The things that you must consider when purchasing a kitchen faucet have already been covered in the Kitchen Faucet Buying Guide. Here I will outline 7 essentials that any good kitchen faucet, regardless of its styling or design must possess.
I started asking myself what makes a great kitchen faucet after my last investment failed miserably. And a short list of essentials came into my mind. Thankfully, having tried many brands and models, I understand the subtle differences and nuisances of faucet types and makes. Here are my 7 Essentials to a Great Kitchen Faucet.
The 7 Essentials
Must Have A Brand
To be honest, I have never before tried out a faucet without a brand name. Considering a non-branded kitchen faucet in an attempt to save money is tantamount to investing into a mutual fund that isn’t being handled by a reputed bank or investment firm. You will save initially but lose big in the long run. An unbranded faucet will wear out quickly. They leak, drip, break and waste a lot of water.
Remember that when you purchase a brand, you are not only paying for the name but also for new technology, reliability and above all else, customer service. Warranty is the one place where branded names tend to do the best, so stop saving bucks and spend on a brand.
Should Harmonize With The Kitchen Interior
Many folks keep the looks or styling aspect to the last after reliability and functionality. I believe that you must prioritize the styling first and then choose the best faucet based on reliability and functionality. Why? Well consider a simple fact – out of all your kitchen appliances and gadgets, the one thing everyone will eventually use and depend on, the center of your kitchen is the sink and faucet. Hence, the appearance of your faucet, how it mingles with the countertop and sink, wall colors and cabinets definitely plays a major aesthetic role.
Check Out Another Of My Posts On Styling Of Kitchen Faucets for more information.
Is Easy To Operate And Install
Installing a kitchen faucet must always be easy. Anyone with basic DIY skills, the right set of tools must manage to install a faucet in under 10 minutes. All it requires is to get the hoses through the sink holes, connect the faucet and set it in place, fastening the nuts or screws in place and attaching the hoses to the right supply lines. Thankfully, branded faucets now come with watertight connections such as rubber gaskets and washers so you won’t have to tighten anything.
Make sure that you try out a faucet before purchasing it. Alternatively read a few reviews online and make an informed decision. Pull-out and pull-down faucets tend to use magnets or a secure fit to hold the spray head in place. Handle based models may even use a single lever to moderate the temperature. All these models are simple to use but they can also become a pain in future if it isn’t well designed and thoroughly manufactured.
It Should Never Leak In Its Entire Life Time
A good kitchen faucet will use high technology gaskets and washers. The valves today have evolved to include ceramic discs or diamond covers that make the faucets practically indestructible. Diamond and ceramic discs typically last a lifetime and you never have to replace the valves. Moreover, such faucets today precisely control the temperature.
Must Have Good Clearance
A short heighted faucet leaves little room to adjust the largest pots and pans. However having a low faucet isn’t such a bad idea if you have a separate pull-out sprayer and a large kitchen sink or a dual sink. Just remember to have the ability to fit in large pans and pots.
In an attempt to get maximum clearance you may just end up having a high arc spout too tall to effectively clean pots and pans. Try to limit the height to no more than 8 inches above the countertop.
Must Be Able To Direct A Jet Away From The Sink
Whether the faucet itself can accommodate a sprayer as the head, which you can pull out away from the sink or you install a separate sprayer on the sink specifically to fill pots and pans on the stove, having this ability is a definite advantage. You probably won’t recognize the need for this now but consider how irritating it is to move to and fro from the sink just to fill water, clean a large pot’s inside etc.
Must Be Simple And Easy To Clean
At the end of the day, a kitchen faucet that tends to hold smudges, scratch easily or discolors over time is definitely not worth investing into. Hence, get a faucet that is easy to clean and maintains its sheen, style and aesthetics for longer. For this you can read through customer reviews.
Beware! Many Things Can Ruin A Kitchen Faucet
It is not the styling, functionality or even the durability of a faucet that ruins it. One’s inability to perceive his or her requirements, match the faucet with the existing kitchen ambience and desire to save money is what ruins a kitchen faucet.
Remember that a kitchen faucet is the center piece of your kitchen and as much as we want to save money, we also want it to stay for a really long time and look its best. A kitchen faucet that fails isn’t something you would want to keep around at the end of the day!
