These days, it seems like everyone’s choosing kitchen faucets with a stainless steel, brushed nickel, or polished chrome finishes. But have you considered brass?
Brass faucets aren’t as popular as they used to be, but they’re anything but dated. And the fact that they’re not super common just means that brass faucets make an even bigger statement.
But brass has a lot of advantages beyond just its appearance too!
Read on to find out more about the benefits of a brass kitchen faucet, the different types of brass kitchen faucets available, and how to choose the right brass kitchen faucet for you. Then we’ll cap off this guide with the top five best brass kitchen faucets currently on the market.
Let’s get started!
Our Best Brass Kitchen Faucets
- Delta Faucet Trinsic Single-Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet With Touch2O Technology (Our Top Pick)
- Kingston Brass KS1273ALBS Heritage Bridge Kitchen Faucet With Brass Sprayer (Best Budget)
- Moen Weymouth U By Moen Smart Pulldown Kitchen Sink Faucet With Voice Control And MotionSense (Best High End)
- Kraus KPF-1610SFACB Bolden 18 in. Commercial Style Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet In Spot Free Antique Champagne Bronze
- Kohler Crue Pull-Out Single-Handle Kitchen Faucet
What Are Brass Kitchen Faucets?
When we talk about brass sink faucets, it can refer to two different things.
First is the main material of the faucet body. Brass is a common choice for faucets because it’s corrosion resistant, durable, and doesn’t leach into water, and can easily handle extremely hot water.
Many top of the line faucets boast solid brass construction. But even these faucets may have a different finish overlaid on top of the faucet body.
So “brass faucets” can also refer to faucets with a brass finish. Brass finishes provide a warmer alternative to today’s most popular faucet finishes like stainless steel, brushed nickel, and polished chrome.
While brass often invokes a more traditional feel, it can also work well in a more modern kitchen. Brass can have either a polished or matte finish.
As a copper alloy, brass also provides a naturally antimicrobial finish. The kitchen sink is the most bacteria infested place in the average home.
Even if you disinfect the sink itself, people often forget to disinfect the faucet as well, creating a risk for cross contamination and other causes of infection.
While brass is certainly not a substitute for proper cleaning, it can certainly help.
In this guide, we’re assuming you want the look of a brass kitchen faucet. And since bronze has many of the same advantages and is a similar collar, we’ve included some bronze finishes here too.
However, many of these faucets have solid brass construction as well as a brass or bronze finish.
What Are The Different Types Of Brass Kitchen Faucets?
Brass faucets come in the same types as pretty much any other kitchen faucets. And like other kitchen faucets, they can be categorized in a couple of different ways.
Sprayer Type
Most faucets these days have pull-down sprayers. This means that the spout has a high arc shape and the sprayer is attached to the end of the spout, so to use the sprayer, you pull it down from the spout.
Pull out kitchen faucets are similar, but far less common. Faucets with pull-out sprayers extend out over the sink at a much shallower angle, so to remove the sprayer from the end of the spout, you pull it out rather than down.
Side sprayers aren’t attached to the spout itself. Instead, the sprayer sits next to the faucet and the hose extends from underneath the countertop.
Side sprayers aren’t super popular anymore, so depending on your tastes and the style of the fixture itself, they may feel more traditional or they may feel dated.
Control And Installation Types
Faucets can also be classified by the number of handles, which is related to how the faucet is installed.
Single handle faucets are the more popular type these days. They have a single lever that controls both water temperature and water flow.
Single handle faucets typically require just a single hole in the sink/countertop for installation, though if it comes with a side sprayer, you’ll need a second one for it.
Two-handle faucets are a more traditional style, so many modern faucets that are trying to evoke a traditional feel will go this route. Two-handle faucets have one handle for controlling hot water and another for controlling cold water.
These faucets give you more exact control over water temperature and flow, but aren’t as easy to use with a single hand, which can be a pretty big disadvantage while cooking.
Two-handle faucets typically require three holes for installation but, once again, if you’re using a side sprayer, you’ll need one more.
What Do You Look For In The Best Brass Kitchen Faucet?
To make sure that you’re choosing a high-quality brass kitchen faucet, there are a few things to keep in mind.
The first is durability. Brass is a pretty heavy-duty material as it is, so you don’t want a faucet that undermines that with shoddy craftsmanship and cut-rate materials elsewhere in the sink.
If you opt for a faucet that’s just got a brass finish and another material for the body, it should still be durable and corrosion-resistant. If you go with a brass body faucet with a different finish, that finish should also be durable and corrosion-resistant.
The faucet should be well constructed. The valve cartridge should be made out of a durable material like ceramic to prevent wear and leaks.
Washers and seals should also stand up to wear and fit in place securely.
Next is functionality. Most functionality considerations are based on your preferences and needs and we discussed them in the last section, so we won’t rehash them here.
Brass also has some built-in guarantees of functionality that are inherent to the material. We discussed those in the first section, so we won’t rehash them here either.
However, a couple of other important functionality considerations that we haven’t talked about yet are water pressure and water flow. Water pressure refers to the force with which the water leaves the faucet while water flow, measured in gallons per minute (GPM), refers to the speed.
Generally, greater water flow means greater water pressure, but some faucets have a lower water flow to help conserve water but use tricks in the design of the faucet to still have good water pressure.
