Plastic Parts - kitchen Faucet

[OhMari]

We wante to replace our kitchen faucet and we went to Menards and Home Depot. It has been about 6 years since we got our last, " guaranteed for life" faucet. Anyway, we bought one for $145 and brought it home. My DH starts taking the old one out and I start getting the new one ready. He asked me to help him. We finally got it out, and I put it in a bucket and I told my dh, I would take it to the scrap metal recycling center, it was heavy.

So, we get the new one ready, and we find out the whole under carriage of the faucet is all made of plastic. Even the washers are plastic. We decided to go to a plumbing store 20 miles from our home and see what their prices were. They sold the same brands, but double the price. Everything was in the $300 range. But, their products had cast iron and copper parts. We asked how long will the plastic parts faucets last and we were told probably a year, maybe 2 if we are lucky.
The plumber had some faucets in his wear house that were older models that couldn't be ordered and he sold us one for $100 dollars. We took back the plastic one to Menards. I guess my story is just "buyer be aware."

 

[nordkin]

The big box stores have always sold the faucets with plastic parts. We realized it 20 years ago when remodeling our kitchen. We have found Ferguson's to be close in price to the big box stores, although still more, for the better quality all metal faucets.

 

[Alesia]

Our bathroom faucet is plastic. We've had it for about 12 years and it's still in perfect shape.

 

[marmalade]

Everything seems to be made so cheaply now a days. I would rather pay more money for a quality item than less money for a piece of plastic that isn't going to last as long. It is very hard to find quality products anymore.

 

[kymom99]

The plastic parts can be easy to "rebuild". My husband has stopped faucets from dripping by replacing some inexpensive parts. You don't necessarily have to buy a whole new faucet.

 

[marmalade]

The plastic parts can be easy to "rebuild". My husband has stopped faucets from dripping by replacing some inexpensive parts. You don't necessarily have to buy a whole new faucet.

The actual faucets themselves aren't made with the same quality materials anymore though. We replaced our faucet a few years ago with a Moen faucet that cost $200 and I should have taken it back but I didn't. It is made out of a very light cheap plastic material. It was definitely not built for life as their commercials say.

 

[tvguy]

The big box stores have always sold the faucets with plastic parts. We realized it 20 years ago when remodeling our kitchen. We have found Ferguson's to be close in price to the big box stores, although still more, for the better quality all metal faucets.

Yup. Our contractor sent us to Ferguson's too when we did a complete kitchen and bathroom remodel that wrapped up in June. The major faucet makers make identically looking faucets, one in plastic, and one in metal. The plastic ones are for the Home Depot and Lowes customers, the metal ones for the custom plumbing stores. Of course, you have to decide which to use based on a couple of factors. If you plan on moving anytime soon, or it is a rental, plastic is the way to go. We got 35 years out of our cheap faucets, but in 1979 that meant pot metal, not plastic. So we are easy on fixtures. This is our first and last house, we've owned it 32 years, so hopefully we'll be around another 35 years or more to see if the more expensive faucets were worth it.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

This is dh's pet peeve as well. He's been saying for years the items at Home Depot are junk. In the past we would wait until the faucet died then run out and get one. Typically this would be a Saturday night when only HD was open. Then we finally started planning ahead (or just go without) and go to a plumbing supply shop.
Last time we spurged for a Grohe and have loved it for years. It's the Mercedes of faucets.

 

[Swimalie]

This is dh's pet peeve as well. He's been saying for years the items at Home Depot are junk. In the past we would wait until the faucet died then run out and get one. Typically this would be a Saturday night when only HD was open. Then we finally started planning ahead (or just go without) and go to a plumbing supply shop.
Last time we spurged for a Grohe and have loved it for years. It's the Mercedes of faucets.

Do you mean a Hansgrohe? Or is there another brand that I don't know about (which is possible). We have a Hansgrohe from Costco that was about $150 for us and sells for $300 on Amazon. It's a good faucet and we will buy another in the future.

 

[OhMari]

Do you mean a Hansgrohe? Or is there another brand that I don't know about (which is possible). We have a Hansgrohe from Costco that was about $150 for us and sells for $300 on Amazon. It's a good faucet and we will buy another in the future.

I think she did, her spell check must have changed it. We bought our rain shower head last night online. And it was a Hansgrohe. our plumber told us to buy one online and he is going to install it too.

 

[amcnj]

And even if the faucet seems mostly metal, there can still be some vital part inside that is plastic. I ran into that with a kitchen faucet. It was a single lever type that you pushed the arm up and down to turn the water on and off, and to the side to adjust the hot cold mix. The piece that connects the metal handle to the metal base is plastic and has a tab or ridge of plastic that the metal tab on the arm catches. Needless to say this plastic tab breaks off after so many years of use. Super glue worked for a while, then I replaced the whole plastic piece the next time it broke. Fortunately I was able to find a replacement on line as I couldn't locate one at a store near me.

