Plumbing Fixtures From A Big Box Store?

[Lawdwaz]

I've had some lousy luck with Home Depot plumbing fixtures (faucets and toilets) and need to buy some new stuff for a half bath remodel at home. 

 

I can buy at a plumbing wholesale place via my employer's discount.  I don't know for sure what the discount will be but it'll still (I'm thinking) be more expensive than Lowe's or Home Depot.  That doesn't bother me because I'm looking for quality stuff, without a hassle in the short term.

 

Do you believe (I do) a company would reduce the quality of their products for sale in these and similar big box stores?

 

Thoughts/experiences with this issue?

[jjb4900]

I've had some lousy luck with Home Depot plumbing fixtures (faucets and toilets) and need to buy some new stuff for a half bath remodel at home. 

 

I can buy at a plumbing wholesale place via my employer's discount.  I don't know for sure what the discount will be but it'll still (I'm thinking) be more expensive than Lowe's or Home Depot.  That doesn't bother me because I'm looking for quality stuff, without a hassle in the short term.

 

Do you believe (I do) a company would reduce the quality of their products for sale in these and similar big box stores?

 

Thoughts/experiences with this issue?

they do, no doubt about it.......if you by a John Deere mower from Home Depot, it's not the same as one you would buy directly from John Deere.....pretty sure the same goes with many other products, that's the reason for the price difference.

[Lawdwaz]

Yes, I had heard that from someone about JD mowers and such.

[Dinsdale]

I have two shower valves that I take to show customers who want to supply their own stuff or want to know why my quote is more then Depot/Lowes/etc.

 

They ain't even close to each other in weight or quality.

 

They have exactly the same model number on the box.

 

One from a Lowes, the other from my regular plumbing house supplier.

 

 I like Kohler products.

 

Buy a Panasonic exhaust fan, screw that 10 cent Broan rattling crap that is absolute junk.

 

 

PS....the power tools at box stores aren't the same either.

 

 

Edited March 5, 2016 by Dinsdale

[wooly]

All the same.

A Kohler, Delta, or Moen faucet from Home Depot is the same as the one from Irr Supply, LA Hazard, or Ellicott Bath and Kitchen.

Same goes for the crappers.

 

 

[wildcat junkie]

All the same.

A Kohler, Delta, or Moen faucet from Home Depot is the same as the one from Irr Supply, LA Hazard, or Ellicott Bath and Kitchen.

Same goes for the crappers.

It is also the same for Lawn tractors. The difference in that Lowes & HD don't carry the higher priced models. A Cub Cadet or Husqvarna is the same whether it is from HD, Lowes, or the local outdoor power equipment store.

 

The difference is that the local plumbing supply or outdoor power equipment dealer will have higher quality, higher priced models to choose from..

 

Do your research before you buy no matter where you buy.

[Lawdwaz]

 

Do your research before you buy no matter where you buy.

 

Isn't all that easy when manufacturers keep jumbling up models and part numbers.

[wooly]

I think I've worked for darn near every plumbing company in WNY over the 25 years or so.

Some of the bigger places had enough room to stock warehouses full of their own fixtures, while the smaller guys bought a few at a time from a supply house, or job to job from the Depot.

I've NEVER seen a difference after handling a gazillion different models no matter where they came from.

 

A Price Phister, or American Standard, or Glacier Bay, is always gonna be a piece of crap no matter where you buy it and wont compare to a reputable brand in material, function, and construction. Can't blame the supply house (or box store) for quality on the manufacturers end.

[jjb4900]

The big name manufacturers produce lines exclusively for the big box stores......to think that they aren't made a little cheaper is something that I can't see.

[DirtTime]

 

 

Do your research before you buy no matter where you buy.

How do you research a toilet? LOL!

 

 

I worked with my brother for just over two years doing mainly drywall and painting, but we did a few replacement and remodels on bathrooms. He always went with a local store. When he fixes anything on his house, that I rent, he uses HD and it is almost always screwed up. He replaced the faucet in the kitchen about a year ago, it's already leaking again. I re tightened everything and it still leaks from time to time.

 

But, n another note, when the motion light in the backyard went, I bought a $50 replacement from HD and it's been working just fine. I did have to replace the bulbs, but the funny thing with lights is you have to do that once in a while.

[jjb4900]

I think you can get decent stuff at Home Depot, just have to get the better stuff...don't think you can expect much from a $25 fixture......as far as the Lawn equipment, doubt there's many full time landscapers or farmers buying stuff there, but it's perfect for the average homeowner.

[BizCT]

New wallpaper on the horizon too? I'm definitely coming over!!

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[DirtTime]

New wallpaper on the horizon too? I'm definitely coming over!!

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I think biz just offered to help do some work on your house law.

[Lawdwaz]

New wallpaper on the horizon too? I'm definitely coming over!!

