Kallista Faucets Review & Rating Updated:December 6, 2024

Assembled

in U.S.A.
from imported parts and components

and

Imported

China

Kallista, Inc.
a Kohler company
725 P Woodlake Road
Kohler, WI 63044
(888) 452-5547

Rating

Business Type

Product Range

Kitchen, Bath, Prep and Bar Faucets

Certifications

Brands
Kallista

Related Brands

Street Price

$735 - $5,134

Warranty Score

Cartridge

5 years¹

Finishes

5 years

Mechanical Parts

5 years

Proof of Purchase

Required²

Transferable

No

Meets U.S. Warranty
Law Requirements

No

Warranty Footnotes

1. "Kallista products are warranted to be free of defects in material and workmanship for five years from installation date."

2. Rarely asked for.

Read the Kallista faucet warranty.

Learn more about fau­cet warranties.

This Company In Brief

Kallista is Kohler's luxury fau­cet brand catering primarily to interior decorators, kitchen and bath designers and the hospitality industry.

Unlike Kohler fau­cets, Kall­ista is not part of the Kitchen & Bath Group. It belongs to the Kohler Interior Group along with Ann Sacks Tile & Stone and Robern lighting products.

Kallista fau­cets are designed by Kall­ista but produced mostly by Kohler, although, with Kohler's manufacturing dispersed overseas, there is no guarantee that they are made in the U.S.

Kallista is a brand used by Kohler to distinguish high-style faucets that push the frontier of contemporary styling from its Kohler line of mid-priced faucets, Combining leading-edge design with the legendary reliability of Kohler engineering, Kallista faucets are a line that should be considered by those in the market for a luxury faucet.

The Company

Kohler is a privately held, family-owned, and operated U.S. manufacturer of an enormous line of very good to excellent kitchen and bath fixtures and fittings since 1873.

Sanitary wares are not its only business, however, and it is no longer a single enterprise, but a collection of businesses grouped under the Koh­ler banner.

Collectively, they sell bath and kitchen products, furniture, cabinets, ceramic tile, fabrics, small gasoline and diesel engines, electrical generators, and even gourmet chocolates. One subsidiary owns resort hotels and golf courses, including the original St. Andrews course in Scotland.

Kohler is still one of the largest U.S. manufacturers, with a half-dozen or so North Amer­ican factories.

Kallista is a relatively new addition to the 150-year-old Kohler portfolio.

Kallista was founded as it own compnay in San Francisco in 1979 by Anthony Charles (Tony) Pontin and Norman Bell. It designed and sold premium sanitary wares made in Europe.

Kallista was so successful that it caught the eye of Kohler executives who were then looking to add a luxury faucet brand to the Kohler empire that already included a builder's brand,

Kohler purchased Kallista a mere decade after its founding.

The new brand was positioned as Kohler's upscale designer bath wares company to compete with Delta's upscale fau­cets.

Unlike Kohler- and Sterling-branded decorative plumbing products, Kall­ista is not part of Kohler's Kitchen & Bath Group, It belongs to the upsale Interiors Group along with Ann Sacks Tile, Mark David hospitality furniture, and Robern cabinets and lighting.

Kallista Manufacturing

In the first years of its acquisition by Kohler, made most if not all of Kall­ista's fau­cets in Picardy, France.

That changed rather quickly.

According to former general manager, Adam Horwitz, most manufacturing has been moved back in-house to the Kohler Kitchen & Bath Group although there is some evidence of continued importation from France as late as 2022.^[1]

Kall­ista's ceramic products (toilets, bathtubs, and sinks) were initially made by Ekom Eczacibasi Dis Ticaret A.S., a Turkish ceramics manufacturer that sells its own VitrA brand of enamelwares in the U.S.

That relationship has also largely ended.

Today, according to Mr. Horwitz, all Kall­ista vitreous china products are manufactured by Kohler, which does not necessarily mean that Kohler manufactures the fixtures in Wisconsin.

Most of Kohler's fixture production has been moved offshore.

Kohler has a large assembly plant in Mexico, two factories in India, twelve in China, and additional plants in Thailand and Indonesia. Of the company's 30,000 worldwide employees, just 6,000 (17%) are located in North America.

Most of these foreign facilities make fixtures such as bathtubs, sinks, and toilets – basic manufacturing that does not require advanced technology but does use a lot of manual labor.

The Mexican plant makes shower heads sold under the Kallista brand for the Con­temp­or­a­ry, Lau­ra Ki­rar, Mo­dern Square, and One Collections, and 15 fau­cet model for Kohler, but none for Kallista.

Kohler Faucet Production

Kohler faucet production was still primarily but not entirely in the U.S.

As of our last count in 2024, most Kallista faucets were assembled in Sheridan, Arkansas or in Sheboygan and Kohler Wisconsin.

These are all assembly plants. None manufacture the parts and components that make up the faucet. All parts and components are imported, mostly from Kohler facilities in China and India.

