Does anyone make a decent catering tap?

[The Byre]

Company kitchen - single mount (monoblock) mixer tap. It cost £170 (RRP £300) eight years ago and it leaks. It leaks from the top, it leaks from the sides and the chrome is coming off - some rubbish called Bristan. I have since discovered that nearly all valve taps leak in the long run.

By comparison - I bought four washer taps for the bathroom 20 years ago - they were the cheapest they had at Wickes. All washer taps and none of them leak. If they do leak, all one has to do is undo the top of the tap and replace the washer, a thing that costs pennies. With a valve tap, the whole damn tap has to be removed and the valve cartridges cost somewhere between £20 and £50 and I have seen valves for around £100 - and you need two of them!

So, does anyone make a decent catering tap? - something like this or similar -

(But not this one - it leaks as well according to reviews!

 

[DontAsk]

I would look at something like Franke. Lots of spares and cartridges are "only" £15 for one we had in a previous property. Dead easy to replace.

No idea if they do "catering" taps. Don't even know what one is.

 

[clyde123]

Company kitchen - single mount (monoblock) mixer tap. It cost £170 (RRP £300) eight years ago and it leaks. It leaks from the top, it leaks from the sides and the chrome is coming off - some rubbish called Bristan. I have since discovered that nearly all valve taps leak in the long run.

By comparison - I bought four washer taps for the bathroom 20 years ago - they were the cheapest they had at Wickes. All washer taps and none of them leak. If they do leak, all one has to do is undo the top of the tap and replace the washer, a thing that costs pennies. With a valve tap, the whole damn tap has to be removed and the valve cartridges cost somewhere between £20 and £50 and I have seen valves for around £100 - and you need two of them!

So, does anyone make a decent catering tap? - something like this or similar -

(But not this one - it leaks as well according to reviews!

The Byre : that tap looks exactly like one we installed in the kitchen just a few weeks ago. At home, not a catering place. The small lower tap: the handle needed to be tightened. But the big nozzle: I had to tighten it up, it was leaking right from the start. Tightened up and been good ever since.
Got it from PlumbBase. You might have one near you to see it.

 

[Newchodge]

Company kitchen - single mount (monoblock) mixer tap. It cost £170 (RRP £300) eight years ago and it leaks. It leaks from the top, it leaks from the sides and the chrome is coming off - some rubbish called Bristan. I have since discovered that nearly all valve taps leak in the long run.

By comparison - I bought four washer taps for the bathroom 20 years ago - they were the cheapest they had at Wickes. All washer taps and none of them leak. If they do leak, all one has to do is undo the top of the tap and replace the washer, a thing that costs pennies. With a valve tap, the whole damn tap has to be removed and the valve cartridges cost somewhere between £20 and £50 and I have seen valves for around £100 - and you need two of them!

So, does anyone make a decent catering tap? - something like this or similar -

(But not this one - it leaks as well according to reviews!

This may be simplistic, but if they all leak, they have not yet designed one that works, so go back to the original taps.

 

[DazRave]

We mainly supply Frankie taps as they have great build quality. As for the commercial spray taps, we try to always steer clients away from them for the reasons you have listed already.

I'm yet to find one that's a good price point and quality product.

 

[The Byre]

Well, I bit the bullet and bought exactly the one pictured on eBay and installed it yesterday and it is working perfectly - so far! It cost £42 with VAT and delivery. On removing the old Bristan tap, I discovered that everything was rusted through from below because the lower fittings were just mild steel - not even stainless or brass, so guaranteed to rust in any kitchen and all that rust migrated up into the tap workings!

So much for paying extra for quality!

 

[Karimbo]

Csterijgntaps

I would look at something like Franke. Lots of spares and cartridges are "only" £15 for one we had in a previous property. Dead easy to replace.

No idea if they do "catering" taps. Don't even know what one is.

Catering taps have massive long arm length stick on them which means you can operate them with the back of your hand. Quite handy.

A £300 tap should have replaceable cartridges.

Take it out and put in a cheap local gumtree tap so you have no downtime. Then take the catering tap apart locate a matching cartridge online and get a replacement. Refit and tests.

 

[The Byre]

Too late! It's gone into the bin where it belongs!

Because the assembly under the sink was partially made of cheap mild steel but the central spindle holding the tap down was brass, the whole tap became a sort of weak battery and the corrosion migrated up the spindle and into the whole tap, making every part leak.

I would have thought that a company like Bristan would realise that one should never place two different metals together in a wet environment!