If you've already renovated a kitchen or are just beginning the process, you know how overwhelming the details can be. Our Fittings and Material Spotlights are quick guides to basic kitchen fixtures to familiarize you with terminology, pros and cons, and relevant reader reviews. Today we look at an restaurant-style faucet that's becoming increasingly popular in home kitchens: the commercial pre-rinse faucet.
Faucet Style: Restaurant-Style Pre-Rinse
Distinctive Features: Pre-rinse faucets are the typical faucets you see in a restaurant or commercial kitchen. They have a high-arc spout with a very high-pressure pull-out spray nozzle to blast off food from plates. Traditional commercial faucets are way too big for residential installments, but a few notable faucet brands have created smaller versions for home kitchens that keep the basic design elements and functionality of the larger pro versions.
Installation: Deck or wall-mounted: if your water lines are under the counter, choose a deck mount faucet; if the lines are running through wall, then a wall mount option is best. Make sure the spray nozzle has an aerator to cut down on the water usage.
Pros: Industrial and professional looking for the "home chef"; powerful spray is great for cleaning a large amount of dishes in a short time; usually made with high-quality materials, so they're very tough and durable; very helpful for cooks who entertain large parties often.
Cons: Expensive; usually pretty tall so you can't have cabinets above the sink; uses a lot more water than a regular faucet.
Price range: $650 - $1,200
Kitchn Reader + Editor Reviews:
We loved using these when we worked in restaurants, and the splurge on a really good sink faucet or spray nozzle like this can really pay off. - Faith Durand, Executive Editor of The Kitchn
The sink is a typical restaurant, stainless steel operation with a high-pressure hose spray nozzle. It gets the job done when dishes for eighteen or more (lots of guests/friends are invited) are frequent dinner numbers. - via this Kitchen Tour
Do you have a restaurant-style faucet in your kitchen? Tell us about it!
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(Images: as linked)
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I have one, but I never would have chosen it myself. I have no need to blast food off of dishes, and the water pressure is so high it makes a huge mess. I can't even get a glass of water without splashing all over the place. I don't even want to think about how much water it's wasting. I do like that I can pull out the nozzle to use like a pot filler, but that's the only plus in my book!
I think there's probably a happy medium between these and a regular faucet. Maybe a sprayer attachment? I mean, as long as the food isn't crusted on, rinsing with average water force works on dishes.
Most restaurant pre-rinse faucets have both the hose and a spigot, as pictured in the 2, 3,, & 5. Having one without a spigot seems like a lot of money spent on bad design.
Why are these so expensive? Most of the ones I found with just a quick google weren't more than $200. Do they turn your water into unicorn tears?
I bought mine at Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/Kitchen-Kitchen-Faucets-Pull-Down/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbdfw/R-100676579/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051#.UBb-o0TiOMM
I love it! I agree with @squiggle - the spray can be a bit much but it is useful when washing pots & baking dishes. It also helps that I have a deep sink.
I have a Vigo faucet and it's awesome: http://www.vigoindustries.com/product/stainless_steel_pulldown_spray_kitchen_faucet_vg02007st# I paid a few hundred for it. The super expensive ones are overpriced. I bought a $80 version of this as well from amazon for my garage. It's not as nice as the Vigo but perfect for spraying mud off of shoes.
I agree with the others...
In restaurants there's a huge, tall, stainless steel back-splash for a good reason. If you plan on the over spray, this can be great... although the spigot is also very necessary. (Very little of the sink time is actually spent on pre-rinse, or rather, less than you think when you're looking at these in home depot.)
But the look... you can't beat the look imho. I come from a restaurant background and I love the message it sends both to me and my guests. If I owned my place, I'd configure the back-splash and make this more practical.
i have a commercial sink and pre rinse sprayer. going all the way with it makes for a great experience at the sink.
I just renovated my kitchen and have the Franke. It is more expensive but worth it. Love love it! Commercial ones have way too much pressure. These that are built for residential use are way more user friendly. We love ours!