I LOVE our Delta Touch 2-0 (I think that's the model). We got it two years ago when they first came out and we would NEVER have a kitchen faucet without it or similar - there are now at least 2 other mfg. that have copied it. It has the magnet and the button so that either stream or spray stays on. It's wonderful - just touch with your arm, pinky, elbow, cheek ... whatever is clean and you can turn it on or off - a lot less wasting of water, too. Love, love, love it. Has worked perfectly - we have S/S sinks, btw, but that doesn't matter. They have videos of it on their website and prob. on You Tube, too. Can't recommend it highly enough - their cust. svs. was terrific when I had questions.

Funny - I'm in the market for a faucet, too, and was going to ask if anyone has experience with the touch style. Glad to see you're happy with it. Should save me a bundle in paper towels and Lysol ;-)

I have a magnetic pull down with a switch for spray or stream I love it. When I first put it together I put the switch on the outside and it made the neck graceful like a swan but the water almost didn't make it into the sink then I realized the switch went on the inside boy did I feel stupid. Now it flows into the correct spot. I really should read the instructions.

What not to do --- It took me a week to figure it out I was so disappointed but I couldn't tell hubby because we had splurged on this.

We have the Moen motion sensor faucet with the no streak finish and love it. Had it installed in the re-do after Sandy. There are sensors above the faucet and also underneath. So, if your hands are drippy - just wave them under the faucet. If your hands are grubby from the garden - wave them over the top. It's so much cleaner, more sanitary, easy to use, and much safer for me as I don't have to reach so much for use. Great investment.

/tricia

LOL!!
The models I looked at and liked were:
Rohl: 7903LM
Moen: Brantford
and the Grohe is lower and I really don't think that I like the style. I'll also check out the Delta- that's a rave review!
We have the Rohl Allia sink which doesn't allow me to have a faucet with a wide side handle. It's a great sink, but the layout is crowded and the purified/instant hot faucet has to be in a specific spot. I'll upload a photo shortly.

Tricia, which model is it?

Here's a photo from at least 8 years ago showing the challenge faced with the Allia sink. It's vitreous clay and not cast iron. The benefits of not scratching are great, however the plumbing placement leaves a lot to be desired!

It's the Moen Arbor with Motion Sense - SS Spot Resistant Finish...

Here's a video showing how it works. The spout pulls down also.

/tricia

This post was edited by triciae on Thu, Jul 18, 13 at 17:21

My link disappeared!

/t

Here is a link that might be useful: Moen

Ellen: What's that white thing plugged into the wall to the left of the sink? Oh yeah - that was a corded telephone, wasn't it? lol

Cool! Can you rotate the handle upon installation to have it at the back or the front rather than on the side? It's a bit crowded there.

My first faucet was a Danze. What a piece of carp. I replaced it with a Grohe Ladylux. It's fine I like it but it has a couple of less than ideal features. It won't stay on spray unless you hold in the button. As soon as you let go, it goes back to a regular flow. The pull down has a little too much resistance and does not retract on its own, you have to kind of push it back up.

None of these are huge nuisances, but if I were shopping for a faucet now I'd be aware of these issues.

Ellen, I don't know the answer to your question. We had the faucet installed by our GC. I just showed up and it magically worked. :) But, I'll take a look at the Owner's Manual tomorrow and see if I can figure it out.

/tricia

This: http://www.amazon.com/Kraus-KPF-1602-Single-Kitchen-Faucet/dp/B0032IO2VK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hi_2

I would not recommend a touch or motion sensor faucet in earthquake country, but that's just me. I keep thinking of all the car alarms that go off durings quakes. Are car alarms becoming obsolete - I don't hear them as much as I used to.

I need a new bathtub/shower fixture, and I got no help to speak of on the bath forum, but since my boss is an interior designer, I can get help here. I'll ask her office about kitchen faucets as well. Right now she is working on a house that is in Provence - I wish she would send me there to take the measurements, but she is sending someone else instead. The owner lives in Moscow, and so this is one of his vacation homes.

Lars

Being a certified kitchen obsessed case, your best bet in using the kitchens forum would be to do a search for posts rather than asking general questions. It's more work to read through a bunch of posts, but you will get a lot of useful info that way. Until, of course, you get bleary eyed!

But there is no better resource, imo, than the kitchens forum.

Dumb question. Okay, so you use the motion sensor or the tap to turn on or off the faucet, how do you adjust the temp without touching it?

And, how does the degree of dirt on your hands influence where you trip the motion detector? I'm confused about that, too. I guess that's two questions.

Lars, your post made me laugh, but I bet it's a good point.

Sally

This post was edited by sally2 on Fri, Jul 19, 13 at 9:49

Keep'em coming! I've cross posted on the KF and also did a search to read what has been stated before. There are no clear winners, although Moen & Delta have their fans. I think ROHL is out of the running. I've read enough negative reviews to push them to the side. Our bathroom faucets are Rohl and while the design is really nice, they're not problem free. DH's faucet drips intermittently.
Lars I'm curious to hear what your boss recommends, although I imagine when you're designing for millionaires who don't care about maintenance, you use the best looking faucets and let someone else worry about maintenance!

Sally- you asked some excellent questions, I too wondered about how you control the temperature of the water. Sometimes messy work like raw meat requires hot water, washing veggies requires cool. How does that work?

