This faucet doesn't necessarily deserve a 1-Star rating but I'm giving it that rating because I am writing this review for the benefit of true shoppers who want to know what's wrong with a product, not what's right about it. I don't need to know how wonderful it looks, etc and other platitudes that gush from the 5- & 4-Star reviews. I, and I'm sure others, want to know what's wrong with it and what problems DIY-ers like myself might run into installing this thing. Before I purchased this faucet I read all the 1- & 2-Star reviews of several different faucets and name brand manufacturers to find out what I would be up against. I spent hours online researching faucets. From what I could see in reviews, EVERY one - no matter what brand - had a few complaints about leaks - even when "professionally installed." Since an old leaky faucet which was damaging my cabinet drove me into this situation in the first place, I was sensitized about anything that was prone to leaking. Reading many, many reviews online at Lowes, HD, and Amazon about this and other faucets I became aware of other problems, like low water flow, problems with water heat adjustment, missing parts, customers receiving previously returned faucets shipped to them as "new", etc - almost an endless litany of nightmares. So, with so many faucet choices out there and all having complaints reported, what's a body to do?

Tip #1: After looking at the different faucets available at Lowes & HD, I shopped them at Amazon and looked for faucets that had at least 100 customer reviews, minimum. I did the Amazon thing because Amazon reports the percentage of their Star ratings whereas Lowes and HD do not. Then I looked for an acceptable (to me) complaint (1 & 2 Star) rate of between 8-10%. If any faucet is generating more that 10% complaints, then I saw that as a quality issue there and a red flag to avoid. At today's date of 9/7/17, Amazon reported 1,573 customer reviews for this faucet (unfortunately they are not all restricted to just the Arctic Stainless model). Still, of those 1,573 reviews, only 3% had 1-Star complaints, and 2% had 2-Star complaints. So even throwing the 2-Star complaints into the mix, that's only 5% problem reports - which was very, very low compared to other manufacturers and models that I checked. So I decided I would take my chances on this one.
To begin, I purchased the Arctic Stainless model online on 8/24/17. I received the faucet in about a week apparently right from Delta as the tag on the product said it was manufactured on 8/21/17. I installed it, by myself, on 9/2/17. Installation took me about 5 hours as I have never installed a faucet before and was trying to be extra, extra careful. One critical review I read complained about the confusing instructions and the fact that installation of the escutcheon (which I needed to do) is actually an Optional instruction of in Step 1. No problemo. Just read Step 1 completely if you need to install the escutcheon.

NOTE: This faucet is designed to be a side-handle faucet. The handle is NOT supposed to face frontwards as it will not seat properly on the escutcheon if you mount the faucet with the handle facing frontwards. If you do NOT need to install the escutcheon and are mounting the faucet directly to your sink or countertop, follow the instructions in Step 1 and use the trim and base rings and rubber washer. Also, since you aren't using the escutcheon, if you want, you CAN mount the faucet with the handle facing forward - but if you do this, you need to connect the unit's red (hot water) faucet hose to your cold water supply line and the unit's blue (cold water) faucet hose to your hot water supply line in order to adhere to the faucet handle convention of hot water when the handle swings left and cold water when the handle swings right.

Tip #2: Securing the escutcheon to the sink using the supplied plastic nuts did not make me feel like they would cover the sink holes entirely. So I purchased 2 metal washers that had 1-inch holes. These fit perfectly over the escutcheon threaded shanks and provided some overlap for the plastic nuts. Consider doing this for your situation. Note: If you are using the escutcheon, you do NOT need to use the trim & base rings and washer supplied in the kit.

Once the faucet head assembly is sitting on the escutcheon, the trick becomes securing the faucet assembly to the escutcheon from underneath by installing the U-shaped mounting bracket and the brass nut. This turned into a real struggle. I resorted to turning the brass nut by hand until it got way up there because it was difficult to use the plastic "tube wrench" included in the kit.. Understand that as I am below hand turning the nut, the faucet head is up above is swinging off the escutcheon. I had to get out from under and reposition the faucet every now and then. NOTE: there is a distinct position that ultimately the faucet has to sit on the escutcheon. The faucet needs to be perfectly centered on the escutcheon - I could (you will) feel it when it is seated properly. Just hold the faucet upright and keep wiggling or turning it until it sits into the sweet spot. The good thing here, is even though the brass nut was not totally secured, from underneath the sink I could still carefully turn the nut by hand until it was nearly all the way up without jostling the faucet off its sweet spot. I had to get out from under the sink a few times to reposition the faucet onto the sweet spot, but eventually the faucet did stay put. The water and sprayer lines made it a little crowded the higher up the brass nut went. Because of my trouble with the plastic "tube wrench" I used a pliers to turn the nut as high as I could get it. Then, by some trial and error, I was finally able to use the plastic wrench. From that point I was able to totally secure the faucet. Once the brass nut was tightened to where I thought it should be, I was able to give the plastic nuts on the escutcheon shanks slightly more tightening.

