I am looking into buying new fittings for the bathroom. I like two lines, one by Lefroy Brooks and the other by Waterworks. They are similarly priced. Do any of you have anything to say about those? Any comments on quality? They are more expensive than many other brands. Do you think the difference in cost has to do with quality? Any comments are welcomed.

"do you think that something *has to be* high-end in order for you to derive the type of ongoing pleasure you've described?" Nope :) My copper sinks from mexico are gorgeous and cost so little in comparison to their silly faucets :oP What I derive ongoing pleasure from is the entire design astetic, not one piece or another due to the "high-endness" of that particular item. Honestly though...one place I do really derive pleasure from is my powderroom onyx sink..which run around a grand here in town. I paid $170. It's a GORGEOUS sink :) And I love it, and I'd love it for full price as well...it's onyx so who wouldn't...but I get a huge amount of pleasure looking at it, and knowing I saved a ton of money purchasing it as well :) "and, along those lines, how much of the pleasure do you think comes from the knowledge that the item in question was really expensive vs. coming just from it's beauty/functionality?" So there ya go...my onyx sink is beautiful and functional...and it was inexpensive, and I love that I was able to acheive all of that for a bargain. I don't spend money just for the sake of spending money. I actually get a kick out of not paying retail...which is a big joke with the mister. He is amazed I'll drive out of my way on vacation to hit the outlet malls when I could just order something on line. I wasn't raised with the ability to purchase full price everything...and my frugal grandad's teachings still come into play, just in a different way. "please don't read negativity into my comments. i'm not trying to assume any sort of moral high ground, as i am just as likely to purchase high-quality things and then derive daily pleasure from using/looking at them." I don't think you are entirely "negative" but I do think you enjoy a good debate and might be being contrary on purpose to stir one up. But I love a good debate as well so that's ok with me ;oP You picked on my Lacanche...so let's go for it: I also looked at a Molteni...actually I looked at a Molteni first since that was our prefered range. Why? Performance was a major factor after researching professional/professional style ranges. Every one who's anyone around here has a viking (because that's the one the high end store sells here). YUCK Vikings are crap, not cheap crap, but their reputation was enough for us to look elsewhere. We talked to a couple of chefs, and a Molteni was their dream range, so we took a look at it. So what's so special about a Molteni? They're built like a tank (so it's an earthquake shelter heh heh KIDDING) but they do last a hundred years, and that's not a bad thing when you're popping down major dough on a range. Secondly there's burner production and oven production, both are great with a Molteni, La Cornue or Lacanche. So since we're into buying just for the sake of buying, why didn't we go with the La Cornue or Molteni? Oven configuration, door swing, and cooktop configuration played major factors in our decision making. The retailer in Portland also did so we headed down to look at the Lacanche and it met the needs (door swing, oven configuration, and cooktop configuration). And it's a nice treat that it was quite a bit less than the other two, more in lines with the price of a Wolf or Viking. Wolf also met our needs, but the style wasn't what we wanted, and Lacanche offered more options at the same price point. Can I bake a pie in either...of course I can. Is the pie better in the Lacanche/Molteni/La Corneau? Yes it most likely is. The smaller oven configuration and tight cooking spaces help seal in the flavors better. Is it a subtle difference? Sure but it's there. It's there more so when it comes to a steak, because we can get the burners hot enough to sear in the juices quickly, which you can't do well on a standard electric range. And it really matters with the wok, which a regular range can't heat hot enough to really cook well in. You get a crisper product with more heat and less cooking time when using a wok, and that's important in the quality of the food. You can easily tell which was cooked over the right heat. We use our oven to it's fullest potential. We like the european style of smaller ovens, and we love the cook top. We can cook better than granny did on her old GE :) Now when you make a cup of tea? Who's to know which cooktop heated the water? I don't know if the taste is better...but my cup will be hot and steeped and I'll be sitting on the couch enjoying it while you're still heating up your water :oP

@fatcatz, I don't know if you like Traditional style, but I am about to buy Moen's Weymouth Single Handle Pull Down Spray faucet in polished nickel. I've been researching for a few days and came across an article from Starcraft Builders saying Moen's Polished Chrome, Polished Nickel, Polished Brass, Brushed Gold, Brushed Nickel, and Classic Stainless finishes are PVD. The remaining finishes are either Powder Coat or Electroplate. It's a great article, really goes in depth on the PVD process. Echoed your point about not always being the metal used in the PVD process. That being said, in reading the section on Electroplating, taken from the article: "Undercoats of copper, zinc, or nickel usually precede the final decorative coating. The undercoats have two purposes. Some metals, chrome being one, do not adhere very well to naked brass. One or more nickel undercoats are usually used before the chrome is applied so the finish does not flake or peel. If finishing a zinc component, undercoats of copper then nickel are commonly used. The copper sticks well to zinc, nickel adheres tightly to copper, and chrome bonds securely to nickel. Undercoats also help smooth out any small imperfections in the faucet material. It is not uncommon for faucets to be electroplated with nickel and chrome and then highly polished before a final PVD coating is applied. This process eliminates any potential flaws in the surface so they don't show up in the final PVD finish." Link to the article follows, below. Very high marks for customer service, Starcraft actually ranks Moen's customer service #1 in North America. http://www.starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets.Moen.htm

Thanks for that last link, raenjapan. I've been looking for the same thing for over a year! I had pretty much given up due to the price, but $13 I might swing. I tried the Allen and Roth Pearl, which is pretty, but was not good with my countertop. Like you, I am really drawn to a varigated grey green pop of color. I like the Leaf Peeper. What a name, huh? Looks a little yellow, but it is so hard to tell looking online. I am liking green river and moonshadow too. What other color samples were you going to order?