We Tested the Best Kitchen Faucets

WDC NEWS 6 STAFF May 9, 2025

3 8 minutes read

You probably don’t think about your kitchen faucet much, and when you have a good one, that’s exactly how it should be. When you’re dealing with a less-than-ideal faucet, though, every task—washing dishes, filling pots, rinsing fruits and vegetables—consumes more of your time and energy than it needs to.

To make sure we only recommended the faucets that are the best of the best, we tested 14 of them in our own homes for up to one year. We found that the best kitchen faucets were easy to use, clean, and install, had a pull-down mechanism and great water pressure, and resisted those pesky fingerprints and water smudge marks. Each of the four on our list do just that and more—take a look at our full reviews below.

PHOTO: Amazon

What Stands Out

It’s everything you’d want in a faucet—stylish, functional, easy to install and clean—you name it.

We tested the Kraus Oletto Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet for a year, and it still works and looks like it did on the very first day we installed it. It doesn’t show any fingerprints or scratches, it’s easy to wipe down and clean, and it hasn’t rusted or faded whatsoever.

It’s the right balance between fancy and basic—it looks sleek and stylish in our kitchen and isn’t overly finicky or complicated to use. Installation was almost just as easy with its step-by-step instructions; we did most of the installation ourselves, and only needed extra help to tighten a few loose parts.

Switching modes, like going from stream to spray, is very easy to do with the press of a button. It has a long enough hose to reach down into our sink, and it retracts just as nicely. The water pressure is good and easy to change with a quick adjustment of the handle.

We love that it feels a little more sturdy and durable than the faucet we had before. We think it’s absolutely worth it for the price—it functions so well, and we love the color compared to our previous stainless steel faucet that showed fingerprints with every touch.

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Wewe Single-Handle High-Arc Pull-Out Faucet

PHOTO: Amazon

We’ve used this faucet every day for the past year, and the water pressure is as consistent as ever. We feel like we even save a bit more water compared to our last faucet because of the different settings (stream, spray, and pause). We love that the pause setting allows us to stop the stream to avoid any splashing as we’re multitasking without fully turning off the water.

There are two easy-to-push buttons on the handle that switch from stream to spray. The pressure is super strong at the highest intensity, which is handy for cleaning grease off pots and protein powder residue from a bottle shaker. We were able to rinse with no problem and no crazy mess.

It doesn’t get smudges like faucets we’ve used in the past. Even after a year, it still looks brand new—there are no scratches or signs of wear, and it’s very easy to clean in the event it does get water spots.

Keep in mind that the faucet is a bit sensitive when changing between hot and cold—the temperature changes by spinning the handle, and with very little adjustment. At first, this caused us to burn or freeze our hands, but as we used it more, we got the hang of guessing where the handle should be to get the temperature we need.

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PHOTO: Amazon

This faucet is still perfect after a year of using it in our home—the functionality is the same as day one, and we’ve recommended it to several friends who are hesitant to try a touchless model. It’s made cleaning and meal prep so much easier, especially when preparing foods like chicken since we don’t have to touch the handle after we’ve touched raw meat.

Its touchless features are super impressive and functional for any work in the kitchen—when you pull down the retractable sprayer head, the faucet automatically turns on, and when you return the sprayer head back into place, the water shuts off.

The accuracy of the sensor is amazing. It responds instantly to our motion, almost like it can read our mind, and the detection is precise. We don’t have to exaggerate our movements or wave our hands wildly; we just reach toward the faucet normally, and it activates right away.

We like that you don’t have to adjust the faucet a lot to change between hot and cold, and it’s also super easy to switch between the sprayer and the stream. The handle is just as simple to maneuver. The sprayer head has both spray and stream modes, and the high-arc spout design prevents splashing and provides plenty of clearance for filling pots or cleaning large items.

The faucet height is perfect for this; it keeps the water flow centered over the pot so it fills quickly and evenly. It also has a pause button on the head of the faucet in the event you need to momentarily stop the stream of water.

A single button press toggles between the two patterns on the pull-down sprayer.

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Kohler Sous Single-Handle Kitchen Faucet

PHOTO: The Home Depot

We’ve used our kitchen sink probably more than most households in the last year, and it’s held up great—the quality hasn’t changed at all, and it shows absolutely no wear or fingerprints. In fact, it still works like it’s brand new. It’s also really easy to keep this faucet looking nice, which is great for showing off its bold, professional chef-like look.

