before purchasing from either HD or Lowes find a local glass shop and have the measure and price a custom semi-frameless neo angle shower (I would recommend header only, thus semi-frameless). You may be pleasantly surprised at the price and I guarantee you will end up with a much better product than the crap they sell!

I had the same problem with my Hansgrohe polished nickle shower fittings. After forgetting to wipe the water dry after one use, the stubborn stains would not go away. I called the manufacturer several times and everytimes I had a different advise. First I tried blue original windex. Apprently Hansgrohe approves that product. it did not work. I also tried diluted vinegar, WD-40, as well as CLR (in diffent concentrations) none of them worked. I finally got a hold of Flitz multi purpose metal polish (in a tooth paste form) and it worked like a magic! Eventhough polished nickle was not one of the metals listed, but I decided to give it a try, since I was running out of options. Flitz is hard to find unless you buy it on line. I found mine in a kitchen and bath fixture shop. To prevent from happening the company recomands NuFinish (orange bottle only) . here is what hansgrohe sent me: To prolong the lifespan of your unit and keep it looking new we recommend the following care tips: 1. Regularly massage/rub the nodules on your hand shower/overhead shower/hand sprayer to keep water debris from accumulating on your water spouts. 2. Periodically soaking your unit in a 50/50 solution of warm water and CLR (Calcium, Lime, & Rust remover) for no longer than 10 minutes and then rinsing with fresh water. (this didnt work, But Flitz did) 3. Polish your unit with Flitz or NuFinish (only orange bottle). 4. Clean your unit with mild soap and water. Refrain from cleaning your products with any of the following: 1. Vinegar 2. Anything acidic (even organic products that have acidic ingredients) 3. Anything "no rinse"

I tried to return and spoke to the salesperson whom I purchased the Grohe from. Even though she gets a restocking fee, she strongly advised against it. She said that she has never had any complaints and Grohe is a very good brand. The plastic is not cheap plastic, but rather something called "resin" that is very durable. Many manufacturers used to use Grohe parts due to their durability and as long as the internal stuff is not plastic it shouldn't matter. That and after visiting another place, I have decided to keep Grohe. Its just that I was not expecting it to be plastic, especially since all my other fixtures are not plastic. Having said that, I will still not buy Grohe again unless it blows my mind :)

@kirkhall and @mabel: The deal is that the 'run of the mill plumber' who doesn't read, who throws away the installation instructions, who doesn't think about the thickness of the cement board and tile, will quite possibly screw up this installion. That's what I've gleaned from the other blog posts. Now a thoughtful plumber will install it correctly. But I have to back up to my original statement that you get what you pay for. 40 years ago - these valves were $100. Now they're $150. Something got to give. After a month, the porclain on the shower handles cracked. Both the bath sink and the shower handles come loose all the time. I added lock washers - still come loose, Price Fister has sent me multiple ceramic cartridges - normally these should never wear out. The Monen single hanldle sink - after a year need a new cartridge, then the faucet was hard to turn - new O rings - then the side spray didn't work - needed new diverter - the POS never worked correctly after the first year. The plumbing suppier doesn't give a rat's a** about your fauct, they want what's easy for them. Just the fact that they don't offer any Grohe products shows that they aren't serious. I'm not saying Grohe is the best, but IMO you are being steered to the low quality, crap product - cause that's what they want to sell.