Which mixer to choose for the kitchen

Kitchen equipment is used in the toughest mode, 2-3 times more intensively than anything else in the house. Therefore, the quality requirements come first. To successfully choose a mixer for the kitchen you will have to understand their designs and materials.

Choosing the price range

To choose a faucet for the kitchen is not so easy and simple choice is huge, the difference in prices is cosmic. What to stop and do not miss. First of all, it is worth deciding on the price range in which you agree to look:

• Expensive models. Usually these are German and Danish firms, whose production facilities are located in Europe. In addition to the high price, they are distinguished by a long warranty period – at least 5 years. This means that if there is a correctly filled warranty card, you will be able to repair or get a new one for free.
• Medium price range. Most often these are firms that have moved production facilities to China. Their products are of good quality, as their control remains as rigid. And also in this category are kitchen taps made in countries recently joined the EU or in the Eurozone.
• Cheap. This is outright China. Can work for a long time and successfully, and sometimes will break during installation (the toughest case) or fail after a few months.

If you want to put a faucet on the kitchen sink and forget about it, then the choice is unambiguous – only expensive models. If periodic minor problems do not frighten, you can look in the middle price range. Cheap – this is a completely bad option. Only in case of extreme lack of funds. And then, how to calculate, if you have to put another faucet in two months, the amount as a result will be far from small.

Choice of material

The durability of the device is strongly influenced by the material from which the body and spout are made. Today there is a fairly large number of materials. Externally, only ceramic models differ, all the others “in appearance” are exactly the same. Nevertheless, it is necessary to know what the mixer is made of.

• Stainless steel. The most durable, but also the most expensive option. But the service life is long.
• Brass. A very good choice, but only if the alloy is of good quality, suitable for use in the food industry. Brass faucets last for a very long time, even hard water does not harm them.
• Bronze. Also not a bad option, but most often bronze taps are made in retro style. In this case, they are not covered with any protective coatings. Ordinary models of bronze bodies are made quite rarely.
• Silumin is an alloy of aluminum and silicon. It is a light alloy, similar in appearance to aluminum, but very unreliable. The bodies of the cheapest faucets are made of this alloy. Their service life is no more than a year.
• Plastic. Not a bad material, but not for faucets – the protective coating from constant contact with water quickly wears off. Faucets made of plastic also belong to the category of budget.
• Ceramics. Ceramic faucets for sinks look very spectacular, but they cost a lot, and in operation require a careful attitude. Shock loads are not tolerated at all. It is necessary to be very careful when washing dishes.

Ceramic while in our country is more exotic, but all the others are there. Normal in quality and not the most expensive in price. But brass is also different.

In cheap faucets, brass contains a lot of lead. It increases the fluidity of the alloy, which means that you can get thinner walls. The quality of the casting will be better – without caverns and other imperfections. But the high lead content in tap water is harmful to the body. Lead dissolves in water, making it unsuitable for use in food.

So how do you choose a good brass faucet? By weight. In brass with a high lead content, the walls are thin, so the faucet itself is much lighter. From other signs – color. Sometimes it is possible to look inside some faucets to assess the alloy by this feature. Low-quality brass has a reddish color, normal brass has a yellow color.

Choice of control device – single lever, dual valve or touchscreen

A couple of decades ago, there were only two-valve faucets, and there was no choice. A few decades ago, single-lever models appeared. Many people like them better – switching on, switching off, temperature adjustment is done by turning the lever. If the mixer belongs to the category of expensive, the lever stroke is smooth and can be easily adjusted, and this ease is retained through the years. With cheaper models, it is more difficult to control the movements. However, it still requires less movement to set the desired temperature than a two-faucet model.

Nevertheless, valve-type faucets also have enough admirers. They are attracted by the fact that the locking buxes can be repaired independently. In one-handed faucets, all repairs are the replacement of gaskets and cartridge – the inside of the faucet, in which water is mixed.

And more recently, there are touch-sensitive faucets that respond to the proximity of objects or hands. Put your hands near the faucet and water starts flowing. You can adjust the temperature with a touch panel or a rotary lever. Their disadvantage is the high price.

Type and height of the spout

Spout in faucets experts call the part that ordinary users call “gooseneck”. This is the tube from which the water pours out, it is of different types and sizes:

• straight;
• curved;
• with a retractable flexible spout.

If straight and curved are familiar varieties, then faucets with a retractable spout have appeared quite recently. In them, the “gooseneck” consists of two parts, which are connected to each other with the help of a flexible hose. This type of faucets are also called “with a watering can” or “with a shower”.

The hose is made of elastic rubber. On top, there may be a protective braid made of stainless steel or corrugated pipe. If necessary, just pull the bottom part, and the spout will be extended by 60-90 cm. It is a convenient device, but it is more often found on expensive models.

What height and distance of the spout is better

With the height of the spout, you need to find the golden mean. When the water pours from a great height, there will be a lot of splashes, if the spout is low – there will be problems with washing large pots, jars, etc. The optimal distance from the bottom of the sink to the end of the “gooseneck” is 30-40 cm. Based on these figures it is necessary to select the model of the faucet for the kitchen sink. With a deep sink, a low faucet may be suitable, and with a tank of shallow depth, a higher one will be required.

For the right choice of mixer on the sink, its spout should be such a shape that the water pours approximately above the center of the sink. Allowable error plus or minus 10% of the size of the sink. In this case, it will be convenient to use.

