Hi, this has always been a popular discussion.

I saw nice Hansgrohe taps at the Archidex but price is quite hefty. Do you guys think its worth the value?

I must say Hansa has interesting design, but very little is known about them.

Grohe seems reputable but design seems a bit on 'the rough' side. Does not look as 'refined' as the Hansas and Hansgrohe.

overpriced plumbing fixtures for a common brand

try cobra

why not SORENTO? The design is good, price is affordable and it comes with 5 years warranty for the cartridge.
www.sorento.com.my

For promotion info, please join us in facebook to view the promotion album.
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This post has been edited by zheilwane: Jul 14 2011, 11:25 PM

I like the old Grohe as they were solid and made in Germany. I have one which is so heavy and well built that you know that it will last a lifetime Now a lot of Grohes are made in Thailand and still carry hefty price tag. Hansgrohe looks not bad. However when I shopped for my kitchen taps, I settled for Blanco since I got my Blanco sinks. Moreover, for taps I was looking for design rather than the brand I think Grohe is overpriced and not as sleek.

If you want to pay for expensive faucets, Moen is another choice.

exactly my point

the old ones are solidly built and you pay for something that's made in their native country

most manufacturers relocate to china and still charge exorbitant prices



try to go for the ones manufactured in their own country

i'm not saying china / thailand has quality issues, but imagine this: would you want to pay RM3k for a genuine LV handbag that was hand made in china?

This is an interesting arguement though. We know iPhone is made in China and people are still buying them like crazy. Sooner or later, made in China may be just as prestigious as made in other developed countries. Some of you may remember that Made in Japan used to be percieved as bad quality and we were looking for Milo label on the Toyota metal body!

For the time being, I still like Porsche made in Germany; Bottega Veneta made in Italy; Patek to be Swiss made and kimchi from Korea!

The main point is which brand gives you better performance (water flow design/pressure) and durability.

If there is a difference then, you judge if it is worth it.

If based on my perception,
Hans Grohe seems to be Classier,
Grohe seems to be clunckier,
Hansa - dunno

If there is a brand with design that gives better feel water "feel" and solid durability, I dont care if it is from india, I also buy.

Psst :- when I say "feel", I mean that the shower must give me orgasm

Just make sure that you got the right type of taps for the right part of the house. We don't want to see you having orgasm in the kitchen!

Well, their quality drop too.

Whose quality dropped too?

have a look at kwc also

With due respect Sorento is not comparable I thought.

Grohes compare to many years back.

The other too, according to my plumber.

I went through the same choices when shopping for faucets and tap fittings for my house. The 2 biggest influencers were design and quality.

Design is very individual and quite subjective. All the major Euro brands have a range of designs, some nice and some not so nice. Just depends whether the design you like falls into a higher or lower price range.

As for quality, yeah many people say it's not as good as before. But really how do you tell quality and how much quality is needed for a tap anyway? From my reading it seems the cartridge is the most important part since that is the one with most wear and tear. Most use ceramics nowadays but I think quality can still vary.

The rest like the body and handle are just pieces of cast brass (I think) with the nice shiny chrome plating on it. As long as the pieces are well finished and plating is heavy and durable, I think these parts should last a lifetime.

I was quite fussy about the smoothness of the action. I did try Grohe, Hansgrohe, Hansa and Zucchetti. I felt Grohe and Hansgrohe were the smoothest.

Some of these are still made in the home country. The Hansa I saw were still made in Germany and the Zucchetti made in Italy. As for Grohe, not clearly stated in the box but yes I now about their plant in Thailand. A number of their shower sets are from Germany though. Not sure about Hansgrohe.

Note: retail prices for these are exorbitant in Malaysia. Buy them during the sale. Flowline (which carries Grohe) has 50% sales every year I think.

In case you're wondering in the end I settled on Grohe. Bought most from Flowline during sale. A few other pieces which Flowline didn't have I imported direct from Germany (via ebay.de). The Grohes I got are still heavy and feel very substantial. I don't have any old models to compare to though.

