We just had our new sink and fixtures installed this past Friday. I wasn't so sure about the soap dispenser, but I have to say that I have changed my mind. I LOVE IT! It's very handy, easy to fill, and with the right soap you can wash your hands and your dishes with it. It's great and they're not very expensive at all. I also like that there's no bottle on the counter that gets all yucky/gummy/grimey. Neat and tidy.
There's my pitch ;-)

I asked about this a couple of months ago and everyone convinced me to do it. My DH said that the dispenser on the counter was fine, too. We went ahead and got a 19.99 one at Lowe's and we love it! Yes, he loves it too. It hangs over the sink, so if it did drip (it doesn't) it would go in the sink. I just ordered the Never MT and that should make him even happier. I don't think that I want to go back to the counter one.

...and ours isn't crusty!

Have one in the kitchen and bathroom. They don't clog drip or get yucky. If we ever change the counter and vanity top in the second bathroom I will have one installed there also.

yes. my last one got gunked up all the time and was not particularly easy to fill (in fact it was downright complicated) but i'd still do it again. this time with a never MT.

I was given the same warning yet installed one anyway. LOVE IT! I've had it a year with no crudy stuff, etc. Very easy to refill. Much more attractive than a bottle sitting on the sink. Can't believe I ever doubted getting one.

I'll take the opposition. I didn't have a soap dispenser. I didn't want a ton of stuff on my sink. I didn't want to be under the sink refilling anything.

I have a faucet that has a lot of contrast with the sink and counter and an airswitch that's the same color and a very low profile.

I keep my detergent in an interesting glass bottle Martha Stewart style with a pour spout in it. I actually keep that in the sink. When I'm done doing dishes I give it a wipe with the dish brush and a rinse so it never gets groddy. Meanwhile, my sink is sleek and uncluttered.

I love mine, and would never go back to a bottle of soap on the counter. I'll get another one when I do the bathroom.

another vote for the Lowe's 19.99 model....and you fill it from the top, so it is easy, even without an never MT.

I vote yes on the soap dispenser too. I hate the ugly bottles and I hate having to funnel the soap into a pretty bottle as well, it's just a hassle. I like just reaching over, and pumping the soap, especially when I have raw meat on my hands, I can just push it with my wrist, keeping the bacteria off my bottle and the next person's hand.

"He thinks that it'll get cruddy and have to be replaced often."

I don't get this argument. It might eventually corrode, maybe 10-20 years down the line, and then it will take all of 5 minutes and $20 to replace. They aren't welded in--it's a simple plastic screw mechanism holding it in place. In the meantime, it looks a thousand times better and is easier to deal with than a junky dispenser on the counter. They're a cinch to re-fill even w/o a neverMT--you just lift the top out and pour new soap in. Our last house had one, and I really miss it in this new apartment. In the house we will be building, we'll have soap dispensers in the bathrooms as well as the kitchen.

Had one in my last house and loved it. The dispenser came with the house and there was absolutely no gunk issue.

Sadly Hubby vetoed the dispenser for this house :(.

Not for me: I like to be able to put the soap where I want it, not just have it on the very edge of the sink, where I have to manuver the sprayer around to get it sudsing.

And since I didn't use it often, it got gummed up, and I used it even less.

Just one more thing to try to keep the hard water from crusting up 'round the base. Of. For me, easier to keep things tidy without it.

New house, I hope to have a narrow, tall drawer right beside the sink so I can have soap handy without bending over...

Love mine!

Aside from the aesthetic issue of a small, discreet, sleek dispenser that matches my faucet- it is much easier to regulate how much soap gets dispensed versus my ugly yellow gungy Sunlight bottle.

Mine was $14 from HD, fills conveniently from the top, and is one of my favorite things about my new kitchen!

LOVE mine. It's a Moen, matches my faucet and fills from the top as well. No climbing under the sink, no crusties, no bottle on the counter. I used to use a pretty glass bottle with a pour spout but the problem with something like that is that you have to pick it up to pour it. If you have raw meat juice on your hands then you have to go back and clean the soap bottle, too. But I just tap the soap dispenser with the back of one hand or wrist, which is hard to do with a stand alone pump bottle, too, without knocking it over. Mine was a ridiculous $80 (ORB) but I'd buy it again even if it was $200!

Good luck convincing the DH!! Print this out and show it to him if you have to!

Robin

LOVE, LOVE, LOOOOVE having one! Hated that stupid soap bottle on the counter--always falling over on the counter or falling into the sink (esp when the sink was filled with greasy stuff), and it was a PITA to use when it neared the bottom and had to left lying down or upside down to get the soap out.

Did I mention that I love mine? :-)

I'm another negative vote. I've had them in three homes, two of which were new construction, and they all disappointed me. Just another item that gets crusted with mineral deposits and has to be scrubbed with a toothbrush. Since I have my new dishwasher and I don't have to prerinse any dishes, I barely use liquid dish soap. I don't use it on my cast iron pans or wok either, so I really only have to get it out from under the sink for the occasional hand wash item.

I like having the soap dispenser in one place, and one place only. I hate having to chase the stupid thing around the countertop (and DH never sets is down in the sam p lace twice).

