What makes a Vince cashmere sweater more than one at TJMAXX? : ) Styling, finish quality or features, or even just a luxury name. They ALL pill.

Brizo is a very nice faucet, I have not had issues with Delta. Moen is great, has overnight parts . Pretty much they are all very decent as long as you stay far away from plastic connections at a big box and remain inside the very reputable bath supply stores. I don't order faucets online. EVER.

Your faucet selection was UK made, and just like a Mini Cooper vs a Toyota............more $$$. NO faucet is problem free forever. Cartridge replacement over time is common, so handiness of parts is nice. Always buy an extra cartridge to store when you buy the faucet.

Stay away from made up Americanized or Germanicized made up names that try to disguise cheepchinesecrapola. Read everything you need to know about faucets on Starcraft Builders review site. http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets2.htm#.Whlz2ZNMHYU

I tell all my clients that the main thing in purchasing a faucet is to buy it from a reputable plumbing supply store- locally, and to never, ever purchase from one of the big box stores. The faucets in the big box stores not only have different and cheaper inside parts, but even the metal finish is not the same. I personally have never purchased a Rohl faucet, so I cannot speak directly to that specific faucet, but it is lovely.

Rohl makes a beautiful product. Generally, the quality of their brass and finishes is better, hence the higher price. But my advice is to make sure whatever you buy has a ceramic valve that won't degrade as quickly over time. Sometimes, big box stores will take the body of a higher priced faucet and replace the ceramic valve with a plastic one to keep the price lower. So it may look the same, but it often doesn't have the same performance. And if you're getting a pull-down, make sure the retraction mechanism will snap into place. Agree, too, you should buy from a reputable plumbing supplier. If there's a product defect or some other problem, they can work with the manufacturer to troubleshoot.

Sherry_7bAL.....Actually, faucets that I purchased through the plumbing supply place cost me LESS than when purchased online or any other place, so that part of the blog was not accurate. I think rather than believing what is written on someone’s blog on the internet (who’s not even a plumber BTW, but a home inspector), all one has to do is LOOK at the inside of the faucet and compare to see the difference..... seeing is believing. Plastic is plastic, and brass is brass and there is a big difference between the two. Plumbers who do this every single day for a living know the difference between a quality piece of plumbing and a mediocre fixture.

Don't confuse spending a lot of money with a guarantee that the faucet is higher quality. If you are in a moderate price range and dealing with an established name brand, you have as good a chance at quality as going for an exotic sounding name that carries a premium price. To me, buying plumbing fixtures is often like buying wine: at the high end you may be paying more for cachet than for a demonstrable improvement in quality.

By all means, inspect the faucet if you can to determine the quality of the internal working parts. However, my main criteria in buying faucets are: Has the manufacturer been around a long time? Do they have a good customer support reputation? Are their products readily available in the U.S.? Will they be able to provide spare parts for my faucet when it starts to leak in 10 years?

I'm with Kudzu on this. By any reasonable measure, most of these higher-end faucets are seriously overpriced. I have joked that faucets shouldn't cost more than a dishwasher - especially if the faucets don't wash the dishes.

I know that better faucets from big box stores will likely last a long time. And when they do leak, the parts are replaceable. What's more, most of these faucets will outlast the style of the kitchen they are in.

The debate about faucets in Big Box Store has been going on for ages. I've yet to see anything that shows that faucets made for these stores are less than the same model elsewhere. Faucet makers have lines of faucets - they aren't going to dilute their brand reputation by selling the same line with inferior construction at a big box.

All that said, you should expect the best design, finish and options with high-end fixtures. Likewise you will get a showroom, rather than a big box store retail experience with the high-end faucets. But I think you will be hard pressed to find much meaningful quality difference between mid-line and high-end faucets.

