Kitchen tap advice needed

[Larches]

My parents are getting on a bit and want to replace their kitchen tap with a quarter-turn alternative for ease of use (and also because the current one is dripping, and their plumber has told them it's not worth replacing the cartridges, even if spares can be found... I'm not entirely convinced, but seeing as they'd benefit from a new tap anyway, it's not worth arguing the point).

They found a tap they liked, fairly cheap (about £60), but the plumber advised them to return it as it had plastic components/connectors that wouldn't last, so they're back to square one and not sure what to do next as some of the big brands are very expensive and it's hard to know which are built to last and which aren't. So - can anyone advise please on brands / ranges to look out for, so they can get something decent and durable? Are the likes of Bristan, Franke, Grohe, Hansgrohe & Roca usually worth the money (guess it depends on the individual model)?

Just to complicate matters, they don't like a normal chrome finish and instead want something like a brushed steel, but avoiding anything nickel-plated (due to contact allergy). Budget-wise they might stretch to £100 & something (but not the fancy £200-400 models I've seen around).

 

[ShaunCorbs]

bristan for me normally easy fit

 

[centralheatking]

My parents are getting on a bit and want to replace their kitchen tap with a quarter-turn alternative for ease of use (and also because the current one is dripping, and their plumber has told them it's not worth replacing the cartridges, even if spares can be found... I'm not entirely convinced, but seeing as they'd benefit from a new tap anyway, it's not worth arguing the point).

They found a tap they liked, fairly cheap (about £60), but the plumber advised them to return it as it had plastic components/connectors that wouldn't last, so they're back to square one and not sure what to do next as some of the big brands are very expensive and it's hard to know which are built to last and which aren't. So - can anyone advise please on brands / ranges to look out for, so they can get something decent and durable? Are the likes of Bristan, Franke, Grohe, Hansgrohe & Roca usually worth the money (guess it depends on the individual model)?

Just to complicate matters, they don't like a normal chrome finish and instead want something like a brushed steel, but avoiding anything nickel-plated (due to contact allergy). Budget-wise they might stretch to £100 & something (but not the fancy £200-400 models I've seen around).

Your plumber might well be correct regarding plastic and rubber components which are known to become porous and harbour bugs such as legionella...NHS England has de listed rubber cored braided flexible connections for just these reasons. centralheatking

 

[Larches]

Your plumber might well be correct regarding plastic and rubber components which are known to become porous and harbour bugs such as legionella...NHS England has de listed rubber cored braided flexible connections for just these reasons. centralheatking

I think he was purely coming from a durability point of view but interesting to know there's a safety/health aspect too... I wonder how long it will take for the market to catch up with that or whether some companies will go on using such plastic components regardless. Meanwhile, seems like a good opportunity for brands to make a selling point of using preferable materials. Meanwhile the difficulty is knowing which manufacturers are using what (especially if ordering online).

 

[Harvest Fields]

Bristan for me all the way also.