Its great. both looks and functionality. well worth the investment

Ok, I can't get past the fact that this looks like the thing my Dentist uses to clean my teeth....Ewwwww

Sandbox, you must have the coolest dentist in the world! I wanna go to him!

He is cool....he "sandblasts" my teeth with a baking soda mixture from a machine similar to the faucet..my teeth are as shiny as her sink when he's done!!
(And I don't even have grilles on my teeth!!)

If you're planning on buying in May, ask for a price guarantee if prices come down in June. Kohler is beginning to allow prices to drop a bit on some of them already.

Copycat Karbons are already in the mill. I bought one for a fraction of the cost of a Karbon. After all, it's only rotating joints made with O-rings. Well done, but just a series of joints. I think Kohler owners have enough yachts now and they can lower the price.

The wall mount version only has 4 joints, not 5. That's no fair. Also, they charge more for it and they don't tell you its last joint can only move in one plane.

The deck mount version can reach 17" if you're OK with the last joint facing mostly outwards, not straight down.

Morgne hit it exactly on mine, though it only seems like I use it more. I've been doing a lot of cooking, i.e., prep, but also a lot of washing because I have no DW yet. :)

The very bestest thing about the Karbon is that you can aim it and let go and it stays. It's SO great. You can put a little trickle right above where you're working, or stretch it out and spray down the whole sink. Tres cool. And touching the carbon fiber shafts is really nice. They're smooth but not cold.

The one disadvantage is that you have to shut off the water to disengage the spray function. It's no biggie.

I'm with you on that plllog. I actually have looked into having mine altered. LMAO. I still love my Karbon, but.... I think it would be easy enough to do. Just drill, with a carbon bit, (pun intended) so tht the hole for the rubber stopper goes all the way through. Then replace the stopper with one that goes all the way through. You could then have spray, regular AND off right there on the head. I'll let you know if anything comes of it. If it was a cheapy faucet I'd try it in hearbeat.

It's funny, I love that I can fill bowls/glasses etc next to the sink (I have it mounted in a corner) without using up space in the sink. I feel like it almost takes the 1 sink I currently have up and running and makes it into a two sink kitchen all by itself. If the DH is washing dishes he doesn't have to get out of the way or move or anything. Just swivel it over the pan and fill away! It's like having a potfiller in multiple places... but one that will also do hot water.

You guys are killing my budget with yet another amazing video. First it was the BlueStar videos from Trevor, then the Franke Beach sink video, the Liebherr demos and now this Kohler Karbon faucet.

I love that you can kind of fold it up to just about any shape when not in use.

I'm off to show DH.

david - the Karbon is more than a couple of joints with o-rings. Those tubes are real carbon fiber, and that's a material that is notoriously difficult to work with. These guys have formed it into a leakproof tube with very high tolerances.

How much do you suppose it cost to come up with the design, the research and prototypes for finalizing production, and the equipment to make them en masse? Oh, and the base material is not cheap and available everywhere.

Also, what's wrong with a business owner have a yacht or plane or two ??? That family has built a grubby casting business into a large diversified conglomerate that provides services too. They employ thousands of people and continue to have innovative products that people want and they charge accordingly. That's business. Would you rather they be like Chrysler and develop crap , play see who can charge the least, and then fold up on everyone?

Both versions extend to reach 17" if you're OK with the last joint facing mostly outwards, not straight down. Both wall and deck versions.

Some faucet manufacturers don't give any information about their handspray holding its position or not. So far I haven't seen any K*ohler information about this for the Karbon. Above, reading pllog: "you have to shut off the water to disengage the spray function" Good to know!

It really is the bestest thing that "you can aim it and let go, and it stays." This is great. You're washing parsley or spinach, you put a little trickle right where you're working in the strainer (sink-suspended), you position it right there near the produce, and it stays there like a little dog at attention, loyal to your needs. No big splashes as you would get with a typical wall-mount with articulating arm that stays up high and moves only in one plane, horizontally. Later, you stretch it out and spray down the whole sink. It IS cool how it removes the need for a hose spray, and it's solid enough to hold itself where you place it. You move the spout and it remains there: stable, secured "assicurato", in place "immobilisé", held fast "fest". Ta da ! It's almost good enough for me.

hth

I ordered the Karbon in the summer of '08 for our new construction. We moved in Nov '08, so I've used it for a good bit of time now as our primary kitchen sink faucet (that's my video in the link above).

