How to choose the best kitchen faucet?

If you choose a place in an apartment where the most cold and hot water is used during the day, then this will definitely be a kitchen. Faucets installed in the kitchen are opened and closed by households 100 or even 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 kitchen faucet, you should carefully study the full range of products offered by various manufacturers in the affordable financial segment.

Quality kitchen plumbing fixtures must 100% meet the following important criteria.

• High wear resistance. The crane you choose must be of guaranteed durability. Famous brands attach great importance to this indicator, so most mixers will last as long as possible.
• Profitability. For many people in the street, it is extremely important that the water in their home is spent more economically. Mixers are complemented by special aerators - they deliver a slightly foamed stream, filling it with small air bubbles. In this case, the water consumption is really significantly reduced, while the hygienic properties of the water are not lost. Today, mixer models have become popular on the market, which can supply a stream of liquid in small spirals, as if drawing a net of water around the circumference. Such pressure does not look quite usual, but at the same time it reduces financial expenses for using water.
• Easy to operate. The most successful are the taps, which can be quickly opened and set the required outlet water temperature. A sensor-type faucet can be simply considered an excellent model, since in it the degree of water heating can always be set in advance, so there is no need to adjust it from time to time. One has only to bring the hands to such a device, as the water itself will immediately flow from the tap.
• Strength. A truly well-made product will not be afraid of serious mechanical influences, such as constant pressure or friction.
• Stylish design. The newly acquired tap 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 will have to look for a crane made of a similar material and outwardly 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 classified into one of three types:

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

Double wishbones are the simplest and most common. To get heated or cool water, you just need to open the necessary 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 faulty crane elements can be easily replaced.

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

Devices with one lever are quite comfortable to use. Many ordinary people make their final choice on these devices for their kitchen. With the help of a single knob, you can adjust both 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 right side, and when lifting it up, the pressure force is regulated.

The advantages of this type of device:

• some of the most economical;
• easy to use, even for children;
• have a stylish design.

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

Contactless sensor devices appeared on the plumbing market not so long ago and differ significantly from their mechanical counterparts. The main function that such a crane will perform is to supply fluid at a predetermined temperature. Today you can find both volatile and autonomous devices. The first - through a special 12 V adapter, they will operate from a regular network, while stand-alone models are powered by batteries.

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

And you can also pay attention to the original nozzles, which will improve the usual mixer. This kind of device should be fixed on the spout spout, and it will function on batteries. According to the manufacturing companies, a touchless mixer will save your fluid consumption by 20-25%.

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

The unit can be installed in three popular ways. Let's list them.

• Installing a tap in a separate sink hole - the most common method of installation, which you can easily carry out yourself without calling a specialist. Any crane device is suitable for this method.
• In the countertop - valve, lever or sensor models can be placed here - but they must have a swivel spout. You will need to drill a hole in the table that will match the diameter of the device you purchased.
• Wall mounting - for this, wall-mounted versions of mixers are purchased. The housing for this type of installation must be as massive as possible, and the connection with all pipes hidden in the wall must be rigid.

By its design, a plumbing mixer is considered a rather complex device, consisting of parts of a very different material of manufacture. The body is most often made of alloys, the most common of which are steel and brass. These metals known to all provide good reliability for such products. Models made of bronze and copper look beautiful, but their price will be much higher.

The most demanded devices are those with a case made of resistant metal and elements inside made of high-quality ceramics. And also in the plumbing salon you can find many mixers that are made of ceramics or plastic with a heat-resistant effect.

When choosing, it is important what the metal mixer is covered with. The chrome parts are the most durable, but they will not give you the opportunity to choose the desired color, and they also show stains of dirt and grease that are visible to the eye too quickly.

Enamel coatings have no problem choosing colors, but enamel is not the most durable material, since after a short period of time it begins to flake off 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 daily care does not cause much effort.

If you are dreaming of choosing the best product, check it by weight. A really high-quality mixer that will last the maximum number of years will not be easy.

The shapes and parameters of spouts differ in variety, 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 units can be rounded, slightly flattened, or even have the shape of a square - the type of water flow will directly depend on this.

Spouts by the type of sink location 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 for deep sinks. If the stream falls from a great height into a shallow sink, it will necessarily spray liquid throughout the kitchen. The choice of a unit with a low type of spout is also associated with certain difficulties.if the hostess needs to fill a tall saucepan or vase.

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

It is imperative to take into account that a high spout is suitable only for the sink that has the deepest bowl, otherwise you cannot avoid splashing liquid from the tap throughout the room.

Mixers with a spout, which has a height of 12-15 cm or 15-25 cm, will completely suit the owners, if they are accustomed to using the sink only for its intended purpose - for washing and cleaning dishes, filling the dishes with water for preparing dinner.

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

Well-known domestic companies produce both inexpensive and luxury models of various types of mixers. At the same time, the already existing reputation for these companies today means much more than some petty savings. For this reason, faucets of renowned brands always differ from analogues in their excellent workmanship.

The brand of the manufacturing company also determines how comfortable your new plumbing will be in use and how long it will serve you. Among the many domestic companies that produce good plumbing, high-quality kitchen faucets are produced by the following number of companies.

The main feature of this manufacturer from Russia is a huge selection of parameters for various taps, which allows you to purchase them for any kind of kitchens - large, small, stylish and not so much.

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

This company guarantees the highest quality of kitchen appliances, their long-term operation while maintaining their appearance and functionality.

This Russian company has long been popular with Russian consumers who prefer to support their producers. More than 100 of the most popular chrome and nickel plated devices on the market today.

The production is located in Germany. In the production of mixers of this brand, the latest technologies are used, which allow us to produce the most functional and most ergonomic devices of excellent quality.

The Cezares faucet is a product of a well-known Italian manufacturer that manufactures equipment for kitchens of the middle price segment and premium class. Cezares production bases are located in northern Italy, a region renowned for the production of high quality ceramics.

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

This is a Czech brand that specializes in the production of stylish color devices that are painted to match the 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.

Zegor Chinese kitchen faucets contain an extremely low level of lead, which is why such faucets are completely safe for active use. The spout of these products can be turned around without any problems. The unusual design made these valves and levers quite simple and very convenient for 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 that offers its regular and new customers sinks, faucets and various kitchen accessories. The distinctive Japanese style is seen in any product offered. A guarantee for 5 years of operation and the real Japanese quality of devices have long won the love and recognition of consumers in most countries of the world.

The Vidima company can produce brass itself, therefore it keeps under control the quality of the existing castings, reducing almost to zero the possibility of various hidden defects in the devices. Leading German engineers are engaged in the development of the most complex mechanisms for plumbing products, which ensures the best quality and increased reliability of structures.

Oras brand products are manufactured in factories located in Finland and Poland, as well as Norway. The products are distinguished by attractive design, they save fluid consumption due to the use of modern electronics inside the unit, which exactly meets the highest world quality standards.

For information on how to choose a faucet for your kitchen, see the next video.