[Doublej]

My kitchen faucet just broke. It's a Mico Designs, seeming made to fail. The underside of the pull out spray head is made of plastic and it just cracked. I am going to call them as it is supposed to be warranted for life but since the developer that sold us the house did not leave a registration card I suspect I am going to be SOL.

What are good brands and brands to stay away from?

[mcgsxr]

We recently redid our kitchen.  I installed a Grohe faucet.  Seems robust, and the company also makes industrial valves etc. 

[satfrat]

Moen for one. I had my single arm sink faucet replaced 8 years ago and it's leaking around the swingarm's base rubber washer as bad as the old one did and that one was at least 28 years old when I replaced it. I remember the repairman telling me at the time that all them swingarm faucets were crap. Well he was spot-on with Moen. 

Cheers,
Robin

[Peter J]

Depends on what you want. I see all kinds of faucets, many of which put form before function. Also depends on your sink. Single hole, triple hole or quad?  For a reliable plain jane faucet, hard to go wrong with American Standard commercial.

http://www.build.com/index.cfm?page=search%3Abrowse&term=american+standard+commercial

The good old standby of top mounted single handle makes lots of sense ergonomically....works for rightys or leftys, can be bumped on with your wrist or arm with gooey/sticky hands.

High faucets come with a built in problem the way I see it. People just naturally stick their hands or whatever they're washing  right under faucet discharge. The higher that is outta the sink, the more water splashes on the countertop.  Do that many people have 20 quart that they need to fill up regularly?

I admit to being a little jaded because I almost always put function as the first priorty. I've seen so many drooping pull out sprayers, I really don't think I'd put one in my own home.

For a good quality basic faucet, I'd stick with widespread brands that will be easy to service down the road. American Standard, Moen, Delta, Kohler or the like. Stay away from the really inexpensive stuff. Expect to spend $125+ for the basics. Better quality and more elaborate designs can easily go north of $300.

[django11]

For a good quality basic faucet, I'd stick with widespread brands that will be easy to service down the road. American Standard, Moen, Delta, Kohler or the like. Stay away from the really inexpensive stuff. Expect to spend $125+ for the basics. Better quality and more elaborate designs can easily go north of $300.

I see a lot of faucets as well and agree on all counts.  Big box standard brands have replacement parts on hand.  I just changed the cartridge on a bathroom faucet.  You bring the cartridge to the plumbing counter and they give you a new one, no questions and no paper work.

FWIW I have installed a lot of Grohe shower kits without problem but only one kitchen faucet about five years ago which I have since had to change...

[dflee]

Look up Beeson Hardware. They are in High Point NC but sell online and by phone. I have seen a lot of places
but none like this place.

Don

[mcgsxr]

In terms of absolute value and functionality, you cannot go wrong with the suggestions of mainstream brands like American Standard, Moen etc.

For our kitchen reno, I wanted something contemporary but functional.  Single hole, pull down faucet, single control etc.

I found Grohe through a friend who works with industrial systems (control fitting instrumentation) and was familiar with Grohe as they use their valves etc.  Being a local Canadian firm helped for me too.  Finding one deeply discounted and NIB sealed it for me.

It has a really strong stream - I find that with it on full blast, it can spray off items in the sink and soak me.  It also has the ability to go from a single stream into a more shower like blast.  Excellent for cleaning the sink and items in it, so long as you respect the overall power!