Fun with Faucets

We're now at the stage where we have to make a zillion decision about things that, until recently, we knew nothing about...flooring, tiles, appliances, and my personal favorite, plumbing. There is a vast world of faucets, tub fillers, theremostatic mixers, etc. out there. The selection is overwhelming and the prices ranges are dramatic.



And why? Why does one faucet cost three times as much as one that is virtually indistinguishable from it? It's nerve wracking. OK, brand makes a difference--I get that. But unlike a Viking stove (btw-we are not getting one of those), no one really knows what brand your faucets are, so why else would you pay a premium? Quality. There must be major differences, but yet no sales person has been able to explain them to me. And so I feel lost and confusted? Will the cheaper faucet rust to bits in a year? Or if I buy the more expensive one, will I just feel like a putz for sqandering my hard earned cash?


We love the modern minimalist look of the single lever faucet and plan on putting two of them in our master bath. But which one should we choose? These all look great to me, but prices range dramatically. Which one do you think is the most expensive? most affordable?



Here the scoop: The faucet #1 is from AF Supply's DaVinci line. It's called the Metropolitan and we received a quote on this bad boy for $286. The #2 faucet is the luxury model--from Dornbract's Meta.02 line, this is called the Grande and I've seen it listed for as much as $709. Yikes. Finally, there's #3 Grohe's Essence faucet which cost less than $175 (with roughing).

Since I'm not sure what the real differences are--we're going with the Grohe. Believe me, we'll need the cash for the myriad other plumbing items on the list.