Kmeino Review & Rating Updated: January 2, 2024
Law Requirements
This Company In Brief
Xinyang Yingjia Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. is a Chinese corporation that sells Kmeino faucets on Amazon as Klabb Sanitary.
It is a trading company with some relationship to Guangdong Goldkey Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., also a trading company and the owner of kmeino trademark in the U.S. The nature of the relationship, however, is unknown.
Yingjia sells only through Amazon as a third-party seller in what Amazon calls its Marketplace.
The faucets are of average quality and virtually indistinguishable from the hoard of Made-in-China faucets sold through internet venues in the U.S. and Canada. They have no warranty of any kind.
Black Market Faucets: These faucets are not legal for sale in the U.S. and not legal for installation in a drinking water system in the U.S. or Canada. For more information on contraband faucets and how to avoid these potentially dangerous products, please visit Illegal and Black Market Faucets in North America.
Yingjia Intelligent Technology is a Chinese trading company that sells contraband faucets in the U.S. and Canada under the Kmeino brand.
Kmeino faucets are sold only on the internet through websites that host third-party sellers. Formerly, these included Amazon and KMart but today Kmeino faucets are sold only on Amazon – one of the 550 or so contraband faucet brands sold on that platform.
To learn more about illegal and contraband faucets sold on Amazon, read our investigative report on Amazon's Illegal Faucets.
Yingjia is not very keen on disclosing its actual identity.
Amazon now requires owners of its storefronts to identify themselves and Yingjia does so but in Hanyu Pinyin (or just Pinyin), a phonetic rendering of the company's Chinese name in the Roman alphabet:
xinyang yingjiazhinengkeji youxian gongsi.
We had the name translated into English.
The Company
Yingjia is solely a trading company. The faucets and accessories that it sells in the U.S. and Canada are made by other companies. We have not identified the manufacturers.
Kmeino pot-filler Faucet in Gold.
Yingjia is part of a group of companies that sell contraband faucets on Amazon under brands registered as trademarks by Guangdong Goldkey Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., an internet trading company located in Guangdong Province. These include:
- Dongguan Yingjia Technology Co., Ltd. ( faucets)
- Henan Songde Furniture Co., Ltd. ( faucets)
- Dongguan Dongcheng Zhanduo Furniture Firm ( faucets)
- Dongguan Yingjia Technology Co., Ltd. ( faucets)
- Dongguan Honghui Property Management Co., Ltd. ( faucets), and
- Foshan Municipal Party Committee Stanley Home Furnishing Co., Ltd. ( faucets)
There may be other related companies but these are the six we have found so far.
Goldkey is mystrious. It has no English or Chinese website, and is not listed in the usual trading company directories that we consulted. It appears to do very little trading of its own. It creates and registers U.S. trademarks then rents them out to other companies to use as brand names.
According to its U.S. trademark filing, the Kmeino trademark covers a wide range of products including:
"Anti-splash tap nozzles; Baking ovens; Bath installations; Drinking fountains; Electric hand drying apparatus for washrooms; Faucets; Flush levers; Lamps; Microwave ovens; Radiators, electric; Refrigerating machines and installations; Sinks; Sterilizers; Wash basins being parts of sanitary installations; Water purification installations."
This is word-for-word the same product list used in Goldkey's other trademark applications.
In North America, however, most Goldkey affiliates sell only kitchen sink faucets, pot fillers, and soap/lotion dispensers under the Kmeino brand.
Yingjia's North American Facilities
Yingjia runs its trading business from China. It has no functioning presence in North America. All of the details of its sales have been delegated to Amazon: warehousing, inventory, payment processing, and delivery.
It is entirely possible to successfully market faucets in the U.S. without having a physical presence in the U.S. The German luxury faucet companies, manage it extremely well.
Their approach takes advantage of the fact that with smartphones and the Internet, physical proximity to a market is no longer necessary to sell in that market. To a plumber or homeowner located in Miami, Memphis, or Montreal, technical or customer support provided from Germany is just as useful as help from California or Connecticut.
But, to be successful, the time difference between customer and company must be overcome. In2aqua and Jörger have done so by ensuring that their technical and customer support is available during North American business hours.
Yingjia has not.
Kmeino pre-rinse kichen faucet in Gold.
It does not make it easy for customers to contact the company, providing neither an email address nor a North American telephone number. The only contact is through Amazon - a contact method that is usually unsatisfactory.