Sara-

Do a little more looking before you conclude that you have to spend a thousand dollars for a quality faucet. Here, for example, is a top-rated Kohler, that is half the price, is the same style as the Rohl, and gets outstanding reviews: Artifacts Collection Faucet

kudzu9....this is funny. The Kohler Artifacts faucet is the one that my plumber said was a pain to install and had plastic interior parts. Mine was a bathroom faucet though, and not the Kitchen pull down one that you linked to on build.com, but my guess would be that the innards would be the same quality. Interestingly, the Rohl bathroom faucet that I installed in one bathroom was $245 LESS than the Kohler Artifacts in my other bathroom....go figure. IMO, the Kohler artifacts faucet is much prettier though (faucet with blue sink in pic below) than the Rohl, but according to my plumber, the Rohl was better quality....and for less $.

Ok, so to be clear: Once you are above the bottom tier of faucets and into the mid-level and above, the price of a faucet isn't closely correlated to how long it will last, the parts inside, etc. The price is entirely tied to "perceived value".

Perceived value is a mix of design, exclusivity, finish, feel (weight), the purchasing experience, etc. Faucet manufacturers understand that there is little practical difference that differentiates their products above a certain level and so they have created a premium tier that is marketed differently.

As for plastic vs brass, we put a ton of plastic plumbing in our homes. Plastic in the right places is great for plumbing. From PEX pipes to PVC drains, to nylon to noryl valve bodies to fiberglass tanks (ok, not technically plastic). I don't want chrome plated plastic spouts and such on my faucets, but seriously folks enough of the nonsense about plastic parts. BTW: Brass isn't made with gold... a few more brass parts may add $20 to the cost of producing the faucet.

Again, looking at relative value, it's hard to justify spending $800 or more for a kitchen faucet when the same amount of money will buy a very nice dishwasher that is all stainless steel, has a motor, a microprocessor, solenoid valves and will actually wash the dishes!

If you see high-end faucets you like and you like how they look and feel, and you have the money, then by all means go ahead. You are buying perceived value... but I think most of the other stuff is just nonsense.

nidnay-

Thanks for sharing. Maybe I should be a plumber: I installed one like that last year and it was a breeze...10-15 minutes. As for the internals, all I know is that the Kohler has ceramic disc valves and a lifetime warranty. But I wasn't dissing Rohl. I was just saying that it's not that hard to find good faucets that don't require a home equity loan ;-)

nidnay The right plastic in the right places is great. I'm not going to argue about your hose connectors. Inside my brass bodied ball valves are nylon seats -- and praise the Lord I don't have to deal with all brass gate valves that get pitted and leak or lock up anymore!

Look, I like a quality piece of hardware as much as anyone else. But I stand by what I said about price becoming disconnected from meaningful quality and it becoming about perceived value once you move above midrange faucets. Are they a little heavier and such - sure... but not $500 worth.

All of us will spend money on things that have perceived value. These things might be a car, a watch, designer jeans, an expensive handbag or shoes, etc. But just like the $500 sneakers aren't THAT much better than what I buy for $60 - the $1200 Rhol kitchen faucet is nice... but I can buy some nice kitchen appliances for a little more.

Hi Sara,

Are we saying a $200 faucet at Lowe's is the same quality as the $1,000 Rhol... probably not.

I am saying that a mid-range faucet at Lowe's isn't junk and will last a long time and when it does need parts you will be able to get them.

Hi Sara,

"Just FYI, I don't even know how much a dishwasher costs." $600-800 buys a pretty nice KitchenAid dishwasher with SS tub.

Sara was asking about certain delta faucets that are sold EXCLUSIVELY at Lowes (as opposed to being available at any other store). Sara, you might want to see if the “same” faucet (visually speaking) is sold at a plumbing supply place, get the model numbers, and call Delta to find out what makes them different.

Even box store faucets that have “the same model name” can have a different model number. With cheaper innards. They usually include a soap dispenser in the package or some other “bonus element”. Then they renumber that lower specified model with a different number. Both can be called “Superstar”, but the “bundled deal” model will have nylon stems rather than brass.

Watch the numbers. Not the names. The same exact numbers will be the same. If it’s off by a digit, it won’t be the same model, even if it has the same name.

Sophie Wheeler I agree that often Big Box Stores will have a different model number which may include different accessories, instructions (more DIY), packaging etc. It gives the store an "exclusive" so it's not the exact same stuff between stores.