And for the wet kitchen and laundry sinks I got Fiore (made in Italy). These are carried by Bina Warehouse (same fellas who do Hansgrohe).

This post has been edited by jchong: Jul 17 2011, 09:59 AM

Do you'll notice now this brand don't give spare ceramic cartridge anymore. I remember buying one many years back online it give me two spare. Sometime getting the exact replacement will be hard.

Yeah, I didn't get any spare cartridges. Maybe I should buy a few to keep.

In the end, went for Hansgrohe. You are right, Hansgrohe also have Made in China and Germany models. Hence, need to know which models come from where.

As for me, I got the Talis E (guest bath), Metris S(all other bathrooms)and Puravida (master bath). Hopefully, I made the right choice.

how much was the overall expenses?

Talis E2 was slightly below RM700

Metris S is around RM900+

Puravida was way more expensive hence I got it from Spore at around RM1.4K

Congrats on the purchase. Did they tell you which model was from China and which from Germany?

toffeeman must be multi millionaire who building his own mansion

not necessarily

these plumbing fixtures, if bought correctly can spruce up the toilet - u use it every day, why not pamper yourself? it's your own home anyway, and u r gonna stay in it for quite some time

plus, these fixtures may even last for years. and this would save you time / money for replacements, repairs or worse damages caused by leaking faucets

just my 2 sens

Spot on......no need to be multi millionaire to buy these stuffs. Those big shots would be looking for gold plated taps. What I was looking for is something that has a design that can stand the test of time and more importantly durable and reliable......hence Hansgrohe was the final choice.

My thoughts exactly.

Planning to get Hans Grohe too later . . . unless there is a proven cheaper brand..

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Added on July 29, 2011, 9:39 pm
There is a sale going on in Bina Warehouse now. Rain Dance shower heads cost a bomb. Is there any truth to the hype Hansgrohe Raindance shower heads shower "feels" better?

This post has been edited by phoenix69: Jul 29 2011, 09:39 PM

Come to [COLOR=blue]LIVING BATHROOMS, 213, Jalan Maarof, Bangsar Showroom for HANSGROHE (TRUE RAINDANCE SHOWERS) and experience the Air Injection on the showers. We offer very competitive price and good after sales service to all our clients. Showroom opens from 9am-6pm, mon-sat. 03-20939555

see you soon.
Thank you.

This post has been edited by LawrenZza: Nov 21 2011, 10:34 AM

I will be using a mix of Hansgrohe and Grohe for the taps and in-wall shower mixers for my house. Bought these items over the last 1 year as and when sales were on. Hahahahaha... want to get the best price possible.

Based on my friends experience, using cheaper taps after use for 1-2 years, generally experience leaking and it can be quite a hassle. He ended up changing all his taps after one after the other started leaking and his advice to me was... don't try to save so much and end up having headache later. So i went with the brands above, Hansgrohe for my master bedroom toilet and Grohe for the rest.

Hopefully (fingers crossed), that these taps work well for many years to come.

if you into higher end range, u can really ahve a look at kohler, blanco, franke and Kwc

Kohler... didn't like their taps design. Love the quality of the Franke kitchen sink and its design.
But have not seen the Blanco and Kwc stuff though so can't really comment on them.

i highly recommend this website

www.livingbathrooms.com.my

good customer sales and service.

drop by one of their showrooms to experience bathrooms concept like

never before.

This post has been edited by LawrenZza: Feb 18 2012, 12:23 PM

Dude... Stop spamming here. Hard selling us a company or website obviously shows that you're either affiliated or possibly a salesman from there.

Grohe made in Thailand????? Are u sure?????? It is made in Germany bang.

Kohler is crap. I got one in my powder room. Hardly use and it's getting rusty. Even when it was new the aerator didn't work

Also got hansgrohe which is better than grohe but guess what? I got a kitchen pull out tap from hansgrohe, got one part the chrome flake off already. But still this is the best brand.

