How to choose a kitchen faucet: types, material, manufacturers

Kitchen equipment is operated in the most severe mode, 2-3 times more intensive than anything else in the house. Therefore, quality requirements come first. To successfully choose a faucet for the kitchen, you will have to understand their designs and materials.

Choose a price range

Choosing a faucet for the kitchen is not so easy, and the choice is huge, the difference in prices is cosmic. What to stop and not miscalculate. First of all, you should decide on the price range in which you agree to look:

• Dear models. Usually these are German and Danish firms, whose production facilities are located in Europe. In addition to the high price, they are distinguished by a long warranty period – at least 5 years. This means that if there is a correctly completed warranty card, you can repair it for free or get a new one.
• Average price range. Most often, these are firms that have transferred production facilities to China. Their products are of good quality, as their control is still tight. And also in this category are kitchen faucets made in countries that have recently joined the EU or in the Eurozone.
• Cheap. This is pure China. Here, as you please. It can work for a long time and successfully, and sometimes it will break during installation (the worst case) or fail after a few months.
  

If you want to put a faucet on the kitchen sink and forget about it, then the choice is clear – only expensive models. If periodic minor problems do not scare you, you can look in the middle price range. Cheap ones are a really bad option. Only in case of extreme shortage of funds. And how to calculate, if you have to install another crane in two months, the amount as a result will be far from small.

Material selection

The durability of the device is strongly influenced by the material from which the body and spout are made. Today there are quite a lot of materials. Outwardly, only ceramic models differ, all the rest “in appearance” are exactly the same. Nevertheless, you need to know what the mixer is made of.

• Stainless steel. The most durable, but also the most expensive option. But the service life is long.
• Brass. A very good choice, but only if the alloy is of good quality and suitable for use in the food industry. Brass faucets last a very long time, even hard water does not harm them.
• Bronze. Also a good option, but most often bronze faucets are made in a retro style. In this case, they are not covered by any protective coatings. Ordinary models from bronze cases are rarely made.
• Silumin is an alloy of aluminum and silicon. Light alloy, similar in appearance to aluminum, but very unreliable. The bodies of the cheapest mixers are made from this alloy. Their service life is no more than a year.
• Plastic. Not a bad material, but not for taps – the protective coating quickly wears out from constant contact with water. Plastic faucets also belong to the budget category.

• Ceramics. Ceramic sink faucets look very impressive, but they are expensive, and require a careful attitude in operation. Shock loads are not tolerated at all. You have to be very careful when washing dishes.

Ceramic is still more exotic in our country, but all the rest are in large quantities. Normal in quality and not the most expensive in price. But brass is also different.

In cheap faucets, brass contains a large amount of lead. It increases the fluidity of the alloy, which means that thinner walls can be obtained. In this case, the casting quality will be better – without cavities and other flaws. But a large amount of lead in a faucet is harmful to the body. Lead dissolves in water, making it unsuitable for food.

How to choose a faucet made of good brass? By weight. In brass with a high lead content, the walls are thin, which means that the faucet itself is much lighter. Other features are color. It is sometimes possible to look inside some mixers to evaluate the alloy on this basis. In low-quality brass, it is reddish in color, in normal brass it is yellow.

Choice of control device – single lever, two-valve or touch

A couple of decades ago, there were only two-valve mixers and there was no choice. A few decades ago, single-lever models appeared. Many people like them more – turning on, off, adjusting the temperature is done by turning the lever. If the mixer is classified as expensive, the lever stroke is smooth and easy to adjust, and this ease is maintained through the years. In cheaper models, it is more difficult to control movements. However, all the same, fewer movements are required to set the required temperature than in a two-valve.

Nevertheless, valve-type mixers also have enough admirers. They are attracted by the fact that locking boxes can be repaired independently. In one-handed faucets, all repairs are the replacement of gaskets and the cartridge – the inside of the faucet in which water is mixed.

And quite recently, sensor mixers have appeared that react to the approach of objects or hands. Bring your hands to the faucet, water starts to flow. You can adjust the temperature using the touch panel or the rotary lever. Their disadvantage is the high price. This is the most expensive segment.

Spout type and height

Spout in faucets experts call the part that ordinary users call the “gander”. This is a tube from which water flows, it is of different types and sizes:

• straight;
• curved;
• with retractable flexible spout.

If straight and curved are the usual varieties, then faucets with a pull-out spout have appeared more recently. In them, the “gander” consists of two parts, which are interconnected with a flexible hose. This type of faucet is also called “with a watering can” or “with a shower.”

The hose is made of elastic rubber. On top, maybe a protective braid made of stainless steel or corrugated pipe. If necessary, you just need to pull the lower part and the spout will lengthen by 60–90 cm. A convenient fixture, but more common on expensive models.

What spout height and distance is better

With the height of the spout, you need to find a golden mean. When water pours from a great height, there will be a lot of splashes, if the spout is low, there will be problems with washing large pots, cans, etc. The optimal distance from the bottom of the sink to the end of the “gander” is around 30–40 cm. Based on these numbers, you need to select a faucet model for the kitchen sink. For deep washing, a low faucet may also be suitable, and for a tank of shallow depth, a higher one will be required.

To choose the right faucet for the sink, its spout must be shaped so that water flows approximately above the center of the sink. Permissible error plus or minus 10% of the size of the sink. In this case, it will be convenient to use.

