Q&A: The Difference Between Retail and Contractor-Grade ...

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Question

We&#;re getting ready to remodel our bathroom and picking out fixtures. There&#;s a great price difference between faucets on the shelf at Home Depot or Lowe&#;s and those available through our contractor&#;s plumbing suppliers. Even when it&#;s the same make and model, the price difference can be significant. Why is there such a price difference? And is there a good reason for spending more than we have to?

Answer

This is a question that always comes up during bathroom and kitchen remodels, and is especially confusing when &#; as you pointed out &#; what appears to be the same model from the same manufacturer comes in two different price points!

Quality Difference Equals Price

The main difference between contractor-grade (bought from plumbing suppliers)and retail-grade (also known as builder-grade, on the shelf at home improvement stores or on-line) plumbing fixtures is the quality of the materials used inside the faucets. Quality equals durability.

Even when it&#;s the same make and model, you can usually feel a difference in the weight of the two. The retail version will be lighter because they tend to use plastic instead of metal (brass or stainless steel) for the mechanical pieces.

The internal mechanics of a faucet is what works the hardest, and is what will need to be repaired or replaced. Retail-grade fixtures tend to wear out faster and need attention sooner than contractor-grade version.

Many of the well-known plumbing fixtures manufacturers purposely make different versions (or grades) of their products in different price points. There are A- and B-grade versions, and sometimes that rating will appear on the box or in the model number.

And that&#;s another key to comparing apples to apples. If you see the same fixture in two price points, check the model or part numbers. Those numbers will be slightly different, denoting the difference in in quality and durability which equals price.

Service Difference Equals Peace of Mind

We understand why you may want the cheaper model rather than your contractor&#;s recommended fixtures that cost more. But there are important factors to consider.

Your contractor or plumbing supplier knows the product inventory well.  During your selection process, these experts can narrow down your choices based on your needs and tastes. This kind of customer service and advice saves you time, and quite possibly some money.

Contractors prefer to buy from trusted plumbing suppliers because they can rely on delivery schedules and good follow-up from them on any possible warranty issues down the road.

And this is a key factor for reputable contractors. They stand behind their work, which includes products, installation and warranty. When they install a good quality product, they know the chances of having to deal with problems later on are greatly reduced. It&#;s better for you and the contractor to do it right the first time, so using the good stuff benefits everyone.

The best question to ask yourself about faucets is: How long do you want it to last?
If you&#;re fixing a house to sell, builder-grade serves the purpose. If you&#;re remodeling for a home you plan to stay in for a long time, contractor-grade reduces problems and gives you the long-lasting quality and efficiency you deserve.

If you have any further questions or would like help with your St. Louis bathroom remodel, call the Mosby office at 314.909. or contact us here. And for answers to other frequently asked home improvement questions, visit our Home Improvement Library.

Market Demand:

The faucet is a device which delivers water through the plumbing system. It is an assembled article with different components like a spout, handles, lift rod, cartridge, aerator, mixing chamber, and water inlets. Usually, a faucet body is made of brass, through die-cast zinc and chrome plated. Faucet Industry in India is growing by 14% during -. It will double the overall industrial revenue by the end of . Indian faucets industry is valued at INR 50bn in FY . It is expected to reach INR 105bn in FY . The market is segmented into mainly 2 categories: Kitchen Faucet and Bathroom Faucet. Where Bathroom Faucet occupies the highest market share. Indian Faucet industry is mainly dominated by unorganized players contributing around 52% of the total market. Where in the organized sector Jaquar and Grohe India are market leaders with nearly 70% of market share?

Faucets are now being perceived as style statement instead of a functional product. Apart from this, growth in the real estate industry, increase in disposable income, expansion of urbanization, shift in the customer&#;s buying pattern according to new taste and lifestyle, and exposure of global brands have given a boost to the Indian faucets industry. Moreover to this expansion of commercial areas in Metro & Mega Cities, Government Housing Projects, Low housing loans and foreign investment in the industrial sector are anticipated to generate great demands in western regions in India in next five years. Cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, and Bangalore are projected to be the highest revenue generators in coming five years due to the fast development of special economic zones, malls, hospitals, hotels and residential projects. Indian Faucet Industry is seeking a great opportunity for expansion and growth at present.

Finish product in terms of human perception:

Change in the perception, lifestyle, income level and trends customers more focus on home décor articles and tries to make the home looks more beautiful. They want to decorate every corner of their home or commercial office or hotels which can attract the attention of visitors & viewers. Kitchen & Bathroom are also a part of those corners and Faucets &bath-fittings are one of the decorative articles. People buy it for something more than its functional purpose. They buy it to decorate their kitchen and bathrooms by adding a unique design faucet and make it as a status symbol. Their passion to decorate such areas asks them to look around for a variety of designs, quality, looks, brands etc.