As for grohe we bought some toilet stuff like toilet roll holder, towel bar etc.....getting corroded

IMHO all are crap these days and not worth spending a few Ks for branded.

+1

Hmm...your hansgrohe origin from where???

does anyone know how much price for euphoria hand shower range

http://www.grohe.co.uk/p/25_103399.html#&#...1)),t(t(g(af)))



This post has been edited by amirsubhi: Feb 19 2012, 04:00 AM

I bought it from bina warehouse. Not sure made in where now

I got mine at Bina Warehouse during their sale. But I saw another shop at Kepong near Classic Hi Light that carries Hasgrohe too. Haven't had the time to check them out though.

anyone got experience using Toto?

If I'm not mistaken, I've seen it used in KLIA and some 5-star hotels.
Proven and established brand.

anybody can highlight some good Rainshower? Wish to install one to replace my old showerhead, now using a normal one, with a mix hot/cold system attached to a heater tank. The water pressure is a bit low though, so dare not buy new showerhead, in case cannot use.

I'm using a Toto rain shower head. It's not bad and costs cheaper than some of the brands I surveyed in the past.

But I find their designs pretty normal looking. An interesting brand would be Premtex which is owned by Koon Hoe. Some very interesting designs, and they are the brand and QC owners. Their products are manufactured in China according to their own QC. A potential to check out.

Nowadays everything is made in china (at the very least around asia).
You ask these guys where their product is from, they will say from European countries.
The above are both right if
- the factory in china send them to the european country distribution center before coming here.
the branded product travel very far lor...

just trying to share some knowledge with you guys, i'm working in the construction industry.

LOL, some forumers are so sensitive or rude, which in many case could be avoided.

sorry if i've offended anyone.

Just add more details on why you're recommending them, whats the benefit to forumers and tell us your experience. And if you're working there or have a specific contact for us to get in touch with why not recommend outright, better for forumers to get in touch with that person for discounts and deals, no?



Heck we all love a good deal.

My dad says Hansgrohe and grohe is the same (worked for MahSing once upon a time)..The original company is Hansgrohe by a German named Hans Grohe...His son who took over the company sold it to Americans and called it Grohe (cannot use same name)..Same technology but focuses on different market.

Hansgrohe's business focuses on showers while Grohe is in the mixer. The current descendant of the Grohe family sold it again to his own side of the family..(meaning not the original Hans side of the family). Anyway, my uncle (hardware shop owner) said for showers and taps go for hansgrohe.

But I'm not getting either Hans Grohe or Grohe...so expensive...I'm just buying from my uncle...similar to hansgrohe..same spec, just not willing to pay for brand sake...just my two cents

On the 'where it is made' there are many brands out there from europe and US but technically made in China/thailand...labour cost is cheaper so profit margin is also higher but uses same technology, the difference is in the quality control in the manufacturing plant (thailand or china)..just like iphone

Yar... Most items these days manufactured in china. But not all I would think are of poor quality.

as you all know the rainshower, Hansgrohe was the first one to make them, and they have patent its technology, which makes it best in the market.

You should look for Shelrine/Cecilia at livingbathrooms@gmail.com to get the best deals.

My friend is using Hansgrohe rain shower and he says it's the best he's used ever. Water drops are gentle and doesn't splash everywhere.

I have used the father, son and now China/Thailand made taps.
Over the course of 40 years, I learn that no point buying expensive taps. Worse if spare parts is in Germany or they dun have any more spare parts! There goes my RM1XXX water faucet

Buy the best durable & functional ones like easy to close with no drips, water saving features or soothing champagne flow.
Brass is the material of choice for good taps.
Before buying good tap, just ask about the availability of replacement value, its cost and difficulty in changing it.
These days most good taps have a limited working life of 10 to 15 yrs depending on how rough or how well you take care of them. Gone are the days when taps last 30 to 50 yrs.

