IMHO, all Delta faucets are decent if not excellent. Some at the Big Boxes might be made just for that chain, and could have more plastic or other downgrades. Cross check model numbers. I usually go Kohler but in my last kitchen reno, Delta had the look I wanted, and they have been stellar faucets.

Great advice about cross checking model numbers. Thanks. I wish these were for sale in stores as I love to feel something before I purchase it. But, here I go into the modern era of online shopping.

I have Delta, Kohler, and Moen faucets: all work great, no issues.

Define "quality ".

Above a certain price, most brand name faucets are going to perform as intended and last for decades - perhaps with some normal replacement parts.

Above this price point it's more about fashion, finish, how many units are produced, and how it's marketed.

Some people define quality to include things like design, how it feels in your hand, and exclusivity.

Even $150 Delta faucet will outlast the kitchen that it's put in.

DH makes the gaskets that go in most faucets. Yes there is a difference in the metal used in higher end faucets. Love what Jake said. As in most things the middle ground is usually the tipping point on quality vs price. But also ABSOLUTELY you can find the exact same thing at big box store for much less than a fancy showroom store. I just saw a black friday 'deal' concerning the price of a stand alone mixer. Now it's the STANDARD price I would pay at WalMart VS a mall store!! LOL

Either, and buy it f at Fergusons, Please. You can't see the difference......it's inside the faucet.

Good question about my definition of quality. For me it is about longevity - period. How long will it last with the fewest repairs possible. Should I be researching whether the guts are plastic? Other signs of quality to look for?

https://www.deltafaucet.com/kitchen/product/9182-CZ-PR-DST.html

This is the faucet we are leaning towards. Want it standard with no automatic touch bells and whistles. I welcome any thoughts on the longevity.

Any advantage to buying from a local plumbing parts supplier vs online?

Maybe you're lucky, Joe. My contractor won't guarantee and won't go back to fix : )

Lowes-Model #9182-CZ-PR-DST $396.24

Ferguson-Manufacturer Part #9182-CZ-PR-DST (secret price)

Delta-MODEL#: 9182-CZ-PR-DST List price $566.05

Amazon-9182-CZ-PR-DST $396.24

All the same model # and the same exact product. There's no luck involved, contractors just like the added markup when quoting list price. I guarantee I can get that exact faucet at my plumbing supply for about $400, charge you $480, and claim I saved you $86 off of list price...

Joe, I always heard BBS’s sometimes sold popularly styled faucets at a lesser price — and perhaps a bit less quality, i.e., more plastic or whatever, to make them more affordable — but that such a faucet would always have a different model number. May or may not be true? What I see nowadays on the mfg websites are faucets marked ”sold only at Lowes,” or ”a Home Depot exclusive,” almost like a marketing tool.

In 40 years of remodeling, I have never had a good experience at any Ferguson’s showroom and don’t deal with them. Maybe I’m on Ferguson’s naughty list. The last several years, I have been using Hajoka or other local plumbing supply houses. Hajoka is exceptional, but a small chain, somif the OP has one, def worth a visit. Still, 80% of material I buy comes from our local Lowes, and IF you know what you want, they give exceptional customer service, especially at the contractor’s desk.

The model number is the same so is the faucet big box or high end store.

Joseph's comment made me smile. Reminds me of no name food brands. They apparently don't change the tomato sauce before slapping the store brand label on the can.

@Kendrah, I'm shopping for bathroom fixtures and have the same question. I've been looking at warranties to help guide me. Delta's warranty is not that impressive, imo:

"All parts (other than electronic parts and batteries) and finishes of Delta® faucets purchased from authorized Delta sellers are warranted to the original consumer purchaser to be free from defects in material and workmanship for as long as the original consumer purchaser owns the home in which the faucet was first installed."

Why can't they guarantee the product for its life? Why is it limited to the original purchaser?

Plumbing showroom people have recommended Riobel to me. Their warranty is valid only if products are installed by a certified plumber. (The company was founded by a plumber.) ETA: Not recommending Riobel, just giving you a warranty example.)

About 5 years ago I told hubby to get me a single handle pull down faucet to replace the leaky one I had. I really liked the faucet he brought home. When we started our reno I mentioned keeping it and he said to me, "That thing? I bought it for about $50.00 at True Value." My sister took it and it is doing fine in her kitchen.

You never know what will last and what won't, no matter how much you pay.

There is market segmentation - with some overlap. So certain high-end faucets are not going to be available at Big Box. That's done intentionally. It's not uncommon that the "shopping experience" is part of the perceived value. That's why you can't buy a Lexus at your local Toyota dealer.

That doesn't translate into Big Box having lower quality faucets. Again, any brand name faucet over a certain price point is going to perform as intended for decades.

