Tell me how to buy a bathroom faucet

[cbelt3]

Ombligo has much wisdom here.

[Carm]

What ombligo said, I would also go with Delta or Moen. I got some nice brushed nickel faucets for half the price.
Amazon warehouse also has some good deals.

[Fritz]

Kohler, Delta, hansgrohe, depending on your level of silly.
As Ombligo says, heavy brass.
Avoid American Standard. Utter poo.
Prep some good 4 letter word combos, you'll need them and you'll come with lots more.
The last time I did a plumbing job in the house we recorded on the phone. Man, did we piss ourselves laughing later.
I certainly couldn't kiss my mother with that mouth.

[Buzz]

Be aware, some faucets may be "all metal", but they may be plated pot metal.... which may, or may not be OK.... as long as the working innards are sold brass and/or stainless steel you're probably alright. If you get a good enough deal on the good stuff, you're golden and don't have to worry.

The only single-handled good stuff under ~$100 is the aforementioned Exxon bathroom variety. If you want it to look somewhat better, you have to nearly double the price, get a killer overstock deal, or settle for some lesser quality materials, such as the plated pot metal. As long as you don't treat your bathroom like the one at an Exxon station, that's probably a decent choice.
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[Dennis S]

I have talked to Delta and they weren't able to tell me which models were real metal and which were plastic, regarding the "stainless" part.

[davester]

It is absolutely not true that "they all do the job". There are a number of brands that are absolute garbage and fail early and/or have horrendous customer service. Here's the bottom line on faucets:

http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets.htm

This is the only source you will ever need.

[Cary]

The most important things (to me):
Ceramic disc valve - no washers to wear out, much better quality.
Brass construction.lines
Warranty/claims/spare parts availability/manufacturer support.

When we redid the 3 bathrooms, we went with Grove for the master, and Delta for the other 2 baths. Delta most certainly has different lines, with different quality construction. What you get in a plumbing supply house is different than what HD or Lowe's stocks. Their website has tons of info on styles and construction.

One last thing - If you have to replace the supply valves (the ones in the cabinet, do yourself a favor and get 1/4 turn ball valves. No washer to replace. No packing to replace.

[Dennis S]

I checked with some plumbing supply houses last year and the equivalent faucets there were way way more than at Home Depot and Lowe's.

[mattkime]

>One last thing - If you have to replace the supply valves (the ones in the cabinet, do yourself a favor and get 1/4 turn ball valves. No washer to replace. No packing to replace.

I need to install 2 (no turn offs for the bathroom sink, how clever!) but I'm also tempted to replace the one for the toilet because its difficult to turn and was likely install >30 years ago. I thiiiink its stainless steel pipe - I verified that its magnetic.

[Cary]

I doubt it's stainless - most common is cast iron, galvanized, copper and plastic/pex.