Yesterday I wrote a post on buying good quality American-made products.  After work I came home to a soaking wet basement ceiling and a leaky kitchen faucet.

Unfortunately, 18 months ago I bought a cheap American Standard kitchen faucet for about $130.  At that time, I thought $130 for a kitchen faucet was outrageous.  Now I’m wishing I paid the premium for quality.

The faucet was one of those where you can pull out the spout and use it as a sprayer.  Evidently the metal coiling inside the sprayer that protects the rubber hose inside of it split, pinched a hole in the rubber hose, and leaked water down the inside of the faucet and into the cabinet below.  From there it found the hole in the floor, and the drywall ceiling below that.

That’s what I get for buying crap.  American made or not.

I called Home Depot, where I originally purchased the faucet only to find out they don’t carry parts.  I had to call American Standard, who’s offices were conveniently closed (at 4pm Central time, no less).

To be honest, I really wasn’t interested in replacing junk with more junk, under warranty or not.  I really wanted to give the company a piece of my mind.

After cooling off for about 10 minutes, I headed back to Home Depot.  I found the nice old guy (Harold) working in plumbing, and wanted to know what he thought the best kitchen faucet manufacturer was, price not withstanding.  Spending the extra $100 would have saved me much more in drywall repair, for sure.

Kohler, Delta, or Moen was his preference, with Delta being the league leader in quality.  He even talked me through the traits that made Delta the best.

He helped me pick out a great Delta faucet, and I was on my way to the tune of $230.

Personally, I think it was money well spent, especially if I don’t encounter another leak within the next 18 months.

Interestingly enough, I just replaced both bathroom faucets in my master bathroom after they both started corroding from the outside in!  Flakes of metal were just crumbling off the faucets.

What brand were they, you ask?

American Standard.

So to MJ over at Dyslexic Research, don’t bother adding American Standard to your quality, American manufacturers list!

General American Standard, Delta Faucets, Home Depot, kitchen faucets, plumbing, quality