Where did you get the idea that most gw'ers dislike pull out/pull down faucets? Some people don't like the look but most who actually have them like them (at least from what I've read over the past 3 years.) I love my pull down faucets.

It's hard to get a good feel for the faucets unless they are properly installed at the show room. Most are just put on display without the proper weights attached to keep the nozzle from drooping.

I guess it depends on what you really like! I have a simple full out faucet and I love it, no problems or complaints. Here is what it looks like........

I am sorry I should have clarified. From the posts I have read the preferred method is pull down not pull out. I was just wondering if there was a design flaw in the pull out type faucet that I was missing.

I have the Kohler Vinnata in brushed nickel and I love it! It has the slightly old-fashioned look that works well with my Spanish hacienda kitchen but without all the side attachments those other faucets seem to come with. I wanted function and something easy to clean and clean around! I've had it for 3 months now, I can't imagine ever wanting something else. You should check out the Kohler line. They're made very well.

Yeah, where did you get the idea that they are undesirable? Lots of people here have them and love them. There may be some preference for a pull-down rather than a pull-out, but overall, I think they are quite popular and desirable. I, too, have the Kohler Vinnata--two, in fact--and love, love, love them!

Me too. I have the pull-out and am delighted with mine. I suspect that overall, the pull-down is more ergonomic but I don't think that there is an active negative score for the pull-out. At any rate, I have a pull-out and I like it very much indeed.

My impression is that pull downs are felt to be easier to operate. I'm sure it's a matter of opinion and they type of pull out vs. pull down faucet you have.

As with so much information here, it's worth taking into account with consideration of your own personal preferences.

I find it easier to let the smaller nozzle of a pulldown retract than to insert the actual wand of a pullout. Also, my dh is visually handicapped and I KNEW it would be hard for him to get a pullout seated properly - the pulldown does most of the work itself. Just our preference.

I hated the pulldown - found it extremely awkward to use and un-ergonomic. My wrist hurt after a while, so I am glad I had a chance to try a pulldown at my daughter's.

I loved a sidespray, which pulls up and out, but really wanted it all in one faucet, so I bought a pull-out that allows me to have the same kind of motion: pulls out at an upward angle. It is sitting in its box waiting for the kitchen to be finished, but I am very comfortable with the pullout. I have the KWC Konos but they have several other models - the Ono, Suprimo, and the Edge, that have similar pullouts. Take a look at them.

LOVE my Franke pull out -
Sleek design, very comfortable, easy to use

Here is a link that might be useful: franke

I think pull-downs may seat back nicer, with the gravity weight features, but I had pullout at the last house, and will have pull down in our new house. I just insist on having one or the other, since the temporary quarters we lived in while we've been building has neither. I've had separate spray previously and never used it like the pullout faucet. The pull downs generally have more traditional or high-arc styles, which are more popular, too, so that may speak for people preferring those faucets.

I don't like the pull out I have because it's hard to aim the water, and I feel like I have to pull it out and turn it around in order to use it properly.

I've mentioned previously that what I really like is the ball joint stream/spray aerator. Not as pretty, but very practical.

I have two pull-outs and love them. The only disadvantages I see are that yes, you do need to pull the sprayer out to get the full range of motion. With a pull-down, you just have to disengage it a bit. The other is that if the water is turned on and in spray mode, and then you pull out the sprayer, depending on your aim and the size of your sink, it's possible to unintentionally spray down your countertops.

The advantage to a pull-out is that you're not fighting gravity. There have also been posts from people whose pull-downs don't like to stay up.

So I wouldn't let the 'down or out' issue weight too strongly in your faucet decision.

i just had the grohe alira installed. haven't "moved back in" to the kitchen so haven't used the pullout yet, but it seems easy. as others said, i remember reading here that people thought the pulldown was easier to "disengage". but i wanted to keep my under-cabinet towel holder, so any pulldown would have been too tall for my space.

I had a pull-out in my last house, and have a pull-down in my new kitchen. In the last house, I had a double-sink where one bowl was large and deep, the other smaller and shallower. With the pullout, I had a hard time maneuvering the sprayer around the sinks when I was cleaning or rinsing them -- the size of the handle+head was too big to move nimbly around the sinks' eight corners, etc. It was not a particularly small sink nor a particularly large faucet either. I had the same problem any time I tried to use the pull-out to clean a pot or pan, etc. Too big to maneuver. Awkward.