Kohler owns at least two fau­cet factories in China and one in India. These produce most of the componets used by North American facilities to assemble Kohler and Kallista faucets.

Kohler Ind­ia Corp­or­a­tion Pvt Ltd. has manufactured fau­cet components primarily for the South As­ian market in its state-of-the-art 125,000 square foot factory in Jha­gad­ia, Ind­ia since 2011. ^[2]

In 2015 Koh­ler announced a plan to expand this enterprise into an export hub to supply fau­cets and other sanitary ware to the U.S., Can­ada, and China. That expansion has started. At last count it was making 7 Kohler faucet models sold in North America but no Kallista faucets.

Shang­hai Koh­ler Elec­tron­ics Ltd., established in 2007 supplies all of Koh­ler's electronic controls for hands-free fau­cets and other bathroom products and manufactures most of the electronic fau­cets sold by Koh­ler worldwide.

Nan­chang Koh­ler Co., Ltd. specializes in manufacturing high-qual­i­ty fau­cets using the latest technologies in a state-of-the-art facility completed in 2005.^[3]

Its fau­cets are sold mostly in China where Koh­ler is a major presence with sales that exceed those in North Amer­i­ca. But, its fau­cets are also sold in the U.S., Can­a­da, France, Ind­ia, and many parts of the rest of As­ia.

Kohler began a a $75 million expansion of Nan­chang's facilities in 2018 which will undoubtedly lead to an increasing number of Kohler and Kallista faucets fully asembled, finished, and ready to sell being imported from China.

Contract Manufacturers

Koh­ler also buys components and some fully finished fau­cets from outside manufacturers. Over our look-back period of 60 months, the manufacturers have included:

• Guangzhou Seagull Kitchen and Bath Products Co., Ltd. is one of China's oldest fau­cet manufacturers, predating Chi­na's opening to the West by several decades.

• It was est­ab­lished by the Peo­ples Re­pub­lic of Chi­na as a state-owned enterprise at the beginning of the Great Leap For­ward in 1958.

• In addition to those manufactured for Koh­ler, Seagull makes fau­cets or fau­cet components for the who's who of companies selling fau­cets in North Amer­i­ca.

• These include among many others.

• Sunspring Metal Corporation of Tai­chung, Tai­wan owns a large factory in Tai­wan and two more in China.

• Its mastery is the casting and machining of zinc components. It is the largest buyer of zinc in the world. It supplies most of the zinc components used in Koh­ler fau­cets. it also manufactures zinc components for

• Hangzhou Pan­as­ia San­i­tary Ware Co., Ltd. manufactures fau­cets, flexible hoses, drains, and other metal sanitary fittings that it sells throughout the world. In addition to Koh­ler, its customers include

• Xia­men Run­ner Ind­ustr­ial Corp., Ltd. is a subsidiary of the Run­ner Group which owns multiple operating companies that manufacture kitchen and bathroom fixtures and fittings, water and air purification devices, and health care equipment.
• Runner Industrial also manufactures fau­cets for

• Sinotap Technology Co., Ltd, established in 2012, is growing a reputation for the manufacture of quality fau­cets at all price levels: economy, mid-priced, and luxury.

• The company is not yet well-established in the North Amer­i­can market but is trying hard with eight extensive collections of what it calls "Amer­i­can" fau­cets.

• At present its sole customer among the big Amer­ican fau­cet companies is Koh­ler.

