Replacement Kitchen Tap

[imroberts]

I'm looking to replace a Franke Sion tap for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, as soon as I fitted it I noticed the flow rate was a lot slower than the old tap and secondly the lever for the hot tap gets tighter and tighter as it gets hotter to the point where it is really difficult to turn off again. Both of these things have been annoying me for some time to the point where I want to replace it.

What brands of kitchen tap are the best? I've seen models I like from Franke, Grohe and Blanco but I'm not wedded to any particular brand if there are betters out there. I must admit I've been put off Franke to a degree due to the issues with what I have now.

Is there any way I can identify how good the flow rate will be before I buy another tap?

I'm tending towards a single lever tap with the replacement. Is there any downside to these or any reason I might come to regret it?

I really like the look of the Blanco Jandora, partially from an aesthetic point but my sink is a Blanco and I've been extremely happy with the quality. It's pretty expensive in the UK and I can get it from Amazon EU for £150 less. Will this come with the same tap tails and be compatible with our standard 15mm pipework or will a EU model of the tap come with something different? I'm not familiar with plumbing standards elsewhere in Europe.

 

[blup]

Get something suitable for low pressure feed, or both high and low pressure. Check the tails/pipes under the sink are OK, no kinks or restrictions to flow. Mixers can be difficult to adjust to the right temperature if the hot water is much lower pressure than cold but that is less likely to be an issue in a kitchen. At the end of the day if the basic installation/spec is right, you don't know how the tap will perform until it's fitted. Check the reviews and get a good brand.

Blup

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

You need to indicate whether you have an open vented hot water system, or a mains pressure one - such as a combi boiler. Open vented means a tap suitable for low pressure, is essential.

 

[johnny2007]

In my experience, low pressure taps work perfectly 100% of the times because they have larger bore.
Personally I prefer grohe.
Most of their taps have 5 or 10 years guarantee.
Only once I called them for a stiff basin tap and without any problem they sent a plumber 2 days later and he changed the cartridge in 10 minutes.
Customer is still using same tap after 12 years and it looks and works as new.