Now I have a Grohe Cafe Ladylux pulldown and a ginormous single-bowl sink. ~Heaven~ Easy to maneuver that spray head anywhere you need it to go.

'Course, that's just my opinion and relates to how I use the faucet. YMMV.

Amy

Another one that loves my Kohler Fairfax pull out and I am doing another kit and buying the same. Fairfax stays on the flow you left it on so you do not have to pull out to get the max spray. But as above said without aim you could spray unwanted areas.

Hey, Glad! I just got my Grohe Alira in the mail! I got the stainless steel one.

I think sometimes people want either a pull down or pull out, but many times they're just looking for a certain "look". I had a tall pull down and truthfully, I just liked the way it looked. Before we installed it, we realized that our shutters wouldn't open with it...bummer. So I started searching for a good low profile one. Now I have a pull out. I had to settle for function and tried to find the best style at that size I could find.

By the way, the Grohe is made very well. Thanks to all that suggested it to me. I looks very nice, too. I simply thing that we're going to love to be able to take the bucket out from under our sink! LOL

I have a pull-out which I really like. You do have to pull it out farther to get the range of motion you would get with a little tug on a pull-down. But I preferred the look of the pull-out, since most pull-downs look enormous to me (and we don't have a very big sink, 24").

I got the same impression reading the posts. glad to see I am not in the minority in liking a pullout. I decided to go with a pullout (still looking) because of the following reasons -please feel free to criticize/ correct any misconceptions on my part :)
pulldown pros
1. Hose is long and can be pulled way out of the sink to fill a bucket or a really tall vase.
2. can toggle between spray and stream and dont have to keep pressing on a button to keep in spray mode.
3.ergonomic, I can use my forearm plus a little wrist movement to aim rather than wrist only as I found with a pulldown. with carpel tunnels that is an enormous benefit
4. can change between spray and stream in one hand, donno abt pulldown
cons:
1. hard to find one with a high arc so it does not get in the way of big pots

how are all of you with pullouts managing with the cons
?

I got the same impression reading the posts. glad to see I am not in the minority in liking a pullout. I decided to go with a pullout (still looking) because of the following reasons -please feel free to criticize/ correct any misconceptions on my part :)
pulldown pros
1. Hose is long and can be pulled way out of the sink to fill a bucket or a really tall vase.
2. can toggle between spray and stream and dont have to keep pressing on a button to keep in spray mode.
3.ergonomic, I can use my forearm plus a little wrist movement to aim rather than wrist only as I found with a pulldown. with carpel tunnels that is an enormous benefit
4. can change between spray and stream in one hand, donno abt pulldown
cons:
1. hard to find one with a high arc so it does not get in the way of big pots

how are all of you with pullouts managing with the cons
?

I plan to love my pull-down, although it's not installed yet. Countertops were templated yesterday, so I'm really getting excited about finally using my pull-down.

I'm currently using a yucky plastic side spray thingy and the weight keeps getting hung up on the pipes to the DW or the garbage disposal or something - very frustrating!

Here is a link that might be useful: Hamat Pull-down faucet

I had a pullout in our old kitchen and had no complaints. It worked fine and while I may have sprayed the counter in the beginning (I don't remember), I hadn't in a long time. We also had a double sink--36"--and had no problems spraying any part of the sink.

In our new kitchen, we will have a pull down (Kohler Vinnata) at the main sink and a pullout (Kohler Fairfax) at the prep sink. The prep sink is only 15-34" square and it's in a corner with the peninsula so we thought the Vinnata prep faucet would still be too big for it.

Ani_t...most pull down faucets have the same Pros...

1. Hose is long and can be pulled way out of the sink to fill a bucket or a really tall vase.
2. can toggle between spray and stream and dont have to keep pressing on a button to keep in spray mode
4. can change between spray and stream in one hand

I have the Kohler Forte, which as I understand it, is a "pull out". It arcs up high enough with my very deep sink to not interfere with any pots and pans. I can also swing it over to the garbage disposal/smaller-but-deep sink if I need it out of the way for any reason.

I love the pull out - I can pull it all the way over to put water into a frying pan (to soak before cleaning, for instance). There's a weight under the sink, too.

BTW, our first choice of faucet would have been Delta. However, they didn't make the type of faucet we wanted for the kitchen - or if they did, we never found it!

DonnaR/CA

Another Kohler Vinnata owner here. I am very happy with it and it looks gorgeous! Easy to work and functional.