Construction & Materials
The company claims that Kmeino faucets made from brass. They are, however, by no means of all brass and there is no independent verification that the brass is lead-free as required by law.
Brass
Brass is the preferred material for faucets for two reasons:
- Brass is strong but easy to work with. It casts, forges, and machines with relative ease.
- Brass is naturally anti-microbial. The copper in brass kills bacteria, retarding the build-up of potentially hazardous microbes inside a faucet.
But, brass has one serious drawback. It may contain lead.
Traditional (Alpha) brass is a blend of copper and zinc with a small amount of lead added to make the material more malleable, less brittle, and easier to fabricate.
Lead, however, is now all but banned in North America in any drinking water component due to its toxicity to humans, particularly children.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), lead, even in small amounts, causes slowed growth, learning disorders, hearing loss, anemia, hyperactivity, and behavior issues.
Before 2014, a faucet sold in the U.S. or Canada could contain as much as 8% lead and still call itself lead-free.
Now the maximum lead content of those parts of a faucet that touch water is 0.25% (1/4 of 1%), basically just a bare trace.
In fact, there may be more lead in the air you breathe than there is in a faucet that has been certified lead-free.
To comply with the restrictions on lead, today's faucet brass replaces lead with other additives to reduce brittleness without adding toxicity. The most common is Bismuth.
Bismuth is similar to lead – right next to lead on the periodic table of elements – but it is not harmful to humans.
It is, however, very expensive. It is 300 times rarer than lead, even rarer than silver, which is the reason that Bismuth-brass alloys are considerably more expensive than leaded brass.
This increased cost has encouraged many manufacturers to use substitute materials in their faucets where possible.
Zinc & Zinc/Aluminum Alloys
The common substitute is zinc or a zinc-aluminum (ZA) alloy. One of the most common is called ZAMAK, a composition containing 4% aluminum.
Zinc is not as strong as brass and does not resist water pressure as well as brass. But, its use in non-pressurized parts of a brass faucet such as handles, base and wall plates, and is common even among manufacturers of luxury faucets.
It does no harm when used in these components, and may save consumers a few dollars.
Plastics
Plastic is the other commonly used substitute material. It may be safely used in incidental parts like base plates and has been largely trouble-free in aerators and as casings for ceramic cartridges but otherwise, its use is suspect especially if under water pressure.
Among those suspect uses is its use in the spray heads of kitchen faucets. Plastic spray heads (called "wands" in the faucet industry) have become the standard for many manufacturers, including some that sell upscale faucets.
Manufacturers give three reasons for their use of plastic:
- Plastic does not get uncomfortably hot in use like metal wands;
- Plastic is not as heavy and is more comfortable to hold for long periods of time; and
- Plastic is a lot cheaper than brass or stainless steel – even cheaper than zinc.
However, plastic wands also fail much more often than metal wands. And although engineers have made significant improvements to their reliability over the past decade, the problem has not been entirely solved.
Kmeino kitchen faucet sprays are plastic.
Better wands are made of metal, insulated against excessive heat transmittal.
The Sure Cure for Too-Hot Spray Wands: The simple cure for spray wands that get too hot is to reduce the temperature of the water. Dishes do not need to be rinsed in scalding hot water.
Faucet Design & Styling
Kmeino faucets are contemporary designs. Most of the kitchen faucets are pre-rinse spring-style faucets. The styles are conservative – fairly common designs, attractive enough but exhibiting no particular design originality. Similar styles are available from nearly every faucet company that sells Chinese-made kitchen faucets.
The goal of Chinese faucet manufacturers is to sell as many faucets as possible, which means keeping their designs well within the mainstream to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible.
Designs are usually adopted from Europe and North America.
A style that sells well in these major markets will often be imitated by Asian factories (with minor changes to avoid patent infringement). The lag time is usually 3 to 5 years, so by the time a design appears in a Chinese faucet, it is no longer new.
Kmeino's faucet designs fit this pattern. They are pleasant and often smartly styled but most are over a decade old, some are well past voting age, and a few are looking at their thirtieth anniversary in the rear-view mirror.
Kmeino Faucet Components
The critical components used in Kmeino faucets are ceramic valve cartridges and aerators.
Valve Cartridges
The faucets we examined contained ceramic cartridges made in Asia.
Dozens of Chinese companies manufacture ceramic valves, most of which do not export, so we never encounter them.
