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Posted by DLK on March 6, 2007, 9:45 am
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> >> >I am preparing to renovate my kitchen and will be purchasing a new
> >> > stainless sink and faucet. I was told by the salesperson in a local
> >> > plumbing supply company that there are differences in the quality of
> >> > faucets sold in plumbing stores vs. large chain stores (like Home
> >> > Depot) and internet retailers. She noted that they look the same, but
> >> > have different internal parts and there may also be warranty issues
> >> > with the manufacturer with online purchases. There seems to be a
> >> > large price difference as well. Does anyone know more about this
> >> > issue? And, why, isn't this issue publicized more? For example,
> >> > checked out the Consumer Reports (C.R.) website and they make no
> >> > mention of this on their faucet ratings.
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> >> > Also, C.R. does a feature on sinks and basically says that there is
> >> > little difference among brands within each type of sink (stainless vs
> >> > enamel, etc.). Does anyone have suggestions on a quality manufacturer
> >> > for a stainless steel 1 1/2 bowl sink for 33 in sink base. Was
> >> > looking at Blanco, Elkay, and Am Standard.
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> >> > Thanks.
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> >> Warranty issues: You should address this question to the manufacturers,
> >> using a telephone, and ONLY a telephone. They will tell you whether the
> >> warranty is affected by where you purchase their products. What they
> >> CANNOT
> >> tell you is HOW each type of dealer will be able to help you if you need
> >> a
> >> product replaced. However, it should be obvious that an internet retailer
> >> is
> >> not going to make you happy when your faucet has problems on Friday
> >> night,
> >> you have to shut off the water to the kitchen, and you have guests coming
> >> for dinner on Saturday. At least in my house, there are certain products
> >> which cannot be out of commission for however many days it takes for
> >> someone
> >> to ship me a new one. The kitchen faucet is one of those things. I think
> >> you'd be crazy to NOT buy a thing like that from a local vendor, and
> >> preferably a plumbing supply house. If they have several in stock most of
> >> the time, I'd be surprised if they wouldn't swap a defect for a new one
> >> when
> >> you walked in the door.
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> >> As far as manufacturers making different products for different
> >> retailers,
> >> yes, it does happen. This is another issue you'll discuss on the phone
> >> with
> >> the manufacturers. But, what you're MORE likely to discover is that
> >> certain
> >> models aren't regularly stocked at Home Depot because maybe they don't
> >> think
> >> their "typical customer" is going to spend $350 for a fancy faucet. So,
> >> it'll be a special order item.
>
> >> Sinks: Some are made of thicker metal than others. This matters because
> >> if
> >> the deck (where the faucet's mounted) flexes too much, the gasket can
> >> begin
> >> to leak and then you have a mess under your sink. This happened to me in
> >> an
> >> apartment. They finally saw the light and replaced the sinks. Thicker
> >> metal
> >> also makes for a quieter sink.- Hide quoted text -
>
> >> - Show quoted text -
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> > Thanks for the imput everyone. I think I will stick with my local
> > plumbing supplier on the faucet for the reasons mentioned. I was
> > planning to go with one of the Grohe stainless models and the price
> > difference between local supplier and internet is rather large:
> > $100-200. It is tempting. Does anyone have thoughts about the Grohe
> > faucets, good or bad?
>
> You might try a test run for service. Cook up some sort of pre-installation
> question and call the company. If they sound like idiots now, they'll still
> sound like idiots when you really have a problem.
>
> I can vouch for Moen's service being excellent. I called them once to find
> out the correct model number for the replacement cartridge in my shower
> faucet, which was ruined by debris in the water supply. It had nothing to do
> with the quality of their product, and I explained that, but they insisted
> on sending me the cartridge for free.- Hide quoted text -
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> - Show quoted text -
I put the Moen fixtures (bought from the same plumbing supplier) in my
recently redone bathrooms and like them very much. Haven't had a
repair issue yet (knock wood), but glad to hear that the service is
good. Good idea on the test run.
Perhaps I will check out Moen's kitchen faucets as well.
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