I purchased this with some trepidation for a kitchen remodel. I was leaning toward two other manufacturer's products that cost more than twice as much, but my wife liked this design. I have had numerous experiences with older Delta faucets that require relatively frequent maintenance and did not continue looking good throughout their life. As the custom cabinets, granite counter top and under-mount stainless steel sink were installed my trepidations increased. The moment of truth came to install the new Delta Ashton 19922-SSSD-DST faucet and I opened the box. What a delightful surprise!
First, Delta thoughtfully included everything needed for the installation except for the Silicone II Plumbing Caulk I like to use to set plumbing fittings and a wrench for the compression fittings. Quality, fit, and finish was excellent.
The instructions are clear, even though they are on large format paper, with instructions for several models interspersed. I recommend taking a yellow marker to these instructions and circling the entries appropriate for the model you have purchased. The entries are clearly marked, but the model names don't differ enough to be quickly differentiated. After I marked the entries the instructions were quite short.
Following the instructions I assembled and installed the unit in minutes. I have installed a number of kitchen faucets, but I think most reasonably careful folks can install this unit in just about the same time. They even include a nice wrench to reach up behind the sink to tighten the mounting nut. It does not require strength or a lot of plumbing knowledge, just thought and a little body flexibility.
The first issue one comes to is the mounting method. For a single-hole mounting, such as on an under mount sink, one simply discards the 3-hole cover (escutcheon) and the reinforcing plate. If you are replacing a faucet on a triple-hole, top-mount sink, your choices are a bit more complex. If you have a heavy sink you can just use the escutcheon and reinforcing plate. If your sink is very light you can purchase an extra reinforcing plate for the underside of the sink from Delta. Information is on the instruction sheet. 3 CM thick granite is more than strong enough to support this faucet with no extra reinforcement. I would be careful to reinforce any 2 CM thick slab underneath the counter to prevent a high-rise faucet like this from cracking the slab due to an inadvertent sideways push, something that seems bound to happen sometime. Any high-rise faucet has tremendous leverage to exert pressure on its mount.
Inserting the hose into the unit is very easy. There is a plastic bead that you insert in the end of the hose to help it glide through the unit, then you remove the bead.
The PEX supply tubing feels stiff, but it is easy to bend into a loop if one is needed. Keep the loop loose to prevent kinking. The tubes may also be cut and compression fittings were provided (and instructions) if this is necessary. It connects to 1/4 inch compression fittings, usually at a stop (valve).
There is a special tool provided to remove the aerator from the spray head when needed. It is designed to clip onto a tube under the sink so it will always be available when you need it. You do not want to loose this, as getting the aerator out without it will be very difficult.
There are a few other items worth mentioning. The spray head controls are three buttons (two are on a "rocker"). The rocker switches from a "normal" stream to a shower spray and back. The other button doubles the water flow in the "normal" stream, which makes a huge difference when filling pots or the sink. As soon as the water is turned off the flow rate returns to its normal lower setting automatically. Another option is the ability to set a limiter that prevents turning on extremely hot water. The spray head works quite well pulled down into the sink and hanging free. This dramatically lessens the inevitable splashing when washing dishes.
The valve works smoothly and with very little practice I was getting a very fine control over flow rate and temperature. It is easy to carelessly turn off the valve and not get it fully off due to this fine control, so a little attention to this will train you to turn it off every time.
Make sure you follow the instructions to flush the unit before installing the spray head. You will save yourself some headaches.
The magnets that hold the spray head in place work well, although they aren't quite as strong as some reviews I read led me to believe. Turning the head 1/4 turn causes the magnets to repel the head away from its seat if your units seems to have stronger magnets.
The soap dispenser is mostly plastic (as I would expect because the reservoir is most of the unit.) It is tough and works great for us. Installation was a snap. Although the reservoir is easy to unscrew from the bottom, that is not the way to refill it. Just pull straight up on the pump to remove it and refill the unit from above. Since the reservoir is translucent a glance underneath will tell you how much soap remains. Pump action seemed odd to me at first, but I now find it convenient. If you are trying to get just a little soap out, say to wash your hands or charge a sponge, the pump nods forward slightly when you press with your thumb and puts out just the right amount--a tiny amount. But if you use the heel of your hand and pump more directly down a significant blob emerges. My experience with this unit is using undiluted standard green Palmolive, so it may behave differently with other brands of liquid.
So, this unit was a lot more quality than I expected. With a little experience I find that I have no negatives, although I thought I would not like the soap dispenser when I installed it. Amazing deal for the price!