646455 Fri Aug 21 11:37:35 -0700 2009 4 41 Cookware 0 4965990 http://www.us.kohler.com/faucets/karbon/index.jsp?id=www.kohler.com/karbon/ I want this...for no good reason other than it looks SO AWESOME!!! Oh, yeah and my faucet is leaking...that too. It's a small fortune, though. And I have a prep sink that may not look right once the faucets don't match. So I may need to spend TWO small fortunes. I'd love to hear from anyone who coughed up the $800+ and whether they've had any problems or just general regret. Thanks! Fri Aug 21 11:37:36 -0700 2009 10471 danna 1 4968885 Oh man, that is way cool looking, from a functional standpoint. It looks like it would be quite useful. Perhaps someday I will have a house worthy of looking at $800 faucets, LOL. I just replaced mine with a $150 one, and I thought that was plenty. Good thing is, after this one and the bathroom, I feel like I have a good handle on how to replace a facet. :-) Good luck, I'd say give it a shot. When I was looking, I found the best reputations overall came from I think Grohe, which I figured was out of my range, and Delta, which is what I bought for the kitchen. I already wish I hadn't bought that American Standard in the bathroom, but oh, well, was kind of emergency there and didn't have time to research. (I took the old one apart on a whim trying to see if I could fix a leak and basically broke it.) Kohler apparently was less consistent, but they have been around a long time and as long as there's a warranty involved it should be okay, although that won't necessarily prevent hassle if you have to invoke the warranty. Sat Aug 22 17:59:09 -0700 2009 4965990 40162 CrazyOne 1 4969260 You know, we kind of splurged on the faucet when we remodeled our kitchen. It happens to be in a prominent place (sight-line wise) and, well, it just seemed like the right faucet. We did buy it online from some random website for a good discount. I say if you love it and can afford it, go for it. You might want to talk to a plumber you trust about that faucet or Kohler's in general, I found that plumbers can be really opinionated about which faucet brands are built well and are easy to repair. And shop around online (ebay, random websites), as you are almost sure to get a better deal than in a store. The faucet we bought was a Brizo Venuto, FWIW. http://www.brizo.com/experience/gallery/kitchen/detail.html?galleryName=stratford-venuto Sat Aug 22 21:50:48 -0700 2009 4965990 116820 Jitterbug 2 4971942 That's a nice faucet, and LOVE that kitchen in the ad. One of our friends is a plumber, and he just told my husband we could only have Moen, because our well water has some sediment, and Moen makes the only filter that will handle it. Personally, I'd give odds that he made that up. Doesn't sound like it makes much sense. Mon Aug 24 06:06:18 -0700 2009 4969260 10471 danna 1 4985785 What a coincidence - I'm remodeling my kitchen and had my plumber out yesterday, and I asked him exactly the same question. He's installed one and said it seemed like it was good quality, but offered his opinion that a flexible pull-down sprayer faucet would be a lot more versatile. He said the Karbon articulates smoothly and he had no reservations about how long it would last, but it isn't good for spraying the insides of your sink down to clean them, for example. I made the mistake of falling in love with Kohler's Torq faucet: http://www.us.kohler.com/onlinecatalog/detail.jsp?prod_num=6126-4&module=Kitchen+Sink+Faucets&item=12805302 But like you, I just don't think I can justify spending the money on it. Doug the plumber's been working for my family for years, and I do trust his advice. He (gently) reminded me that he's been in this line of work a long time and has seen plenty of $100 faucets last 20 years, and plenty that cost $500 go out after 20 months. Kind of reminds me of what a kitchen designer once told my mom: Most of the high-end fixtures and appliances she installs go into kitchens of people who never cook. One of my catering friends jokes that she loves one aspect of working in the kitchens of wealthy homeowners: The gear is all sparkling new! On the other hand, if she needs a tool she left behind by accident, she's out of luck unless it's a can opener or corkscrew. Heh. Fri Aug 28 09:34:00 -0700 2009 4965990 130151 dmd_kc