I originally fell for it for aesthetics, but functionally it's been great. I thought I'd miss having a sprayer - not at all. The ability to "fix" it into various positions for filling pots, vases, etc. is quite handy. I have a pot-filler behind my range two steps away, and I hardly ever use it because my first inclination is to use the Karbon.

Some considerations:
- As PP mentioned, there's a button to switch to spray mode on the nozzle, but you have to turn the faucet off to return to "laminar flow" mode (btw, I love the laminar flow because it's I dunno... soothing? Not necessarily anything you need in a kitchen.)
- The joystick hole is slightly larger than a standard faucet hole. Not a big deal, but make sure your countertop installer brings a larger drill bit to accommodate.
- I'm invariably using the faucet with a wet hand, and water spots/drips really show up on the shiny escutcheon at the bottom of the joystick. No big deal to wipe it down, but I know some people are bothered by things like that.
- While it's quite easy to move (my 5-year-old uses it with ease), it's not quite as effortless as the Kohler video implies. Maybe it was just me, but when I first saw the video, I got the impression that it moved with a whisper of a touch, LOL. I'm not sure what I was thinking since there has to be some level of "stiffness" by nature of it having the ability to be fixed into positions.

I broke a couple of rules by 1) buying a faucet for looks and 2) buying sometihng brand new on the market. Fortunately, I can say a year and half later, no regrets.

It's funny Mom2reese, your video was the one that sold me on the Karbon. I watched the Kohler video and marketing and thought it was a little over the top pretensious and probably didn't work very well. It's interesting that your 45 second? or so video works so much better as advertising then the ads I'm sure they spent hundreds of thousands for.

I have the wall-mount version and didn't realize it has fewer joints. It seems very flexible and works quite well. I pretty much wanted it only for its looks but liked the idea of not having to have a separate spray and thought it was way more cool than the faucets that have spray hoses inside. After seeing it no other would do. I'm awfully glad it works so well.

With regard to Mom2reese, "water spots/drips really show up on the shiny escutcheon at the bottom of the joystick." I don't think it as much a problem with the wall-mount version as the drips go to the countertop, that's actually why I wanted the wall-mount. The disks (escutcheons?) at the base of the joystick and faucet both need wiping from time to time but, my version is sort of a brushed stainless and not shiny and I would recommend that.

salal_08, please go double check this (number of joints). I saw a wall-mount once and tried very hard to move it where the fifth joint should be. That same day I moved a deck mount so I had "recent experience". I didn't want to break it. Later that day, I saw that K ohler used "five" as the number in their description. One way or another, something is wrong. I could go back some day and try harder to see if that one wall mount I saw really doesn't move in five different joints.

Three joints make it go up and down; there are three segments.
One joint at the base allows it to "rotate" side to side.
The last one is at the end, on the deck moutned Karbons I have seen. It lets the last segment turn sideways. A.f.a.i. can remember.

It had been a long time since I'd seen Mom2reese's video, and I don't even remember if I'd seen the Kohler one, so I just watched them. My Karbon operates as smoothly as the one in the promotional video. Looking at Mom2reese's for it, I do see where the stiffness in hers might be. When I'm using mine (which I bought well after Mom2reese did), I do it the way the model does, just grab and shift. There's no stiffness, hesitation or need to pull. I don't know if this is variation from faucet to faucet, or if they improved it a little after Mom2reese bought hers.

hmmm, interesting pllog!

Mine has become smoother over time (even since the video was taken a while back), but it was definitely different from my expectation when I first got it.

I wonder if I my joints are too tight or something...

Mom2reese,

I wanted to say something really funny about your joints being too tight but couldn't come up with anything funnier than what you already said. Just thought you should know.

Morgne, a ballet barre always helps in these cases.

Mom2reese, could be. ;) I don't know if it's worth trying to do anything about it, though it might be worth e-mailing Kohler, especially since you've done so much to sell these things for them.

Yes, the joints being too tight would result in less effectiveness but still an overall positive experience ;-)

I am very happy with my Karbon faucet, one of my favorite purchases. My teenage son particularly likes the way it becomes a water fountain by turning the last joint upward.

Sandbox - funny you should mention dentist - I was talking to my dentist about my kitchen remodel (he recently did his kitchen) and we joked about how he should have gotten a Karbon faucet because it looks like a dental tool.