KALLISTA FAUCET Countries of Origin
Collection	Model	Description	Use	Origin
002	P32076	Widespread Wall	Bath
002	P32704	Widespread Low	Bath
002	P32705	Widespread Tall	Bath
002	P34119	Widespread Low	Bath
002	P34120	Widespread Tall	Bath
002	P34121	Sing. Handle Vessel	Bath
002	P34122	Sng. Handle Low	Bath
002	P34124	Side Handle Wall	Bath
002	P34125	Sing. Handle Wall	Bath
002	P34126	Widespread Wall	Bath
Bellis	P24600	Widespread Low	Bath
Bellis	P24601	Widespread Low	Bath
Central Park West	P21210	Widespread	Bath
Central Park West	P21211	Widespread Arc	Bath
Central Park West	P21222	Widespread Tall	Bath
Central Park West	P21223	Widespread Wall	Bath
For Town	P22731	Widespread Low	Bath
For Town	P22732	Widespread Arc	Bath
For Town	P22740	Pillar	Bath
For Town	P23051	Bridge	Kitchen
Counterpoint	P23202	Widespread (Discontinued)	Lav
Foundations	P28961	Pot Filler	Kitchen
Geometric	P26100	Widespread	Bath
Guise	P34231	Widespread Tall	Bath
Guise	P34232	Widespread Tall	Bath
Guise	P34233	Sing. Handle Tall	Bath
Guise	P34234	Sing. Handle	Bath
Guise	P34235	Side Handle Wall	Bath
Guise	P34236	Widespread Wall	Bath
Juxtapose	P23174	Pre-Rinse	Kitchen
Juxtapose	P23175	Sing. Handle Bar	Bar
Juxtapose	P23181	Pot Filler	Kitchen
One	P24409	Sing. Handle	Bath
One	P24412	Sing. Handle Wall	Bath
One	P24490	Widespread Arc	Bath
One	P24491	Widespread Low	Bath
One	P24492	Widespread Tall	Bath
One	P24803	Widespread Wall	Bath
One	P25200	Pulldown	Kitchen
One	P25205	Pulldown Side Handle	Kitchen
One	P25202	Bridge	Kitchen
One	P25205	Bar	Bar
One	P26610	Widespread Low	Bath
One	P26611	Sing. Handle Tall	Bath
One	P26612	Vessel	Bath
One	P26613	Sing. Handle Low	Bath
One	P26614	Sing. Handle Wall	Bath
One	P26622	Vessel	Bath
One Armory	P40875	Widespread Low	Bath
One Armory	P40876	Widespread Tall	Bath
One Armory	P40877	Widespread Arc	Bath
One Guerin	P32312	Widespread Low	Bath
One Guerin	P32313	Widespread Tall	Bath
One Guerin	P32314	Widespread Arc	Bath
One Guerin	P32356	Widespread Low	Bath
One Guerin	P32357	Widespread Tall	Bath
One Guerin	P32358	Widespread Arc	Bath
One Nazare	P23320	Widespread Low	Bath
One Nazare	P23325	Widespread Tall	Bath
One Nazare	P23347	Widespread Wall	Bath
One Nazare	P23348	Widespread Arc	Bath
Per Se	P24700	Widespread Low	Bath
Per Se	P24702	Widespread Wall	Bath
Per Se	P24705	Widespread Low	Bath
Per Se	P24706	Widespread Low	Bath
Per Se	P24736	Widespread Tall	Bath
Per Se	P26624	Sing. Handle Vessel	Bath
Per Se	P26625	Sing. Handle Tall	Bath
Per Se Decorative	P29383	Widespread Tall	Bath
Pinna Paletta	P24900	Widespread Tall	Bath
Pinna Paletta	P24901	Widespread Low	Bath
Pinna Paletta	P24910	Widespread Wall	Bath
Pinna Paletta	P24911	Widespread Wall	Bath
Pinna Paletta	P26623	Sing. Handle	Bath
Pure Paletta	P24905	Widespread Tall	Bath
Pure Paletta	P24906	Widespread Low	Bath
Quincy	P25000	Pulldown	Kitchen
Quincy	P25001	Bridge	Kitchen
Quincy	P25005	Sing. Handle Bar	Bar
Script	P25006	Widespread Low	Bath
Script	P25007	Widespread Arc	Bath
Script	P25011	Widespread Wall	Bath
Script	P25054	Widespread Low	Bath
Script	P25055	Widespread Arc	Bath
Script	P26619	Pillar	Bath
Script Decorative	P25009	Widespread Arc	Bath
Script Decorative	P25050	Widespread Low	Bath
Script Decorative	P25051	Widespread Arc	Bath
Script Decorative	P25056	Widespread Low	Bath
Script Decorative	P25057	Widespread Arc	Bath
Taper	P24800	Widespread Low	Bath
Taper	P24810	Widespread Wall	Bath
Vir Stil	P25516	Pulldown	Kitchen
Vir Stil	P25517	Pulldown	Kitchen
Vir Stil	P32493	Sing. Handle Tall	Bath
Vir Stil	P80234	Widespread Arc	Bath
Vir Stil	P80235	Widespread Wall	Bath
Vir Stil Minimal	P32494	Sing. Handle Vessel	Bath
Vir Stil Minimal	P25517	Pulldown	Kitchen

• Xiamen Olt Co. Ltd. has been manufacturing automatic, hands-free, kitchen and bath fau­cets since 2002. It is a known innovator, having received several patents for its improvements to hands-free fau­cet technologies

• It manufactures primarily for the export market, providing automatic fau­cets to Zurn Industries, in the U.S. as well as the Koh­ler automatic fau­cets not manufactured in-house by Shang­hai Koh­ler Elec­tron­ics.

Kallista's French Connection

Kohler has a presence in France.

It has owned the Jacob Delafon (Est. 1889) brand of sanitary wares since 1986.

Delafon manufactures in France and Morocco and exports some of its products to Kohler in the U.S. However, as far as we can determine, Jacob Delafon does not manufacture faucets for Kallista.

However, it does provide a home for one segment of Studio Kohler, the company's design arm that is divided among three countries: the U.S., France, and China.

The crystal handles available on faucets in the Per Se Decorative, Per Se Saint-Louis, Script Decorative, and Script Saint-Louis Collections are made in France by Cristallerie Saint-Louis. The firm has been producing fine crystals since 1586.