Nozzle design

This is the part from which water flows directly. Usually it is equipped with a mesh for “catching” large mechanical inclusions. If you have filters for water purification at the entrance, this mesh does not play any role at all. More important is the type of jet that forms the nozzle:

• Plain not broken into streams. Today, this type of faucet is not common, the water consumption is large.
• Aerator. Many small jets that create a feeling of intense flow due to the formation of small air bubbles. The most economical option, consumption is reduced by 20-35%.
• Rain. A few trickles, without strong pressure. It is convenient to wash greens, tender fruits, etc.

Most often, the mixer is equipped with an aerator, but there are models that have two modes of operation – aeration and rain. Switching is carried out by turning the lever.

How to choose

Having decided to choose a crane from the category of expensive or from the average price range, you need to go to a specialized store or just to a construction one (but definitely not to a hypermarket). If you have settled on a company, you should go to their official website and see where the points of authorized partners are located. In this case, you will have a guarantee that they will sell the product of this particular company, and not a fake. If there are no such points in the nearest district, you will have to focus on indirect signs:

• clarity of the logo;
• alloy color;
• quality of components;
• the presence of a warranty card printed on good paper, where all the coordinates are written;
• the store must correctly fill in all the data, put a seal, only in this case the warranty is valid.

Many get out of the situation by inviting an experienced plumber to accompany them. This method does not always work, but it can help not to run into an outright fake.

Choice of design and additional features

By design and color scheme, it is probably the easiest to decide. If the kitchen is decorated in some style, you must also choose a model in the same vein. Technocratic clear lines are suitable for hi-tech and minimalism, bronze without a brilliant coating of Provence or retro. A faucet in both of these styles can be combined with such a fashionable current as the “loft” nowadays, it all depends on the design of the room.

If the repair is done in a modern style, where little by little there are signs of many trends, any model can fit in, the main thing is that it should echo the shape of the sink and kitchen set.

Of the additional functions, it is better to have a switch for using tap and purified water. if there are special filters under the sink, this option can be very useful.

Recently, we have increasingly begun to install dishwashers. It happens that when they are connected to the water supply, problems arise. For this case, there are faucets with valves that switch water to the dishwasher. Moreover, in some models, switching occurs for a certain period of time – from 3 to 12 hours.

Another nice feature is changing the angle of rotation of the spout. Some kitchen faucets have interlocks that allow the initially wide 120° swivel angle to be reduced to 60° for example, or to be fixed in place.

Which companies can be trusted

There will be no surprises in this matter. Market leaders in quality are European brands – German, Swedish, Danish. In the middle price range – Bulgaria, Slovenia and firms that have transferred production to China.

Expensive and high quality

Most heard mixers GROHE (Groye). They have proven themselves excellently. There are only two disadvantages, high price and a large number of fakes.

Moreover, “Groye” has two companies – two brothers. The firm of one is simply called GROHE. The company produces various plumbing fixtures. The second brother has a specialized company, which was named after him – HANS GROHE. This is how they label their products. This company produces only faucets and faucets, its products are even better, but also more expensive.

The next proven company is Danish Damixa (Damixa). It is worth considering that the guarantee is given only if there are filters on the water supply. The products themselves are of high quality, they give a guarantee of 10 years for the coating and several years for the mechanism itself. If the Damixa faucet starts to drip, most likely, limescale has formed somewhere. If the warranty is no longer valid, the faucet is disassembled, the plaque is removed with vinegar and everything is put back together. Cartridges may leak in Damix single-lever mixers, but this is a consumable item and must be replaced.

Faucets Oras and Hansa. These trademarks are owned by one European company – Oras Group. Its production facilities are located in continental Europe. There are very few complaints about the quality of products, if there are any problems, then with cartridges. In Horace mixers they are ceramic and demanding on water quality. So if you want a long faucet life, install a cleaning system.

The range of the campaign includes touchless and “smart” faucets, the latest achievements in the world of plumbing. Models for switching water to a dishwasher. Some faucets can change the angle of the spout. In general, you can choose an Oras mixer. They have a unique style which makes me happy. I usually want to put something interesting and new, and not a dull ordinary faucet.

It is not easy to choose mixers from these companies, there are many interesting offers. The price is about the same as the quality. But just do not forget that this equipment is designed for clean water, therefore, cleaning filters are simply necessary for normal and long-term operation.

Average price range

Not bad people speak about Vidima taps and faucets. This is a Bulgarian company whose products have been working well for many years. This manufacturer has expensive and budget lines. Brass bodies, high quality finishes, ceramic cartridges – all this is about the faucets of this brand. There are single-lever and two-valve mixers with different lengths and spout heights.

The Russian company IDDIS has been producing sanitary equipment since 2004. The entire process from development to manufacturing takes place in Russia. At least that’s what it says on the company’s website. The design is both standard and very unusual, with flat, arched, straight spouts. A variety of handle designs add charm to the products. Cases are cast from high-quality brass (composition according to GOST). In general, if you need to choose a quality, but not very expensive, look at all the company’s products.

Good reviews about the products of the Zorg campaign. There are many questions in which country the production is located, but no one disputes the quality of plumbing. The cases are brass, the design is varied, there are black, white, gray, brass and bronze. The price range is also wide from $45 to $350.

Inexpensive options

If it suits you that the mixer will require repair or replacement in 2–2,5 years, pay attention to the products of Lemark (Lemark) and Kaizer (Kaiser). Both manufacturers are Chinese, but the quality is quite good. If you know how to change cartridges and gaskets, it can last longer.