How to choose the best kitchen faucet?

If you choose a place in the apartment where the most cold and hot water is used per day, then this will definitely be a kitchen. Faucets installed in the kitchen are opened and closed by households 100 or more times a day. It is for this reason that rather stringent requirements are imposed on them, they are selected much more carefully than many other elements of modern plumbing. Before buying a faucet in the kitchen, you should carefully study the full range of products offered by various manufacturers in an affordable financial segment.

High-quality kitchen fittings must 100% meet the following important criteria.

• High wear resistance. The crane of your choice must have guaranteed durability. Famous brands attach great importance to this indicator, so most faucets will last as long as possible.
• Profitability. For many inhabitants it is extremely important that the water in their home is spent more economically. Faucets are complemented by special aerators - they feed a stream of slightly foamed, filling it with small air bubbles. In this case, the water flow is really significantly reduced, while the hygienic properties of the water are not lost. Models of mixers have become popular on the market today, which can supply a stream of liquid with small spirals, as if drawing a mesh of water around the circumference. This pressure does not look quite usual, but at the same time it reduces financial costs for using water.
• Easy to operate. The most successful are taps that can be quickly opened and set the desired temperature of the outlet water. Just a great model can be considered a touch-type tap, since the degree of water heating can always be set in advance, so there is no need to adjust it from time to time. It is only necessary to bring the hands to such a device as the water itself will immediately flow from the tap.
• Strength. A really well-made product will not be afraid of serious mechanical stress, such as constant pressure or friction.
• Stylish design. The newly acquired faucet should not spoil the existing interior in the kitchen with its original appearance. Ideally, the device should harmoniously fit into the design of the sink and kitchen. Therefore, you have to look for a crane made of the same material and in appearance suitable for the environment.

If you choose a faucet according to the methods of water supply, then you should know that any modern mixer can be attributed to one of three types:

• double-lever mixers having two valves (cold and hot water);
• single lever, with only one locking lever;
• contactless models.

Double lever devices are the most simple and familiar. To get heated or cool water, you just need to open the desired valves at a certain angle. The main advantages of this type of product:

• low price when compared with other named types of cranes;
• ease of repair - any defective elements of the crane can easily be changed.

Cons - such faucets look too simple, familiar and do not particularly fit into the modern design of the kitchen interior, and also sometimes require a long adjustment to get the water at the right temperature.

Devices with one lever are quite convenient during operation. Many ordinary people opt for these devices for their kitchen. With a single knob, you can adjust the appropriate temperature of the liquid, and the power of the pressure itself. To do this, you just need to turn the handle to the left or to the right side, and when lifting it up, the pressure force is regulated.

Advantages of this type of device:

• one of the most economical;
• convenient to use even for children;
• have a stylish design.

The disadvantages include the rapid wear of some elements and the price, which is not always available to the average man in the street. The disadvantage of such a crane can be considered the fact that due to the complexity of the design, if it breaks, the same expensive repair will be required.

Non-contact type sensor devices appeared on the plumbing market not so long ago and differ significantly from their mechanical counterparts. The main function that such a tap will perform is supplying a liquid with a predetermined temperature. Today you can find both volatile and stand-alone devices. The first - through a special adapter in 12 V they will function from a normal network, while stand-alone models are powered by batteries.

The main advantage of contactless taps is the huge saving of liquid, as well as the absence of fingerprints on it (there is no need to touch the taps). A significant drawback - they are too expensive.

You can also pay attention to the original nozzles, which will improve the ordinary mixer. This kind of device should be mounted on the spout nose, and it will function on batteries. If you believe the manufacturing companies, a contactless mixer will save your liquid flow by 20-25%.

In addition, you can familiarize yourself with the classification of kitchen faucets according to the methods of their final installation.The location and method of installing the crane will affect which model you should choose for your kitchen.

You can install the unit in three popular ways. We list them.

• Installing a tap in a separate hole in the sink - the most common installation method, which can easily be done by yourself without calling a specialist. For this method, any crane device is suitable.
• In the countertop - here you can place the valve, lever type or touch models - but they must have a swivel spout. In the table, you will need to drill a hole that will correspond to the diameter of the device you purchased.
• Wall mounting - for this wall options of mixers are acquired. The housing for this type of installation should be as massive as possible, and the connection with all pipes hidden in the wall should be rigid.

By its design, a sanitary faucet is considered a rather complex device, consisting of parts of a wide variety of manufacturing materials. The case is most often made of alloys, the most common of which are steel and brass. These well-known metals provide good reliability for such products. Models made of bronze and copper look beautiful, but their price will be much higher.

Most in demand are devices with a housing made of resistant metal and elements inside made of high-quality ceramic. And also in the plumbing salon, you can find many faucets that are made of ceramic or plastic with the effect of heat resistance.