Country of Origin

Kallista does not identify the countries in which its faucets are made, not even to its retailers, something most faucet companies, including Kohler (for Kohler-branded faucets), routinely do.

Our request to Kallista for information about where each collection is made resulted an this answer:

"Kallista is a global company and sources from all around the world. This is considered proprietary information and cannot be provided."

This answer is not true, of course, since as a matter of federal law in both the U.S. and Canada, origin information for impored products must be provided to the ultimate purchaser. It can by no stretch of the imagination be cosidered a proprietary trade secret.

Data From Public Records

Not being deterred, we gave our intrepid researchers the task of identifying the countries of origin by searching through public data sources – an endeavor that took many hours.

What we did find is presented in the Country of Origin Table elsewhere on this page.

The conclusions we draw from these results are the following:

• Kohler assembles most Kallista faucets in three U.S. facilities: Sheridan, Arkansas; Kohler, Wisconsin; and Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin.

• The Sheboygan Falls assembly plant seems to be dedicated solely to assembling Kallista faucets and is by far the main producer.

• All of the faucets in a collection are usually made in the same plant. There are exceptions, however. Some faucets. such as the Script P25006 lavatory faucet, are assembled in both U.S. and Chinese facilities.

• By comparing current data to our last sampling in 2019, it is clear that Kallista manufacturing is slowly being shifted to China.

Country of Origin Disclosure

U.S. law provides that the country of origin must be disclosed if it is not the United States – "marked in a conspicuous place as legibly, indelibly, and permanently" on the faucet or the box in which a faucet is packaged. (19 U.S.C. § 1304)

Canadian law is similar. The country of origin of imported goods must be clearly marked on imported goods in a visible place that can't be covered.

These laws need to be updated for the internet age in which an increasing number of products are purchased before a consumer has a product or box to look at.

If country of origin is a concern, check with customer support before buying a faucet.

Where to Buy

None but authorized retailers can sell Kallista faucets, so purchasing on eBay may save a few dollars, but cost you the protection of the Kallista warranty, such as it is.

Kallista products are widely available, sold at decorative plumbing retail websites as well as by kitchen and bath design studios and brick-and-mortar plumbing showrooms.

Its most ubiquitous brick-and-mortar outlet is probably Fer­gus­on En­ter­pris­es, (Wolse­ley in Canada) the British-owned plumbing supply company that has outlets in just about every city, town, and hamlet in North Ameri­ca and multiple online stores including Build.com, fau­cets­Direct.com, and fau­cets.com.

Some Kallista fau­cets are also available at general merchandising sites such as Wayfair but styles and finishes are limited.

Minimum Advertised Pricing

No matter where you buy, do not expect deep discounts.

Kohler strictly controls the number of internet retailers authorized to sell Kal­lis­ta products and sets the minimum price at which internet retailers can advertise its products.

Its Min­i­mum Ad­ver­tised Pric­ing (MAP) policy is a form of price management legal as of 2007 in the U.S. It is not, however, legal in Can­a­da.

Not being an authorized dealer and not, therefore, privy to the company's MAP documentation, we determined the maximum allowed discount through a survey of online prices.

The result pointed to a maximum advertised discount of 25% from Kallista's list price.

The sidebar, Min­i­mum Street Pri­ces, shows non-sale selling prices in May 2024 at seven e-retail outlets for one of our test faucets, the Kallista One^® P25200-00-CP.

Street Prices

Kallista P25200-00-CP

Single-hole Lavatory Faucet in Chrome

MSRP $1,585.00

• AFSupply.com: $1,300.50
• Build.com: $1,188.75
• Faucet.com: $$1,605.00
• FaucetDirect: $1,605.00
• PlumbingOverstock.com: $1,188.75
• QualityBath.com: $1,188.75
• Studio41.com: $1,188.75

Kallista's MSRP or "list" price for the fau­cet is $1,585.00 and the lowest selling price is $1,188.75 confirming that the lowest permissible advertised discount from the Kallista list price is 25%.

Internet retailers cannot advertise below the MAP price but they can sell below the price.

This exception allows for the negotiation of a lower-than-min­i­mum price when, for example, buying a number of faucets, fixtures, and accessories from the same e-retailer as a package.

It also permits "final price disclosed in cart" sales by internet retailers, although Kohler discourages the practice.

The MAP policy has a legitimate purpose – to protect the brick-and-mortar showroom sales that are Kallista's bread and butter.

Kallista cannot allow prices to be discounted too steeply by internet sellers whose lower overhead allows them to price more aggressively. Showrooms have a higher overhead because they provide services in addition to just selling, including help with design, coordination, and customization.

Collections and Customization

Kallista collections include fau­cets, sinks, bathtubs, toilets, showers, and the accessories that go along with them, even cabinet hardware in some instances, for a completely coordinated look.

The individual fau­cets may also be extensively customized.

