Moen bath fixtures all plastic now?!

[Anonymous]

I bought a Moen shower and tub set, and it is shiny plastic. There's not a bit of metal in it-- the handle, the tub spout, the shower spout are all plastic with a chrome-like paint finish. I thought the over $100 Moen and Kohler fixtures were still metal. The online descriptions are not forthcoming about the materials. Anyone else noticed this? I know there's been a trend towards plastic valves in place of ceramic for a while now, but plastic spouts and handles are ridiculous and cheesy.

[Anonymous]

We have Kohler all metal. I think ours were more expensive though . . . at least $200. ??

[Anonymous]

Thank you! I'll check out the Kohler line.

[Anonymous]

I just learned about this from builder - and then friend/designer confirmed - there is a difference btw what is sold online and at home depot (all plastic inside) and what is sold at the plumbing supply stores (metal). My builder told me he will no longer install any plumbing fixtures purchased online - they aren't the same (all plastic).

This makes zero sense to me (that a company would do this) but I guess that is how it is. So I think you can still get Moen - you just have to get it at the plumbing store. Same with Kohler and other brands. Perhaps there are some online vendors that sell the real deal - but you'd probably want to confirm first.
Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I recently went with Pfister faucets for my bathrooms because they use metal connectors and ceramic valves. I don't think all of their parts are like that, but this one style is. It is beautiful and sturdy.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Pfister-Avalon-Brushed-Nickel-1-Handle-Single-Hole-WaterSense-Bathroom-Sink-Faucet-with-Drain/1000195169

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recently went with Pfister faucets for my bathrooms because they use metal connectors and ceramic valves. I don't think all of their parts are like that, but this one style is. It is beautiful and sturdy.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Pfister-Avalon-Brushed-Nickel-1-Handle-Single-Hole-WaterSense-Bathroom-Sink-Faucet-with-Drain/1000195169

I used Pfister recently for the same reasons, and my plumber who installed the faucets was impressed that they came from Home Depot, because most of the stuff sold in the big box stores is not good quality anymore.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to all of you. 10:15, I'll check with the plumber. It appears the Speakman parts are metal. We may go with them to avoid the guesswork, or just have our plumber make the purchases for us.

[Anonymous]

...but it's really problematic that we can't trust these brands anymore to be of any reasonable quality. And the plastic construction is not noted on websites, even at Kohler and Moen company sites.

[Anonymous]

I just got a delta faucet. It was $400 and definitely metal.

https://www.build.com/delta-3551lf/s181075?uid=2431541

$100 is really cheap. I wouldn't expect metal for that price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just learned about this from builder - and then friend/designer confirmed - there is a difference btw what is sold online and at home depot (all plastic inside) and what is sold at the plumbing supply stores (metal). My builder told me he will no longer install any plumbing fixtures purchased online - they aren't the same (all plastic).

This makes zero sense to me (that a company would do this) but I guess that is how it is. So I think you can still get Moen - you just have to get it at the plumbing store. Same with Kohler and other brands. Perhaps there are some online vendors that sell the real deal - but you'd probably want to confirm first.
Good luck.

That's what my plumber told me as well. I did look once online to compare what he purchased and what Home Depot had, and he was right. Now faucetsdirect seems to have the same as what plumbers get, mostly.

[Anonymous]

I'm a contractor. Moen is the best faucet company.

[Anonymous]

We stick to Hans Grohe. Solid metal. On the more expensive side, but you can sometimes find good prices through Costco.

[Anonymous]

just to be clear, if you have a newer home all of your water is probably running through plastic pipes anyway. I understand from a touch and look perspective (although it must have looked ok since you bought it), but just want to make sure you're not thinking that your water won't be running through plastic anyway

[Anonymous]

A piece of our faucet chipped off. That's how I found out. It's fairly new, less than 2 years old. I can't remember if we provided it or our contractor. I was disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We stick to Hans Grohe. Solid metal. On the more expensive side, but you can sometimes find good prices through Costco.

Will never buy one of these again. Out Grohe faucet has been repaired with very expensive replacement parts twice and we just have up and bought a Kohler.