Seems like established technology with common metals fabricating a simple mechanism. What differentiates a relatively inexpensive, contractor-grade faucet from one that costs anywhere from double to 10x the price?
High quality faucets (the ones which are expensive) usually do not leak. My girlfriend and I found that out the hard way. After moving in we built the kitchen and then we went and bought the cheapest IKEA faucet the store had to offer (back then for just 10 €), thinking “what could happen, it is just a faucet”.
It turned out that this faucet leaked water, even when closed. But it was so little that one didn’t notice. It went over years. All that leaking water eventually seeped into the countertop, along the hole where the sink is built in, where the material (particle board) of the countertop is exposed. Now our whole countertop is puffy and has been expanded because of the water seeping into the particle board.
We bought an expensive faucet after that, but it doesn’t attach to the countertop so well, because its surface is uneven due to the water seeping into the countertop. During summer, when the countertop dries out and decreases in thickness due to higher temperatures the new faucet comes loose. Until we get a new countertop we then have to deliberately wet the countertop where the faucet sticks out so that it can expand to tighten the faucet again.
Thats why (good) faucets are expensive - you pay for peace of mind partially.
At one point in my life I designed bathrooms and kitchens. I’ve sold thousands of faucets. Here’s a few points on regular retail faucets in the US.
Expensive faucets, you are paying for the design (Grohe), or for quality parts (Kohler).
Cheap faucets are made with cheap parts and are often old designs from major brands. These knock-offs are sold under store brand names usually (Aquasource/Lowes, Glacier Bay/Home Depot) and are made of cheap plastic. Avoid these unless you plan on replacing (rentals).
If you buy Grohe, don’t buy a US made model. Another company paid to use the name and ‘style’ in the US but the interior parts are cheap plastic bits and some things are modified to reduce the cost of manufacturing. Not worth the extra money they charge.
For most people I recommend sticking to the big names. Moen, Delta, Kohler, etc. They come with good warranties and parts are available everywhere.
You can still find really neat old faucets and repair them. Chicago, Price Pfister, Eljer had some good stuff back in the day and you can get new parts from Danco.
I was searching the band VOLA when I came across the faucet brand that makes very expensive but very repairable, and that compelled me to finally ask. I’ve replaced a few faucets over the years that were at the end of their life, but the last one took to a plumbing supply to get what looked like an obvious replacement part and they said it’s some home depot brand that doesn’t make them.
Thanks for the info, I’ve never thought to buy old since over only ever replaced cheap and only faucets, but when it comes time to work on my kitchen I’ll check out the brands you mentioned.
Thank you for the great reply. I know your modern brand recommendations, but the reconditions for older brands is a great idea I’ll have to look into.
For anyone that has contractor grade faucets, if you ever get to handle a higher end faucet, or even a lot of the commercial fixtures and compare them to the cheap stuff, it should be night and day.
I replaced my faucets before attempting to sell my house and used ok stuff to modernize, but they’re still low end. I ended up not moving, and I treat them nice so they’re doing ok.
But they all have plastic internals, the weight is much less, the parts wobble more, and the finish isn’t holding up as well as I’d expect of a premium faucet. Even when right out the box, they aren’t as nice as a decades old name brand faucet.
They’re made to meet a price point. While they will get you the look (potentially) of a high end faucet, it won’t hold up like one with better fit and finish, and if it does need repair, your chances of getting the part is likely much better.
Do you want a buy it for life faucet? Or do you need one to last a couple years? Spend accordingly. There’s a market for both, and people need to determine which product is right for them.
Guess how much a kitchen cabinet door costs. £10-15 per door. A kitchen with more than ten 40cm cabinets is going to cost you a bomb.
if that seems excessive, you’re right. A few years ago, those same doors were less than half the price.
What happened then, did the doors change? Is the flimsy wood composite they’re made of go extinct?
You know the answer.
I want to know the answer. Is it just greed?
its bingo. the answer is old people gambling
A couple of reasons:
First of all what one wants in terms of faucet designs is very personal. As such there are many many models to choose from. This makes each model in be produced in relatively low quantities, and be more expensive. If everyone would use the exact same faucet, they would be basically free. And you do see some models being used in new construction that are very cheap indeed, just because of the higher volumes.
Second of all, the tolerances and finishing involved. It’s relatively easy to make a faucet that works, the designs have been perfected long ago and modern manufacturing can easily produce a working model. However to create a faucet that feels nice, that doesn’t make weird noises, opens and closes smoothly etc. is a lot harder. I’ve had cheap faucets before, one of those single handle deals. It would take more force that I would like to open the tap, at which point it shoots open so water sprays out. The range in temperature is insanely hot to insanely cold with only a tiny single spot of normal temperature in between.
Third reason is they are made from a lot of parts and with materials that need to be handled really delicately. Chrome finishes that scratch easily when handled in properly, leading to the whole thing becoming instant scrap. This leads to hand assembly being the only option. And often it involves a lot of small parts that need to be placed just so. This adds a lot of cost.
Fourth reason is the materials themselves, often quite expensive to start with. Large parts being machined out of a single piece. By definition everything needs to be corrosion resistant. And it’s one of the products where we still expect them to last 15-20 years easily. Not like the consumerism that’s forced a 5 year lifespan to be called long in the modern world. The finishing coatings are often chemically applied with expensive materials and taking a long time. And a fully polished finish also takes time and is often done by hand and takes some skill.
Fifth reason is brand names. Just like with any designer thing, brand names and designers are a large part of the costs. You can often find designer faucets for outrageous prices and cheap knock offs that can be trash or sometimes even better than the original for half the price.
The brand name is the only difference. Much like slapping nike and gucci 10xes the price of clothes.
Not true. As someone mentioned above thread — cheap store brands are commonly plastic junk that breaks after a couple of years of use.
