There are times when we find ourselves wanting to make changes to our home, and due to its frequent use, many of these changes are often centred in the kitchen. This could be a new appliance, a major refurbishment, or, you may be moving house and decide that you want the best kitchen tap – one which stands out and does exactly what you need it to.
With the advent of advanced engineering and contemporary, multi-functional designs, finding the single superlative faucet may appear a bit tricky at first. That's why with this article, you can lean on us to guide you through the process! From mixer taps to flexible hoses and filter taps for hard water, we'll look at the various types and provide recommendations available from Amazon, eBay and John Lewis.
For those after a quick look, here is our Top 5:
This article's chosen EC site price listings are reflective of its publishing date.
Image | ![]() wavraging | ![]() TopSer | ![]() GAVAER | ![]() Qettle | ![]() Bristan | ![]() Heable | ![]() Heable | ![]() PHASAT | ![]() John Lewis & Partners | ![]() Bristan |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Touchless Sensor Kitchen Tap | Electric Water Tap With LCD Display | Swivel Kitchen Mixer | Qettle 4-in-1 Instant Boiling Water Tap | Gallery Pure Sink Mixer With Filter | Single Handle High Arch Pull-Out Tap | Modern Pull Down Kitchen Monobloc Tap | Adjustable Bridge Mixer Tap | Urbana 2 Lever Kitchen Mixer Tap | X Head High Neck Pillar Taps |
Features | Motion Sensor Activated Mixer Tap With Pull-Out Hose | LCD Display for the Perfect Temperature Selection | An Affordable Choice With a Flawless Aesthetic | 4-in-1 Tap For Instant Boiling Water | A Smart Tap That Offers Pure, Filtered Water | Flexible Pull-Out Hose for Washing and Rinsing | Light-up Tap That Changes Colour With the Water Temperature | Flexible Tap With 360° Swivel Spout | Stylish Mixer Tap With a Brushed Gold Finish | A Classic Design Suitable for Most Kitchens |
Price | £151.68 | £66.98 | £54.99 | £595.00 | £241.95 | £55.99 | £59.99 | £60.90 | £279.00 | £23.05 |
Tap Style | Sensor, mixer, pull-out | Mixer | Mixer | Boiling water | Filter tap | Monobloc, pull-out | Monobloc, pull-out | Classic | Mixer | Pillar |
Water Filter | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Boiling Water | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Sensor | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Water Pressure System | High and low (min 1.4 bar; max 4.2 bar) | 5 bar | Unspecified | High and low (min 1.5 bar; max 5 bar) | Both (min 2.0 bar) | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified | High and low (min 0.3; max 5.5) | High and low |
Material | Stainless steel | Stainless steel | Brass | Stainless steel (insulated) | Brass | Brass | Brass | Solid brass | Brass | Brass |
Finish | Chrome | Brushed nickel | Polished | Brushed, semi-matte | Polished | Chrome | Chrome | Chrome plated | Brushed | Chrome |
Dimensions | 56 x 25 x 7.5 cm | 32.2 x 26.6 x 9.4 cm | 51.2 x 27.4 x 6.6 cm | 58.4 x 48 x 35.2 cm | 19 x 5.4 x 34 cm | 54.4 x 23.2 x 6.8 cm | 48 x 25.8 x 7.4 cm | 39.9 x 20.3 x 8.1 cm | 37.2 x 5.1 cm | 24.8 x 18 x 5.8 cm |
Installation Holes Required | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
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Pillar taps are the oldest type of kitchen taps. They are a pair of independent faucets; one a cold water tap and the other a hot water tap, both with separate spouts and distinct controls.
They operate with an internal mechanism known as a compression washer, which is an internal nut that moves up and down to control the flow of water as the control valve is twisted. The control valves come in different styles as well and may be crosshead, shrouded head or lever-head. You will like pillar taps if you want your hot and cold water delivered separately in a vintage style!
With mixer taps, the hot and cold water flow is combined into a single output, which often has an inbuilt cross-contamination preventive technology. They operate through a process of alignment that allow for the passage of either hot or cold water through a single spout, and are essentially a fusion of pillar taps in one.
Mixer taps have separate hot water and cold water control valves on either side of the spout, which allow for the water temperatures to pour out through the same nozzle, so they're good for getting varying degrees of temperature.
For a more user-friendly experience, go for a monobloc tap! Monobloc taps comprise of a single unit that provides one-handed control and are therefore fitting for multi-tasking in the kitchen. The inner workings include a single combination cartridge for adjustment of the water flow and temperature.
They operate via a single lever that you flick to turn on, whereby the higher up it is, the greater the pressure. Temperature is controlled by swivelling the handle in various directions, making it easier to use than the pillar and mixer taps.
Many modern taps are designed with a flexible pull-out spray feature. This enables the user to have better control over the direction of the water and to stretch to places even outside of the sink which otherwise would have been hard to reach.
If you're opting for a pull-out spray kitchen tap, decide whether you want one with a hidden pull-out feature or an evident one, as you may prefer the cleaner aesthetic of a concealed hose.
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Whether you live in a hard water area or simply prefer it for health or taste reasons, this is the tap of choice if you want to ensure you always have filtered water on hand. Using a filter cartridge underneath the sink to purify the water, they can save both money and time in comparison to bottled water and filter jugs.
These 3-way or tri-flow kitchen taps may have a unique nozzle for the filtered water that keeps it separated from the hot and cold water nozzle. It may also be controlled by a separate lever or a dual-acting lever – just check the description if you'd like one of these features.