I will say, however, that I think a free-standing one would be easier to keep clean.

I got the Kohler, which has a slightly longish spout, so it does stick out beyond the sink edge, but only slightly. I wish i could have mounted it even 1/4" closer to the sink.

I have no problem w/ having a freestanding bottle under the sink, for those incredibly few times I squirt soap into a pan or something. Bcs most of the time, I can fit the pan, or whatever, under the spout.

And I almost always simply squirt soap onto the sponge, one-handed, which I can't do w/ a freestanding soap dispenser; they tip over to easily.

As for having to change the soap, get the NeverMT (never empty, get it?) tubing kit, and hook the dispenser up to the jumbo-size soap bottle.

Here is a link that might be useful: the obligatory Never-MT link

I vote no too. I've had two and they both broke. I use a clear pump bottle to keep my soap in and I use clear soap. You hardly notice it.

I was planning on posting this same question this morning!
I wanted to get the Lowes $19.99 one but the venetian bronze doesn't exactly match my Delta faucet. The Delta is $60. So now I have to decide is it really worth it.

I was told every few refills, run some really hot water through it. Fill it up then pump all the water out. That should clear some of the muck build up...We are putting two in our new kitchen, so I hope this works!!!

Hahahahah! I am laughing at myself! It that dispenser that we got with our faucet suppose to be for "Dishsoap"? I have hand soap in it! We have a dishwasher so I hardly ever wash dishes by hand...Do I need to come in off the farm????

I use freestanding "lotion" dispensers for dishwashing liquid (which I also use as hand soap). I've got two different models and both operate with one hand and don't tip over. They can be moved where needed. And, important for us because the KD made the sink cabinets rather small, they don't take up space under the sinks.

Sandra, I think they make better sense for handsoap, since you can put your hand right there where it comes out. Wouldn't mind having one in the bath, especially if they dispense foaming soap.

But I never want the dishsoap up against the side that way.

I think they are for handsoap, too.

Installed one for dish soap and love it. It doesn't dispense right into the sink so I just squirt it into one of the dirty dishes and set the dish in the sink.

Originally we had an RO unit and decided we didn't like it. We removed it and put in another dispenser for hand soap. LOVE having that! Neither ever gets gunky.

The only drawback is running over when filling -- new house will have an MT.

I installed one with dish soap in our main sink and one with hand soap in the prep sink, and this arrangement has worked out great so far. I figured that I can always use dish soap to wash my hands if I'm at that sink, but since dishes will never be washed at the prep sink, it makes sense to have just hand soap there. Mine (both Kohler) work great, and we put them on NeverMTs, too. As an added bonus, I think we use less dish soap. With the bottle, I just naturally squirt out more soap, but I have found that a little dab goes a long way. Plus, I LOVE not having the soap bottles on the counter.

Have a Kohler...very efficient, works great. A definite YES.

Thanks , I feel better now...I do like it though!

We installed dispensers at the main sink and prep sink almost 3 years ago. One brand of handsoap I like tends to congeal more than others I've tried, especially during winter. Most soaps are fine. The dispensers are easy to clean around and I feel as though the metal dispenser is easier to keep looking nice than the free standing plastic bottles (the white part wouldn't look so white after DH used it.) We use handsoap in both (with Never Mt's)--it definitely helps having the soap handy for encouraging more frequent handwashing. I don't mind keeping the dishsoap under the sink since I only use it once a day. There are some soaps that can be used for both dishes and hands--there was a recent thread.

I vote no. I wanted it for dish soap, but it just isn't as convenient as squirting soap into a pan or bowl. I ended up buying "designer" dishsoap from Stonewall Kitchen so it looks ok on the counter.

And I found I didn't like the dispenser for handsoap either. So it just sits there, unused. I will eventually replace it with a sidespray.

We have one for hand soap at both sinks, use them several times a day, and LOVE them. We had one in our remodel for 4 years to see if we'd like it.

We also got one for the laundry tub, which was an inspired choice--really comes in handy!

Anne

Love mine! One of the best things in my kitchen. 2 years later and no corrosion or gunk. Looks brand new. I occasionally wipe it with a miracle clothe. Easily fills at the top and I don't have to worry about the bottle on the counter. Sleek and barely noticeable and don't think it cost more than $25 at H.D. Expo. Love it! I find myself handwashing a bunch of stuff every day (knives, pans, weird utensils, etc.) so I use it all the time. And don't understand how some people don't have to handwash much - what am I doing wrong??

Thank you, thank you! We're still debating it, but as far as I'm concerned, we're getting a soap dispenser and he can gloat if he hates it. Honestly, we've been in this house for four years without a dishwasher (gasp!) and have been using dish washing liquid for both washing hands (and, yes, I do a lot of that) and for hand washing dishes/pans. I'm hoping we do a lot less of the dish washing part with the new DW, but I still want to have a soap dispenser for washing hands. So I WIN!

Again, thanks for the consultation -- pro and con. Really helpful.

T

One of the granite people we talked to said it was better for the granite to have a dispenser. Something about soap is a type of grease and grease breaking down the sealant or something. Anyway, I like the look, so we are getting one.