KOHLER K-45102-4-BN Alteo Widespread Lavatory Faucet, Vibrant Brushed Nickel

Replaced a cheap bathroom faucet with this Kohler. A nice upgrade

works well

I have the brushed nickel version - very beautiful when installed, replacing some "crystal ball" widespread faucets from the 80s that came with the house. Completely changed the look of the entire bathroom when installed in dual sinks - made an old corian-type surface into a contemporary piece of furniture. Note that there is a seam in each side running the length of the spout - it's not bad but it surprised me because it's hard to see in the picture unless you blow it up and look carefully. Hard water crystals can get caught in there, although it's not been a big problem in our household. Is the brushed nickel amazing looking when installed? Heavens yes. How about when it's been used? Unfortunately, no. Sorry Kohler, but the faucet really does get dirty pretty quickly. I think the main problem is that water stains and fingerprints form dark stains on brushed nickel, while on chrome they form light stains. Unfortunately, you can see these dark stains a mile away and they are kind of hard to remove. The spout is easy enough to wipe with one quick motion, but the handle shapes just don't lend themselves to cleaning as easily. The hardware quality is very good but not quite equal to the best. My parents have a pretty expensive high quality faucet installed and this Kohler doesn't have the silky handle action or the quiet water movement. As another reviewer said, it makes the pipes sing a bit when it's closed part way. It doesn't bother me now, but I did notice it immediately after I installed it. Nevertheless, I would buy it again. The quality is good enough and the design is outstanding.

While I am handy I wanted the best results for the install. The end result was clean, beautiful and completely leak free. A superior product but have it professionally installed for best results

The positives: great looks in my opinion, good water pressure, 1.2 GPM aerator can be replaced with 1.5 GPM aerator to increase water flow; valves seem well-made and they close with satisfying precision and tightness. The major flaw that is not clear from product description is that the stream coming out of the spout is too thin. Accordingly, when water hits anything in its way, there are unavoidable splashes. The mere act of washing hands requires wiping the counter afterwards. In terms of looks, the finish highlights water stains. When using two-handle faucets, I discovered another drawback: after washing hands, you typically reach for the handles to shut off the water. Because the handles sit on the vanity top, a good amount of water from the wet hands ends up around the faucet. So, wiping is needed around the handles after every use. This would not have been a problem with a one-handle faucet whose shutoff is over the sink. Overall, I regret purchasing this design.