Do you actually drink your bathwater? That would be the only scenario where lead contamination would be an issue. You could have a solid lead bathtub and bathe in it for 80 years and still be fine healthwise. The other issue is that copper is a living finish and won't always look magazine shot worthy if actually used. Some shampoos and conditioners will take off it's patina, leaving shiny spots. Some bath products will make darker spots. If you use if often, you can expect it to have a tell tale water height ring around it, even with good quality water. With any non neutral water, such as the acidic water of the East or the alkaline water of the West, that water height mark will be of varying visibility. Clearcoating it is only a temporary solution that eventually flakes off and looks worse than if it were not clearcoated at all from the beginning.

The Purist line is very pretty indeed! I understand your dilemma, but surely you have more than just the one other choice (the AS faucet)? I've never had a hand shower till two years ago when we remodeled. I have a Bain Ultra tub and a Jado faucet set with handheld. OMGosh! How did I live this long without a handheld :) It's great for ALL the reasons above but it also comes in handy as theapy for sore shoulders or upper back (where my air tub doesn't reach). I'm still finding new uses for it. I promise, you won't be disappointed or feel like you made a wrong decision :) Monica

We are in the finishing stages of new construction. The space was originally planned for a 3x5 shower. I realized well after the walls were poured ...it"s a concrete house" I really wanted a soaking tub and whirpool. We found a Greek Tub made by Kohler that fits in the space. The tub is deep and I am 5'4" and can stretch out my legs. It also is our shower as room for anything else wasn't possible. It is really attractive and the best part is you can get your neck and shoulders submerged.It has an independent heater which assists in keeping the water warm after filled. I think the model number is K 1492. It was about $ 3200 at the Expo Design Center in Ft Lauderdale. Hope this helps

I bought the Samsung 328 two weeks ago, after my old Frigidaire FL constantly leaked after 8 years. I debated between the Miele 1203 and the Samsung. I come from Europe and I am used to small, efficient front loaders (that need a Phd to operate!). I decided on the Samsung because a local repair man told us that it was the brand they have the least problems/repairs with. I paid normal retail at Best Buy online($1200), it seems I never get the good deals :-( but I was very satisfied with purchase/delivery. The deciding factors were, that the Miele was almost twice the price and the warranty was only a year, and all the posts about the non issue of vibrations of the Samsung. And I can attest it is not an issue with this machine. We installed it ourselves on the second floor. The machine washes well enough for me. I have 4 soccer players in the family and it gets the dirt out. I wished the drum was a little smaller. I sort the laundry and wash a couple times a week and usually it is only half full. And a temperature chart relating to wash temperature would have been nice, too. Cold, warm and hot is just not very accurate. I don't know what difference the silvercare makes, but we have 3 air-o-swiss humidifier that use the Ag+, too. There it works wonders. I never have to clean them, no bacteria and other slimy stuff like in our old humidifiers. Now, if my Samsung washing machine lasts 10 years without any incident I am one happy customer. Another thing, the 328 doesn't have the filter to clean out. Neither did my Frigidaire and it was never an issue.