If you’re planning a kitchen renovation, it’s likely you’ve looked at new faucets. If it’s a professional-style kitchen you’re after, the Kohler Sous Pull-Down Kitchen Sink Faucet is worth a peek. While the Kohler has a stellar design and is made from high-end materials, you shouldn’t make your decision on style alone. Before you splurge on a stainless steel faucet, it’s important to do your homework and consider a fixture’s durability, price, and added features. That’s why we tested the Kohler Sous Pull-Down Faucet in our home (for an entire month) before reporting back. Keep reading to see if it’s a worthwhile investment for your kitchen.
Setup Process: Surprisingly simple
The Kohler Sous Pull-Down Faucet took just 20 minutes to install. Before getting to work, we read and reviewed the operating manual and watched a short video provided by Kohler. The manual provides illustrated step-by-step instructions as well as specific directions for single-hole, three-hole, and stainless steel sinks. Depending on your sink setup, the latter may require a piece of 0.5-inch plywood for additional support. But no matter your setup, you will need tools and parts that don’t come included, so make sure you have a supply stop, an adjustable wrench (or maybe a basin wrench), and Phillips head screwdriver on hand. The Kohler Pull-Down Faucet has a hose for both the hot and cold water lines and it connected directly to our house plumbing which made it super easy to hook up to our water supply. All in all, we found the whole process easy—a big bonus considering it was the first faucet we’ve ever installed.
Design: Like a chef’s kitchen
It’s hard not to love the professional, industrial style of the Kohler Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet. It has a tall resting height, sturdy yet slender base, and attractive exposed coil design. The finish is also easy to clean and was designed to withstand mineral buildup and scratches. The Kohler Pull-Down Faucet is available in two finishes: polished chrome and vibrant stainless steel. It also comes with a matching soap dispenser, which is great if you have the hole for it (sadly, we didn’t). We went for the stainless steel version and it matched our sink and the rest of our appliances perfectly. In our month of testing, we received tons of compliments on how expensive and well made the faucet looked. The one minor thing we don’t like faucet’s design is that you have to hold the trigger in order to use the spray function—there’s no way to lock it into spray mode for hands-free use. Other than that single issue, though, we found the design flawless.
Performance: Top of the line with intuitive features
In addition to being very sturdy, well built, and stylish, the Kohler Sous Pull-Down Faucet is a dream to use. The fixture has a strong magnetic docking station that holds the sprayer in place and ensures it doesn’t sag or dangle. The handle is strong and when we turned it to the off position, it never dripped. Our favorite feature of the Kohler faucet is its sweep spray mode, which delivers a powerful, wide blade of water you can use to ‘sweep’ things clean. The sweep-style blade gives you more control over the water stream than a traditional aerated shower stream and it made rinsing plates and cleaning out our sink so much easier. The tall height made it easy for us to clean large pots and with the pull-down head, we were able to spray and clean every corner of the sink. The faucet can also swivel from side to side if you have a double basin sink or need to move it out of the way for any reason. The internal hose (which you see when you pull down the sprayer) looks and feels heavy duty, which we love.
Price: On the high end
With a list price of nearly $330, the Kohler Pull-Down Faucet is a real investment. That said, it delivers professional-level performance and style that you’d find in a restaurant kitchen, so we think it’s a worthwhile buy.
Kohler Sous Pull-Down Kitchen Sink Faucet vs. Kraus Oletto Commercial Pull-Down Faucet
If you like the look of pull-down faucets, you have plenty of options to choose from, including the Kraus Oletto Commercial Pull-Down Faucet. Kraus’ option is significantly cheaper at $170, but it looks quite similar with a tall, gooseneck design and a retractable pull-down sprayer. Its dimensions are nearly identical, as well, and it’s also available in chrome and stainless steel. The Kohler Sous Pull-Down Kitchen Sink Faucet is designed to look and function like those you’d find in a high-end restaurant kitchen—and it does. Yes, it’s quite expensive but with a magnetic docking station, sleek and sturdy construction, and powerful sweep spray nozzle option, we’d say it’s worth the price.
