Moen Kitchen Faucets

Photo Courtesy of Moen

What Moen Has To Offer

If you've had any exposure whatsoever to plumbing fixtures you've probably come across the Moen name. From a design by entrepreneur Al Moen in the late 1930s the Moen company has grown to become a major producer of residential faucets and other home products. In fact the company touts itself as the number one faucet brand in North America.

One characteristic that distinguishes Moen products from it's competitors, particularly where kitchen faucets are concerned, is the sheer number of styles you have to choose from. All told there are close to fifty different collections. You'll certainly see similarities among some of them but there are definite differences too, even if they're just subtle changes to the shape of the handle or the position of the spout.

Moen Pot Filler - Photo Courtesy of Moen

From a buyer's perspective one key feature and benefit that's prevalent among all Moen faucets is the limited lifetime warranty. They're warranted against drips, leaks and finish defects. If your faucet starts leaking or drips you get the parts necessary to repair it free of charge.

On a more technical note, Moen faucets use a one-piece washerless cartridge. That cartridge is the key component that controls the flow of water. What's significant about this design is that are no washers, springs or other parts to break or wear out. That means there's less chance of developing leaks or drippy faucets.

Features & Innovations

How a faucet looks is arguably one of the main factors in choosing one. We at least want it to complement our kitchen decor. But looks isn't the only thing that sets one faucet apart from another, or a competing brand. Part of the choice equation involves the features that come along with the faucet and the benefits they provide.

To that end here are the key innovations you'll find with Moen faucets and how they might enhance your kitchen experience:

• Reflex™
  This is Moen's version of a retractable spray wand on pull-down and pull-out faucets. Reflex operates through the installation of a weight that's attached at a specified location on the faucet hose under the sink. As you pull the hose out of the spout the weight rises. Gravity acting on that weight helps pull the hose back in as you guide the wand back into the spout.

  Moen Kleo - Photo Courtesy of Moen

  It's also designed to be easier to operate. Moen reports that tests show their design requires 40% less pulling effort than other pull-down faucets. However keep in mind that if the cabinet below your sink is chock full of cleaning bottles and other obstructions there's a good chance that any pull-down faucet hose will stick or get hung up on whatever's down there.

• LifeShine® Finish
  Faucets with this feature have a durable, long-lasting finish designed to maintain its looks over the life of the fixture. It's achieved through a special manufacturing process called "PVD" or physical vapor deposition. All you need to know is that the benefit to you is a finish that won't peel or tarnish under normal use.
• Duralock® Quick-Connect
  This design feature allows for easy and quick installation of the faucet. The water supply hoses that connect to your plumbing are designed with "snap on" connectors instead of typical screw-on fittings. The "snap" indicates that the lines are installed correctly.
• MotionSense™
  For touch-free operation look for a Moen fixture with MotionSense. This gives you two hands-free ways to control the water. One is by waving your hand across the top of the spout where the "wave sensor" is located. The other way is by putting something like your hands or a dish in front of the "ready sensor" located at the base of the faucet body. Either way, this option gives you the convenience of controlling the faucet when one or both hands are occupied and you can't grab the handle.
• Duralast® Cartridge
  Duralast is specifically intended for single-handle faucets. The design combines durability features (to give you longer service life) while maintaining the same "feel" over the life of the fixture. As Moen describes it, the handle should feel like new every time you use it. It's also backed up by Moen's limited lifetime warranty.
• Pause Buttons
  Some Moen products have a pause button on the spray wand. This makes it handy when you want to quickly toggle the water on and off without having to reach for the handle. Think of a scenario where you're filling water glasses or watering several potted plants lined up on your countertop and you'll understand how this can be a handy feature.

Lots Of Choices

As far as choices go you have no shortage with the Moen kitchen lineup. Whether it's high arc, low arc, contemporary or conventional, there's probably something in the Moen collection to suit just about anyone. Keep in mind too that within each collection you have the option of different finishes and accessories like soap dispensers or side sprayers along with the design features described above.

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Moen Lindley - Photo Courtesy of Moen

What's Interesting, What's New

Align Collection - Photo Courtesy of Moen

Moen recently introduced two new entries to their kitchen faucet collections. The first is the Align™ faucet.

While it has the the high-arc spout typical of many kitchen fixtures it has noticeably modern styling. The handle and faucet body are devoid of the softer curves of more traditional or transitional pieces.

It's offered in both a pull-down configuration or as a standard spout with a traditional side sprayer. The spout travels a full 360 degrees which offers greater reach to more areas of your sink and it comes with both the Duralast cartridge and Reflex hose action.

Finishes include chrome and SpotResist stainless steel.

STO Collection - Photo Courtesy of Moen

The other most recent offering is the STO™ (yes, it's all caps) collection. At first glance you might think it's the same as the Align faucet. Both exhibit a modern, minimalist style. However if you look closely you'll see that the spout on the STO product has a more pronounced bend or "U" shape, where the end of the spout is oriented almost straight down.

The significance of that particular characteristic is that the water stream exiting the spout might not be directly over your sink drain, depending on how far back you mount the faucet from the edge of the sink. With this type of faucet you'll want to be sure you're ok with its "reach" and where the water hits your sink. You don't want excessive splashing and you also want sufficient room between the water stream and the back wall of the sink for rinsing pots and pans.

As a comparison here's a how the STO faucet compares to a more conventional high-arc faucet. Notice the difference in angle where the water exits. However keep in mind that STO has a longer reach (9" vs 7-7/8" in this example). This may be nit-picking a bit but it's something to consider based on your faucet/sink setup.

STO Faucet On Left
Photo Courtesy of Moen

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