Kitchen faucets, What happened to quality?

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fwrunner2020

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Hey guys;
I've had a Delta 'Cicero' single-handle pull-out faucet on my kitchen sink for 10 years.
Not long after I installed the faucet, it began to drip. The problem was a bad valve cartridge.
This appears to be a weak spot in this particular (and I suspect other) single-handle faucets.
I replaced the valve cartridge (under Delta's lifetime warranty) a total of five times over the 10 years.
The last time I replaced was about 3 weeks ago, and the faucet is already starting to drip.
In order to stop the drip, the handle needs to be wiggled as it is closed.

So I'm giving up on this faucet and shopping for a new one.
I am dismayed when I read the reviews of faucets online. Specifically, people are having trouble with valves and spray heads.
It appears that most of these parts are plastic, and not manufactured to the tightest tolerances.
Most valve cartridges are ceramic. Probably steel would work better, but of course would be much more expensive.

What is troubling though is that it appears that no matter whether you buy a cheap (<$150) faucet or an expensive ($250+) one, you will have problems with its quality after much less time than should be expected for such a fixture.

I look at all brands, and they all seem to have the same problems - mostly related to the use of plastic parts.

So, what do I do? Buy one for around $250 and hope for the best?
At least with most manufacturers offering a lifetime warranty, and the relative ease of replacing parts, the gamble is mainly with time and mind rather than money.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for your help
fwrunner
 

Tuttles Revenge

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I provide and install hundreds of Delta brand faucets in peoples homes every year along with other well known brands totalling thousands of faucets every year. I can't even recall having a drip issue in any faucet for years. I've had some solenoid problems which have been resolved.

I had one client who had problems with their faucets in the past and was planning on replacing the new one we installed 2yrs after since their water was ruining their faucet from some sort of "scouring". We installed filters for sediment to catch the sediment before it gets to the faucet. 5yrs at least on that install and I've never heard they needed to replace their faucet.

Its a well established fact that big box stores get a different quality of faucet than what is supplied to the professional installer via our supply network of wholesalers.

I think you just got a Lemon.
 

Michael Young

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Hey guys;
I've had a Delta 'Cicero' single-handle pull-out faucet on my kitchen sink for 10 years.
Not long after I installed the faucet, it began to drip. The problem was a bad valve cartridge.
This appears to be a weak spot in this particular (and I suspect other) single-handle faucets.
I replaced the valve cartridge (under Delta's lifetime warranty) a total of five times over the 10 years.
The last time I replaced was about 3 weeks ago, and the faucet is already starting to drip.
In order to stop the drip, the handle needs to be wiggled as it is closed.

So I'm giving up on this faucet and shopping for a new one.
I am dismayed when I read the reviews of faucets online. Specifically, people are having trouble with valves and spray heads.
It appears that most of these parts are plastic, and not manufactured to the tightest tolerances.
Most valve cartridges are ceramic. Probably steel would work better, but of course would be much more expensive.

What is troubling though is that it appears that no matter whether you buy a cheap (<$150) faucet or an expensive ($250+) one, you will have problems with its quality after much less time than should be expected for such a fixture.

I look at all brands, and they all seem to have the same problems - mostly related to the use of plastic parts.

So, what do I do? Buy one for around $250 and hope for the best?
At least with most manufacturers offering a lifetime warranty, and the relative ease of replacing parts, the gamble is mainly with time and mind rather than money.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for your help
fwrunner

Buy your product from a plumbing supply house. Scan your receipts and save them in the cloud where you can easily retrieve the receipt. if the valve gives you a problem, yank it. take it back to the supply house with a copy of your receipt and ask them to replace the whole damned thing under the product lifetime warranty.
 

fwrunner2020

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I would still prefer to shop online. Whether I purchase the faucet online or from a local supply depends.
I don't think I would buy from them, even if the model # is the same.
For example, I found a Phister model GT529-NRC pull-down on Faucetsdirect for $230.30.
I found the same model online for $189.
Could the two really be the same faucet? I have my doubts, considering such a large price difference.
 

Tuttles Revenge

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Good luck. Manufacturers and retailers are trying harder and harder to blur the line between the 2 quality tiers.
 
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