The crystal handles on Per Se Decorative and Script Decorative faucets are an example. The unique handles by the storied New York custom hardware company, P. E. Guerin are another. These are available in the One Collection. (P. E. Guerin also makes and sells unique, one-of-a-kind faucets under the band.)

Identifying the individual components and specifying custom features is usually best done by a professional at a showroom to avoid expensive mistakes.

Keep in mind, however, that customization – especially special finishes (see more below) may add several weeks to the lead time and many more dollars to the final price.

Kallista Faucet Valve Cartridges

Its valve cartridge is the most important part of a modern faucet. It's what makes the faucet work, dispensing metered amounts of temperature-controlled water on demand. If a faucet fails, ordinarily it is the cartridge that is the problem. It is important, therefore, that the cartridge be the best available. Fortunately, Kallista uses good-quality ceramic valve cartridges in its faucets.

Two-Handle Faucets

Kallista's two-handle faucets use Koh­ler's proprietary Ultra­Glide^® cartridges. Koh­ler calls these the "next generation of fau­cet technology".

According to Kohler, advanced engineering and precise manufacturing allowed the company to eliminate the rubber O-ring that seals the faucet stem. The O-ring is the weak point in most stem cartridges. Koh­ler calls this feature "Dry Stem Tech­nol­ogy" and claims that it not only helps prevent leaking but also reduces mineral build-up – another cause of valve failure.

The Ultra­Glide cartridge has endured testing through four million on-off cycles — eight times the industry standard life-cycle test of 500,000, cycles, equivalent to about 560 years of use in even a busy kitchen or bath.

The limitation of the test, however, is it does not measure mineral buildup over time or its effect on the cartridge.

We know that a brand-new cartridge is very robust but a cartridge is "new" for a very short period of time.

What we need to know is how the cartridge works when it is "old", and, unfortunately, there is no test for that other than the passage of years.

For a video showing the operation of the type of machine that puts faucets through life-cycle testing, go here. The test, run continuously, takes nearly six days to complete and simulates about 70 years of use in a busy kitchen or bathroom.

Single-Handle Faucets

There is nothing novel or innovative about the mixing cartridges used in Kallista's single-handle faucets.

These are, for the most part, the same cartridges used in Kohler faucets, , off-the-shelf mixing cartridges made by Hydro­plast S R L and Kuch­ing In­ter­na­tion­al Ltd., the manufacturer of KCG brand cartridges.

Hydroplast is an Italian technical ceramics company known for its high-quality, leak-resistant ceramic valve cartridges. They are widely used in fau­cets sold in North America, including by

Kuch­ing has been a ceramics manufacturer in Ta­iwan since 1988.

The cartridges are not considered by the industry to have the quality of the Hydroplast product, but we think that perception is dated and somewhat colored by the fact they are made in Taiwan.

The KCG valve is by no means a super cartridge like Del­ta's Dia­mond Seal Tech­nol­ogy^® cartridge or In2­aqua's PVD+ dia­mond-like-carbon cartridge (and neither is the Hydroplast cartridge, for that matter) but it is more than adequate.

Koh­ler thinks the KCG is a good cartridge worth guaranteeing for a lifetime (in its Kohler faucets). Other companies feel the same.

KCG cartridges are widely used by major brands to equip fau­cets sold in North America including

Kallista, however, guarantees the cartridges for a mere five years.

Kallista Design

Most of Kallista's collections were designed by Kohler's creative in-house design group, Studio Kohler, headed by Bill McKeone, and spread between France, China, and Mountain View, CA. These include fau­cets in the Bellis, For Town, FP5, Grid, One, 002, Per Se, and Script Collections.

Kall­ista also looks outside the company for inspired design.

It has paired with well-known designers and architects to produce some unique collections, including…

• Bjarke Ingels, a Danish designer (Taper Collection),
• Laura Kirar (Pinna Paletta, Pure Paletta, and Vir Stil Collections),
• Robert A.M. Stern Architects (Central Park West Collection).
• Mick De Giulio (Juxtapose kitch­en faucets).

Kallista's designs have won numerous awards in international competitions including:

Good Design, sponsored by the Chi­ca­go Athen­ae­um Mu­seum of Arch­i­tec­ture and Design, is the oldest and most prestigious of the international design award programs. It has held annual juried design competitions since the 1950s.

Kallista Faucet Finishes

Kallista fau­cets are available in fourteen standard finishes including Brushed Bronze, French Gold, and Gun­metal, along with the standard polished Chrome, Stainless, and three varieties of nickel.

Kallista Gunmetal differs from the same finish offered by other companies. It is almost black whereas most are a medium gray.

Killista at one time published a very handy chart on the company website that listed its then-current finishes (including finishes no longer offered such as Antique Bronze, Black Nick­el, and Sterling Sil­ver).

The chart indicated whether the finish was "standard", "special order", or "special order only in project quantities" for a particular fau­cet collection. (View the chart from February 2015 on archive.org. It takes a long minute to load, so be patient.)