Step 2 is to attach the long faucet hot & cold hoses to your metal water supply lines. Wrap the metal water supply line threads with plumbers tape as leak prevention.

Step 3: WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT SKIP STEP 3 - FLUSHING THE SUPPLY LINES. You can't imagine how much crud will come out of those faucet hoses. This one step took the longest time for me to do as I must have emptied the collection bucket at least 7 times before I finally got totally clear water with no debris. Flush both the hot and cold water lines. I suspect that several customer complaints about low water flow, and a clogged sprayer head were caused by not doing this flushing step or not doing it completely - even those installations which were "professionally installed" - is a plumber going to keep horsing around here and give it the same dedication that you would? - just sayin'. As you will see, the "outlet tube" that will drain the flush is pretty short. You may think that just positioning a water bucket below the outlet tube as pictured in the instructions will do the trick. I could see trouble here in the form of water going all over the place. Tip #2: Get or cut a somewhat short length of garden (or other type of) hose such that you can feed it over the outlet tube and as high as you can go and the other end sufficient to reach into the bottom of the bucket. The garden hose does not have to be a tight fit on the outlet hose - the garden hose just needs to provide a secure path for the draining water.

Step 4: connecting the sprayer. Follow the instructions. No mystery here. However, there were several complaints that the plastic clip connector of the sprayer hose to the water outlet hose was not the best of connections. Several reviewers recommended using two zip ties to hold the plastic connector in place. I did this as well. A better design here would permanently solve this issue, but in the meantime all the average Joe can do is install some zip ties. BTW: instruct users to NEVER pull the sprayer hose out to its full length. Zip ties or not, that plastic connector will pop off and you will have a flood.

It is now 10/9/17. I can tell you that I have NOT experienced any leaks anywhere in the system. I have NOT experienced any drip-drip-drip activity from the sprayer head as some reviewers mentioned. My water flow rate is excellent. However, setting the correct water temperature takes some getting used to. Several reviewers complained about this. For me this has been a very minor issue. The faucet I received appears well-made and of good quality very sturdy & substantial.

Tomorrow, next week, next month, next year I may have a different opinion about this faucet, but so far it looks to be a very good purchase that I would recommend to a friend. And if disaster does strike, I hope that I will be able to return here at a later date to update this review.

One last comment: Upon completing my installation, and with everything installed and working as it should, the product box included an extra part whose purpose I could not determine. It is a little white plastic part in the shape of a small mushroom (see picture). I have read and re-read the instructions a hundred times but could not find this part described or mentioned. If anyone knows what this thing is for, I would be grateful to know.

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I've had this faucet for almost a year (purchased Dec 20th, 2013), and it's been performing exceptionally well. The reason I had to take off one star is for its Achilles heal - the plastic retainer for its extension hose. The first time I turned on the faucet and tested all the components, the retainer snapped off and sent water spraying all over my cabinet. Thankfully, I was prepared for this after reading the one star rated review on here. I remedied that fault by using two zip ties to keep the retainer in place, and I highly recommend that you do the same. See the photo attached.

Other than that, everything is very well built, and has a great feel to it. I was a bit turned off by the plastic water lines, but from what I've read, all new faucets are like that. The material is much safer for drinking water and just as strong as copper pipes.

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Purchase from Amazon Jan. 2012.
Had one issue (see below), but otherwise an outstanding faucet. We've had the Venetian Bronze finish version for 2 1/2 years, and performance and finish of the faucet has been outstanding. The bronze finish is a really nice look, and the picture is mostly accurate. (have a picture, sorry not the best quality) We paid $238 at the time. It's a very nice looking faucet; good size, craftsmanship, features, handle.

Both the spray and the regular flow work very well; nice, consistent, and well designed flow types. The rocker switch is a hard plastic, which is much more durable than the soft rubber types. The bronze finish we have has lasted really well so far. It cleans easily and shows no signs of chipping, scratching, fading, etc. The magnetic dock/latch feature still works great, just as great as the day I installed it. As far as installation goes, it's just a normal faucet install, quite simple for most people.

