I wanted to wait till I'd spent some time with this faucet before I left a review, so here we go after about 2 months. For the short version, a summary of pros and cons is at bottom.
First off, I couldn't be more impressed with the customer service. Prompt responses to all emails with clear, informative answers, including detailed info on where parts are made. Awesome. That, coupled with the assurance that parts will be easily available in the future, sets this faucet in a unique class. Go to any of the big name faucet makers and you might get a long warranty (with lots of limitations), but when it comes to make a claim on that warranty, you'll also get a long wait on a phone tree and a customer service representative who might replace the part (if still available) but might have very little knowledge about the faucet itself.
As to the faucet itself, I love it. Very heavy and impressive when I took it out of the box. Very high-quality feel to the bypass valve and mixer valve. Some reviews complain about the short handle, I actually kind of like it. But it might be a good idea for Dishmaster to sell an accessory handle with a set screw that attaches to the existing handle. If it were a vintage-looking porcelain handle, I would buy it. The look and finish are all top notch. Hoses were nice and long so no extensions were needed. I had no problem installing it myself. Really the only thing I could suggest is that the hot/cold decal could be a little nicer looking/more thought out design-wise. It seems a little cheap in contrast to the quality of the faucet.
From other reviews, it seems like a lot of customers grew up with Dishmaster in their homes. I did not, so wanted to give my perspective as a newcomer. I think the spray nozzle is nice for certain things, especially for cleaning out the sink. For me, that's the biggest benefit and pays for the cost of admission. As for dishes, I don't know, it is a bit splashy, especially when the kids use it (the kids love it by the way). You can reduce the water flow after the diverter is engaged, which helps with that. The splashiness is also not entirely a bad thing, because it forces you to clean up behind the faucet and the backsplash after every wash. I will say for certain that our sink has never looked this clean and stayed this clean. The wand is also great for bowls and pots, where the soapy water can collect and you can then turn off the faucet and wash other things in that water. The faucet is very tall, which, when the wand is not in use, leads to some splashiness just because of gravity. There is a cool little aerator inside the nozzle that can be angled so the water stream goes straight into the garbage disposal. This minimizes the splashing, but it still splashes more than the old faucet, which was just shorter and had its own problems because of that (couldn't fit a stock pot or water filter pitcher under without clearing out the sink, tipping it in such-and-such a way etc).
Speaking of the old faucet, we bought it at Ikea, and it lasted for 6 years before leaking like crazy out of the faucet stem. After hours on the phone with customer service, they told me no parts or replacement faucets were available, but it has a 10-yr warranty (not documented anywhere) and I could come in and get store credit--no need to bring in the old faucet. Then, after driving 30 minutes to the store and waiting in the return queue for an hour, they told me that, actually, I did need to bring in the old faucet, and that the woman who had told me I didn't need to (their own customer service staff) "didn't know what they were talking about." How convenient. I left empty-handed, minus several hours of my life, and still unsure if I'll ever go back. Maybe a different employee will tell me that, actually, the person who told me there was a 10-yr warranty "didn't know what they were talking about." I waste space here on that unfortunate tale because it shows the importance of available parts, good customer service and a staff that knows their product. Dishmaster seems to be top-notch in all those areas.
Oh and one more thing, I don't know if this is my imagination, but I could swear that water tastes better out of this faucet than out of the Ikea one. And it's not just the bad taste that the Ikea experience left in my mouth. The hoses on this faucet are very high-quality--could that affect the taste of the water? I honestly don't know, but thought it worth mentioning.
Pros: Awesome customer service. Made in USA (a few parts for Sapphire are imported at time of writing). Knowledgeable staff. Great look and finish, heavy-duty, high-quality feel. Side sprayer is great for cleaning out sink, large pots. Soap button is super handy and the kids love it.
Cons: Aesthetics of hot/cold decal could be improved. A bit splashy, but I think this is just the reality of a side sprayer and a tall faucet.
