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Kitchen faucets come in a variety of styles from smart touch-to-start faucets to basic single-handle models. To help you determine which faucet is best for your replacement or upgrade, the This Old House Reviews Team searched Amazon for the best kitchen faucets. Here are our top five picks.
Top 5 Kitchen Faucets
- Best Pull-Down Faucet: Delta Faucet Essa Single-Handle Kitchen Faucet
- Best Commercial-Grade Faucet: Kraus 18-Inch Commercial Kitchen Faucet
- Best Touch Control: Delta Faucet Leland Single-Handle Touch Kitchen Sink Faucet
- Best Small-Footprint Faucet: Peerless Single-Handle Kitchen Sink Faucet
- Best Value: HOTIS HOME Two-Handle Kitchen Faucet
Best Pull-Down Faucet: Delta Faucet Essa Single-Handle Kitchen Faucet
Available in chrome, black, bronze, or stainless steel, this faucet features a magnetic pull-down sprayer that reaches up to 20 inches to help you wash dishes of any size. This faucet has a high-arc spout that swivels 360 degrees for maximum versatility. It also uses Diamond Seal technology to prevent wear on seals that would cause leaks.
Key Features
- 360-degree swiveling spout
- Pull-down sprayer
- Spray or stream functions
- One handle
- Deck plate for single- or triple-hole installation
- Four finishes
- Lifetime warranty
What Customers Are Saying
Positive reviews noted this pull-down kitchen faucet’s sleek look and strong magnetic mount. Many customers said that the sprayer reached far enough to clean every part of their sink with ease. Negative reviews said that the angle of its spout made it easy to spray water onto the surrounding floors and counters.
Best Commercial-Grade Faucet: Kraus 18-Inch Commercial Kitchen Faucet
This commercial-grade kitchen faucet from Kraus has an industrial look. It’s fitted with a 20-inch retractable hose that gives you the choice between an aerated stream and spray function. Its spout also swivels 180 degrees to help you reach both sides of your sink.
Key Features
- 180-degree swiveling spout
- Pull-down sprayer
- Spray or stream functions
- One handle
- Single-hole installation
- 12 finishes
- Lifetime warranty
What Customers Are Saying
Many customers loved the industrial style and excellent temperature control of this pull-down kitchen faucet. Positive reviews also praised this model for its high quality, spray features, and water pressure. Comparatively, negative reviews noted that this pull-down faucet had manufacturer defects and felt cheap.
Best Touch Control: Delta Faucet Leland Single-Handle Touch Kitchen Sink Faucet
This faucet is stocked with unique features that help you get chores and cooking done around the kitchen, including a touch-to-turn-on spout and a magnetic docking sprayer. It’s also available in other styles and finishes and with or without a matching soap dispenser.
Key Features
- Touch control
- Pull-down sprayer
- Spray or stream functions
- One handle
- Deck plate for single- or triple-hole installation
- Four finishes
- Lifetime warranty
What Customers Are Saying
Positive reviews highlighted this kitchen faucet’s sleek look and high-quality material. Other customers pointed out that the sprayer was easy to use and that the faucet was easy to clean. Negative reviews said that its level of performance and durability didn’t match its high price tag.
Best Small-Footprint Faucet: Peerless Single-Handle Kitchen Sink Faucet
This affordable faucet from Peerless features an easy-to-use, one-handle design that seamlessly fits into your existing kitchen design. Its straight spout also takes up less space than arched models, making it best for small kitchens and sinks.
Key Features
- 360-degree swiveling spout
- One handle
- Deck plate for triple-hole installation
- Two finishes
- Lifetime warranty
What Customers Are Saying
Positive reviews said that the faucet was high-quality considering its lower-than-average price tag. Unsatisfied customers said that the faucet leaked water and that the copper leads needed to be a bit longer to be effective.
Best Value: HOTIS HOME Two-Handle Kitchen Faucet
This affordable kitchen sink from HOTIS HOME has a stylish brushed nickel finish and a scratch- and rust-resistant ceramic disc valve. With two handles, this kitchen faucet gives you easy temperature control.
Key Features
- Two holes
- Deck plate for triple-hole installation
- One finish
- 10-year warranty
What Customers Are Saying
Many reviews praised the HOTIS HOME two-handle kitchen faucet for its easy installation, smaller size, and neutral look. Negative reviews criticized this product for being too flimsy and wobbly.
Buyer’s Guide
Before buying a kitchen faucet for your home, it’s important to understand the factors that impact its user experience and look. Here are three factors to consider before purchasing a faucet.
Type
Kitchen faucets come in several styles, including single-handle, double-handle, hands-free, and pull-down. Single-handle faucets are the most basic models, consisting of a temperature-adjusting handle, a spout, and maybe a separate side sprayer.
Double-handle kitchen faucets are similar to single-handle faucets in design. However, instead of a single handle to control hot and cold water, a double-handle model features a hot handle and a cold handle for temperature adjustments. Like single-handle faucets, double-handle models don’t have a built-in sprayer, but they may include a separate side sprayer.
A hands-free kitchen faucet uses touch technology or a backup traditional handle to deliver you water. Hands-free kitchen faucets are convenient, but they’re more expensive than their traditional single- or double-handle counterparts.
Pull-down kitchen faucets are single-handle, double-handle, or hands-free faucets that are equipped with a spray nozzle in their spout. This nozzle can be pulled down for simple spraying.
Finish
Purchase a faucet that matches the other appliances in your kitchen. Some of the most common faucet finishes are chrome, stainless steel, and brushed nickel, though some faucets are available in matte colors as well.
Flow Rate
Flow rate describes how much water a faucet pours in a set period of time. While a faucet with a higher flow rate will typically have higher water pressure, it will use more water and cost you more money. A typical faucet flow rate is under two gallons per minute.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are kitchen faucets universal?
Not all kitchen faucets are constructed or installed in the same way. Typically, a kitchen faucet will have between one and four mounting holes, with each hole corresponding to a part of the faucet. For example, kitchen faucets that have two mounting holes typically have a single-handle spout and a side sprayer accessory.
How long does a kitchen faucet last?
Kitchen faucets can last over 10 years, though there are warning signs that signal when it’s time to replace your faucet. If you’re constantly repairing its leaks or its water efficiency is outdated, consider a replacement.
Do I need a plumber to replace a kitchen faucet?
This depends on your comfort level. If you have experience replacing plumbing fixtures, replacing a kitchen faucet is a simple procedure that only requires a few tools, such as an adjustable wrench and pliers. However, if you don’t want to worry about installation, a professional can install your new faucet in less than an hour.
Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
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