Hi, my name is Viktor, I’m the owner of 24 Hours Plumber. From time to time customers ask me what brands of faucets and what plumbing fixtures are the best to buy. The choice is huge. There are brands available from around the world. They come in all kinds of colors, shapes and sizes. So which are the best?
In my opinion, the most safe and reliable way is to go ahead with brands which are made in Canada or United States. Their manufacturers are familiar with local plumbing codes and fixtures are made accordingly. Most North American brands of faucets come with limited lifetime guarantee. If fixture’s part becomes worn out, it is easy to order a replacement and it won’t take long for the part to arrive.
On the contrary, it may be harder to locate and order a part for the fixture, manufactured abroad, somewhere in China or Europe, and it may take forever until the part will arrive.
Among North American brands I would recommend Moen, Delta, American Standard, Kohler. Those manufacturers are well established and it’s unlikely that they will ever go out of business. So the parts for their products will be available in the future.
Now, there are better and worse fixtures within those brands. Some faucets are very good, some others I would not recommend. Sometimes there are countertops or sinks where some faucets fit better than others. Therefore, please call us to get a professional consultation.
What color to choose? For toilets the most common color is white and bone, for faucets – chrome. There are many other colors available, but then it has to be special order, so fixture will cost more and it will take time for fixture/faucet to arrive. Also if, for example, faucet handle of unusual color cracks, it will be more costly and time consuming to get a replacement. So we recommend most common colors for fixtures and faucets.
How about price? The range in prices is big, and not always most expensive faucet may be the best for your particular situation. I had recently a customer which shower faucet handle cracked. Faucet was installed 5 years ago, manufacturer’s warranty was up to 3 years only. I went to find a replacement and soon discovered, that just a handle for this particular faucet costs around $800! For such price it may be possible to buy two or even three complete faucets! There are so many faucets with much lower price and good look – they work without problems much longer than 5 years. Expensive faucets also may be over engineered and require expensive maintenance. So please, call us, and we will help you to choose the right faucet or any other plumbing fixture. We will also install it for you for a good price and with quality.
Finally, where to buy? My most favorite store is Home Depot. There are so many Home Depots in every part of GTA… Store is very convenient – everything is under one roof, it has enough good fixtures. Also it has good return policy, better than some plumbing supply stores have.
But there are many other stores, each of them has something unique and attractive. For example, Rona has nice line of replacement parts called Master Plumber. Lowe’s has big variety of faucets. Home Hardware has limited choice of faucets, but prices are good.
If you have more questions or need help, contact us at www.24hoursplumber.com or just call 647-660-5030. All the best!
