janesylvania: "I saw Grohe and Hansgrohe products in stores. Which one is better? Are they better than Kohler or Delta's thermostatic shower or tub/shower kits? "

A little history. Hansgrohe is an old-line supplier of German plumbing fixtures. A couple of decades ago, one of the younger members of the family that then owned Hansgrohe decided to strike out on his own and started Grohe, a company with a hipper image than the (arguably) staid Hansgrohe. Grohe lasted only a few years before being purchased by some multinational conglomerate -- I forget which one -- and presumably making the breakaway heir wealthy. A few years later, the parent corporation of American Delta purchased Hansgrohe.

There is no longer any relationship between the ownership groups of Grohe and Hansgrohe. Hansgrohe is operated as a semiautonomous division of Delta and is the premium line of the Delta group, much as KitchenAid is the premium line of Whirlpool, Gagganau is a premium line of Bosch, and Lexus is a premium line of Toyota.

Between Hansgrohe and its downscale sibling Delta, you probably are safe in assuming that the Hansgrohe model will be of higher quality.