Customer Reviews

KOHLER K-647-VS Simplice Pull-Down Kitchen Sink Faucet, Vibrant Stainless

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I had this unit in black matte installed by a licensed plumber at the beginning of April (2010). Within 4 weeks the water coming out of the faucet was foamy and had a bad chemical smell. It got better the longer the water ran. But each time the tap was turned on it happened again. We stopped drinking the water from the faucet and called Kohler. They were very courteous, but seemed unaware of any such problem. The technician thought it might be a faulty hose, so they sent a free hose replacement kit to us about 2 weeks later. We installed the replacement hose, but the problem persisted. I spoke to Kohler again, and this time they seemed very aware of the problem and said they were going to send us a complete new fixture. They were not willing to discuss the source of the problem, except to say they were well aware of it and that the new faucet was "re-manufactured" and would solve the problem. Let's hope so. Otherwise, the fixture is great looking and performs well - just concerned about what was in the water we were drinking.

I purchased this faucet as a replacement for an existing one with a separate sprayer. I wanted to put in a water filter system and needed the sprayer hole. This was very easy to install and came with everything we needed. The quality is much better than the original. I was a bit worried about how the integrated sprayer would retract back into the faucet, but it does so easily and stays put. I did have a slight drip from the spray holes when I was on the regular water stream, but realized that I wasn't pushing the flip switch hard enough. Now there's no drip. I highly recommend this product.

We bought this faucet in vibrant stainless to replace an 8yr. old Moen pullout faucet that was rusting and leaking badly about 1 month ago and have been very happy with the Kohler. Installation was very easy, well designed and took only 2 hours, compared to the effort required to remove the old faucet.

I've only been using the faucet for a few weeks but it has been working well. I like the way the setting of the control that switches between "normal" and spray operation stays in the setting you left it in, so you can spray using very little water. The downside is the faucet can splatter a bit in spray mode due to the high arch of the faucet, so I try to leave it in "normal" mode.

We also bought the matching accessories with this faucet, K-1895 soap dispenser and K-9111 air gap cover, and love the overall look! Since all 4 sink holes are filled (2 for the faucet, 1 for dispenser and 1 for the air gap), you don't require a sink hole cover.

Bought this to complement our stainless appliances for a minor kitchen remodel.

We explored many different options from Danze to Delta to Price Pfister and so on, but in the end, it seemed that the simplest design was the most beautiful and seemed to be the most flexible in terms of decor. The lines are clean, the size seems "just right" (not too tall, not too short), and the quality feels excellent. Amazon's price on this is also excellent; better than every plumbing supply site I researched.

As others have mentioned, installation is a breeze. I had it installed in under 30 minutes. The only tools required are a Phillips-head screwdriver, something to drive a hex bolt (drill attachment makes it really easy), and some Teflon tape. All of the required hoses are included and pre-installed on the lever unit. The instructions are well written with simple diagrams but even without them, the install is very intuitive. Even novices (like me) can handle this pretty easily.

Does not come with a soap dispenser, but it can also be purchased separately from Amazon (two styles to choose from: K-1895-C-VS or K-1893-C-VS) at a very good price. All pieces feel substantial and well crafted. The pull-down spout mechanism uses a very simple (and rather ingenious) gravity mechanism (essentially a giant brass nut) to keep the tension on the tubing of the pull-out spout so that it goes back up (never installed a kitchen faucet before, so I'm not sure how other manufacturers design this mechanism); it works great as long as you keep the back of your cabinet free and clear of obstructions. I dig it because the simple engineering means that it's one less possible point of failure.

In summary:
- Well engineered
- Simple, elegant design
- Excellent build
- EASY to install
- Good instructions
- Excellent value

Received this product from Amazon, and, as usual, shipping & packaging were excellent. The stream function squirted water willy-nilly which, after a while, drove me crazy. (screens were clean) I did not want to contact Amazon to return the item after I had installed it so I chose to call Kohler for recommendations. They immediately sent me a new head - no muss, no fuss!! Works great. I love the style of this faucet and the way the head is so easy to move around. Resolve was wonderful and this faucet works great.