Issue: at 2 1/2 years, we started noticing black specs in the water. (see picture) I didn't know if this was something with our city water, our house, or this particular faucet. Turns out, it was this faucet. I called Delta and they were really helpful; it's a known problem and supposedly not a safety/health concern. It is, indeed, the rubber. It was no hassle, and a replacement hose/wand is on the way. I would assume this has been fixed in production, but I don't know. And the other question is whether the same type of hose was used across different products. But at least the customer support was great. I would buy this product again, but can't do 5 stars because of that issue.

Edit: With having kids, our hot water is not set very hot, so it's not like we exposed the hose to extreme temps. I don't know the temp, but it's quite low. The black specs were mostly noticeable when we used hot water, not so much the cold.

Update 9/10/15: Replacement hose came. A side by side picture of the two are uploaded, new one on the right. The new wand assembly doesn't dock as well, and the changes are evident. The hose braiding and connection near the head are totally different, and I suspect the slight increase in the height of the fitting is what keeps the back side from sticking as well as before. It still docks okay, but it takes more intention in doing so. I suppose only time will tell if this hose holds up.

Update 9/28/16: Faucet and hose continue to perform great. The replacement hose from a year ago is still functioning okay.

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As a professional home renovator, I have installed and used many different faucets over the years, and this is my favorite out of all that I've tried. I used to consider Delta a budget brand but this is a very high quality unit. I've had it in my own kitchen for over 2 years and have not had any of the issues that other reviewers have mentioned. I find it superbly well designed, the water control is easy and intuitive, the magnetic catch for the pulldown is a great feature, and the stream/spray switch is positive and stays where you leave it when you turn the water off and on again. Any faucet will have the occasional manufacturing defect, and if you are unlucky enough to have that experience I would encourage you to get it repaired under warranty rather than return it.

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There are 3 spray features: regular, multi.stream spray and the single jet spray with a water force field around it. Love that last feature for getting rid of those stuck on food pieces or dried gravy.
Keep in mind what ever setting you leave the spray on is what will come on next time to best to always switch back to regular. So many times I left it on spray and made water mess.
I love love this faucet with the pull out hose, soooo soooo easy to clean the sink or to fill my water filtering pitcher or to fill a pot on the counter.
I had a family friend install this so I wouldn’t know anything much about installing. But you can try to ask I’ll try my best.
It’s easy to clean and just looks beautiful.
I highly recommend it!

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I love the design, the colour, the easy to use pull down sprayer, and the quality of the faucet in general and it would be a 5 star BUT the button that switches from spray to even flow sticks and needs to be pressed firmly to prevent dribbling out of the back of the faucet head when using. When I do get it flowing without dribbling and I turn it off, the dribbling is back when I turn it back on... especially annoying as it soaks the side of the kettle and small pans when filling. I had this installed by a master plumber and after months of kitchen renovations the idea of having to replace the faucet is not something I am looking forward to, but this issue is just too annoying to keep it. The only problem is that we purchased the faucet well ahead of time so that it was here ready when the kitchen was being installed, so I cannot return it to Amazon. My husband is going to have a quick look at it and call Delta fro help. I will update and review my star rating when we resolve this issue.

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I’ve had this faucet for 4 months and had no issues. I really love it. It’s very particular about how long you touch it for before it turns on/off; if you touch it too fast or not remove your hand fast enough then it doesn’t do anything. I think it was designed that way so that if you move the faucet while it’s running that it doesn’t shut off the flow. But it’s annoying if you intend to turn it off and your touch is too fast it doesn’t shut off until you try again. Also, I find that it doesn’t have much a low flow option in the high temperature setting; if the water is set to hot, it’s difficult to partly close the valve to reduce flow without mixing in some cold water. It was super easy to install and it came with all the tools you need.

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Thanks to the reviews I've read here. I would never of thought of using zip ties to hold together the clip that secures the two hoses. I can now see how one time one pulls on the spout, the clip flies off and the hose separates and you have water gushing everywhere. Why Delta doesn't make a clip with a folding snap on I don't know. So be sure to hold down the clip using zip ties so it won't fly off...... reading the reviews was very helpful and could avoid a costly water spill.

I love the fact the weight is self adjusting, I hate those weights where you have to put screws in tiny holes and you can't see. The hose slides in and out very easily with little resistance. I used this faucet for a laundry tub.....but I do caution that the sink I purchased came with the 3 holes in the sink and not the cabinet. Therefore the tube that goes through the hole was too long and I couldn't get the hold down nut to tighten against the hold down bracket.

