Are there any drawbacks to this sink & tap?

gabyjane

Ok so after months of talking about it we have finally decided to get our kitchen sink changed..sitting down kicking myself as it has gone up by about £40 since we last looked i have narrowed it down to 2..dh is no help as doesn't mind and says i can choose! the description says an option to cut a tap hole..how does the tap attach if this is not done and the sink turns up with no hole..or will our plumber be able to do it?

SO..
Sink 1:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Astracast-MSK-1-0-Black-Kitchen-Sink-Tap-Set-O-/390165400183?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_HomeGarden_Kitchen_SinksTaps_GL&hash=item5ad7ab8a77

Love the one above as has the hose but is this as easy to fit as a normal tap..are there any bad sides to this or not..or if anyone has one do you like it or not for any reason?

Sink2:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Astracast-MSK-1-0-Black-Kitchen-Sink-Tap-Set-F-/390165402055?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_HomeGarden_Kitchen_SinksTaps_GL&hash=item5ad7ab91c7

Pretty much the same as the one above but no hose.

I will be ordering this when dh gets home so any comments/help appreciated before i spend nigh on £200.
Thanks

TomsMom

gabyjane wrote: »

..how does the tap attach if this is not done and the sink turns up with no hole..or will our plumber be able to do it?

You drill a hole in your wortop and fit the tap in there if it's got a long enough neck to reach over the sink. Not sure I'd like that personally as there's usually a lot of water sloshing around a kitchen sink area. If you're going to make the hole in the sink top then make sure whoever does it knows what they're doing or is willing to buy you a new one if they muck it up!

Love the one above as has the hose but is this as easy to fit as a normal tap..are there any bad sides to this or not..or if anyone has one do you like it or not for any reason?

We have a tap with a pull out hose in our utility room. It can be quite useful but not absolutely necessary. I haven't used mine for anything other than reaching over to the draining board and rinsing it off. DS fitted ours (he fits kitchens but is not a plumber) and had no trouble fitting it but he had fitted one before.

Turquoise

hm, main things which jumps out is whether you or your plumber have the right kind of drill to cut the hole? Having just installed one of those Ikea stainless steel sinks on a stand this weekend (fab idea for utility room no need for worktop etc but the thing doesn't have a hole for tap as it is reversible), I can honestly say that drilling through stainless steel is long hard work, requiring lots of stopping for drill to cool down and then even longer filing the sharp edges. Maybe astracast not as difficult but be warned!

gabyjane

Hmm great i knew there would be some issue with it..grr..think it looks like im calling the plumber tom before i buy it now. Thanks guys for your help. x

Edit: Tomsmum meant to say there is not really room for the tap to go over the sink and be put in the worktop but like you i agree it would look odd and not be very practical.

busybee100

We got a drill piece from Ikea to cut the hole for the tap. I don't remember it being a problem but husband has got some sooper dooper drill for work so that might have helped. I can't imagine he filed the sharp edges:o

I like the hose taps because I rinse all the washing up.:D

Doozergirl

Any decent plumber will have the kit to cut a hole.

I have a black astracast sink and tap. Mine pulls out, not the same as yours but it's super.

I like the Astracast granite sinks as they are smooth, some of them are rough and seem to pick up watermarks and god forbid you get something like paint on one, but ours has been through the mill already (two years old) and still looks perfect

gabyjane

Hi thanks for the replies.

busybee100 thanks! dh said he would 'have a go'!! err no i called the plumber who said not a prob for him to do it so that's all fine.

Doozergirl i hope it is nice whenit comes..seems quite cheap compared to some we have looked at but tbh it is just a sink and we have a dishwasher so isn't used for dishes a great deal! Love the tap and have decided on that one.

Went to order this morning through paypal and got a message saying dh has exceeded his £1.7k allowance?? tried again and nothing then been out all day grr..called the shop and they have just checked we haven't ordered 1 or perhaps 2 so we ordered it online with the man..he did add it would be more with them as direct as opposed to ebay but if we wanted to wait for paypal to be sorted then fine..i asked for the price online and he said £184..i said it was cheaper than the ebay price and he said he knew and shouldn't be but it was my lucky day and he would do it for that price, so have ordered it and got it a bit cheaper!
like i said hope it is nice after all this fuss!

fybar

We're looking for sink and taps too. Probably going to get this sink from Wickes which is very well reviewed and I believe discussed elsewhere on this forum...

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Asterite-15-Bowl-Reversible-Sink/invt/193095

gabyjane

Fybar that's nice. Which tap/s are you thinking of getting? I am glad in a way ours was with a tap although lots of choices i am useless at making a decision so it kind of narrowed it down for me! We can't have the waste disposal bit either although we don't need it so it's fine!

chivers1977

fybar wrote: »

We're looking for sink and taps too. Probably going to get this sink from Wickes which is very well reviewed and I believe discussed elsewhere on this forum...

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Asterite-15-Bowl-Reversible-Sink/invt/193095

We got this fitted last week and love it!

Mutter_2

I can't advise on the technicalities, but I would go for a pull out spray tap every time. Always better to over specify as you can't go back. Great for filling anything tall, eg vases and no excuse for anyone not to rinse the sink after draining beetroot, my pet hate. But he's gone now!
Screwfix have an Astracast sink, don't know how it compares to yours.

I would be wary of buying cheap taps from ebay,they are just that and look and feel it. I have one now in my kitchen as all I could afford.

If you spend a lot of money on a sink, make sure the tap is of equal or not better quality.

Just asking. Doesn't a black sink show every soap mark? I like my life easy.