We have both finishes in our kitchen. Our sink & faucet are brushed stainless and the drawer pulls, door knobs, ceiling lighting fxtures, pendant lighting and undercabinet lighting are brushed nickel. The difference is not noticable; if I didn't pick them out myself, I would not know they had different finishes. They all blend seamlessly.

I tried the Delta at a store over the weekend and didn't really like it. For some reason, it felt like I had to really line it up well for the magnet part to work and to be honest it seemed like an extra step. Maybe I'd get used to it over time but my initial impression was not as good as I had expected it to be. I ended up with a Moen that just snaps back into place every time, as buehl said, with just a little push. The Delta didn't smoothly go into place, it needed to be accurately lined up to have the magnet work at all. If it wasn't lined up it sort of 'caught' on the magnet lip and you have to straighten it out. It does have a magnet attached to both the head and the stem and it did seem a little heavier that normal. Just didn't seem as easy.

I apologize for not gettting back sooner, but I have a few health issues that sideline me totally sometimes. ntt hou - you answered that you have this combination, but you also mentioned that brushed nickel for the faucet and stainless/brushed stainless for the sink make a good combination. I agree with the latter comment, but I am uncertain about the polished nickel with stainless sink - is this what you have? rmkitchen - yes, I agree that it is easy to obsess about things, and I have definitely been doing this. But, since I started with this question, I am going to try to finish with it. My sink will be an undermount 1 and 3/4 size either Blanco, Franke or Mekal. The faucet would be the P&R in polished nickel. I am starting to think that since the sink will be um, then you really won't see the two different colours until you peer into the sink, so maybe it will work out afterall.

I am not sure why you can't have a polished nickel single-handle gooseneck faucet. There are a number of manufacturers who make them. Just off the top of my head, without researching, I can think of Rohl, Hansgrohe, Kohler (particularly the Kohler Vinnata), and my favorite, Newport Brass. But there are others. Just do a search on various websites like faucets.com or homeclick.com. Here's a link to the Newport Brass single-handle pull-down kitchen faucet #94P in polished nickel. I really like their products. Though pricey, it's high-quality, and their finishes are top-notch. Sometimes Newport Brass has a long lead time though, but not always. But there are several other manufacturers who make polished nickel faucets. BTW, since you said you're not sure the difference bet. a pull-out and a pull-down, they are as follows: it's pretty much explained by their names. A pull-down faucet points straight down; many people feel they are more ergonomic to use. Some gooseneck pull-downs are very tall; you need to make sure you have the height clearance for them. I myself have a pull-out (the Grohe Ladylux Plus) which, well, pulls out instead of down. I don't find my pull-out to be un-ergonomic at all, and I like that it reaches across more towards the middle in my sink, rather than pointing down and closer to the edge. But that's just my taste. There are fans in both camps. HTH. Here is a link that might be useful: Newport Brass Kitchen Faucet #94P