Mom2reese, is it cold in your kitchen? It was pretty warm here when I started cooking, and using the Karbon. This week has been cold (no heat on), and it was below 67° in my kitchen. Just now the Karbon seemed a bit stiff like yours. After I ran warm water through it and moved it around a little it became more fluid. (In motion, that is.) So I thought maybe the stiffness was a cold thing?

BTW, another thing I like about it is that it lets me do a spray with a fairly small flow. It's a bit disconnected because there isn't enough water to maintain full streams in spray mode, which is just what I like for some things. My MGS on the big sink requires more water to spray. Plus, from a conservation standpoint, the Karbon has a smaller laminar stream to begin with.

Okay, so I want to say I've never used it as a water fountain but I will do so starting today. That's frickin genius!!!

I've pointed the end at my husband before but the look that comes over his face has been more than enough to dissuade me from turning it on.

I've been following the mom2reese/plllog conversation about stiffness with some interest. Mine seems a little stiff (though I'm pretty okay with that) and my house is super cold so maybe that IS a part of it.

Interesting thread re: stiffness. After reading a mom2reese post months ago I expected the stiffness, but I really didn't find it stiff at all. Fairly (although not completely) effortless. The warm/cold idea is interesting - my house is usually quite warm, perhaps that does play into it?

Spoke to Kohler Tech Support today. They called me back to confirm the Wall mount Karbon should have 5 working joints. The showroom one I saw may have something wrong with it or I might not have tried it enough.

Just received this by email from Kohler at 12:16:

-
begin quote
---

Your request number: 03435462

...,
Thank you for contacting Kohler. There are several different versions of the Karbon faucet. The kitchen version, K-6227, has 3 moving joints. The kitchen wall-mount version, K-6228, also has 3 joints. The Karbon Deck-Mount lavatory faucet, K-6268, has only 2 joints, as well as the K-6269, Karbon lavatory wall-mount. I do hope this answers your questions; if you have additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Kohler Customer Care Center directly at 800-456-4537. Thank you for Choosing the Bold Look of Kohler.

Sincerely,
Jenn K.

We are available to assist you Monday through Friday, 8:00AM to 6:00PM Central Time by calling us at 800-4KOHLER (800-456-4537.) You can also find assistance online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by visiting http://helptopics.us.kohler.com/

Kohler Customer Care Center
Kohler Co. Mail Stop 081
Kohler, WI 53044

Experience gracious living online at http://www.KOHLER.com

---
end quote.
-

Wow.
Who can you trust?
Their own employees can't get it right, even when they have no time deadline.

!

I sent Kohler an email.
I got a response.

--

Your request number: 03435462

...,

Thank you for your reply. I do apologize for the confusion with the Karbon faucet. The Karbon 6227 and 6228 kitchen faucet does have 3 moving joints. I did go onto the website, however I could not find on the Kohler website where it states the Karbon kitchen faucet has 5 moving joints. Could you please highlight the link and resend an e-mail so that we can check that for you. We are here to help you. Thank you for choosing the Bold Look of KOHLER.

Sincerely,
Becky O.

We are available to assist you Monday through Friday, 8:00AM to 6:00PM Central Time by calling us at 800-4KOHLER (800-456-4537.) You can also find assistance online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by visiting http://helptopics.us.kohler.com/

Kohler Customer Care Center
Kohler Co. Mail Stop 081
Kohler, WI 53044

Experience gracious living online at http://www.KOHLER.com

--

Sorry for the dumb question but how does the control work on it? Do you push it left for hot and right for cold? How do you control the flow?

Odiegirl, yes, you push it side to side for hot or cold, and down forward back to upright for flow control. There are a lot of mixers nowadays that work like this with a vertical lever. So you move down forward and to the side together for hot.

David, interesting response. I guess it's how you count! I was wondering where the fifth was supposed to be, unless they count the mixer or the spray button. I know the fourth is the swivel, which is also cheating. Looks like their customer service department is now hip to the fact that people think that "joints" means the elbows.

The first moveable joint IS the swivel, at the base.

The fifth is the swivel at the tip, which allows the tip to point sideways and project water sideways.

The other three are easy to see in static images.

On the US site and on the UK site, Kohler says "five":

Here is one link: http://www.us.kohler.com/onlinecatalog/detail.jsp?item=14101802â_num=6227-C13
"Unique metal and carbon fiber construction delivers rugged reliability and strength while five patented pivot points maximizes maneuverability to any angle, orientation or position either inside or outside the sink..."

Please note that "orientation" and "angle" depend on it being able to point sideways.