That very useful chart is gone. In its place is a simplified finish chart showing the current standard finishes. Special finishes are not listed on the website. You will probably have to go to a brick-and-mortar retailer to find out what they are.

Not every fau­cet is available in every standard finish. Some are available in just one finish, usually but not always polished Chrome. The most common number of finishes offered in a faucet collection is four to six. The available finishes are determined largely by where the faucets are made.

The newest finishes are Brushed and Polished Graphite, an almost black dark gray. Kallista is effusive about the new finishes but provides very little technical information. We know that the company uses a "state-of-the-art two-layer nickel undercoating to enhance color integrity and increase surface strength" but that's about the totality of the information available from Kallista.

From inspection, we believe these are powder coatings. As of the date of this report, the Graphites are available only on lavatory faucets in the One and Guise Collections. We expect them to expand rto other collections, however.

The Juxtapose Collection offers kitchen and bar faucets in a in which a base finish is highlighted by a different accent finish. Matte Black with a gold accent, for example.

Killista offers two brushed nickel finishes, and they are slightly different.

We don't know for certain which supplier manufactures faucets finished in Brushed Nickel AG, but it is not by the same company that produces faucets in Brushed Nickel BN. AG is a powder coating, BN a PVD finish.

The two finishes are similar but not an exact match. The duplicate finishes result from the varying capabilities of different manufacturers. One can produce a PVD finish, the other cannot.

The website listing identifies the standard finishes in which each fau­cet may be ordered.

The One® Collection, for example, is available in Chrome, Nick­el Sil­ver, Brushed Nick­el, Gun­me­tal, Mate Black, and Un­lac­quered Brass. You can, however, specify any other finish as a special order, but it can be costly to do so and greatly extend delivery time.

Selecting a finish on a fau­cet listing page usually but not always redisplays the fau­cet in that finish, a feature that is very helpful in visualizing the fau­cet in each finish available.

We found that the most efficient way of finding all of the Kall­ista products available in a particular finish is to search on the finish name using the site's search function.

A search on "Nick­el Sil­ver", for example, resulted in an illustrated list of 411 products that could be finished in Nick­el Sil­ver, including twenty-three fau­cets, eight tub fillers, sixty-one shower components, and numerous drains, flush handles, medicine cabinets, mirrors, and lighting fixtures. The search made it easy to identify and select fixtures, fau­cets, showers, and accessories in a matching finish.

The finishes are a mix of , , and (PVD) finishes. The technology used to produce a finish has a great deal to do with its durability and care requirements.

Electroplating

Electroplating is the old standard. It involves immersing fau­cet components and the metal to be used as plating in an acid bath, then applying an electrical charge to both objects so metallic ions are drawn from the plating metal to the components.

Usually, multiple coats are applied, one or more (usually pure nickel) undercoats, and then two or more coats of the finish metal.

The top coat may be polished or brushed. Electroplated chrome, a relatively hard metal, is usually polished to a high shine. Nick­el, a softer metal, is typically bushed to hide in inevitable minor scratches.

Chrome, which in most fau­cet collections is an electroplated finish, is produced by Kallista using physical vapor deposition (see more below). Electroplated chrome is durable enough but PVD chrome is even more durable.

The only electroplated finishes still in the Kallista lineup are Brushed Nickel AG and Nickel Silver. Brush Nickel AG is an inert finish. The nickel does not tarnish.

Nickel Silver, on the other hand, is an alloy that includes real silver. Kallista warns that it may tarnish slightly and will require polishing to maintain its just-out-of-the-box new look.

Physical Vapor Deposition

Most of Kallista's finishes are physical vapor depositions, the most durable of the finishing processes.

Physical vapor deposition (PVD) is one of the latest space-age fau­cet finishing technologies, rapidly replacing electroplating as the finish of choice. (The other is thin film ceramic (TFC), a process that Kallista does not use.)

Although the technology was discovered in the 19th century, it was not used in industry until the 1950s, and then only rarely due to its great expense. Its first use was to protect components inside nuclear reactors where an almost indestructible coating is an absolute must.

Today, the technology is everywhere, and the machinery required is getting smaller, faster, and cheaper all the time.

To create a PVD coating, a sealed chamber is loaded with unfinished fau­cet components. All the air is removed and replaced by a carefully calculated mix of nitrogen or argon and reactive gases.

A rod of the metal to be used for the coating is heated to a temperature so high that the metal dissolves into individual atoms. The atoms mix with the various reactive gases to get the desired color and finish effects and are then deposited in a very thin film – 2 to 5 – on the fau­cets.

Different finish colors and effects are created by varying the mix of reactive gases in the chamber.

Raw titanium, in its natural state, is a dull grayish color. But when combined with nitrogen gas in a PVD chamber, the metal emerges with a convincing gold or brass finish. Adding a little methane to the mix reddens the color, resulting in rose gold. A touch of acetylene darkens the finish to a bronze with an antique effect.