When choosing it is important what the mixer is made of metal. The most durable are the chrome parts, but they will not be able to give you the opportunity to choose the right color, and too quickly spots of dirt and grease are visible on them.

Enamel coatings have no problems with the choice of colors, but enamel is not the most durable material., because after a short period of time it begins to exfoliate or loses its original color. The perfect solution is a surface that has been coated with bronze. Various spots will not be visible on it, and everyday care does not cause much effort.

If you want to choose the best product, check it for weight. A truly high-quality mixer that will last a maximum number of years will not be easy.

The shapes and parameters of spouts are diverse, and this should be taken into account when purchasing a product in order to make your choice as correctly as possible.

Regardless of the shape of the spout, the nozzles of the aggregates can be round, slightly flattened or even have the shape of a square - the type of water flow will directly depend on this.

Spouts by type of location of the sink are classified as follows:

• low - from 15.5 to 18.4 cm long;
• the middle type is 23.5, 21.6 and 20 cm;
• high - 28 cm.

Products with a high bend and nozzle position are best chosen for deep sinks. If the stream will fall from a great height into a shallow sink, it will necessarily spray liquid throughout the kitchen. Choosing a low spout unit is also challenging.if the hostess will need to fill a high pot or vase.

In this case, the problem can be easily solved by acquiring a spout with operational geometry that can be changed (for example, a telescopic spout). Retractable types of mixers are much better and very comfortable with active use. Inside the tap there is a flexible hose, it is through it that the water will flow. Most often, this hose is completely recessed in the mixer, for this reason it looks like a regular tap.

Be sure to take into account that the spout located high is suitable only for that sink, which will have the most deepened bowl, otherwise you can not avoid spraying liquid from the tap throughout the room.

Faucets with spout, which has a height of 12-15 cm or 15-25 cm, will completely suit the ownersif they’re used to using the sink only for its intended purpose — to wash and clean the dishes, to put water in the dishes for cooking dinner.

When choosing a good faucet, you need to look not so much at the price, but also at the brand, so as never to regret your purchase.

Well-known domestic companies produce both inexpensive and luxury models of various types of mixers. Moreover, the existing reputation for these companies these days means much more than some petty savings. For this reason, faucets of famous brands always differ from analogs in their excellent workmanship.

The fact of how comfortable your new plumbing will be and how long it will last for you depends on the brand of the manufacturer. Among the many domestic companies that produce good plumbing, the following series of companies produce high-quality kitchen faucets.

The main feature of this manufacturer from Russia is a huge selection of parameters for various taps, which allows them to be purchased for any kind of kitchen - large, small, stylish and not very.

Faucets of this brand have reliable ergonomic characteristics and stylish functionality that customers like, because in quality they are not inferior to famous foreign models.

This company guarantees the highest quality devices for the kitchen, their long operation while maintaining the appearance and functionality.

This Russian company has long been popular among Russian consumers who prefer to support their manufacturers. More than 100 of the most popular devices coated with chromium and nickel are presented on the modern market.

Production is located in Germany. In the manufacture of faucets of this brand, the latest technologies are used that allow us to produce the most functional and most ergonomic devices of excellent quality.

Cezares faucet is a product of a well-known Italian manufacturer that produces equipment for kitchens of the middle price segment and premium class. Cezares manufacturing facilities are located in northern Italy, a region famous for producing high-quality ceramics.

Imprese faucets from the Czech Republic have always been distinguished by increased reliability and excellent quality factor of their faucets, as they are produced from high-quality brass alloy.

This is a Czech brand that specializes in producing stylish color devices that are painted in the tone of modern granite sinks. Usually these are units with a rather high type of spout and one lever, which is responsible for the power of the jet and the temperature of the liquid used.

The composition of Chinese kitchen faucets Zegor contains an extremely low level of lead, which is why such faucets are completely safe for active use. Spout of these products can be developed around its axis without problems. Unusual design made these valves and levers quite simple and very convenient in household use, and thanks to the presence of a special aerator, these taps can save significant money when paying bills for consumed water.

Omoikiri is a well-known Japanese manufacturer, which offers its regular and new customers sinks, as well as faucets and various kitchen utensils. The special style of Japan is seen in any product unit offered. A guarantee for 5 years of operation and true Japanese quality devices have long won the love and recognition of consumers in most countries of the world.

Vidima itself can produce brass, therefore it controls the quality of the existing casting, reducing to almost zero the possibility of various hidden defects in the devices. The development of the most complex mechanisms of sanitary products is carried out by leading German engineers, which allows to ensure the best quality and increased reliability of structures.

Products of the Oras brand are produced at enterprises located in Finland and Poland, as well as Norway. Products are distinguished by attractive design; they save liquid consumption due to the use of modern electronics inside the unit, which just meets the highest world quality standards.

See how to choose a kitchen faucet in the next video.