Yeah, I’ve seen those “statement” fixtures turn into a real headache down the line. Folks get sold on the look, but nobody tells them about the wild goose chase for parts. I’m with you—give me Moen or Delta any day. You can walk into any hardware store and walk out with what you need. As for PEX, I used to be a skeptic too, but after dealing with copper pinholes and endless soldering, I’m not looking back. Just gotta keep an eye out for critters, like you said… learned that lesson the hard way in an attic last winter.
I hear you on the “statement” fixtures. Had a tenant once who insisted on some fancy European faucet for their unit—looked great, sure, but when the cartridge started leaking two years later, it was a nightmare. No local parts, no one wanted to touch it, and the tenant got cranky about the wait. Ended up replacing the whole thing with a basic Delta. Never had another complaint.
Here’s how I look at it now:
1. Stick with brands you can actually find at Home Depot or Lowe’s. Moen and Delta are my go-tos too. Even if something breaks at 9pm, I know I can get a replacement part without special ordering from overseas.
2. For PEX, I was slow to trust it—old habits die hard—but after sweating copper in crawlspaces for years, I’m not going back either. The only catch is rodents. Had squirrels chew through a line in an attic last winter and flood half the ceiling before anyone noticed... Now I always run PEX inside conduit or at least staple it up tight and check for any gaps where critters could get in.
3. Don’t get sucked in by trends—matte black finishes look sharp but every fingerprint shows, and tenants never clean them right. Chrome or brushed nickel hides wear and tear better.
One thing I’ll add: even with “standard” brands, double-check that you’re not getting some offshoot line made just for big box stores—sometimes those have non-standard guts that are a pain to service down the road.
It’s tempting to go for what looks cool in the showroom, but after a few years of chasing down oddball parts or dealing with callbacks, you start to appreciate boring old reliability. Learned that lesson more than once...
Couldn’t agree more about sticking with the basics. I’ve tried those “designer” fixtures a couple times—looked great for about six months, then started leaking or the finish wore off. Tenants never notice the difference anyway, but they sure notice when something stops working. I’ve had good luck with Kohler too, as long as it’s not one of their “builder grade” lines. And yeah, PEX is a game changer, but rodents are a real headache... had a raccoon chew through mine once and it was a mess. Learned to always double up on protection in attics and crawlspaces.
Yeah, those fancy fixtures are mostly just headaches in disguise. I’ve swapped out more “modern” faucets than I care to admit—tenants don’t care about the style, but they’ll definitely call at 2am if it drips. Kohler’s solid, but I’ve actually had decent luck with Delta too, especially their mid-range stuff. PEX is awesome until wildlife decides it’s snack time... I started running metal conduit in crawlspaces after a squirrel turned my lines into Swiss cheese. Not cheap, but way less hassle down the road.
PEX is awesome until wildlife decides it’s snack time... I started running metal conduit in crawlspaces after a squirrel turned my lines into Swiss cheese.
That’s wild—never thought about critters going after PEX. I’ve always leaned toward Delta too, mostly for the price. When you switched to metal conduit, did you do it yourself or hire out? Wondering if it’s worth the extra upfront cost compared to just patching leaks as they come up.