The UK site says "With five pivoting articulated joints Karbon can be placed into an unlimited number of positions offering true hands free functionality and flexibility." That is from http://www.kohler.co.uk/pr/karbon_uk_launch.html

It also says "five" in the video.

A Kohler employee emails me she cannot find any mention of "five" on the Kohler web site.
Go figure.

I already emailed her a response.

Just for fun I'll go see what Kohler sites say in other languages. Later.

The reason why this is important, is to get straight answers about the object in question, and also to get a sense that the manufacturer is able to handle normal questions. Whenever I have called Chicago Faucets I have received the best possible information. Not Kohler, not so far.

News received from Kohler by email this morning:

The Karbon has five patented pivot points.

".... there are three bends that go up and down. The three points you would be able to notice by looking at the picture on the web site.

The ones you would not be able to notice is the spray head and the bottom portion of the faucet. The spray head moves side to side as fourth pivot and the whole faucet pivots side to side as well as the fifth point. The whole faucet would pivot just below the third bend on the faucet.
...."

That's an answer. The latest one, of many. If they never give me a contradictory answer at any time from now on, then that will be the one and only answer from now on.

I found on Kohler's Mexico web site a mention of the Karbon being either a one-hole or a three-hole installation, and that purchase of the Karbon gives you all the hardware you will need for both the one-hole and the three-hole installation. Am wondering if it's worth asking them about this.

On page 6 of the Mexican PDF : "Notas : Contiene todas las piezas necesarias para instalación, ya sea de uno o tres taladros. "

-!

Oh, right! That swivel! I was writing from memory and didn't even remember the head swivel. It just works. I don't count. :)

I think if they said two swivels and three hinge joints, or whatever you'd like to call them, it would be clearer to the average consumer than five joints. Sometimes things can be too concise. :)

That Mexican one sounds like they pasted the wrong verbiage from another faucet. As far as I know the Karbon is always a two hole installation, and the mixer has a non-standard size, as well. That is, it sounds like a paste up error rather than an actual copy error. End result is the same--wrong--but if they have the right info, it's an easy fix, at least for the online version.

Davidro1, if there is a knockoff, where oh where can I get one? Champagne taste and beer budget...oh my!

susantiger,
Today, you cannot get the faucet that I got. The manufacturer is bringing out another version. Later this summer news will be out. Things are changing in the industry. You will get value for your money; there are probably several more manufacturers looking into this and considering bring back swivel-joint spouts.

Swiveling joints have to be made to take the mechanical stress of holding themselves stable in any arbitrary position, over and over again. Ideally they would never leak. In 2004 I installed a Grohe Freehander in my shower. It is one of the few products that have these joints.

About 30 years ago these kinds of joints were more common. To extend their shower head reach, people installed 2-swivel joint kits. This Spring I just bought a new one for next to nothing (it is low tech). I got it just to have a toy to experiment with. As expected, it uses massive torque to hold itself stable and also remain watertight. These extenders used to leak at the swivel point (when the faucet was turned on), so people held them in low esteem after a period of years. People began to shun them.

There is real work being done to improve these joints so that the "genre" of product will last a long time, feel high-quality, and just be high-quality! No single manufacturer has a monopoly on this idea; they just want to "do it right" when they get back into this market segment. My opinion.

Bumping up for new responses.

Does anyone find the textured tubes difficult to clean? Does it hold on to gunk (thinking sticky, doughy hands)?

After seeing the jointed Chicago wall-mount faucet, I really, really want a jointed spout faucet. But I'm having a heck of a time finding a deck-mounted jointed faucet that isn't a bridge style.

I'm researching a backup plan in case we can't do the wall mount on an exterior wall.

A few questions...

We're doing a total kitchen renovation, but although we have a pretty traditional style, we're considering putting 2 Karbons (brushed brass, maybe?) on a 42" single-bowl undermount copper sink. The faucets and sinks really don't match, but we love the copper and like the fuction and flexibility of the Karbon.

So while pondering this conflicting styles situation, my questions are...

Does the button just switch to/from spray mode, or is there a "pause"? I'm thinking we'd like to fill glasses on the countertop next to the sink and would need to pause flow between glasses.

Also, I've seen a GW post with photos of a Karbon at the main sink and a similar, smaller faucet at a prep sink ... but I can't find it now by searching. Any idea what that similar faucet may have been or how I can find that post again?