Setup only took 30 minutes—it took longer to move everything that was under the sink than it did to install. The instructions were clear and easy to follow, and once it was in working order, using the faucet was very smooth. The water turns off and on and changes temperature with little effort. The spout also rotates very easily and reaches all parts of the sink.

Switching from stream to spray is a simple press of a button, and filling large pots is very easy —water pressure is strong at its highest intensity. It does the job it needs to, but we wouldn’t mind a little bit more pressure for those heavy-duty cleaning moments.

That said, we love the style, finish, and performance of this faucet and how it’s proved to be a professional-grade option in our kitchen at a reasonable price.

Final Verdict

Whether you’re renovating your kitchen or just looking to upgrade your old faucet, we think the Kraus Oletto Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet is the way to go. It’s easy to clean, install, and use, and it has an ultra-modern and sleek look that goes well with plenty of design styles. For a budget-friendly alternative, we like the Wewe Single-Handle Pull-Out Faucet for its durability, pause stream setting, and strong water pressure.

Our Testing Process

Finding the four best kitchen faucets to include on our list started with installation. During the process, we noted how easy or difficult it was to set up and get in working order.

Once it was ready to go, we used it daily throughout the testing period and paid attention to the ease of turning on the faucet and switching between modes (like stream to spray and vice versa), the temperature ranges, and the water intensity levels.

We tested the reach of the spout and how far we could pull it down and move it to easily clean our dishes and sink surface. We also noted any changes in quality throughout the testing period. Did it ever leak, get noticeable buildup, or collect fingerprints or scratches? We paid attention to if the faucet ever cracked, broke, squeaked, or got stuck while rotating to determine its overall durability.

For touchless models, we noted the accuracy of the motion sensor and if it was helpful or finicky and tricky to deal with. We continued to use each model for up to one year in our own homes to see if our initial impressions held up over time and if we would still recommend them as a permanent home addition.

How to Shop for Kitchen Faucets Like a Pro

Type

There are several different types of kitchen faucets you can choose from, but a pull-down faucet is ultimately the most common (and the type of all of the faucets on this list). Meghan Chio, senior merchant at The Home Depot, says these will give you more reach across your sink to easily clean the entire space, and you’ll be able to pull the spout down toward the surface of any dishes.

It’s also important to pay attention to how many mounting holes your sink has, which is usually somewhere between one and four. Some will only work with a specific number of holes, whereas others come with deck plates to cover any extras. We’ve listed this number for each faucet on our list.

Reach

A spout’s reach refers to how far the faucet sticks out over your sink, which affects how easy it is to wash big dishes or fill up pots.

“When shopping for a kitchen faucet, understanding the reach is an essential factor to consider for functionality and convenience,” Chio says. Most faucets have a spout reach between 8 and 9 inches, as do all of the faucets on our list, which is a good size for comfortably reaching across most standard sinks without feeling too short or too bulky.

Flow Rate

A faucet’s flow rate refers to how many gallons of water per minute come out of the spout, which affects both water pressure and how quickly you can fill or rinse things. This number is generally between 1.5 and 2 GPM, which is the case for all of the faucets on our list, and is typically sufficient for most households’ needs.

If you want a faucet with an even stronger flow rate, Chio recommends ones with a spray setting, as they typically have more power, which can make it easier to wash dishes. All of our picks have this setting.

Style and Finish

The style and finish you choose is up to you and the design style of your kitchen, but popular finishes include stainless steel, matte black, matte gold, bronze, and chrome. Some finishes, like stainless steel, matte black, and chrome, are great for hiding fingerprints and water spots. Matte gold and bronze add warmth and a more decorative touch if you want your faucet to stand out.

You should also think about the height of the faucet. “A taller faucet height can create a more dramatic aesthetic or make a statement in your kitchen,” Chio says. “Make sure you assess height options based on the size of your kitchen and if you have cabinets above your sink that may create a limited space for higher faucets.”

Additional Features

While all of our picks have two standard settings—spray and stream—you might also want to consider our best touchless pick for hands-free operation or our best budget pick if you want a pause button with the ability to stop and start the stream of water without touching the handle. These features can make your dish-washing experience a little easier and more luxe if you value a little extra convenience and control.

Take Our Word for It

This article was written by Camryn Dilger, associate editor at Real Simple with years of hands-on experience researching, testing, editing, and reviewing dozens of products. She upgraded her kitchen faucet to a Delta Greydon Single-Handle Pull-Down Sprayer recently after moving into a new apartment.

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We Tested the Best Kitchen Faucets

Final Verdict

Our Testing Process

How to Shop for Kitchen Faucets Like a Pro