Nozzle design

This is the part from which the water pours directly. Usually equipped with a mesh to “catch” large mechanical inclusions. If you have water filters at the inlet, this mesh does not play any role at all. More important is the type of jet that forms the nozzle:

• Normal not broken into jets. Today, this type of faucets is not often found, the water consumption turns out to be large.
• Aerator. Many small jets, creating a sense of intense flow due to the formation of small air bubbles. The most economical option, consumption is reduced by 20-35%.
• Rainmaker. Several jets, without a strong pressure. It is convenient to wash greens, delicate fruits, etc.

Most often the mixer is equipped with an aerator, but there are models that have two modes of operation – aeration and rain. Switching is carried out by turning the lever.

How to choose

Deciding to choose a faucet from the category of expensive or from the middle price range, you need to go to a specialized store or just to the construction store (but definitely not to the hypermarket). If you stop at some firm, you should go to their official website and see where the points of authorized partners are located. In this case, you will have a guarantee that they will sell the product of this company, and not a fake. If there are no such points in the immediate area, you will have to focus on indirect signs:

• the clarity of the logo;
• the color of the alloy;
• quality of components;
• the presence of a warranty card, printed on good paper, where all the coordinates are spelled out;
• the store must correctly fill out all the data, put a stamp, only in this case the warranty obligations are valid.

Many people get out of the situation by inviting an experienced plumber to accompany them. Not always this method works, but it can help not to run into a blatant fake.

Selection by design and additional functions

The design and color scheme is probably the easiest to decide on. If the kitchen is decorated in a certain style, you should choose a model in the same way. Technocratic clear lines are suitable for hi-tech and minimalism, bronze without shiny spraying Provence or retro. With such a trendy current as “loft” can be combined with a mixer in both of these styles, it all depends on the design of the room.

If the repair is made in a modern style, where there are signs of many currents, any model can fit in, the main thing is that it echoes the shape of the sink and kitchen set.

Of the additional features, it is better to have a switch for the use of tap water and purified water. If there are special filters under the sink, such an option can be very useful.

Recently, we have more and more often started to install dishwashers. It happens that there are problems when connecting them to the water supply. For this case, there are faucets with valves that switch the water to the dishwasher. And in some models, the switch occurs for a certain period of time – from 3 to 12 hours.

Another good function is to change the angle of the spout. In some kitchen mixers there are blockers that allow a wide angle of rotation of 120 °, make less, for example, 60 ° or fix it in a stationary state.

Which companies can be trusted

There are no surprises in this matter. Market leaders in terms of quality are European brands – German, Swedish, Danish. In the middle price range – Bulgaria, Slovenia and firms that moved production to China.

Expensive and high quality

GROHE (Grohe) faucets are the most popular. They have proven themselves perfectly. There are only two disadvantages, high price and a lot of fakes.

Moreover, “GROHE” there are two firms – two brothers. The firm of one is simply called GROHE. Produces a firm of various plumbing fixtures. The second brother has a specialized firm, which was named after him – HANS GROHE. This is how they label their products. This company produces only mixers and faucets, its products are of even higher quality, but also more expensive.

The next proven firm is the Danish Damixa (Damixa). It is worth considering that the warranty is given only if there are filters on the water supply. The products themselves are of high quality, the coating is guaranteed for 10 years and a few years for the mechanism itself. If the Damixa faucet starts to drip, most likely there is a lime scale somewhere. If the warranty is no longer valid, the faucet is disassembled, the scale is removed with vinegar and everything is reassembled. In single-lever faucets Damixa can leak cartridges, but this is a consumable material and it is subject to replacement.

Oras and Hansa faucets. These trademarks are owned by one European company – Oras Group. Its production facilities are located in continental Europe. There are very few complaints about the quality of products, if there are any problems, it is with cartridges. In Oras faucets they are ceramic and demanding to water quality. So if you want a long service life of the faucet, put a purification system.

In the range of the campaign there are touchless and “smart” faucets, the latest achievements in the world of sanitary engineering. Models for switching water to the dishwasher. Some faucets can change the angle of the spout. In general, it is possible to choose a mixer from Oras. Their style is peculiar, which is pleasing. You usually want to put something interesting and new, not a dull ordinary faucet.

It is worth paying attention to faucets from Elghansa. They are an excellent choice for those who are looking for quality and reliable equipment for their kitchen. Devices combine stylish design, ease of use and high quality, which makes them attractive to a wide range of consumers.

Only at these firms to choose mixers is not easy, so many interesting proposals. The price is about the same, as well as the quality. But just do not forget that this equipment is designed for clean water, so for normal and long-term operation just need purification filters.

Medium price range

Not bad people speak about taps and faucets Vidima. This is a Bulgarian firm, whose products have been working well for many years. This manufacturer has expensive and budget ranges. Brass bodies, high quality finishes, ceramic cartridges – all this about the faucets of this brand. There are single-lever and two-vent faucets with different spout lengths and heights.

The Russian company IDDIS has been producing sanitary equipment since 2004. The whole process from development to manufacturing takes place in Russia. At least that’s what it says on the company’s website. Design as standard, and very unusual, with flat, arc-shaped, straight spouts. Various design handles add charm to the products. The bodies are cast from high quality brass (composition according to GOST). In general, if you need to choose a high-quality, but not very expensive look through all the products of the company.

Not bad reviews about the products of the Zorg campaign. The bodies are brass, the design is varied, there are black, white, gray, brass and bronze. The price range is also wide.

Inexpensive options

If you are satisfied that the mixer will require repair or replacement in 2-2.5 years, pay attention to the products of firms Lemark (Lemark) and Kaizer (Kaizer). Both manufacturers are Chinese, but the quality is pretty good. If you know how to change cartridges and gaskets, it can last longer.