Any other articulating arm faucets, other than pot-fillers or the chrome wall-mount styles?

davidro1: Any updates on similar faucets coming out? We're planning to buy two within 6 weeks, but would rather have options for this type of faucet. (I know ... join the crowd, eh?) Would any similar faucet you know about have similar, very modern styling, or a softer, more traditional feel?

Thanks in advance.

The button switches from stream to spray, but you have to turn off the faucet to switch back, and it always switches back when you turn it off.

The photo probably had a perspective thing going. As far as I know there are only two Karbon models: standing and wall mount. Mine is at my prep sink and isn't too big.

I love both brass and copper, but wouldn't do them together. They kind of clash. The black might look awesome with copper, depending on your other finishes.

there is a karbon bathroom faucet - it could have been that

Thanks, pllog, for the info and suggestion.

So there's no way to pause the water flow from the head? I understand the way it switches (and doesn't go back) from stream to spray, but if I have it on either setting, can I pause the water flow at all? Some pull-outs I've seen have a pause button. Seems like that would be pretty helpful for using it on nearby countertops.

Yep, I'm in rather a fix over trying to combine faucets and sink, both in terms of style and color. Will have to get to a higher-end Kohler showroom ... we're out in the sticks and none of the places within an hour's drive have a Karbon on display. Not sure if the little color samples will really help.

Little did I know that the faucet would trip me up more than anything else so far!
-di

"... a Karbon at the main sink and a similar, smaller faucet at a prep sink ....

Kohler does have a Karbon faucet that is smaller, it is the lav version (both wall and deck mount). The lav versions are the top row, kitchen second row.

Here is a link that might be useful: Karbon styles

No pause at all. Alternative? Get a Tapmaster. The spray will still turn off when you stop the flow, but you can use your toe to touch the Tapmaster and get a quick on and off for your purpose. Plus it's an all around wonderful thing to have.

My karbons were just made operational yesterday (water in the kitchen is a joyous occasion!) and I have to say I love them even more than I was expecting to. The stream is so nice (not too much air) and the lever is intuitive. Probably my most favorite purchase to date!

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

laurainlincoln, I see you have two karbons for your stages sink - others on GW have only one and commented that it was enough - I was wondering what you thought on the subject since you did get two.

I am not planning on anyone working with me in the kitchen - so am planning on one and am hopeful it will be adequate for the large stages sink!

sadie

I did contact Kohler and asked if the large stages sink would work with only one Karbon and they said that it would. Do any of you Karbon owners have a built in soap dispensor? I would be very interested to see some pictures of that!

sadie

I do have a Karbon. Wall-mounted. Love it. I looked all over for a soap dispenser that wouldn't argue with the Karbon. We just put this one in. It looks good, but its operation seems to be to be a bit stiff. This saves on soap though. :) My last soap dispenser gushed at the slightest pressure.

Sorry but I still don't have a working camera to show you how it looks with the Karbon. :(

rc

Here is a link that might be useful: Kohler K1995 soap dispenser

DO NOT BUY ONE OF THESE!!!

I bought one and it BROKE three times in the first year!!!

I eventually returned it and bought a different brand.

It is beautiful but BREAKS.

Shame on you, Kohler.

Mine hasn't broken nor have I heard reports of other (major) issues ion this forum. Perhaps you were sold a knock-off? Someone (alaris19?) reported an issue but hadn't yet contacted Kohler. I was just looking for that thread so I could follow up. I still am one infatuated owner! My KWC Sin is the oft' ignored stepchild while I lavish attention and praise on the KK. Here she is, the little honey:)

We just had our Karbon faucet installed and I am disappointed with the flow. I know I've read posts about how to fix this - or get something from Kohler - but I can't readily locate that information. Can anyone please point me to it or provide? Also - I am used to the hot/cold lever being in an arc approx 180 degrees. The Karbon seems to be just about 90 degrees - very little room for fine temperature/flow adjustment. Is this correct? Thanks

Try googling :

site:ths.gardenweb.com kohler karbon flow

You'll come up with your post and several others. I definitely suggest calling Kohler first!

I think ours came with a low flow filter, we just needed the high flow one. Good luck!

Note to other KK owners - remember to clean out this filter periodically too, if you notice the flow dropping.

Ours had a little piece of red plastic that was causing a weak flow. My plumber took the last articulating piece off, took the outer casing off, and blew really hard into it. The little red piece of plastic came shooting out and everything was fine after that. So, make sure there's nothing in the cartridge that is blocking the flow.