If you want to save time boiling water in a kettle, you'll find an instant boiling water tap very efficient. They come in three styles, which will depend on your needs. For instance, if you're needing just boiling and cold water, a two-in-one tap will suffice.
If you'd like cold, hot and boiling water, your choice should be a three-in-one tap. There are also four-in-one taps that dispense cold, hot, boiling and cold filtered water if you want a truly multi-functional tap.
As a necessary precaution, the boiling water tap you purchase should have insulated sides and childproof handles. Although are quite pricey, they generally conserve more energy than kettles and allow for more countertop space since there's no need for a kettle!
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A sensor tap is an electrically-operated tap that can either include a manual handle or be touch-sensor only. For those concerned about hygiene, this is the best tap for prevention of transmission of the coronavirus and other diseases, as there's no need to touch the tap in order to use it.
This also avoids dirt and grease smeared on the surface of the tap, so, overall, this is the ideal tap for a cleaner kitchen. Additionally, the rate of water flow and water temperature is at a constant, bringing about greater efficiency.
For mixer and monobloc taps, there should be a similar level of hot and cold water pressure available so as not to have challenges obtaining a good temperature mix from your tap. This is because it'll result in an uneven temperature mix that's difficult to regulate. You do not need to worry about equal dispensing power with pillar taps, though, as the hot and cold water pours out of different taps.
If you want high hot water pressure, it's recommended to have an unvented hot water system as this can supply hot water to several taps simultaneously. Combination boilers, on the other hand, only supply hot water to one tap at a time on demand. However, they pump at a higher pressure than gravity-fed water systems.
Thus, in order to get the maximum experience out of your kitchen tap, ensure that your home has the required pressure to support the kitchen tap you intend to purchase. If you're unsure, you may want to have an expert check this first or check with your local water authority.
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This ranking has been compiled by the writing team at mybest UK via careful evaluation of the points made in the buying guide and thorough research of each product and comparing multiple verified customer reviews across the EC sites used.
£151.68
Tap Style | Sensor, mixer, pull-out |
---|---|
Water Filter | No |
Boiling Water | No |
Sensor | Yes |
Water Pressure System | High and low (min 1.4 bar; max 4.2 bar) |
Material | Stainless steel |
Finish | Chrome |
Dimensions | 56 x 25 x 7.5 cm |
Installation Holes Required | 1 |
SDR-18DC-3H
£66.98
Tap Style | Mixer |
---|---|
Water Filter | No |
Boiling Water | No |
Sensor | No |
Water Pressure System | 5 bar |
Material | Stainless steel |
Finish | Brushed nickel |
Dimensions | 32.2 x 26.6 x 9.4 cm |
Installation Holes Required | 1 |
E-6001
£54.99
Tap Style | Mixer |
---|---|
Water Filter | No |
Boiling Water | No |
Sensor | No |
Water Pressure System | Unspecified |
Material | Brass |
Finish | Polished |
Dimensions | 51.2 x 27.4 x 6.6 cm |
Installation Holes Required | 1 |
£595.00
Tap Style | Boiling water |
---|---|
Water Filter | Yes |
Boiling Water | Yes |
Sensor | No |
Water Pressure System | High and low (min 1.5 bar; max 5 bar) |
Material | Stainless steel (insulated) |
Finish | Brushed, semi-matte |
Dimensions | 58.4 x 48 x 35.2 cm |
Installation Holes Required | 1 |
GLL PURESNK C
£241.95
Tap Style | Filter tap |
---|---|
Water Filter | Yes |
Boiling Water | No |
Sensor | No |
Water Pressure System | Both (min 2.0 bar) |
Material | Brass |
Finish | Polished |
Dimensions | 19 x 5.4 x 34 cm |
Installation Holes Required | 1 |
£55.99
Tap Style | Monobloc, pull-out |
---|---|
Water Filter | No |
Boiling Water | No |
Sensor | No |
Water Pressure System | Unspecified |
Material | Brass |
Finish | Chrome |
Dimensions | 54.4 x 23.2 x 6.8 cm |
Installation Holes Required | 1 |
£59.99
Tap Style | Monobloc, pull-out |
---|---|
Water Filter | No |
Boiling Water | No |
Sensor | No |
Water Pressure System | Unspecified |
Material | Brass |
Finish | Chrome |
Dimensions | 48 x 25.8 x 7.4 cm |
Installation Holes Required | 1 |
NH100
£60.90
Tap Style | Classic |
---|---|
Water Filter | No |
Boiling Water | No |
Sensor | No |
Water Pressure System | Unspecified |
Material | Solid brass |
Finish | Chrome plated |
Dimensions | 39.9 x 20.3 x 8.1 cm |
Installation Holes Required | 2 |
£279.00
Tap Style | Mixer |
---|---|
Water Filter | No |
Boiling Water | No |
Sensor | No |
Water Pressure System | High and low (min 0.3; max 5.5) |
Material | Brass |
Finish | Brushed |
Dimensions | 37.2 x 5.1 cm |
Installation Holes Required | 1 |
VAX HNK C
£23.05
Tap Style | Pillar |
---|---|
Water Filter | No |
Boiling Water | No |
Sensor | No |
Water Pressure System | High and low |
Material | Brass |
Finish | Chrome |
Dimensions | 24.8 x 18 x 5.8 cm |
Installation Holes Required | 2 |
Whether you're an amateur redecorator or a DIY pro, it's important to ensure that plumbing renovations are completed correctly, to avoid risk of damage or potential flooding to your home. Having a professional come to fit your taps tends to be the easiest option, but if you'd prefer to fit them yourself, make sure to check out this video to help you with your latest project!
Written and researched by David Gbe
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