I had to MacGyver it using a 2" piece of 3/4" copper pipe slide it through the hose and up the hold down pipe and voila, it's snug now. I guess you could use a block of wood but the copper pipe won't rot.

Even if you have a sufficiently thick counter top there is no harm using a 1" 3/4" copper pipe to press on the mounting horseshoe so you do to reach so far up under the sink.

By having the hold down nut lower, it makes access much easier in such a confined space....see the photos. I also used some anti seize grease on the hold down nut for future easy removal to prevent corrosion. Since I just installed it I have no comment on it's longevity but for the price it seems well made. Keep your receipt as it is warrantied for life and will need proof of purchase for spare parts. Pretty easy installation.

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We finally had enough of our replacement pf (PoS!!!) faucet and decided we couldn't get rid of it soon enough. Did some research online and the Delta 9178-AR-DST came back with excellent reviews. The Amazon price was $100 less than HD, which was an order-in anyway so Amazon got the call.

Installation was easy as we'd done this just recently with the crappy pf. The Delta has a nice flow rate and the head swivels smoothly. The control handle works well also - just be sure it's parked in the center detente or you may get a drip.

All-in-all, a nice looking, good operating excellent value - highly recommended!

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This was the second time I ordered this faucet from Amazon. The first one was installed in our cottage 2 years ago and it has been a huge success. I thought I'd order another one from Amazon for our new kitchen remodel. Not only had the price increased significantly since then but the quality as well. Upon opening the box, I discovered that there were small soft bubbles in the "stainless steel" finish. I could bend them with my fingernail. I promptly returned the faucet to Amazon and ordered it from Home Depot for less money. It came in a completely different Delta box. I'm wondering if the one I got was just a cheap imitation? Beware!

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I like it. I wish I knew before hand that the handle has to be returned to exactly the right spot to shut off the flow of water. As it is, you need to ensure that the handle is centred relatively precisely in line with the body of the faucet when turning it off or you will get drips. This is a pain although my cats consider it a feature because they get access to fun and tasty water drops.

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The item was listed as having cosmetic damage in 3 places & the price was reduced to reflect this. In actual fact the damage was not cosmetic it was physical damage likely caused by the item being dropped. It was in the threading that a nut had to screw on in order to secure the faucet to the sink. The nut would not move over the damaged area. Thankfully, my handyman is a genius and was able to file off the bumps in the damaged area to allow the nut to pass over this spot and continue upward to secure the faucet to the sink. It's a beautiful fixture & I'm very happy with it! - Just a bit disappointed that the damage wasn't properly described.

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Easy to install, looks great, and I love the magnetic clasp on the spray extension but there are a couple criticisms. I don't like having the lever on the right because, since I'm right-handed, I'm usually holding something in my right hand and have to reach over with my left. The second thing is that the faucet lever only shuts completely when it's centred between hot and cold.

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I'm quite disappointed in this faucet. I had it installed at my kitchen sink. The problem is both the on/off levers (to turn water on and off and to switch between spray and solid) drip unless you get them EXACTLY in the right position. The second problem which is worse, is that most of the positions of the handle give you HOT water. Trying to find the lukewarm water is like threading a needle. It's very disappointing and annoying.

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The engineer who made a comment about the crossover for this faucet was exactly correct. The crossover needs perfection. Getting the water at the temperature that does not scald your hands and yet hot enough is a real task. Also - if your hands are full of anything from cooking, and you try to use this faucet handle without getting the muck all over it - forget it. The faucet handle is too close to the main shaft. No escape. I would not buy this were I faced with the original task.

Post script: It has been two years since I ordered this product. Apart from the crossover issue, this faucet has stood up to plenty of wear. The magnet that pulls up the head works beautifully, as does the spray. Still not the best if your hands are messy with food, but a solid piece.

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This faucet is very nice and looks great in my kitchen. It retracts well and is easy to keep clean Overall it works well but I did have to take one star away because when I switch from spray to solid stream water it drips a bit near the side when the water is on. If I press the switch harder it stops dripping.

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Purchased on sale, I would have been happy paying full price for this product. It was easy to install and we are pleased with the operation. The finish is beautiful and it has the high-end feel that I expected. A great appliance!

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We love this faucet. We had another brand touch faucet before and wanted to buy one when we moved. We liked the rating on this and was not disappointed. The sensors are great and I also like the light feature that shows the temperature of the water.