To the common man, both these types of kitchen faucets might seem like the same but to a trained eye, it is easy to spot the difference. In one of my countless mindless surfs through the internet I came across a short excerpt from Master contractor and plumber Ed Del Grande, well known internationally for his book, “Ed Del Grande’s House Call” and for his many internet shows and TV events answering the plight of a couple confused between two styles of kitchen faucets.
He makes a simple observation and provides the leading benefit of both designs. It is my hope, that his insight will help you choose better for your kitchen. So here it is, edited for your sake.
Question From The Couple
I and my wife are currently planning on changing out the kitchen faucet and we have decided on two choices, a pull-down and a pullout faucet. Could you please offer us some advise on the two and help us choose?
Ed del Grande’s Answer
Both the faucet styles come with a spray head built into the spout that extends using a flexible hose for carrying out usual kitchen chores. Naturally, this for one eliminates the necessity of a deck-mounted spray head that otherwise takes up a lot of sink space leading to a cluttered look. So, the very first advantage of either of the styles is a less cluttered sink area.
Coming to the two kitchen faucets, the names say it all. A pullout uses a spray head that comes out of the faucet horizontally. On the other hand, pull-down faucets usually have a curved downward facing spout with the sprayer emanating vertically from the spout. And, it is here that I observe the difference in their application.
For starters, if you feel filling pots and pans out of the sink such as a dog dish or coffee maker is important then the pullout style’s horizontal motion will have a superior edge. However, for washing sink basins and utensils inside the sink, the pull-down style obviously has its benefits with the vertical motion.
In Conclusion
As you can see both the types operate in a similar manner but the reach and range of motion differs. So, for away from the sink action a pullout kitchen faucet works best but for in the sink action a pull-down kitchen faucet does the trick.
