I have never liked the separate sprayer because of the lack of water pressure and the difficulty of retracting the hose. I currently have the pullout style, and was immediately disappointed in the contortions one has to go through to angle the spray at certain parts of the sink. My favorite spray option was the separate swivel sprayer I purchased and attached to the end of the standard faucet that came with the house. Maybe that's why I'm so disappointed with my pullout, because that little $5 sprayer did everything, and I thought the pullout would be an improvement on that. When we redo our kitchen, I want a new faucet, but in my research, it seems that all of the pullouts have some kind of issue with being able to easily reach all sides of the sink. So now I'm looking at the pulldowns, but I'm concerned about water splashing where it's not supposed to when using it as a regular faucet. I never thought about the pulldown retracting properly, or that spray option staying in that position without holding a button. Plus, I don't like the look of the pulldowns, and just think that high arc will be in the way. It doesn't sound like any of you find the high arc to be a negative, but I just wish I could use one for a day to see what I think of it. I also don't like the side handle, or the handle being in a separate hole. Why don't manufacturers ever make something with all the features I want????

Colorfast - it depends on the faucet. It also depends on user preference. My faucet, a Grohe Ladylux Plus, defaults back to regular flow when you turn the water off. While the water is on, there is a button so that I can switch back and forth between spray and flow as needed. Other faucets stay on whatever you last left it at. The thing is, many people prefer one way or the other. We have had just as many people post saying they like their faucet to stay on whatever they left it at, as people saying they want the water to default back to regular flow upon being turned off. So it's personal preference. Sometimes it is difficult to tell when you are looking at the faucet in a store which way it operates. You can always look at the specs online, or call the manufacturer's customer service number and ask. What you don't want is a faucet where you have to keep holding the button to keep it on spray. Some faucets are like that. You want to look for a faucet with a button that you can let go of, and the water will stay on spray.

Love my Brizo Floriano. BUT, one thing I didn't think of but would not change my mind anyway, is that there does tend to be more finger prints because you are always handling the spray head. The floriano is a little too easily swung from one side to another, and I have hit it a couple of times and sent it flying to pour water on my countertop. Do leave it running full force when not using it in case you hit it. Love having a built in soap dispenser with neverMT but the Floriano one is a little too loose in its base and doesn't pump as much soap as I would like in one pump. VERY easy to use and handle, single hole makes it easy to clean around, spray head is metal on the outside not plastic, but light weight, and the spray button is hard plastic rather than rubber and lets you keep the nozzle on spray without holding it the entire time. Got a great deal on it from faucetdepot.com, less than 300.00 for the full size chrome faucet WITH the soap dispenser. Overall, I like it very much. Sue

There's a huge range in price, as you say in sink faucets. Still, there are really good brands and buys at every price level. In theory, price should go up with the amount of brass and integral (meaning real finish not coated) metal used in a faucet. So the heavier the better. Most faucets have some plastic pieces. Certain brands carry a status premium -- Dornbracht, Waterworks. They are excellent quality but you pay plus for styling and name. I personally favor pull downs over side sprayers and pull outs (I have one of each) but that's very personal. As someone said, it's one less hole in the deck. But I'd suggest going to store and do a pull and touch and see what appeals. I have a pull out in our mudroom but found I don't care for the "heavy head". Pull downs tend to have smaller, lighter heads. Some pull downs have a switch to sprayer. There is the lock vs nonlock function on that to check. Some don't mind holding it down for the spray; others want to push the button and have it stay. Check which faucet silhouette appeals. (I pick the same shape over and over but not everyone will). Examine the hoses. On the mid-range and lower end faucets those pull outs will likely be a knit mesh reinforced with some metal. On higher end faucets they are all metal. Also be sure the length of the pull down will reach all around the sink. These can vary a bit. I also pull the specification sheets for every faucet from the mfgr website so I can see how it will work in the space behind the sink -- to see how it opens, how much clearance is needed, to be sure the spout swivel is ok and won't hit anything. That there's clearance for each aspect. A lot of people go for Deltas, Grohe and Kohler faucets. There are KWC fans on the high end plus several others including Rohl. Then there are brands like Chicago Faucet and one Sabjimata recommends (perhaps she'll weigh in here) that are said to be very sturdy and reliable. Someone linked a faucet quality assessment from a builder's website. I don't have it bookmarked but whoever does might link it. Basically it runs through a lot of brands and makes subjective judgments about them. I don't agree with all the categorization and judgments but it's all subjective anyway and there are a large number of brands reviewed so it's a useful place to check.