 

[MOpGrad2013]

And even if the faucet seems mostly metal, there can still be some vital part inside that is plastic. I ran into that with a kitchen faucet. It was a single lever type that you pushed the arm up and down to turn the water on and off, and to the side to adjust the hot cold mix. The piece that connects the metal handle to the metal base is plastic and has a tab or ridge of plastic that the metal tab on the arm catches. Needless to say this plastic tab breaks off after so many years of use. Super glue worked for a while, then I replaced the whole plastic piece the next time it broke. Fortunately I was able to find a replacement on line as I couldn't locate one at a store near me.

This sounds exactly like the faucet in our kitchen! It is leaking. I looked at how to repair it online and I think it is just an O-ring, but there are so many sizes, widths...Can't figure it out until the faucet is disassembled. The top of the faucet also has a small divet where it is corroding away.

Had to send in a work order to the landlord. I was really hoping to avoid doing so until after the holidays, but it is just dripping and squirting water out. sad2: The plumber they send will probably just replace the entire thing with a "cheap" one.

 

[JanaDee]

Yup. Our contractor sent us to Ferguson's too when we did a complete kitchen and bathroom remodel that wrapped up in June. The major faucet makers make identically looking faucets, one in plastic, and one in metal. The plastic ones are for the Home Depot and Lowes customers, the metal ones for the custom plumbing stores. Of course, you have to decide which to use based on a couple of factors. If you plan on moving anytime soon, or it is a rental, plastic is the way to go. We got 35 years out of our cheap faucets, but in 1979 that meant pot metal, not plastic. So we are easy on fixtures. This is our first and last house, we've owned it 32 years, so hopefully we'll be around another 35 years or more to see if the more expensive faucets were worth it.

We bought three new faucets last year (one kitchen, two bathroom) at Home Depot/Menards and all three of them are metal...and very heavy.

 

[tvguy]

We bought three new faucets last year (one kitchen, two bathroom) at Home Depot/Menards and all three of them are metal...and very heavy.

They carry some metal ones. But go into a store like Fergusons, you won't find the plastic models they carry.

 

[Lilliputian]

We have a similar problem with toilets. We've bought several new houses in the past decade or so, and we've learned to always replace the kit in the tank with a metal one we buy because the plastic junk they use is going to break and cause issues right away.

 

[JanaDee]

They carry some metal ones. But go into a store like Fergusons, you won't find the plastic models they carry.

I have no idea what Fergusons is, never heard of them.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Do you mean a Hansgrohe? Or is there another brand that I don't know about (which is possible). We have a Hansgrohe from Costco that was about $150 for us and sells for $300 on Amazon. It's a good faucet and we will buy another in the future.

I think she did, her spell check must have changed it. We bought our rain shower head last night online. And it was a Hansgrohe. our plumber told us to buy one online and he is going to install it too.

Yes, it's Hansgrohe. That's what's on our kitchen faucet but our bathroom is just Grohe.
We first learned of the brand from my parents (My dad is a retired contractor/kitchen designer with very demanding clientele. I'm really not that picky but I do like the quality.)
My parent's faucet just said Grohe on it so that's what we always called it. I think my parents paid like $600 for their kitchen back in the day. Ours was around $350 on Amazon which we though was great. We no longer belong to Costco but our local HD/Lowe's doesn't carry them.

It certainly doesn't feel like cheap plastic junk from China.

 

[tvguy]

I have no idea what Fergusons is, never heard of them.

Fregusons is the largest seller of plumbing fixtures in the nation. 1,350 stores in the U.S. Been around 60 years. Not knowing where you live, I can't say if there is one near you.
http://www.ferguson.com/corporate/about-us

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I'm not sure of the difference between Grohe and Hansgrohe. Maybe one is a higher level of quality?
Anyway this is our bathroom faucet.
http://www.amazon.com/Grohe-20-892-...id=1419290752&sr=1-69&keywords=grohe+bathroom

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VFRZVY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Kitchen:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TUTTL6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Seems my memory is way off on the pricing. lol.

 

[Swimalie]

I'm not sure of the difference between Grohe and Hansgrohe. Maybe one is a higher level of quality?
Anyway this is our bathroom faucet.
http://www.amazon.com/Grohe-20-892-...id=1419290752&sr=1-69&keywords=grohe+bathroom

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VFRZVY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Kitchen:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TUTTL6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Seems my memory is way off on the pricing. lol.

See, I learned something new today. I didn't know Grohe existed. Love the bathroom faucet!

I also found this, which seems to explain the difference between the 2 makers. http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bath/msg0319421614471.html

My parents have the Hansgrohe rain shower head and love it. Hansgrohe used to sponsor triathlons that my dad helped run so that's my connection to the company.