What we do know about the cartridges is that they are not one of the pecision cartridges like those manufactured in China by Sedal S.L.U. or in Taiwan by Geann that have established a solid reputation for quality products and have been proven by having passed the North American life-cycle stress tests.
The Faucet Cartridge
Its cartridge is the heart of a modern faucet and should be your very first consideration when making a buying decision.
It is the component that controls water flow and temperature.
Its finish may fail and the faucet will still work. It may be discolored, corroded, and ugly but water still flows. If the cartridge fails, however, the faucet is no longer a faucet. It is out of business until the cartridge is replaced.
It's important, therefore, that the cartridge is robust, durable, and lasts for many years.
Kmeino hands-free lavatory faucet in Matte Black.
The standard North American life-cycle test requires operating a cartridge through 500,000 cycles under 60 psi of water pressure without a single failure. At one cycle per second, the test takes six 24-hour days to complete.
The cartridge is also subjected to a burst test under water pressure of 500 pounds per square inch – many times normal household water pressure of 40-60 psi. A cartridge that deforms in any manner under this enormous pressure fails the test and is not certified for use in the U.s. or Canada.
In other countries, the standard is much less rigorous. The European durability standard (EN 817) requires 70,000 cycles, and the Chinese (GB18145-2014) test is just 30,000 cycles.
Kmeino cartridges are probably certified to the Chinese standard but not to North American standards, so we have no idea how well they will stand up to use in a normal kitchen.
Aerators
There are dozens of companies in China that manufacture and spray-head assembles. Most are a least adequate.
Faucet aerators used to be simple devices that merely added a little air to soften the water stream so it would not splash out of the sink.
Today, however, they are also used to limit water volume to the lower flows required by federal and state water conservation laws, and in some cases, to prevent back-flow that can result in the contamination of household drinking water.
It is important, therefore, that this little device, often smaller than a dime, be the best available.
The consensus of the ihdustry is that the best engineered areators are made by Neoperl®, a Swiss company followed closely by Amfag S.r.l., a company manufacturing in Casaloldo, Italy.
The manufacturer or manufacturers of aerators and spray heads are not identified by Yingjia, and our examination of several aerators and spray heads did not disclose any markings on the devices that would allow us to determine where they are made, but determined that they were not Neoperl, Amfag, opr one of the other precision aerators.
All we can say is that in our testing they modified the stream of water just as they are supposed to so it did not splash out of the sink. We do not know how resistant they are to mineral accumulation that causes clogging or how long they will last in ordinary household use.
Kmeino Faucet Finishes
We found four finishes on Kmeino faucets: Matte Black, Brushed Nickel, Brushed Gold, and Copper. The usual polished chrome finish is missing from the lineup.
Yingjia does not disclose the type of finish used on its faucets. However, from examination, we believe Brushed Nickel is electroplated. Black is probably a powder coating. Gold and Copper are likely a physical vapor deposition (PVD) finish.
Some Kmeino faucets display , a base finish, usually Matte Black, and an accent finish, usually Gold or Copper.
Electroplating
involves immersing the faucet 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 faucet.
Usually, multiple coats are applied, one or more undercoats and then two or more coats of the finish metal.
The process is potentially hazardous to the operator and the environment. It involves toxic and corrosive chemicals that must be disposed of safely. No other coating technology even comes close to the dangers involved in electroplating.
The top coat may be polished or brushed. Chrome, a relatively hard metal, is usually polished to a high shine. Nickel, a softer metal, is usually brushed to help hide the inevitable minor scratches.
Physical Vapor Deposition
or PVD is one of the latest space-age faucet finishing technology, rapidly replacing electroplating as the finish of choice.
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 in nuclear reactors. Today,the technology is everywhere and the machinery required is getting smaller, faster, and cheaper all the time.
The process itself mixes art with science.
Load a chamber with unfinished faucet components, remove all the air, and add back a carefully calculated mix of nitrogen or argon and reactive gases.
Add a rod of the metal to be used for the coating. Heat that rod to a temperature so high that the metal dissolves into individual atoms. The atoms mix with the various reactive gases to get the color and finish effects you want and are then deposited in a very thin layer – 2 to 5 microns – on the faucets.
A micron is one-millionth of a meter or 1/26,000 of an inch. The average human hair is 83 microns thick. The smallest the human eye with excellent vision can see without magnification is about 5 microns.
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.
From long experience, we know that PVD is nearly impossible to accidentally scratch or mar, never fades or changes color, and resists all forms of soiling.