Despite being just microns thick, a PVD coating is extremely dense and, in consequence, very hard and durable. By some estimates, it is up to 20 times more scratch-resistant than electroplated chrome.

Powder Coating

Gunmetal and Matte Black were Kallista's two remaining powder coatings that have now been supplemented by Brushed and Polished Graphite.

Powder coating is commonly described as semi-durable, not as robust as electroplated or PVD finishes, somewhat more durable than the finish on your car, needing more care than the metal finishes to maintain a like-new appearance.

It is essentially a dry paint in powder form applied using a special low-velocity spray gun that disperses the powder while giving it a positive electrical charge. The particles are drawn to the item to be finished which has been given a negative charge.

Once the powder is applied, the item being coated is baked in an oven, which melts and bonds the powder and changes the structure of the coating into long, cross-linked molecular chains.

These chains are what give the coating its durability, reducing the risk of scratches, chipping, abrasions, corrosion, fading, and other wear issues.

Living Finishes

Unprotected brass along with Gunmetal are Kallista's . Living finishes are designed to show the effects of age and use.

Un­lac­quered Brass is not an applied coating but merely the material of the faucet given a gleaming polish at the factory.

It will not stay gleaming very long, however. Raw brass tarnishes rather quickly and, unless polished fairly often, will turn the warm light brown coppery tone of neglected brass.

If your preferred finish is gleaming brass, Un­lac­quered (i.e. unprotected native) Brass is not for you (unless you just love polishing things). Your preferred finish would be PVD brass, a finish that never tarnishes but, unfortunately, a finish that is not offered by Kallista.

Gunmetal, according to the company, turns more "bluish" as the years go by, and nothing can be done to stop or reverse the change. Since aged Gunmetal is not illustrated on the company website, we have no idea what its appearance will be in ten or twenty years. But, check back after 2034, we may have more information from the aging of our test faucets.

As indicated above, Nickel Silver will also tarnish, but, for reasons we do not understand, is not classified by Kallista as a living finish.

Kallista Faucet Warranty

Kallista's 5-year fau­cet warranty is substandard, far below the "lifetime" warranty pioneered by

It is not atypical, however, of fau­cets made for the very upscale buyer that is Kall­ista's target market.

Similar anemic warranties are offered by many of the company's competitors but not all.

Upscale European manufacturers like In this respect, the Kallista warranty is an anomaly.

In addition to offering only very limited protection, the Kallista warranty is poorly written by someone unfamiliar with warranty law and with only a nodding acquaintance with legal drafting – not at all befitting a major fau­cet company.

It contains several violations of the Mag­nu­son-Moss War­ranty Act (15 U.S.C. §2308), the federal law that dictates the minimum content of and sets the rules for consumer product warranties in the United States.

As the law has been around since the 1970s, there is no excuse for not knowing its requirements.

Prohibited Disclaimer of Implied Warranties

The Kallista warranty proclaims (in all caps, so you can't miss it) that:

… KOHLER CO. PRO­VIDES THESE WAR­RANT­IES IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WAR­RANT­IES, EX­PRESSED OR IM­PLIED, IN­CLUD­ING BUT NOT LIM­ITED TO THE IM­PLIED WAR­RANT­IES OF MER­CHANT­ABIL­ITY AND FIT­NESS FOR A PART­ICULAR PUR­POSE. …

This claim has three problems, any one of which will get it thrown out of court.

Turgid Legalese

The first problem with this proclamation is its language.

It is the sort of wording that lawyers love because it requires a Law­yer to decipher. Unfortunately, however, Mag­nu­son-Moss prohibits legalese, turgid or otherwise. It violates the bedrock statutory requirement that

"… the terms and conditions of written warranties on consumer products be clearly and conspicuously stated in simple and readily understood language" (15 U.S.C. § 2302(a)) (Emphasis supplied)

Readily understood means readily understood by the average consumer, not just by the average lawyer.

Mag­nu­son-Moss mandates language that a typical consumer can read and understand before purchasing the product. It does not intend that a consumer consult a lawyer before buying a fau­cet. In consequence, a fau­cet warranty must be written in the vernacular, not lawyer-ese.^[4]

Rejection of Implied Warranties

The second and more serious problem is that Mag­nu­son-Moss, in very clear and explicit language, prohibits a company that provides a written warranty from rejecting (law­yers say "disclaiming" – a word that should never be used in a consumer warranty) state law implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. (15 U.S.C. § 2308 (a))

If Kallista wants to sell its fau­cets "as is" – free of the state-law implied warranties – then it must first get rid of its written warranty, something it probably will not do.

Some sort of warranty is necessary to compete in the faucet market. Not having a warranty is a major danger signal to even the most unsophisticated faucet buyer.

State law implied warranties are sacrosanct. They cannot be avoided by any issuer of a written warranty. Written seller warranties are intended by Mag­nu­son-Moss to supplement implied warranties. They are "in addition to" not "in lieu of."