Ensure the incoming water to your household is clean and free from lime to reduce calcium or other deposit from building up in the water system.
You can't get 100% lime free water, at least you can minimize the deposits from damaging the valves or clogging the pipes.

BTW some China water faucet manufacturer do have standards & high quality control...just like iPhone

True. My kitchen tap cost rm300 made in china never drip before for using more than 12yrs. The most frequent tap use in my home.

this

That's why I say, regardless of where it is made, if they use the same technology its fine. China product comes in different grade too..there's high & low too..

Love a good shower! It makes all the difference especially after a hard days work

It's true, you can come to the showroom and experience it live. feel the effect of rain shower technology (water+air technology) and also the massage mode to believe it.

to be honest, for the normal range which is good enough for many, it isn't that costly less than 1k, which you will utilize it daily, i don't think it's that expensive. only the designer series, where designer comes into play to cater different preferential design that suit specific high end taste. have the perception of long term usage and satisfaction, it's worth while investing in one.

This post has been edited by LawrenZza: Feb 23 2012, 09:29 AM

So can I try bath at your showroom to try out the rain shower? But not " live " lah.

Hahahahaha...

When I was looking for rainshower, my focus was on Hans Grohe Rainshower but it just cost too darn much.
zheilwane advised me to consider alternative.
Settled for Sorento, best decision I ever made .
Savings approx 80%

Went to Hafele in Glennarie today and had a chat with the MD. They actually have a reasonable range of showers.

Didn't ask the price though, was there to discuss something else.

rainshower no need to buy Hansgrohe cause not much design in it. if you want to buy a nice design tap then get hansgrohe Axor range by Starck. really sui

This post has been edited by idoblu: Feb 21 2012, 09:28 PM

What is the price u got, n which model?

My friend bought one of their designer range for his house, which designer range I'm not sure. Really, really nice... But when I see the price tag. GULP!!

Gulp indeed. A couple of thousand ringgit

Go ask zheilwane lah...

I think he paid in excess of RM20k for 3 toilets in total.

no need to ask him lar, he'll always tell u go to his shop one

actually i already got the hansgrohe rain shower & enjoy it everyday just want to know if i got potong kao kao by Binx WxxH.... or not

This post has been edited by skng03: Feb 22 2012, 12:48 PM

Hi may I know what is the difference of hansgrohe raindance shower head compare to other china made shower head? The quality should be better but how about the 'feeling' of using it? Can u actually feel the difference?

I am currently looking for a shower set, is deciding between hansgrohe, toto, cotto and those china made one.

By the way, is thermostat useful? I am just worry this extra feature will make the shower set more complicate and prone to damage.

Sorry if I ask stupid question. Newbie. Lol.

Yup, the Hansgrohe rain shower feels a great deal softer than other showers I've tried. The water doesn't splash as much either. The water just rolls down your skin, literally.

Thanks adrianjc, guess I will go ahead with hansgrohe. Hehe

The shop is quoting me SGD1300 for this. Is the price ok? It comes with thermostat.
http://bathroomstudio.co.uk/hansgrohe/show.../prod_6796.html

the water flow from hand/rain shower is soft, mine don't have the thermostat function....

the price is about there, my one cheaper but my rain shower only 180mm & no thermostst
[attachmentid=2698987]

This post has been edited by skng03: Feb 23 2012, 12:23 AM

thanks skng03

i am so looking forward to my hansgrohe raindance now...thanks for the review!

Anyone interested in Grohe and American Standard? Can leave me a message. Thanks

I got Hansgrohe for the whole house. Never regretted! Go to Living Bathroom. They offer the best quotations and good after sales service.

Many Thanks. Toffeeman. We really appreciate the support you even to us.
Feel free to ever drop by our showroom if you're around Bangsar or PJ(do note that we are opening a new showroom) for lunch or a lil chat.

