We'll be the first ones to admit that we're messy. Give us a diy project and you'll be amazed at the places we can end up getting paint by the time we're done. Really, it should be an Olympic sport or something! We have a serious love for single lever faucets because of this as they're easy to turn on with a wrist or arm and clean up the aesthetics of your counter in the process.
When it comes to single lever faucets, there's two different types. Single and Double hole. Single holes have a smaller footprint on your countertop, check out examples 2 and 3 above vs examples 3 and 4. Usually you'll pay a higher price for the single hole varieties, but they'll most likely have a more modern footprint if you're looking to upgrade. We split our faucets up into 3 price ranges, the first keeps things under the $100 price point, the next keeps them under $300 and the last... well we really just don't have need for faucets that are that expensive (well need to pay for them that is).
Totally Affordable
First Row, Left To Right
• GRUNDTAL: from IKEA for $89.99
• AquaSource Chrome: for $99 from Lowes
• DALSKÄR: for $99.99 from IKEA
• Moen Adler Chrome: for $62.99 from Ace Hardware
• American Standard 2175.205: for $63.70 from Faucet Direct
Maybe Someday When I Save Up
Second Row, Left To Right
• D'Vontz Oil-Rubbed Bronze: for $268 from Lowes
• Danze Como : for $257.99 from Modern Bathroom
• Schon Single Post Mount: for $158 from Home Depot
• Giagni Giagni Brushed Nickel: for $298 from Home Depot
• Kohler K-12182-G "Fairfax": for $142.97 from Faucet.com
You Paid What For Your Faucet?
Third Row, Left To Right
• Symbol Tower: for $771.05 from Kohler
• Margaux Tall: for $525 from Kohler
• TOTO Kiwami Renesse: for $836.99 from Modern Bathroom
• Elkay LK6156: for $703.50 from Faucet Direct
• Elkay LK7225NK Arezzo: for $859 from Faucet Depot
(Images: As Linked Above)
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what, no dornbracht?
I got my faucet from ebay. Actually I got two faucets from ebay. I went with a nice looking but really cheap faucet (it was about 25 bucks) and it broke with in a week of installation. I don't know why, but I went back to ebay, this time spending about 40 dollars on a faucet and it has worked great. It looks more or less like #3. Anyway, it looks like it cost much more than it really did. I would definitely suggest people look at ebay for a good faucet deal.
I love the look of the single-lever control on the side, but being married to a leftie, I've heard charges of discrimination! We can compromise, though, on the ones with a top lever, and I recently purchased the IKON by Moen (brushed nickel, ~$250; http://www.efaucets.com/images/Moen/6100.jpg). I hate the damage from a leaky faucet, so for me, it seems worth it to pay enough for a good ceramic valve.
The problem with the top lever is that every single time you use the lever with a wet, soapy hand, you drip wet, soapy water all over the whole faucet and it needs to be cleaned way more often. We got a 2-hole single lever for that reason, but the side levers keep it cleaner as well.
happy4me, you can install most side lever faucets with the handle in the front instead of on one side. The side levers in this post are bigger than most I've seen, so it probably wouldn't look as good.
Yes, these are nice and all that - but the biggest problem i've found w/ fancy faucets is that you can't attach a Britta or Pur waterfilter to it - You have to install an undersink unit...
We recently went through our own single handle faucet research (for an upcoming kitchen remodel). A pull-out or pull-down spray was also a requirement. We found some less expensive options (under $400), but some were brands we didn't recognize and couldn't find much feedback/reviews on so we opted for a Grohe Minta (which we were able to get 30% off at our local plumbing store). They have a good reputation for quality and customer service and when buying something with moving parts, that's a huge benefit!
Here is a link to our full faucet review:
http://chezerbey.com/2010/02/10/the-faucet-contenders/
Check out Blanco. They make a ton of affordable (I guess they would fall in the 2nd category according to this post....) side pull and single lever faucets and showers. I have them installed in my condo along with one of the Danze faucets and have been pretty happy with them over the last 6 months or so. Since they have fewer joints and moving parts they are pretty easy to clean compared with dual controlled faucets.
Your list is just the tip of the iceberg...Dornbracht, Hansgrohe, Grohe, Delta...
The list is just the tip of the iceberg! There's a ridiculous amount of this style of faucet being made now!