Bancroft Widespread Faucet/Lever

The picture on the Amazon website doesn't do justice to this faucet. The picture makes it look like an unoriginal rounded spout, but when you see it in real life it's a sculpted piece of art. Obviously this is a matter of personal preference. The handles and spout are all hefty pieces of solid brass. It's quite a step above the Kohler Fairfax and the Kohler Devonshire which both have stamped metal parts around plastic. Kohler faucets are not all created equal. The Bancroft costs considerably more but if you appreciate solid brass and care about durability I assure you will get what you pay for here. The essence of Arts and Crafts style was "the beautiful necessity" which was practical, durable and easy to care for with simple, clean lines and beautiful at the same time, and that definitely fits this faucet. Notice that the bases you clean around are round (more practical), but the spout top and handles themselves blend into more squared off shapes that are strong, beautiful and graceful all at the same time.The Bancroft faucet was mostly pre-assembled and installed in about half the time it took to put the Brizo in. Some of the directions weren't that clear, but no worse than usual.I had three Kohler faucets in my home (a Fairfax already installed, and a kitchen Coralais and half bath Devonshire I bought), however when I decided to replace the Fairfax faucet I tried a Brizo 65340LF-BN Vesi Two Handle Widespread Lavatory Faucet with Pop-Up and Curved Spout, Brilliance Brushed Nickel faucet that looked like a great fit for a Craftsman home, and was almost $100 less than this one. It was definitely a beautiful and distinctive faucet as well. The spout and handles were all solid substantial brass with a beautiful finish. I installed the spout and handles ... but when I got to the pop-up stopper discovered the plug was plastic with a very thin sheet of metal, no better than the cheapest Delta faucet pop-up stoppers I'd seen in a relative's home with no finish left on them after 8 years. I considered buying a Kohler pop-up stopper for $79 as a replacement, but decided to return the Brizo and get the Kohler Bancroft instead. So glad I did! The Bancroft is rounded enough to be faster and easier to clean than the Brizo Vesi (a relatively minor point - the junky Brizo drain plug was the deal-breaker). Lesson learned: relatively inexpensive Kohler faucets like the Devonshire have solid metal drain plugs considerably better quality than Brizo faucets that cost twice as much, even when everything else about Brizo is really strong and substantial.I remain a qualified fan of Kohler because they don't have as blatant planned obsolescence as other brands with comparable prices. My parents had to replace a Moen pull-out kitchen faucet ten years after it was installed when Moen customer service said they couldn't buy a part or even a complete assembly to fix a failed valve. No choice but to buy another one. While I've had cartridges and valves and hoses that needed replaced on two Kohler faucets within eight years of them being installed (plumbing supply tells me calcium in water here is hard on ALL brands of faucets) the bottom line is in my experience 1) Kohler has always had replacement parts available, 2) no one glaring weak point (like the Brizo pop-up stopper) that will look totally awful in short order, and 3) Kohler stood behind their limited lifetime warranty when a pull-out faucet hose developed a leak and shipped a replacement for free 5 years after I bought it.

Given the drought emergency, we felt it important to end the leak. Very glad we were able to find this faucet which is the same one we had to replace. It matches all the other fixtures in terms of style. Our plumber said it is a very good faucet, but it is pricey.

Love this new faucet. It is heavy duty. Had a problem with the 1st plumber who installed the faucet. He kinked the cold water line in 2 places. Causing the cold water to run slowly. Had to order a new cold water line from Kohler The Person from Kohler told me different faucets require different lines. I didn’t know that. I thought the new plumber could get a cold water line at Home Depot. Apparently it would work but not be the best fit. According to Kohler and the 2nd plumber. The second plumber told me I had to buy the lines from Kohler. He was correct.( Got refunded from owner of the Plumbing Co. the 1st plumber worker for). I love this faucet. The 2nd Plumber said this Faucet would last 20 years. It is very well made and heavy. Looks great in our Master bathroom. No more cheap faucets.

This faucet is massive looking. I wasn't expecting it to be so large. The handles are large enough for a giant's hand and the faucet is large and clunky looking. On the plus side, each part is very heavy so I'm guessing that means it will last a very long time. For the price I paid, it better. I'd return it but since I cut the seal, I'll only get 50% back. You have to cut the seal to see the product. Oh well, maybe it won't look so bad once it's installed.Update. A plumber installed it in a little over an hour. No parts were missing. It looks okay but definitely not the look I was going for. I wanted something old world, country charm looking, but not this old. It reminds of a time before we had the capability to make things smaller and more decorative. They lasted a lifetime, sometimes two lifetimes, weighed a ton, and were basically indestructible. Lesson learned, see it in person before you buy!

Second of these faucets will be installed this weekend. Though they do not by any means match the original 1938 American Standard faucets on the top-of-the-line American Standard pedestal sinks in my 1938 home, they certainly do capture the spirit of them. And they have the added advantage of actually working beautifully (as opposed to the leaks and corrosion in the original faucets). I tried to have the original faucets repaired, going to a plumbing contractor with whom I have been working for many, many years, and even though his parts collection stretches back several decades, he had to break the news to me that I needed to replace them.I'm extremely happy with these faucets, and recommend them to anyone looking for a vintage vibe with a modern reliability.

It's still a bit too early to see how this faucet is going to hold up over time, but it's been installed a few months now and it has definitely enhanced the look of the bathroom. It took a ton of research for me to decide to buy this Kohler, and it was the quality factor that finally did the trick. The faucet just looks well made and the bronze color is outstanding. A plumber did the installation so I can't talk to that aspect, but I will say that all in all I'm sure this faucet is going to turn out to be a good investment. It was more expensive than almost all of the other faucets I looked at, but in the end there was no comparison. Money well spent and excellent choice.

It looks awesome, very high quality, super nice to touch, and works very smoothly. It was easy to install. My only complaint is the supplied hoses are low quality and not flexible.