A PVD finish can usually be maintained with just an occasional wipe from a damp cloth to remove water spots.
Finish Durability
Some finishes are more durable than others. Here are the Kmeino faucet finishes and their durability from most to least durable.
- is the old standby. It is a tough finish that will stand up to most abuse. but its durability depends on the metal used.
- Chrome is durable, nickel less so because it is inherently a softer metal (the reason chrome replaced nickel as the faucet finish of choice in the early 20th century.)
- (PVD) finishes are 10 to 20 times more scratch-resistant than electroplated chrome. They are also not affected by most household chemicals. In our experience, they are largely invulnerable to harm.
- is essentially a paint applied in a powdered form and then heated in an oven to cure. It is considered semi-durable with about the same scratch resistance as the finish on your car.
Powder Coating
is usually described as semi-durable
, not as robust as electroplated or PVD finishes, about as durable as the finish on your car, and requiring more care 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.
Finish Care Instructions: Always read and follow the faucet seller's care instructions. Careful cleaning and maintenance not only preserve the good looks of your faucet but also your finish warranty.
Kmeino Faucet Warranty
Amazon provides a 30--day return option. After the 30 days, however, there is no warranty n Kmeino faucets.
Kmeino Website
The closest Yingjia comes to a North American website is its Amazon storefront. The storefront does not, however, provide nearly enough information about the faucets sold by the company to permit an informed buying decision.
The best place to get the information needed to make an informed buying decision is the listing for the individual faucets.
The listing typically includes the faucet's dimensions, flow rate, and primary material but you have to scroll far down in the listing to the section headed "Technical Detils." The intervening area is filled with illustrations that are, however, worth examining for additional nuggets of hard data.
Many of the specifications important to an informed decision are missing. Among the most critical are:
-
Faucet Valve:
No information is provided about a faucet's valve other than the fact that it is a ceramic cartridge. In addition to this basic notice, the name of the cartridge manufacturer is needed. There are good ceramic cartridges and not-so-good ceramic cartridges. To make an informed buying decision the buyer needs to know the actual manufacturer. Otherwise, there is no way to judge the quality of the cartridge.
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Type of Finish:
The type of finish is not disclosed. Type of finish (electroplated, powder coating, PVD, etc.) is important to the long-term durability of the finish and the type and amount of care and maintenance required.
Kmeino Testing & Certification
Comparable Faucets
Faucets made in Asia comparable to Kmeino in quality with a warranty but not necessarily comparable for design or price, include
Conclusions
There is absolutely no reason to buy a Kmeino faucet. The seller has ignored almost every law and regulation that apply to the sale of faucets in North America.
- The faucets are not tested and certified compliant with joint U.S./Canadian standards of reliability, durability, and safety as required by the law in both Canada and the U.S. Consequently, the presence of toxic substances in the faucets such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury has not been excluded. Because these faucets are made in China where the use of lead in faucets is not regulated, the risk of lead contamination is even greater than usual.
- Owners of Kmeino faucets are not protected against defects by a written warranty enforceable in U.S. and Canadian courts.
- The only source of replacement parts is 7,000 miles away, assuming the parts are available at all and the buy can find some way to get in contact with Jinpa to request parts.
The prices on Kmeino faucets make them attractive but, as the list above demonstrates, a great many other companies sell Chinese-made faucets for about the same price that are fully certified, legal to use in a drinking water system, and backed by a written warranty of some kind. Many are guaranteed for the lifetime of the buyer.
Kmeino faucets cannot be legally installed in a public or private drinking water system anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. A plumber probably will not install one for you, and if you do it yourself you risk, at the very least, having to replace the faucet with a legal product and the possibility in some jurisdictions of a fine and some jail time.
We are continuing to research the company. If you have experience with Kmeino faucets, good, bad or indifferent, we would like to hear about it, so please contact us or post a comment below.
Footnotes
- The actual seller may be Guangdong Goldkey Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., 24, Room 210, No. 11 Building, No. 1 Xuefu Rd., Songshan Lake Park, Dongguan City, Guangdong 523808 China. Goldkey is an internet trading company that owns the trademarks Kmeino, Delle Rosa, Kmeino, Fonveth, Kmeino, and Rzoeox all used to sell faucets on Amazon. Goldkey also appears to be related to Guangdong Hongqi Furniture Co., Ltd., also a trading company that sells faucets under the brand on Amazon.