So the language in the Kall­ista warranty that seeks to substitute the Koh­ler written warranty for state law implied warranties has no legal effect whatsoever.

Deceptive Language

The final and very worst problem with the provision is that it is deceptive.

An average consumer (and even an average lawyer not familiar with Mag­nu­son-Moss) would almost certainly be misled into believing that he or she no longer has the protection of state-law warranties.

Such deception is expressly prohibited by Mag­nu­son-Moss which requires a warranty be written in

"… words or phrases which would not mislead a reasonable, average consumer as to the nature or scope of the warranty." (15 U.S.C. § 2302 (a) (13))

We doubt the misrepresentation is deliberate. Whoever wrote the warranty most probably copied the provision from some other company's warranty without understanding its full import. Copying other company's warranties is widespread in the faucet industry resulting in legal errors being reproduced over and over.

Deception. however, does not need to be intentional to have legal consequences. Mag­nu­son-Moss imposes a duty of reasonable care on a company providing a written warranty …

"…to make the warranty not misleading." (15 U.S.C. §2310(c)(2))

The very presence of the provision in the Kal­lis­ta warranty evidences a lack of the required reasonable care and, therefore, culpable deception.

What these Defects Mean to You

What these three defects mean to you, the fau­cet buyer, is that the disclaimer can be disregarded. But what they mean to Koh­ler is the potential for expensive liability.

If the provision is ever litigated, its deception puts the company at risk for punitive or exemplary damages in addition to actual damages, costs, and the consumer's attorney fees — a little gift from Mag­nu­son-Moss for companies that do not follow its rules. (15 USC § 2310(d)(2))

As a consumer buyer, you have

• The warranty protection offered by the company,

• and

• All of the protections provided by state law in your state's implied warranties of merchantability and fitness.

These implied warranties often provide more protection than a company's written warranty.

Kohler cannot legally take these away so don't be misled by warranty language claiming to "disclaim" state law implied warranties.

Exclusive Right to Decide

Kohler's claim to have the exclusive right to determine an appropriate remedy under the warranty with this language …

"Kohler Co. will, at its election, repair, replace, or make appropriate adjustment where Kohler Co. inspection discloses any such defects occurring in normal usage." (Em­pha­sis supplied)

… is another violation of Mag­nu­son-Moss (16 CFR § 700.8).

A company never has the sole right to elect a remedy. Any remedy other than repair or replacement requires the consent of the faucet owner (16 CFR § 701.1(e)(3) and the Act provides in very clear language that a company that offers a warranty (the "warrantor") …

"… shall not indicate in any written warranty … either directly or indirectly that the decision of the warrantor is final or binding in any dispute concerning the warranty … Nor shall a warrantor state that it alone shall determine what is a defect under the agreement." (16 CFR § 700.8)

Claims of having the sole "election" are specifically identified in Mag­nu­son-Moss as deceptive …

"… since section 110(d) of the Act, 15 U.S.C. 2310(d), gives state and federal courts jurisdiction over suits for breach of warranty and service contract." (16 CFR § 700.8)

… and the decision of the court will override any "election" by the company.

Kallista Customer Service

The company's customer service is capable and responsive, as one would expect of a Kohler company, easily passing the tests we conducted over the past 24 months with no down checks except hold times that sometimes exceeded our maximum limit of 5 minutes.

Moreover, Kallista customer service has a reputation for often going beyond the minimum necessary.

One reader reported that when she asked for a replacement part under warranty, Kall­ista sent her that part and all the other parts needed to totally rebuild her fau­cet.

That, folks, is Customer Service with a capital "CS."

Kallista also seems very relaxed about its warranty time limits.

We have received several reports of Kallista agents going beyond the call of duty to take care of problems even when the 5-year term had long expired.

This largess is not consistent, however. We have also gotten reports of customers who were not extended that courtesy.

Testing & Certification

Comparable Faucets

Faucets comparable to Kall­ista include

All of these fau­cet companies offer a stronger warranty.

Conclusions

We are quite confident that the style and craftsmanship of these fau­cets will not disappoint, nor will the longevity and reliability of Kohler-engineered and -manufactured mechanicals.

The one downside is the company's skimpy 5-year warranty. It could be much stronger as befits the quality of the fau­cets.

The majority of our rating panel indicated that they would buy a Kall­ista fau­cet for their own homes "without hesitation."

The rest of the panel showed some reluctance due to the very short-term Kall­ista warranty. They would buy the faucets, but with "some reservations."

Continuing Research

We are continuing to research the company. If you have experience with Kallista fau­cets, good, bad, or indifferent, we would like to hear about it. We are also looking for examples of Kallista faucets made in France, India, Thailand, or Indonesia. If you come across a faucet made in any of these countries, snap a photo of the box label showing the "Made in …" declaration and email the image to us.

Please note, we cannot answer questions posted in the comments below. If you have a question or information about Kohler faucets, email us at starcraftreviews@yahoo.com.)

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