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Easy there Tiger, let's not get crazy here.......................

[Zag]

New wallpaper on the horizon too? I'm definitely coming over!!

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haha i was waiting for that

[wildcat junkie]

How do you research a toilet? LOL!

 

 

 

Ever hear of manufacturer's websites?

Edited March 5, 2016 by wildcat junkie

[DirtTime]

Ever hear of manufacturer's websites?

Do they set the toilet and $4it in it 1000 times to make sure it works OK? LOL! How can you guarantee a toilet? Get Al Bundy's approval? 

[philoshop]

I remodel kitchens and baths for a living so I have a good working relationship with local suppliers. Purchasing a product from someone who lives in my 'neighborhood', is knowledgeable about his or her products, and actually cares about having me as a customer is worth the extra 10% they might charge. In many cases the products are actually less expensive than the big-box stores.

I use a lot of Kohler fixtures, and I like the higher-end Moen faucets. Mostly because I've never had a call-back with either of them. The Jacuzzi toilets are nice too, for those 'big flush' moments.

 

As far as differences in manufacturing, it's a matter of quality control at the factory. A John Deere dealer won't buy  c-grade products from the factory. The big-box stores will. It might be nothing more than a poor paint job, but it might also be thin crappy steel on the mower deck. The same is true for hand tools.

[wildcat junkie]

Do they set the toilet and $4it in it 1000 times to make sure it works OK? LOL! How can you guarantee a toilet? Get Al Bundy's approval? 

There isn't anything complicated about a toilet.

[wooly]

Do they set the toilet and $4it in it 1000 times to make sure it works OK? LOL! How can you guarantee a toilet? Get Al Bundy's approval? 

 

Actually, you're not too far off.

Many of the top name brands water test their fixtures before they leave the factory.

It's not uncommon to open up a brand new toilet or faucet and have it dripping with water.

 

Believe it or not, there is some serious testing that goes on behind the scenes at the factories as well. A lot of that spills over into the sales reps pitch to sell the latest and greatest to suppliers.

I'm sure everyone has seen the fully operational "cut away engines" before. They do the same thing with the chitters.

You tube it, and prepare to see all your doubts go down the drain,lol

[the blur]

I'm redoing 4 bathrooms in my house. Buying faucets from Lowes. Kohler & Delta from Lowes SUCK. I already returned 3 of them. The water pressure for the Kohler product is heavily restricted. Poor design. Delta has these 2 cent clips that break off.

I can't compare them to a supply house, because I haven't used a supply house yet, but yes, faucets from Lowes SUCK.

[shawnhu]

I have two shower valves that I take to show customers who want to supply their own stuff or want to know why my quote is more then Depot/Lowes/etc.

They ain't even close to each other in weight or quality.

They have exactly the same model number on the box.

One from a Lowes, the other from my regular plumbing house supplier.

I like Kohler products.

Buy a Panasonic exhaust fan, screw that 10 cent Broan rattling crap that is absolute junk.

PS....the power tools at box stores aren't the same either.

I can't see a manufacturer putting the same exact numbers on the box and shipping the lower quality to big box stores and then shipping the better stuff to the more "specialized" dealers. It would be an inventory nightmare for them.

If the model or skew numbers were different, but the item "looks" exactly the same, I would believe it.

In today's world, everything is about lots, tracking, and QC. And without some way of identifying what came out of where and when, the manufacturers may just as well shoot themselves in the foot.

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[Dinsdale]

Different packaging and bar codes......same model.

 

They're screwed to a board and hanging in a plumbers barn up in Valatie, I'll take pics next time I get up that way and post.

 

I been doing this for 30 years too.....All I can tell ya' is what I see.

 

 

[wooly]

Different packaging and bar codes......same model.

 

They're screwed to a board and hanging in a plumbers barn up in Valatie, I'll take pics next time I get up that way and post.

 

I been doing this for 30 years too.....All I can tell ya' is what I see.

 

Possible it could be new old stock Dindale?

I remember when Moens basic "Chateau" model began shipping in one large box of 20 faucets, with each faucet being individually wrapped in a see-through bag. Looked and felt very cheap!

Before that they all came in their own neatly organized box and the extra packaging and dividers helped make them feel like they were considerably heavier. Sure saved a lot of room and shipping weight on the pallet when ordered in large quantities. Also had the same model # as the original.

 

That used to be the standard faucet that went in just about any new home in any Maranno or Ryan subdivision in WNY. There's probably still pallets full of both sitting in warehouses around the area.

[fasteddie]

I just can't buy into the conspiracy that there is a different quality of products coming from a Big Box store vs a smaller Hardware Store . I have purchased toilets , faucets , sump pumps , water heater , etc from Big Box store with no problem .

Had a problem with a Moen faucet that a contractor installed and it was from a plumbing dealer .