The Best Kitchen Faucets

A kitchen faucet should last long and degrade slowly.

Before making a potential investment in a new kitchen faucet, you should have a look at some of the things that make them worth your money and some other things that might actually cause you an inconvenience. Some kitchen faucets allow you to pull out an extension that allows you to direct the flow of water. You should primarily look for a durable faucet made of a non-corrosive material and one that doesn't degrade quickly, causing leaks.

Go Ceramic With Your Cartridge

Ceramic cartridges are much less susceptible to rusting and material buildups than metal ones. When you go to a store to purchase a faucet, ask the representative if the faucet has a ceramic or a metal cartridge. Usually, these faucets are costly, but you'll find the investment worth it. You may also look in the box the faucet comes in for this information.

Plastic Fixtures Turn Yellow

Much like teeth, a white plastic always turns yellow over time. Unless you don't mind spending a whole lot of time whitening the plastic again, you should always look for brass in your faucet's material. A good faucet always weighs more than its mediocre counterpart because of the metal inside and outside of it.

Feel the Handle

Take a look at the faucet's handle. Does it move smoothly? Does it move left to right without hopping? Go for a faucet with a handle that makes you feel comfortable to operate. Remember that you will turn the faucet on and off very frequently. Your comfort should matter as much as the quality of the faucet itself.

Pull-Out Spouts

While you might find pull-out spouts on your kitchen faucet much more convenient than having a faucet that pours in one direction, you might think twice if you have young children that may pull on it. Exerting a large amount of force on a pull-out spout may ruin it, either by making it hop out of the faucet or ruining the retreating mechanism that allows it to go back inside the faucet. If you cannot live without such a faucet, get a metal-to-metal pull-out faucet, which is much more durable.

References

• Millenia Living: Six Things to Look For in a Kitchen Faucet