Best Brass Kitchen Faucets Reviewed
Now let’s talk about some faucets!
1. Delta Faucet Trinsic Single-Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet With Touch2O Technology (Our Top Pick)
Our overall top pick is the Delta Trinsic Kitchen Faucet with Touch2O Technology.
This faucet features a pull-down sprayer with magnetic docking and rubber spray holes that make removing build-up easy.
Its main selling point, however, is the touch activation. Simply touch anywhere on the faucet to turn the water on and off.
This makes the Delta Trinsic great for preventing cross-contamination or just keeping things a bit cleaner when you’re cooking and have messy hands. And speaking of keeping things neat and tidy, this faucet’s Brilliance finish resists discoloration and abrasion.
Pros
- Touch activation
- LED water temperature indicator light
- Water automatically shuts off after four minutes for water conservation
- Lead-free and ADA compliant
Cons
- High cost
- Requires a power source for electronic features.
2. Kingston Brass KS1273ALBS Heritage Bridge Kitchen Faucet With Brass Sprayer (Best Budget)
When it comes to brass fixtures, Kingston Brass knows what they’re doing and this faucet is no exception.
It’s a traditional style bridge faucet with solid brass construction and your choice of three different brass finishes: Antique Brass, Brushed Brass, and Polished Brass. All finishes are corrosion-resistant.
This two-handle faucet requires 4 hole installation, three for the faucet itself and an additional hole for the included side sprayer.
And all of that comes at a fraction of the price of the other faucets listed here.
Pros
- 1.8 GPM flow rate
- ADA compliant
- Solid brass construction and three different brass finishes to choose from
- Affordable price
Cons
- Not as long lasting or leak resistant as the other faucets we’ve recommended
Buy The Kingston Brass KS1273ALBS Heritage Bridge Kitchen Faucet with Brass Sprayer On Amazon
3. Moen Weymouth U By Moen Smart Pulldown Kitchen Sink Faucet With Voice Control And MotionSense (Best High End)
If you want a truly luxurious faucet, go with the Moen Wymouth Smart Kitchen Faucet.
The elegant gooseneck shape gives the faucet a traditional feel, but the technology inside is very modern. This faucet has a motion sensor for touchless control, but you can also use your smart home speaker to control the faucet with your voice.
Or you can control it using Moen’s mobile app. Oh, and I suppose you could control it manually with the handle if you want too.
With voice controls, you can ask the faucet to dispense water in exact amounts and at exact temperatures, and can even create custom presets for particular temperatures and water volumes.
Pros
- Four spray modes: Aerated Stream, Boost Rinse, Boosted Stream, and Powerful Cleaning Rinse
- 1.5 gpm flow rate
- ADA compliant
- LED water temperature indicator
Cons
- Isn’t available in a true brass finish
- High cost
4. Kraus KPF-1610SFACB Bolden 18 in. Commercial Style Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet In Spot Free Antique Champagne Bronze
If you’re looking for a more commercial style faucet, the Kraus Bolden is perfect.
The high arc spout ends in a dual function spray head; the spray function is great for rinsing while the aerated stream will quickly fill large pots. The spray holes have rubber nozzles for easy cleaning and the 1.8 GPM flow rate ensures that you have enough water for all your needs.
This faucet can be purchased alone or with a deck plate, soap dispenser, or filter faucet. It’s also available with a filter faucet built in.
Pros
- Available with a primarily Spot Free Antique Champagne Bronze finish or in Matte Black with Champagne accents to match your modern decor
- 180 degree swivel spout and handles that rotate 90 degrees forward so there’s no collision with your backsplash
- Durable ceramic cartridge, pre-attached water supply lines, and a limited lifetime warranty
- ADA compliant
Cons
- Spray nozzle is plastic, not metal
- May be a bit tricky to install
5. Kohler Crue Pull-Out Single-Handle Kitchen Faucet
Last us is the Kohler Crue, a pull out faucet with a simple, modern design that’s enhanced by the brushed brass finish. That finish is also corrosion and tarnish resistant. Inside the faucet, ceramic disc cartridges prevent leaks.
The pull out sprayer has three functions: Stream, Ring Spray, and Boost. Stream is your standard aerated spray, while Ring Spray is a good cleaning spray.
Boost provides a 30% increase in the (already 1.5 GPM) flow rate for an even more powerful spray. The MasterClean spray face is designed to make it easy to remove mineral deposits from hard water.
Pros
- ADA compliant
- Single lever handle
- One or three hole installation with included escutcheon plate
- Flexible water supply lines
Cons
- Spout reach is a little short
- Flow rate is a bit low
Buy The Kohler Crue Pull-Out Single-Handle Kitchen Faucet On Amazon
Final Thoughts On Brass Kitchen Faucets
Brass is a classy way to bring not just a warm tone, but also extra durability and functionality to your kitchen sink faucet. All of the faucets we’ve discussed here are a great way to accomplish that and by now you should know everything that you need to know in order to choose the right one for you.
If you’re still not sure, think back to the different types of faucets we’ve discussed and the factors that we said to consider to help you identify your needs and wants from a brass kitchen faucet. Then with those things, and your budget, in mind, consider which of our faucet recommendations fits best.