cat mom- while this is true of the borgs in general - Kohler doesn't really participate in the value engineering that pervades say HD's door hardware and lock offerings. A Kohler K-16230-4 Margaux faucet is the same whether you get it from Ferguson, the local plumbing supply or Home Depot. Now, if you see an item that looks similar or exactly the same yet has a different product # then you can bet the farm the quality has been driven out of it by the suits at the borg. The really crappy thing is that the depot's price on these items isn't really that much less than the quality item elsewhere. Do a value analysis and you'll usually discover that the depot is raping you in the long run. Sometimes they have the name changed slightly. Baldwin has a setup like this for the borgs: first is the "special" site for the borgs, looks great till you open up one of these offshore beauties and find pot metal crap. second site is the real deal Baldwin that's made quality kit for 60 years. http://www.baldwinhardware.com/ Very hard for the casual observer to tell the difference. Here is a link that might be useful: baldwins fake site

We were going to use the Godmorgen/Braviken combo and had this same dilemma. We decided to use non-Ikea faucets and just not use the drain up/down thingie on the faucets. I was actually looking for some faucets with the least obtrusive up/down lever for that reason. We decided to go custom in the end, so I can't tell you how it would have been in real life, sorry. About the scratches, I'd call Ikea and ask them. or have you tried asking these Qs on the Ikeafans.com forum?? The Braviken sink is pretty new to the US so probably not many people have experience with them. Good luck- it's a sexy sink! Which color cabinet did you choose?

Tap rather briskly on alternate sides of the handle with a screwdriver handle or hammer. There is also a tool for pulling handles. When you have the handles removed, since you have the water off already, unscrew and remove the escutcheons, open both faucets. You will see two nuts. The first is thin and is the packing nut which threads into a second larger stem nut which can be removed with a crescent wrench, if you have enough distance from the wall, as not to damage the wall. There are also a set of wrenches designed for this removal as well. With the stem assembly removed, inspect the washer at the end of the stem, then insert your index finger into the faucet body and feel the seat for nicks, missing pieces or irregularities and if any are found you'll need to remove and replace the seat. There is also a tool for that, in several configurations, including "easy-outs". When you have found the failures and affected the repairs, use faucet lube on the threaded parts, other than the seat, during the reassembly.

I don't think you'll find any accurate opinion as they are so new (less than a year). I do know that all American Standard faucets have a lifetime warranty. They have a video on their site about that faucet. Pretty cool! links below... Here is a link that might be useful: Pekoe Faucets Video