KOHLER K-303-K-NA 1/2-Inch Ceramic Wall-Mount Three-Handle Valve System

Wanted to wait awhile before reviewing this, to see if any problems came up. So far nothing, works just as well now as it did when when I installed it. The shower diverter valve on my old system would not shut off after a month or so because the spring would quit working and you would have to push it back in manually. So far this is working well.

I've been seeing the range of plumbing fixtures with an ongoing remodel, and this valve set brings up an excellent example of why to spend a few bucks on better quality stuff. There is a huge difference between the $50 Moen shower set I initially purchased for this particular installation (one of my first ~regrettable~ fixture purchases for this project, one that sat around for a good long while before I got to it), versus the high standard this is built to.The quarter turn valves are precise, and feel precise from stop to stop. There's no nudging the valve handle at the end of its rotation to prevent the shower head from dripping. There's no wiggle or slop in the handles. There's no realistic chance of over-tightening or overheating the brass construction during installation. And there's a good chance this (in my case) will make the moove from its current temporary-for-now installation location to its ultimate home in a yet-unbuilt bath.Perhaps the greatest value is knowing the valves can be easily rebuilt when the time comes, though that ought to be a long time away.Kohler introduces a small amount of confusion in with this installation. Because of the "pull for shower" design of the diverter valve, which is lightly spring-loaded to default flow to the bath nozzle, this rough-in guide specifically states "do not use the 3-valve yoke with ceiling supplies," and then proceeds to give directions on flipping this over for ceiling supplies (the instructions are also written for their 2-valve models). But then a large card affixed to the valves states, "for ceiling supplies, connect cold water to red valve" -- implying it's acceptable to mount THIS YOKE upside down. But it's not, according to the other tag string-tied to the yoke. So if you're dropping in from the ceiling, you'll need to make some turns underneath the valve assembly.Kohler does an interesting thing with the supply connection to the yoke -- it's a compression fitting using their proprietary hardware (not your standard brass "olives" used to connect sink and toilet compression stops to 1/2" copper). This keeps the torch away from the valves, and eliminates the pipe thread fittings on two of connection points (the shower and bath spout connections are remain 1/2" NPT. In the event this valve needs to be removed / reinstalled, my assumption is the custom Kohler olives would need to be replaced. The fittings are drip-free, but I tightened them before installing the yoke in the wall, and soldered the connections to short 4" stubs of 1/2" copper.In use, my only gripe is the action of the diverter valve is somewhat forceful and loud. The pull required to activate the valve is very light, but water pressure takes over and basically forces the completion of the pull, with a very solid "Klunk!" sound. The same is sometimes true for pushing it back in to redirect the water to the spigot, though not consistently.

Good quality product. It was a bit tricky to install due to the size of the three holes needed to be drilled through the cement board, tile and adhesive as the final handle cover is only about 1/4" large in diameter that the valve body itself. So any variation to the hole in any direction will not be covered. Also, the instructions for the mounting depth is off by at least 3/4". I had to use the longest extender that came with the kit in order to connected the valves to the handles, even then I could have used a longer piece.It looks great though and the quality seems pretty good. It's been 13 months since the bathroom has been completed and everyone loves it.

I purchased this Kohler valve body to go with a 3 handle set for the bath/shower in my home. I like the quality of this product; I had looked at several other 3 valve units at my local stores and found tapped threads with large metal shavings still attached, etc. The Kohler part was machined better with more attention to detail - no burrs, etc on the unit. That says a lot.The ceramic washer system is wonderful, as is the 1/4 turn feature for full off to on. I had the old gerber style system with rubber washers. I had to replace those every few months to a year and I was still getting drips. Plus, when you turned them, you didn't get a smooth change in flow rate. The Kohler unit is flawless - no drips, and it smoothly changes the flow from off to on through the 90 degrees.The holes through the wall needed to be enlarged for the valve body - the old gerber valve body was considerably smaller.That said, the only disappointment is that the valve bodies must not be quite the same between manufacturers for easy replacement. The 8" width is right, but the vertical distance from the valve body centerline to where each of the 4 connections is made isn't the same as the previous model. I had to alter the plumbing length for all 4 connections, which turned this job into something considerable longer. This is something these manufacturers should have standardized a long time ago.UPDATE: After one week of use, the hot water valve cartridge failed (water flow would not shut off). Later found out a small screw was in the valve and caused it to fail. I can't figure out how a screw ended up there, and cannot tell if it came from the factory or it was me. Lesson - check the valve body for foreign materials just in case.

It is in the wall so I rate it based on the feel of the stems. They are rock solid. On is on and off is off. The 1950s valve system that we cut out was mushy and leaked. The technology seems to have advanced.