Kitchen faucets nowadays are extremely reliable and uniformly manufactured using resilient finishes and a durable construction, regardless of their brand. Because of this, rusty, dripping or leaking kitchen faucets have become a thing of the past.
Because there is no real difference in each brand’s reliability and lifespan, in this article we’ll be focusing on more critical factors to consider when buying the best kitchen faucets.
The kitchen faucet mounting holes on your sink
The number, configuration, and positioning of the mounting holes on your sink are the most important things to consider when choosing between kitchen faucets. To make sure that your faucet is compatible with your sink, the first thing you need to do is to check if the number of mounting holes on your sink matches the number of holes on your faucet. Faucets often come in a number of mounting hole configurations and you need to choose the one that matches your that of your sink, especially if you want something convenient.
Other than the number of the mounting holes, you’ll need to consider the position of the holes on your kitchen sink. They might be too close to the wall, preventing the installation of your chosen faucet, even if the mounting holes otherwise match perfectly.
If the holes on the sink are mounted in the corner and not in the center and it has double basins, the length of the faucet’s nozzle is another thing to consider otherwise you’ll lose functionality. Pull-out and pull-down nozzles can come in handy in this case.
Water line size and shutoff valves
The second most important thing to keep in mind is checking the water lines. You’ll want to make sure that your existing water line size matches what your new kitchen faucet supports. A lot of the new faucets come equipped with 3/8″ flex lines. If you have 1/2″ shutoff valves in the kitchen, you’ll need to replace those before you can install your new faucet. This comes with the benefit of decreasing the likelihood of failure should you need to shut off the water in the future. Old valves can malfunction and it’s a good idea to replace them. If you’re upgrading your kitchen faucet, why not replace every old bit you can that could possibly fail too?
The kitchen faucet’s functionality
Kitchen faucets come in many different types that offer various functionalities, which is something you should also consider. Single-lever and two-handle ones are the two main types of kitchen faucets, but there are other, more specialized types too. Here’s a list of the common types of kitchen faucets, with their pros and cons:
- Single-handle faucets: these have a simplistic design. One thing to look out for is to make sure there is enough space behind the faucet to rotate the lever.
Pros:
- Easier to install than two-handled ones.
- They also take up less space than those.
Cons:
- Adjusting the temperature precisely is slightly more difficult
- Two-handle faucets: this is a traditional design with the handles or levers separately adjusting hot and cold temperatures.
Pros:
- Slightly more control over water temperature
Cons:
- More difficult installation.
- Requires both hands to adjust the temperature.
- Hands-free faucets: These have built-in proximity sensors that start and stop the flow of the water.
Pros:
- Can be operated with both hands full
Cons:
- Some designs are unhygienic, requiring you to touch the sensor.
- Sometimes the sensor is at an inconvenient location
- Pull-out and pull-down faucets: these are the best kitchen faucets for large or double sinks. The spout is attached to a nozzle that you can pull out and move relatively freely.
Pros:
- Long reach.
- Flexibility
Cons:
Only really useful for large sinks
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The finish of your kitchen faucet
Finally, you should factor into your decision the finish of the faucet. Although this one is for cosmetic reasons only, kitchen faucets with finishes that don’t match the existing accessories on your sink – the sink-hole cover, air gap, etc. – can ruin the visual impression your sink has if there are elements that don’t match.These tips will point you in the right direction so that you can make the right decision when buying the faucet that is the perfect puzzle piece in the dream kitchen you’ve envisioned.
