Went to a plumbing supply house that caters to professional plumbers to buy a new faucet. The older fellow behind the counter commented that big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot sell "seconds" rather than prime merchandise. Anyone know if this is true, or was he just blowing smoke up my ass?
Plumbing question
- Thread starter harry gilbert
- Start date
I know most of their lumber is grade 2. It will show it stamped on the lumber. I do not know about the plumbing supplies. All 3 of my bathrooms and my kitchen has stuff from Lowes. The only bad thing to happen was the seals/inside of my garbage disposal rotted out and leaked within 6 -7 years. Everything else has been good.
I am a senior test engineer at a lab that does testing and certification on plumbing products. I would not consider the products sold at the box stores seconds. Yes, they are cheaper than what you can buy at a plumbing supply store, but that is because they are either designed to be less expensive or they have purchased a warehouse full of last year's model for next to nothing. The important things like the valves and water contacting items are all the same. Every fixture gets tested to the same criteria regardless of whether it is a $20 model from a box store or a $20k model from Waterworks. Is there a difference in quality between the two? Absolutely! You get what you pay for. However, the difference in quality between Delta from Lowe's and Delta from the supply store is at best negligible. If you see, feel or notice a difference at all it is probably just the luck of the draw. Buy at the box store with confidence.
That said, the box stores may offer a low end version of a fixture that is made just for them. Some of these are OK, some are not. They all meet the criteria, but if they have two faucets that look the same other than one is half the price there is a reason for that. Cheap junk is cheap junk regardless of where it comes from, but as long as you are buying a decent model to start with there is no difference.
That said, the box stores may offer a low end version of a fixture that is made just for them. Some of these are OK, some are not. They all meet the criteria, but if they have two faucets that look the same other than one is half the price there is a reason for that. Cheap junk is cheap junk regardless of where it comes from, but as long as you are buying a decent model to start with there is no difference.
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Also overstock has a decent selection.
Also overstock has a decent selection.
+1. Some of the interior parts of the faucet may be "inferior" but the average consumer wouldn't know and couldn't tell the difference. I engineer building plans, have lots of ins with mfr. reps but when I need a faucet I go to the big box store.
If you stick with the bigger brands you will likely never have a problem. I would completely stay away from the stuff made specifically for the box stores, i.e. "Glacier Bay".
No, they are not 2nds.
All Major facuet makers (Kohler, Hans Grohe, Delt, Moen, etc) have WHOLESALE AND A RETAIL line of faucets.
MOst are very close in desgign and/or functions, however you cannot price compare between the 2, as a wholesaler cannot give you an exact price comparison and vice/versa.
Neither is better, or inferior to the other.
Choose on design, and functionality, not WHO is selling it.
- From a Plumber. :beer:
All Major facuet makers (Kohler, Hans Grohe, Delt, Moen, etc) have WHOLESALE AND A RETAIL line of faucets.
MOst are very close in desgign and/or functions, however you cannot price compare between the 2, as a wholesaler cannot give you an exact price comparison and vice/versa.
Neither is better, or inferior to the other.
Choose on design, and functionality, not WHO is selling it.
- From a Plumber. :beer:
One of the things the plumbing supply company mentioned was that more and more manufacturers were buying their products from China, and the interior parts were plastic. They showed me the stuff they sold, made in USA and all able to be rebuilt when service needed.
Faucets are required to be rebuildable by the test standards, the cost has nothing to do with it other than there is probably a higher probability that a cheapo faucet is being sold without testing it to the standard. We have to change the wearable parts 5 times during the test to make sure it will withstand the process over and over without failure. The test also requires the valves to be opened and closed up to 500,000 times without failure. If it's from a reputable company and it passed the test, it's a decent product.
More and more manufacturers are getting products from China, but the ones at the plumbing supply store are doing it to. If you are comparing a Chinese product at the box store to a U.S. made product at the supply store you are not comparing apples to apples. If the model number on the box is the same at both locations you are getting the same product.
If you want to know if a product has been tested, the easiest way to do that is to look on the box for a certification mark. There are several, so I won't list them here. Letters/words to look for are UPC, IAPMO, SGS, USTC, CTS, or ASME. You can also google the item in question followed by the word certification to see if a listing from a test lab pops up.
More and more manufacturers are getting products from China, but the ones at the plumbing supply store are doing it to. If you are comparing a Chinese product at the box store to a U.S. made product at the supply store you are not comparing apples to apples. If the model number on the box is the same at both locations you are getting the same product.
If you want to know if a product has been tested, the easiest way to do that is to look on the box for a certification mark. There are several, so I won't list them here. Letters/words to look for are UPC, IAPMO, SGS, USTC, CTS, or ASME. You can also google the item in question followed by the word certification to see if a listing from a test lab pops up.
Everything Ive ever put it has the ability to be serviced/rebuilt. However by time MOST faucets start to go bad (pending the type of water going through them) they are out of style and the owner wants a new one anyway.
I do know that some tool manf. supply different grade stuff to the box stores. I have rebuilt, taken apart many power tools and the ones from lowes home depot dont compare to ones bought from smaller tool vendors. Ex. a 28v LI cordless Milwaukee from HD has plastic gears where the same drill from marathon has metal. etc. Find this over and over again.
That's exactly what the plumbing supply people told me... the faucet they sold me was made in USA and was made with quality components (we took it apart and he showed me).
I have power drills my father left me made in 1940 - still working. I have Disston hand saws made in the Forties that are still sharp
I WILL NOT BUY Chinese junk.
That's exactly what the plumbing supply people told me... the faucet they sold me was made in USA and was made with quality components (we took it apart and he showed me).
I have power drills my father left me made in 1940 - still working. I have Disston hand saws made in the Forties that are still sharp
I WILL NOT BUY Chinese junk.
Unfortunately, unless you want to spend over $1000 on a faucet you are stuck with Chinese junk. Even the stuff that says it's American made is really just American assembled from several pieces of Chinese junk. At most they put Chinese valves and manifolds in an American housing.
Unless you go to a neighborhood plumbing supply and buy out of "old stock". My replacement Delta faucet for the kitchen was $75.
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