American Standard 4205.104.075 Reliant Pull-out Kitchen Combination Faucet, Stainless Steel

I've always loved the American Standard brand of plumbing fixtures - this is no exception. This is a wonderful example of the best of engineering - it may be a little more expensive, but how often do you change out your kitchen faucet? Well engineered, beautifully executed it is elegant and artistic. Using with stainless steel under-mount sink and granite counter-top, it appears almost organic - as though it grew there ...

I love the feel of the movement, the balance of the faucet, the shape of the mix valve - absolutely the best available anywhere.

Did I say that I love it? Everything works well and smoothly.

This was supplied by the builder in a new home which I purchased. After four years I've experienced the following problems: The pull out cannot be pushed all the way back in to the base. Both I and my plumber are mystified as to why not as there is no mineralization build up. The only thing that we can think is that the plastic ring in the base has swollen, however unlikely that seems. The spray setting still has a heavy stream in the middle. It leaks from both the spray head, down the hose, and from the body requiring my plumber to replace an "O" ring. From reading reviews of other brands it seems that this is yet another product of which it is impossible to find a really well-made example.

We've owned this faucet 3 or 4 years and it's already time to replace it. When we first got it I was disappointed that the hose didn't pull out as far as my old one, but really the hose length is OK. My complain is that it is falling apart. For the last 6 months the spray feature has been falling apart. First it would get stuck on spray. Then it wouldn't spray at all. For a while the button for the sprayer would come off, and we'd put is back on. Now it won't stay on at all. Most pull out faucets have a button that has to be pushed. This big button on the faucet top has to be pulled out when you want to revert from spray to stream - so I guess the design ensured I'd be in the faucet market again soon. In addition, the plate at the bottom of the faucet is beginning to corrode.

It's not that I expect things to last forever, but frankly this is the lifespan that I would expect from a under hundred dollar faucet.

All of that being said, the reviewer that...Read more