice because it's not significant enough to make them justify changing it for serious reasons and yet they hate seeing the fabric fuzz, and then they feel guilty changing it for just cosmetic reasons.

  • asolo
    13 years ago

    davidrol....

    Not sure what you're referring to. None of my "hoses" has visible fabric. Appearance is of coiled metal surface. Seeing no evidence of any kind of wear. Wondering if we're talking about the same thing.

  • davidro1
    13 years ago

    ok, your hose is metal. Some are fabric.

  • asolo
    13 years ago

    Not trying to be pedantic. Don't have vast exposure. I've just never seen one of these without metal cladding. Thought they were all like mine. Sorry.

  • onthego
    13 years ago

    Just a follow-up to comment about my Ladylux Grohe hose having to be replaced.....the plumbing place I got it said they have had numerous customers over the years have to have the pull-out hose replaced. Mine was after about 4 years. Glad to know that most don't even experience it. I also would like to say that having owned Kohler and Moen fixtures....and now Grohe for at least 8 years....don't feel that Grohe is any better...but definitely costs more!

  • davidro1
    13 years ago

    There may be differences in nylon (I wouldn't know).

    Just saw this Kalia faucet claims to have "Ultra-strong, extensible and silent 1.5-m (60 in.) nylon hose with ball joint allowing complete freedom of movement"

    I like the ball joint.
    I like a quiet hose too.

    Here is a link that might be useful: nylon hose, in a supposedly high end faucet.

  • captainbob
    13 years ago

    Just thought I'd throw my 2 cents in here---As a plumber, I've noticed that both Moen and Delta are going to the nylon hose. Is it better? They haven't been around long enough to determine that. Only time will tell... The pull out seems to be more popular than the pull down, mainly I think because the pull out faucets are cheaper that the pull down. However, the prices are coming down on the pull downs...Moen just came out with a new model, the Arbor, that is priced comparable to the pull outs. I personally like the looks of the pull downs better.--The Captain