I'd like to remind anyone that's considering ANY kind of "non-touch," motion sensor or barely-touch faucet: you STILL have to touch the faucet - even if it has a motion sensor. Every time you want to move the position of the faucet, you have to touch it. (And I'm always having to move it - either to one side or sink or the other or a little bit further to the left or right, etc. In other words, you CANNOT avoid having to touch it here and there.) Every time you want to change the temp or flow-strength of the water, you HAVE to touch it or the handle. They all have a handle of one sort or another to change the temp and flow. The Delta *does* know the difference, however, of when you want to just move the faucet and when you want to activate it - it's very clever. Just lightly tapping it or touching it, it will turn on and off. But touching it with a firm touch, it knows you are just moving it to a different position and will not turn the water on or off. Again, I LOVE the Delta as it responds so well and isn't "fussy" in reading your intentions.

I have a Delta pull down faucet and I love it. It will stay in spray or stream mode by just pushing a button. My brother has a touchless, but I don't know the brand. I used when I was visiting and was very impressed by it.

I haven't asked her yet, but I will see her on Monday and ask her then. Tomorrow I am going to Snyder Diamond in Santa Monica to look at faucets - I think they have a store in the Valley also.

I think I have a Delta faucet in the kitchen, but I am not sure. Anyway, I am happy with it because it is easy to turn on and easy to select hot or cold and volume by rotating and lifting the lever. I wish I had the same type of control in my bathroom. It won't stay switches to spray unless it is turned on, however, but that does not bother me. The kitchen was remodeled in 1995, I think, which is 13 years before we bought the house.

Lars

I live in an apt and my landlady put a new Danze single handled faucet in. Within 6 months, the neck wouldn't swivel side to side anymore. It is truly a piece of garbage.

She replaced it with a Peerless, with separate hot and cold handles. I really liked the single handle. I don't find the water pressure as nice as the former one, and I like pressure!

I hadn't even thought about the faucet turning on or off when you tried to adjust its position.

Back when we were remodeling our kitchen nine years ago, I don't think motion sensor or touch was available. Jerry hated and still hates single handled faucets, while I wanted one so I could turn it on or adjust the temp without using my messy hands. I didn't want to have to grab the handles to turn it on or off. He felt like there's better control with two handles. We found a Kohler that had separate handles that stick out a bit, like a sideways L, so they can be turned on and off with the back of your hand. Interestingly, the salesman that helped us said that he frequently sees this situation where the man wants a two handled faucet and the woman wants a single handled one. I wonder what that means?

A few years ago, we had a plumber out to fix a plugged drain, and he noticed some very small chips in the finish of our faucet. He said Kohler would replace the faucet, as it has a lifetime guarantee. I didn't worry about it because I could barely even see the chips. Fast forward a couple years, and the faucet becomes stiff to turn, and leaks slightly. I decided to call Kohler. They were out of the style we had, but said maybe the local dealer we bought ours would have one. They did, so we arranged to get that one. All was good. Well, low and behold, we received another one in the mail. I called them, told them I'd be more than happy to send it back, but they said to keep it, as it was their fault. So, we now have two replacements. The second one is going up in our house in Tahlequah, whenever we get a new sink up there. All that is a long story to tell how I'm very happy with Kohler's customer service, and the faucet hasn't been all that bad. Maybe not the best, but not bad at all.

Sally

Think of the two handles as two circles and the single handle as a lever, and you may have some insight into why men prefer two handles and women prefer a single handle. This would not work for all men or all women, as I am often told in hardware stores that what I choose is popular with women. I have always found that curious, and so there are no clear explanations.

Saturday I went to Snyder Diamond in Santa Monica and bought a Hansgrohe bathtub/shower faucet control. It combined circles and levers and had two controls - one that determines temperature (or the hot/cold mixture), and the other one controls volume. When the lever is pointed straight up, it is off, and then you rotate it to the left for the volume in the faucet and to the right for the volume in the shower. Therefore it is both a volume control and diverter.

If you have not been to Snyder Diamond, I think it is worth a visit, as they have a huge selection on display for both kitchen and bathroom faucets. I was very happy with what I found.

Lars

I have a Delta Touch faucet. Loooove it! It is so nice when you have dirty hands to just tap it and it turns on.

My son is a contractor. Ferguson Plumbing just gave him this faucet for free because he buys so much there (or his clients do). He is doing renovations to his own house, so this will go in his new kitchen. Not bad!

Wow Pam, what a score! What brand is it? How lucky for you to have a contractor in the family!

Lars, yesterday we visited Snyder Diamond. It wasn't the best experience. Their plethora of kitchen faucets was outstanding, however the sales help is lackadaisical at best. Our salesman was only pushing a specific model of the KWC. We saw prices of some faucets hitting over $1, 500 and not what I was looking for. They've certainly improved their showroom, but their sales help and wasn't on par with my prior experience with Fergusson or at the SD valley location.
We have determined that in order for our faucet, soap and instant hot/cold tap to stay positioned properly, we cannot accommodate a side control. It must be able to be positioned in front, on top or to the left. This week I'll check out Fergusson, but I did see a Grohe (or HG?) that might suit my needs at Pacific Sales.
The Moen won't work due to the placement of the handle. I've yet to see the Delta in person.

That's a Franke.

Too bad my son is on the other coast. His work is beautiful. I should have done more consulting with him before I did my kitchen and bath. He has a really good eye for design and choosing tile. His current project is the restoration of a 1920's house.

What can possibly make a faucet worth $1500? Was it covered in gold leaf? Diamond studded?

My faucet is in the corner of the sink and comes close to a window sill on one side, so I had to find one with the handle on the right. Details, details, details.

When I (ever) do my kitchen, I'll install foot controls.