I just made my choice of faucets. I am going to go with the Grohe pull down for 2 reasons: Pull down vs pull out: since I purchased this house recently, the pull-out faucet has constantly loosened and water has been leaking all over the sink under-cabinet! But as I had planned on doing a complete remodel (watch out cabinets, took me 2 hrs with a good hammer and built-in frustration to gut everything out!) On top of that, the pull-out ball front of the faucet kept hitting my tall pans and frustrating me even more! And forget trying to clean the sink all the way around! So a pull-down was an easy decision (got to be a nice improvement to the old pull-out!) 2. I chose Grohe after reading the hundreds of blogs on this incredible website and because Grohe is a german company who has been making incredibly strong and dependable faucets for so long! Check out their groheamerica website (http://www.groheamerica.com/t/25_4021.html) one of these days, you will be impressed with the number of medals they have won! Now I have to decide which Grohe: Ladylux or Bridgeford. Irawoods.com has them starting at $312 with free shipping and taxes and I know I am going to find it even cheaper on other internet sites.

Here are some pros/cons. I'm sure others will have things to add as well: Pull Down A faucet in which the faucet head pulls straight down toward the bottom of the sink. For example, Kohler Vinnata, Kohler Simplice Pros Supposed to be better "ergonomically." The movement of grabbing the faucet head and pulling down is a more natural movement than grabbing it and pulling it out. It has to do with how you have to grab a hold of the head. Can fit taller pots, pitchers, etc. under them b/c of the high arc Look cool! :-) Cons Not easy to do "hands free" pot filling when a pot is on the counter next to the sink (as opposed to in the sink) If not careful, more splashing than a pullout or non-pull faucet the water has to travel an additional 8 to 10 inches (depending on the height of the faucet) further reduces the pressure Pull Out A faucet in which the faucet head pulls out toward you. For example, Kohler Fairfax Pros Easier to fill pots on the counter next to the sink. You just pull the faucet head out, hook it on the side of the pot, and go! Then when full, just move/slide it over, no lifting it out of the sink. Less splashing than a pull down Lower profile, especially useful if you have a faucet in a small area (where a high arc would overwhelm) or if you have limited height to work with (like under a cabinet) Cons Unless you have a very deep sink, cannot fit a tall pot or pitcher under it Personally, I have both...a pull down at the main/cleanup sink and a pullout at the prep sink. The original reason I got a pullout at the prep sink is that it's in the corner close to the cabinets above and I wanted a lower profile faucet. But now I'm glad I got it as it's easier to fill pots on the side. The other thing it's easier to fill is the bucket for clean water for the fish tank! When it has 5 gallons in it, it's too heavy to easily lift out of the deep sinks we have and then take it out...it's much easier to fill it on the counter and take it off w/o additional lifting up. Pull Down: Kohler Vinnata Pullout: Kohler Fairfax

Love my Brizo Floriano. BUT, one thing I didn't think of but would not change my mind anyway, is that there does tend to be more finger prints because you are always handling the spray head. The floriano is a little too easily swung from one side to another, and I have hit it a couple of times and sent it flying to pour water on my countertop. Do leave it running full force when not using it in case you hit it. Love having a built in soap dispenser with neverMT but the Floriano one is a little too loose in its base and doesn't pump as much soap as I would like in one pump. VERY easy to use and handle, single hole makes it easy to clean around, spray head is metal on the outside not plastic, but light weight, and the spray button is hard plastic rather than rubber and lets you keep the nozzle on spray without holding it the entire time. Got a great deal on it from faucetdepot.com, less than 300.00 for the full size chrome faucet WITH the soap dispenser. Overall, I like it very much. Sue

People seem to want to pay up to $399 but resist going to a higher price. OTOH, you use a kitchen faucet 10 to 20 thousand times in decade. (my estimation of number). A kitchen faucet is the one thing that doesn't fit into the decor by hiding along with the other lines and trim. It stands out. It doesn't blend in. It's round tubing, bent into a praying humanlike shape. I think it is worth it to spend more. " Does anyone have them, do you like them and how have they held up? " " I was leaning toward the Grohe ... I think this style has an on off button for the spray ..." Call or email Grohe about getting a model with a spray button that stays on spray once you press it. Call or email Delta about getting a model with a spray button that stays on spray once you press it. Some of the spray "wands" have a button you press once, others have a need-to-hold-down button. A spray button that stays on spray once you press it is a feature that I would like to have, and I would want to know about it on the main page describing the faucet. But, all too often, this is detailed feature information that the marketing people everywhere don't highlight on any web site of any faucet maker. I've heard them say to me that they prefer to hold back on this information so that the customer has to ask; it helps the showroom salesperson add value and play a more meaningful role. Hmm this might have been true back in the day when glossy brochures were the only text information available. The world has changed since then: participant discussion forums are now the key to getting informed. Terms vary. One fancy faucet maker has a term "mousseur" for a certain kind of wand, and they don't apply that term consistently across the line (!). Grohe is consistently high quality, and Grohe supports you if a problem happens. Delta is consistently medium quality, and Delta supports you if a problem happens. I may be too generous towards Delta. But, millions have them. Grohe is well known worldwide. Asia is where all the parts are made. There is no point trying to "manufacture" faucets inside the boundaries of any country, although it is possible to do some of the assembly (and call it made here). In Australia faucets often cost less, because it is too easy for any hardware store buyer to get on a plane and go negotiate face to facem and bring back a small batch (smaller than e.g. 5000 units). We are too far away, and nobody seems interested to place orders to bring small batches halfway around the world after using photos or video conferencing as their only way to see what they are talking about. -- Chrome can be very good looking when a high end manufacturer makes it. Chrome in medium quality faucet (the kind you can see in a hardware store) can be less than attractive. Stainless steel plate finishes can vary in hue from one maker to another. There is a range, from industrial gray to attractive light nickel to beautiful. If quality and looks are both important to you, broaden your search to compare KWC faucets. See them in person. Livello is available in 100% solid stainless steel; Ava in plated. A beautiful bent praying shape can be had in the Eve and Sin models, with a small pulldown wand that hides in plain sight, being housed inside the tubing. Of the four Sin models, I got the one with a Highflex memory hose that springs back to reset itself. Its wand has a press-once button to switch to spray. This is good for my Silgranite sink because it's much easier to rinse Silgranite sink walls down with a broad spray than with a narrow jet.