We have an old cast iron sink with a high backsplash and narrow, beveled deck. This limits us to a faucet with a thin base and forward-facing controls, so the 647 was a good fit. There are actually two versions of this faucet, the 647 here and the smaller 649.

Now, I had originally purchased the 649. It was very easy to install and the control works great. However, when I decided to clean it, my sponge started catching on little burrs. I then ran my bare hand over the surface and found little nicks on the neck, and for a closer visual inspection I found a divot where the chrome had not fully plated. Perhaps this is a natural feature of chrome plating? Well, I found it bothersome that I could actually catch my nail on the burrs, so I set to return the 649. Since it was installed already, and I didn't have another faucet to hold its place, I ordered another in the meantime, but the bigger 647 instead.

I figured, OK, big brother version should be better quality because it's more common. The first thing I did after opening the box was run my hand over the arch and, horrors, it was worse than the first one. A LOT worse, like someone sprinkled small metal shavings on it. This one goes straight back and I decide to give it one more go. The third faucet was the worst of all. Not only did it have the burr issue, it had the appearance of rough handling. There were lacerations on the arch, odd rectangular dents on the base, the threaded post that holds it to the deck was partly crimped, and there were fingerprints. The box had a Kohler seal on it, but it sure had the appearance of a customer return.

Anyway, at this point I lost all faith, and I sent the second 647 back and decided to just deal with the blemished, though MUCH less so, 649. Another curiosity is that the 649 (smaller) faucet still had lubricant at the ball joint for the sprayer, whereas the 647s were dry.

So, the 649 is installed and staying, and we like it a lot. There are a couple of design items I might change:

- The interior rim of the neck where the spray hose rubs against should be smoother/rounder. It feels a little abrasive when pulling the hose out any length.
- The tubular O-ring of the faucet's base-to-deck is small, barely higher than the rectangular groove it seats in, and much less wide. A fair amount of water will get trapped in there, leading of course to grime. Some goop might be the answer.

I bought the Kohler Simplice pull down faucet because of the styling and Kohler's reputation. I had the faucet for 2 years, after 1 year the spray switch did not reset. After the second year the control handle started leaking (causing damage to my cabinets). Since Kohler moved their manufacturing to China, their quality is not what it was, the only thing left premium is the price. I have replaced the faucet with a Similar Moen Faucet (Made in USA).

We have had this for more than 2 years and it works as well as the day we installed it. The look is simple and modern. The faucet is well made and it looks brand new. The pull-down head can actually travel quite a bit, so that's useful. Overall, it's a great product.

This faucet is gorgeous. Seems to be very high quality. Only problem is becuase of the high arch it does splash quite a bit in my kitchen sink. I just pull down the sprayer or reduce the amount of water coming out. But it is very nice and I've gotten lots of compliments!

I was so elated with the look of my KOHLER pull down kitchen sink faucet on my my new granite sink counter top. Our new kitchen looked gorgeous! About 6 months later, the spray aerator stopped functioning and the spray head didn't really want to stay up in the housing, but we entertain ALOT and laughed and said we put the faucet through the crash-dummy testing. Within the year, I had to replace the faucet due to leaks, but replaced it with the same faucet thinking it was a bad lot and it really was so perfect looking. Dumb me. Here I am again in the same place, with the same issues. Only this time the inside of my beautiful wooden cabinet is warping due to water damage because the faucet handle is leaking. The plumber stated that whatever is suppose to pop back up...wont, and he's fearful that if he continues to mess with it I wont have a faucet and use of my sink, sooooooo, the quest is on to find an elegant faucet that is also functional and long lasting to replace this piece of crap before we remove it. We have found if we turn the faucet one way to it's extreme and the handle the other to it's extreme the leak may cease. smh