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Thus, to meet consumer&#;s needs, faucets manufacturers are required to develop and introduce a wide range of fancy designs with different styles, color & finishing. So here for faucet buyers, Finish product is not only a product which is ready to deliver, it covers many may more terms like a design, looks, trends, fashion, decoration etc. Here consumers want a kind of finish product which can enhance the looks and appearance of their kitchen & bathroom, which can attract visitors, guest & viewers, which can become a part of discussion & which can fabricate social status. So Indian faucets manufacturers are required to focus more on designs, looks, quality & finishing which can attract more number of customers.

Difference between normal & premium products:

Even in faucets industry, there are 2 different types of products available. Normal products & premium products. Normal products in faucets segment are with ordinary and traditional or old designs which can only fulfill its functional purpose of delivering water. It can&#;t add charm and attraction in kitchen or bathroom. Even it cannot entice the guests, visitors or viewers. Even it has finishing of usual quality only. It cannot earn supper normal profit by attracting premium segment consumers. Whereas premium quality faucets are of best quality finish, extraordinary looks attractive designs, well polished which can enhance the looks of the bathroom or kitchen. It captivates guests, visitors & viewers&#; attention and makes them think and discuss about it. It helps to earn great profit volumes by attracting premium & upper-level consumer segment.

What makes premium quality faucets?

In a frequently changing & a competitive market and consumer taste, manufacturers work hard to develop a variety of designs to attract the number of buyers. With the help of engineering & advance technical alternatives, most manufacturers develop attractive designs but they failed in the making of premium quality faucets. Their designs are good but the finishing is not as per the premium quality standards. This situation becomes complicated for them to survive in the current competitive market. Thus it facilitates opportunities for the global players to enter the Indian market. This makes Indian manufacturers think and work on the improvement of quality. But their question is &#;What makes premium quality faucets?&#; Premium quality of faucets can be identifying after chrome plating process. A faucet must glow with mirror shine finish after chrome plating. This type of quality can enhance looks after its installation in kitchen & bathroom.

But how chrome plating can develop mirror like finish? It depends on the surface preparation. Surface preparation covers two process Grinding & Buffing. Most manufacturers follow 2 or 3 steps in grind process with different grit size but they are required to relook at their existing process. If they are facing a problem of defective surface finish or dull finishing at the end of a production line, then they should follow the principle of progressive grinding by adding more steps or changing grit size in grinding. Progressive grinding helps to remove scratches, roughness, defects and grinding lines and gives uniform surface preparation. After grinding process, buffing process helps to remove all grinding lines, produce a uniform surface which is suitable for chrome plating. Most manufacturers fail in achieving correct suitable surface for chrome plating. This produces dull finish and sub-standard quality. Many manufacturers try different alternatives in buffing compounds & buffing wheels to make premium quality faucets. Usually, they follow 2 step buffing process. And to achieve better quality finish they go for different types of rouge and tried a various brand of buffing compounds.

Some manufacturers have tried to follow 3 steps of buffing process by using costly buffing compounds but it doesn&#;t help them to develop premium quality finishing and moreover, to this, it increased their overall production cost. So looking towards the needs and problems of Indian faucets manufacturers CROWN BRAND conducts a research to develop a set of polishing compounds which can generate supper finish just in 1 step at low production cost.

CROWN CM-22

CROWN CM-22 (Blue) is a universal compound specially designed with innovative raw materials to achieve a fast one-step cutting and shining effect. It is able to obtain a scratch-free surface in a short time, less consumption, less residue and no retouching. It is suitable for stainless steel, brass, copper, aluminum and silver surfaces.

Advantages:

Get the cutting and shining process in one step.
Useful for all metals, including gold, silver and platinum.
Saving costs thanks to low consumption and fewer polishing steps to follow.

CROWN CM-24

CROWN CM-24 (green) is exceptionally designed with a combination of abrasives and oils to produce a uniform shiny finish and provides reduced consumption and fast cutting action, leading to increased productivity by eliminating rejects and problems polishing. It is suitable for stainless steel, brass, copper, aluminum and silver surfaces.

Advantages:

No retouching or repolishing required.
Perfect for the second stage polishing process.
Get a fast polish with low consumption.
Can be used for any type of metal.

CROWN CM-48

CROWN CM-48 (Pink) is a universal compound formulated to produce a deep mirror finish on the part with less consumption, fast polishing action and low scrap. Resulting in the Flawless surface and high-gloss mirror she transforms the work piece into a premium luxury item. Its universal nature can give a very shiny finish to stainless steel, brass, copper, aluminum and silver surfaces.

Advantages:

High cost but low consumption.
High luster compounds.
Fast polishing compounds.
Get Mirror Finish in just a next step.
Can be used for any type of metal.

Read more about Pro Tips for Quality Product manufacturing

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