Plastic, nylon, silicone etc. in the right places inside faucets is a wonderful thing. Compare a modern cartridge faucet to a "solid brass insides" faucet with brass seats and stems... I'll take the modern cartridge anytime.

I'm with Joseph, if it's got the same model number - it's the same product. And at the price point the OP is talking, unless it's an exotic faucet (it isn't) it's going to outlast the kitchen.

Only most of the time..

The answer to this question is actually fairly complicated. However, if you have a company that manufactures lower quality and premium quality items odds are that lower quality will be a better value than the premium quality.

Any company manufacturing faucets on a large scale is going to use an activity based costing decision model. Faucets are assembled from several component parts, those parts have to be inventoried, ordered, received, stored, accessed during changeover (when a factory line switches from one production part to another), etc. All of those activities cost money. In reality the added costs of all of those activities often destroys the savings from using cheaper parts. So often if a more expensive part is required for a premium model it will also "flow down" to use in other models in order to save activity costs. This is a fairly widely recognized phenomenon.

However, complicating this is the fact that faucet manufacturers often use skim pricing and premium pricing. So it is entirely possible that the more expensive products are actually worse than the cheaper products and are only priced high to cater to customer misconceptions on price and quality.

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ETA: The same part number will be the same part. It is patently ridiculous to think that a publicly traded company's auditors would sign off on an inventory system that used the same part numbers for products that cost different amounts to manufacture.

Faucet reliability also depends on water conditions. A substantial increase in the water hardness in my area has caused calcium and magnesium deposits to cement the cartridges in place. $500 and $150 faucets that use the same cartridges have the same problems with cartridge replacement.

Another factor in faucet reliability is the manufacturer's tolerance for faulty faucets. If they accept that (say) 5 out of every 1000 new faucets will need replacement in the first five years, they can use a cheaper process control than if they accept 2 faulty faucets out of every 1000. Since many US homeowners move every few years, the "lifetime warranty" to the original owner will not often be used to claim free repair parts or a new faucet, hence the actual cost to the manufacturer of those few faulty faucets will be quite small. The manufacturer can limit their costs further with a policy of not paying labor costs to repair or replace the defective faucets.

Agree with comment above re water hardness. We had expensive ( for me anyway ) faucets installed in our master 15 years ago in our previous home, , they broke within a few years, replaced them with relatively inexpensive ones, They were still working & looking good after a dozen or so years when we sold that house last May.

I don't think we have hard water. However, the super in our building recommended we get a faucet with an aerator that can be removed and cleaned because they are constantly doing repairs to the 80 year old pipes in our building. When the water gets turned back on tons of debris gets flushed out and clogs the head. There are very few pulldown faucets these days that have removable aerators. Almost nobody has the Emmeline in their showroom. I think I will order it from Lowe's and if it is not to our liking will go to one to return it in person. (I'll check first to be sure I can do that.)

My favorite bathroom faucet ever...is a $99 Home Depot Grohe w/ Starlight chrome finish. Functional, easy to clean and has never given me any issues.

As someone that operates a remodeling business. It's annoying when homeowners want to supply a lot of their own materials like sinks, faucets and hardware. But they want the designer/contractor to make sure it fits and functions, check the specifications...... and install it and service it later down the road. Who's the first person they call if there's an issue with the product? I no longer will install what I don't supply. It's a package deal. It benefits me with a small markup (yes very small!) and it benefits the homeowner because they have one person to call and no finger pointing.

My plumber also sells fixtures and will warranty the labor as long as you buy the fixtures from him. It's a no brainer.

"The answer to this question is actually fairly complicated."

It's not complicated at all. Home Depot calls Delta on the phone and says "How much for 58 boxcar loads of Model XYZ?" They get a price the mom-n'-pops can't touch. You can buy finished and installed engineered stone countertops from a big box for what a local fabricator will pay the distributor for the slabs.

Back in my fabrication days, I had to call to get the special pricing on the Corian sheets because McDonald's had cut a deal with DuPont, Corian's manufacturer. Big guy gets better pricing on same item. Simple.

Back to Delta faucets -- I have Deltas in my kitchen and bathroom and find them reliable and quality products. I wouldn't hesitate at all to install a Delta.

Not so black and white, Joe. Maybe for faucets, sinks, hardware and miniscule things. But Big box stores pay more for cabinets than this 'mom and pop'.

Box stores don't really want to be in the kitchen remodeling business but they know they must. The liability with their inexperienced sales staff must be frightening. So they make deals with Kraftmaid and others. Kraftmaid must take back any error no questions asked...even FULL KITCHENS. KraftMaid must train all of their employees. They must supply free displays. The list goes on. For all this, box store pays a bit more than I do. I didn't believe it until KM faxed me an acknowledgment intended for a Lowes store nearby. What my rep had been telling me was true.

So what Joe said is true for in stock items....but not for special order things like cabinets.