I can tell you that Phylrich makes very nice faucets. I however, would not buy one of the more plain ones like the georgetown. Not worth the xtra $$$. Their bailiwick is the more handcrafted artwork type faucets like the the swan, that few, if any others can produce. Lots of others produce something very similar to the g'town and in good quality too. Can't speak to the other 3 brands on your list.

Thanks OldTimeCarpenter1. Any thoughts on Santec or Sigma brand? Our two local plumbing supply stores don't carry California Faucets, which makes me curious as to why. I will have to see if I can find them somewhere to see them in person. I can say that based on what I see online I am not a fan of their logo imprint on the shower trim plate. I hate big logos (another reason why I like newport brass) I will be honest, I don't know much about fixture components. From what I have seen all the brands have plastic parts and from what I have read almost all have at least some components made in China. All I can see and know is how it looks and feels in the showroom. Some brands definitely feel more heavy and solid where as others feel light thin and plastic. I was actually surprised how many shower heads were actually plastic and not metal. I guess as with anything it is a balance between style, quality, and cost. My husband eliminated about 80-90% of the brands & styles when he insisted on a high neck victorian faucet that had a thicker trunk spout. He also did not want any shower trim plates where you could see screws. I want a stylish tub spout, so that eliminated the Delta, Moen and Kohler tub spouts which to me look like clunky builder grade Home Depot/Lowes specials. I also prefer that the shower trim plate have a built in diverter on the trim plate or a separate matching diverter. Kohler had nothing that fit our criteria until they came out with the new Artifacts line, however it is on the pricey side for Kohler. I wouldn't describe it as a "value" line, as it is coming in about 15% more than the newport brass. A quick look at Sigma, Santec, Graff, Calfornia, Rohl, etc....they are all priced higher than Newport Brass. Some by a lot. Are they a much higher quality in comparison?

@jmedgar @starcraft-custom-builders I wish I found this thread earlier. But at least before I have installed anything. I just purchased everything from SH for my new master bathroom. Plumber coming on Tuesday. This is what I purchased. Are these not safe to install? https://www.signaturehardware.com/bathroom/tub-faucets/wall-mounted-tub-faucets/wall-mount-faucet-with-english-telephone-shower-porcelain-lever-handles.html https://www.signaturehardware.com/cooper-shower-system-with-rainfall-shower-and-hand-shower.html https://www.signaturehardware.com/shannon-widespread-bathroom-faucet-with-porcelain-lever-handles.html Thank you sooo much for all your research!

Like LWO, I can't see how plugs meant to be at your feet in traditional claw foot tubs, or at your knees in double slippers and double ended are getting sat on (and I did look into RM tubs just to ensure their design wasn't unusual.) VT has a vested interest in making you happy, I am sure they will correct the problem, but they have to understand the problem, which, if they are sending you the same drain, they don't. Try to make them understand. By the way, they are not partially at fault, if you communicated what you wanted and they sent you the stopper that got installed, they are fully at fault. In fact, they gave you an implied warranty for fitness of a particular purpose, for which the drain is not suited. These drains set above the floor and they have to, they seal the tub much more effectively than pop up drains, but they use the pressure difference between the tub full of water and the empty drain pipe to seal. There are other options for you, but honestly none of them are as good as a 2 dollar rubber drain cap from Walmart. Pop up drains are not going to work unless you have access to the plumbing. I assume that you live in an area without easy access to a plumbing showroom, where you can test various drains by hand. I looked quickly through the VT website, and I don't see a Kohler equivalent low profile replacement. Kohler makes a retrofit that should work in your tub and give you what you want. Edit: If you want another opinion go post on the forums at TerryLove.com