In the competitive plumbing field, quality is often more important than price. By choosing a reliable but slightly pricier brand you get peace of mind and reliability, fewer needed repairs, and an overall better experience. Questions start when you compare two seemingly good brands. Today we chose two such brands to compare and find out their pros and cons: American Standard and Delta.

American Standard

A U.S.-based brand with a rich history, founded in the late 1800s, American Standard deservedly takes a top spot among North American users. Famous for their wide variety of products, especially their toilets, American Standard has always been a brand that is synonymous with quality and reliability, but without overspending.

Their faucets are functional, beautifully designed, and masterfully crafted. With a wide variety across different price ranges, they are a competitive manufacturer and a good option for any household.

American Standard 2-In-1 Integral Touchless Faucet/Soap Dispenser, Battery Powered

Delta

Founded in 1954, today Delta is probably one of the best faucet brands in the whole world. Their products are excellent in terms of quality, design, and reliability. Also, the technologies that they use, like magnetic docking or touchless faucets, were always ahead of their competitors. Another benefit is their lifetime residential warranty on parts and finishes - something that American Standard does not have everywhere.

Delta's warranty replacements and support are highly praised, as it is very easy to find a fast replacement due to a wide support network. They work quickly and are highly praised by homeowners. Our personal experience proves this - Delta faucets are reliable, and their support is one of the easiest and most comfortable to contact.

Delta Two Handle Centre Set Faucet

Technology

In the field of technology and innovations both brands are trying to search for new features and implement them in their products.

Delta is famous for their Touch2O, a technology that allows you to turn the water supply on or off with a hand wave or a touch, which is undeniably useful in the kitchen. Reduced germ spread, usability and easier cleaning are very important in any kitchen. MagnaTite® docking spray heads are also present in almost every faucet line, keeping the original faucet shape and helping in kitchen tasks.

Diamond Seal® Technology is another feature that improves their technological qualities. This technology involves real diamonds to craft a leak-free faucet, and faucets with it last twice as long compared to the industry standard of 500,000 cycles.

American Standard faucets also have a number of technologies and features that ease everyday tasks. They offer touchless faucets (Selectronic versions) and auto-docking (Dock-Tite™ and Re-Trax). Their faucets also often include pressure-balanced valves and low-flow aerators, contributing to balanced water usage.

Their SmarTherm™ Safety Shut-Off is a technology that integrates a thermostatic limiter into a faucet, which protects from scalding in a hot water surge or a cold water interruption.

SelectFlo is another feature that allows you to have 4 unique spray patterns for your kitchen faucet. Stream, spray, jet and mist all have their unique water stream patterns and are used for different purposes. No matter what mode is used, the faucet will return to an aerated stream when turned on again.

Price

American Standard faucets start from about $120 for basic faucets, and from $250 for pulldown. They don’t overcharge, and they try to set a fair price for all models.

Same goes for Delta, but their faucets are slightly more expensive: from $150 for basic faucets and $300+ for models with innovative technologies. If you didn't know, Delta has a luxury sub-brand Brizo, where they develop high-end designer faucets with all the technology that Delta uses in its faucets.

Overall, Delta can be more expensive, but the warranty and the ease of finding replacement parts justify the higher price.

Our Decision

If you want a lower price tag, basic features and good initial value - American Standard is a great choice.

If you want technological advancements, extra reliability and wide parts availability - Delta is a safer and longer-term choice.