The part that I don't believe is that the same line of faucets will have different parts.

The reason is that it's not worth it to Delta or Moen, for example, to dilute their brand by selling inferior products with the same name. It's also very expensive to engineer and manufacture the same faucet with different parts.

If I purchased a Delta, XYZ faucet at Big Box and it was junk, do you think I would buy it again at a plumbing supply store and pay more for it?

Do you remember when Cadillac sold the Cimarron? It just about destroyed the car maker.

Well, I have seen with my own eyes the flexibility in a Delta’s widespread’s handles that was induced by having nylon stems. Replaced with brass on the spot, and the wiggle was solved. Different Delta number for brass and for nylon. The “same” part.

Not saying that nylon has a lesser lifetime. Both have the same warranty. But it does have other issues that can lead to other problems.

There is no perfect. Pick your poison. And be sure that your insurance covers water damage without buying a rider. That’s a sneaky little insurance exception that made its way into some policies after too many hurricane water damage claims. Even if, like me, you weren’t anywhere near a hurricane zone.

It is DEFINITELY worth it for them to "dilute" a brand for precisely the reason you stated. Nobody believes they will. Hence .big box, versus Real Plumbing Supply. ...local

There is no Grohe at Lowes or Home Depot : ) ?? Yes there is. No it is not the same. Inside.

I'm not that cynical. Besides, you can order a lot of items and brands at the big box stores that aren't on their shelves.

Hey Sara,

If you are on a budget, you will be fine will a mid-range from the big box store.
If money isn't a big issue, then get the one that feels and looks good.

I think the industry has gone nuts, myself. But sometimes we have to work with the choices we have.

I refuse to spend mega £££s on a bloody tap !

snaggy-

I'm pretty much with you in that I often find excellent quality in the mid-range and don't know that I am getting any more value by spending 2-3 times as much. On the other hand, I will pay a premium occasionally for a unique style that appeals to me...but I also admit to myself what I am doing.

I splurged on our kitchen faucet that will get daily and hard use. Plus I fell in love with the style. Also spent a bit more on our master bathroom fixtures. But for the guest bath and powder room that will rarely get used. I opted for the big box mid-range fixtures. Did the same in our old house and after 11 years, all fixtures were still operating perfectly.

I like your practical approach, and there's nothing wrong with splurging. The intent of my prior posts in this thread has only been to opine that spending $1000 on a faucet won't get you three times the performance or longevity of a quality faucet that costs several hundred. To me it's like wine: the $50 bottle may be great, but I'm not sure I get anything more out of it than I do from a decent $10 bottle. The expensive bottle scored 92? And my inexpensive bottle scored 89? I'm ok with that... ;-)

We used Rohl’s Perrin & Rowe lineup in our bathroom reno and couldn’t be happier. Exposed thermostatic shower system, sink faucet and tub filler for claw foot tub and a whole host of accessories. The quality is tangible. We had a minor issue with the diverter valve in the shower (it worked, but it didn’t feel smooth) which Vintage Tub & Bath replaced, no questions asked. Fortunately it was an easy fix on the exposed shower (a few unions). And Rohl’s polished nickel finish is exquisite

Now were doing our kitchen and another bathroom and we keep going back to Rohl. We’ve found few options which tickle our fancy and the ones we have, (Lefroy Brooks, Graff, etc.) we’re unsure of the quality.

Being a car guy, I like car analogies: A Lexus LS460 is in the same class and possesses most of the same features as a Mercedes S550, BMW 7-Series or Audi A8, and may even give you less problems than the German marques, but a Lexus will never have that same “carved from billet” feel.

When purchasing faucets, look for NSF 61 9 on top of Faucet Copper Pipe. It is an indication that the faucet passed a test method to test precipitation of many heavy metals such as lead.

Hi Sara, I came across your post because I wanted to justify purchasing a Rohl faucet. I also like the same model. It's been 2 years since your post. How are you enjoying your Rohl faucet? Is it still working great? Thanks.