Shower faucet -- Degrees of rotation?

[DarkNova]

I'm shopping for shower faucets and have narrowed it down to Delta, Moen and Kohler.

I've used a shower faucet before that had a very small amount of rotation for adjusting temperature. This was a Delta faucet with a separate temperature and volume control lever. The temperature lever could only adjust less than 90 degrees from coldest to hottest, and I found this annoying, especially since the arm was so short, since just a tiny change makes a big change in temperature.

On the other hand, I've used showers that adjust 270 degrees from coldest to hottest, so it is easier to "fine tune" the temperature.

I'm not sure if my experience with this one Delta faucet is indicative of the entire line or just this model. When I went to try the Deltas at a plumbing supply store, they all only rotated 90 degrees, but the employee didn't know if that's just how they set them up for demos (they were non working) or if they were always like that.

Does anyone know how the different lines from these manufacturer's work -- do Deltas always adjust only 90 degrees or are there different lines that adjust more, and which ones have more adjustment? Or is that something that can be changed when it is installed? And also do you know about Moen and Kohler.

Thanks!

 

[Jadnashua]

Most any new shower valve has a temperature limiter in it, and on most, that limits how far you can turn the valve. That is user adjustable and depends on your WH setting and the time of year you adjust it. Ideally, it would get adjusted at least twice a year to compensate for the (sometimes) huge variation in ground temperature cold water supply. This is one reason why I prefer a thermostatically controlled valve. Most single handle valves start out with all cold, then gradually mix in hot while decreasing the cold content. It entirely depends on how cold your cold is, and how hot your hot is. I don't have enough experience with the different brands to identify trends. IMHO, though Kohler would not be my first choice...too many internal variations, and parts can be a major pain to find when the time comes. For the most part, I've been happy with Grohe stuff.