I have pullouts both at my year round house and at our lake cabin. I can see how pull down might be somewhat easier to maneuver - though I've never had one. I have a Kohler Fairfax at home and some Delta model at the lake. The Kohler is definitely easier to maneuver for some reason - something about the design or shape of the pullout part - can't quite put my finger on it. Overall though I like these alot - wouldn't have anything else at this point. I prefer the pullout vs. pulldown because I like a lower profile that doesn't stick up in front of the windows behind my sink.

Buehl,

How long is the hose for an avg pulldown ? My pullout is easily 4 feet long I can pull it all the way out.

Also I remember reading that most pulldowns you need to hold down the spray button to continue spraying. If I am wrong, could you please refer me to some pulldowns which hav the "Pros" you have mentioned
thanks
ani

bump

I've had a Kohler Fairfax pull-out for six years, and have loved it EXCEPT for two things: over time the switch to change from stream to spray has become very hard to operate. It must be in EXACTLY the right position and then it's hit or miss. DH refuses to mess with it at all and said "We'll have something different for the new house. Period." The second thing is that I think the hose pull-out and return operates less smoothly than it did at first.

Our issue is more with the switch than the pull-out/pull-down. We're looking at the Kohler Forte because the switch is a push-through rather than a toggle.

I can recommend the Kohler Forte! Great price, elegant look, sturdy mounting hardware and yes, that push through button is great. Easy to use and seems like it should be less prone to wearing out than the top toggles under a rubber cover.
The ONLY thing I was initially disappointed with is that the pullout handle isn't metal - it's plastic and feels like it - no heft. But visually it does match the BN finish of the metal parts perfectly.

- D

Sorry Ani_T....just saw your questions.

I have not yet installed our pulldown faucet (Kohler Vinnata) so I'm not sure of the hose length, I think it's around 2'...but I don't know if that's the distance it will pull out from the end or if that includes the hose that is inside the faucet itself as well.

As to staying on, according to the specs, it does lock on either spray or stream.

Our old pullout did not pull out 4'...it was closer to 2'...but that was 2' past the faucet end so it may still be longer, I don't know.

It may indeed be that the pull downs do not pull out as far but b/c they have the higher arc they may not need to...they only need to pull down, not out and up like a pullout.

Kohler Vinnata owners...how far does your faucet head pull out from the end of the faucet?

If no one answers, I will post my results when my faucet is installed.

I have a Kohler Forte as well. As the salesperson pointed out to me, the head and arm of the Forte is just as high off the sink as the more arched pulldowns. So clearance for big pots is not at all an issue. I wanted a little lower profile faucet without the huge arch of some of the pulldowns and so went with the Forte (the price was a lot better too).

some folks here have preferred pull-DOWNS to pull-OUTS.

They don't like twisting their wrist around to hold the handle.

BUT..I solve that by simply reaching forward and grabbing the handle. I hold it as it if were a pull-down, and I control the nozzle w/ the HEEL of my hand, not w/ my finger grip.

I like Housecrzy's comments about the Forte. I too wanted clearance under the faucet, wthout a very high faucet, so I went w/ the Avatar because of its upside-down L shape. (The U-shaped faucets may rise high, but they come back down, so you can slip a pot under as easily.

We have the pull-out Grohe Ladylux Plus. Our next faucet will be pull-down. We don't care for it for a number of reasons, all of which I've detailed before (handle is difficult to modulate and gets filthy at the bottom, pull-out has to be manuevered with two hands or I'm spraying outside the sink - we should have mounted it to the side of our 33" sink, not the center). It is well made and heavy, but no more so than our Barand bathroom faucets. I do like the high arched design - we have REALLY large pots to fill and clean. And also the stainless finish - will definitely stay with that on the next faucet.

This is the third faucet we've had since 1990. The Moen was a piece of crap, the Price Pfister drove us both crazy with its design quirks so we had it yanked after only three years. The Grohe's okay, but if I ever change the counters again (one of my 'wish list' items) it's getting dumped on craigslist unless one of my family members wants it.

I love my KWC pullout, for reasons already noted:

it accommodates large pots but doesn't obstruct my only window; it easily goes up and over to fill my coffee maker or a large pot sitting near the sink - I don't like to put a clean pot in my (likely) dirty sink to fill with water; and it's ergonomic if you get past the notion that you need to pull the handle all the way out and turn it around to use it. I just hold it backwards and tap the sprayer with the heel of my hand if I need it like Talley Sue. Works great.

I always figured if I got one or the other it would be a pulldown, but now I think that wouldn't have been as good a fit.