Living Bathrooms Sdn Bhd
213 & 211, Jalan Maarof,
59100, Bangsar, KL.

or visit us at our website www.livingbathrooms.com.my

Anyone went for the flowline sale this weekend?

I did, got some gooooooood price from flowline. ended up my bathroom with Grohe

Would it be cheaper if buy from outside? I means like US. (ebay, amazon, etc)

Where r u opening in PJ?

---

Added on July 18, 2012, 8:14 amThese are mechanical stuffs, online supply means you can't inspect the goods before purchasing. Returns will be a hassle if there are defects. My two cents worth.

This post has been edited by toffeeman: Jul 18 2012, 08:14 AM

I have been to 3 diffrent Binx WxxH in diffrent state, not much diffrence in their prices, just that the PJ and Ipoh branch are kinda snobbish.
When I buy, initially I was attracted to Agrow prices as there was a sale there with mind blowing prices, (rough estimate 10-15% lower than BinX WxxH package price). Then I met zheilwane .. and the rest is history.
Note: cheapest is online buying but dunno ori and shipping cost make a diffrence or not.
Observation: Hans Grohe overhead rain shower is THE Premium product - RM 2k ++ compared to others which cost only a few hundred ringgit
Too rich for me

If the price is too much different? Is the gambling is worth?

Do you have the exact price and model for this Grohe rain shower here? Want to see ebay what price and worth to buy.

Threw away all my research material already. can't help you there.
If you wanna buy online, I remember there is a link in a Singapore forum to a website somewhere where the price is really low.
Google lah...


This post has been edited by phoenix69: Jul 18 2012, 06:00 PM

Didn't get the snobbish treatment when i went to Binx WxxH in PJ. Then again my friend when and splurge 20k+ on his bathroom fittings . Seriously can't imagine spending that much on fittings.

There's one WC that i saw there... really feels like sitting in Biz class airplane seat. But at almost 3k it was way-way over my budget. Can see but cannot buy.

---

Added on July 18, 2012, 9:22 pmGo check out Toto rainshower head. Price bout RM900 which is quite decent considering most other stuff i saw was more than RM1k. It's the type that you have to use together with a in-wall hot/cold mixer.

But be warned you'll need excellent water pressure in your house or run a pump. Size is huge but taking a shower in the mornings is just priceless.

This post has been edited by adrianjc: Jul 18 2012, 09:22 PM

Thanks for your suggest. Actually I don't need branded rain shower head. Any brand will do as long as it reliable. The toto 11" rain shower cost rm1800 at ebay.

If the branded can be get with a good price from oversea, than it is better than the normal 1.

There is some difference between the good quality rain shower heads compared to the normal ones. Don't laugh but besides being copper or whatever the diff. in quality is in the nipple.

Good brands tend not to get clogged as often for some reason and all it takes is a touch of your finger to get the water flowing again.

Ever considered Sorento? I know from my previous visit to zheilwane shop, he has one unit "grohe" in-wall mixer in stock (dunno still have but its original), combine that with a "sorento" rain shower head, can consider ah?
Can nego, nego with him.


This post has been edited by phoenix69: Jul 19 2012, 06:00 PM

Will plan visit his shop 1 day. Thanks.

And easy leak. My two sorento leaking a bit, still waiting for instruction to dismantle and check the ceramic valve.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22779172@N02/6448334665/

How about this one?

This post has been edited by toffeeman: Jul 20 2012, 02:19 PM

Not that one

For Bathroom Accessories like Paper Holder, Towel Bear, do you think I should go for branded like Toto?

Brand like Toto may cost more than RM100 and even up to RM600 for a single Towel bar.

Do you think it is worth it?

Between, do you guys know any major sales (when and where) for Toto Fittings such as the above?

This post has been edited by weirdguy: Aug 12 2012, 06:08 PM

hi, PB is now having a promo with a few dealers to offer 40% on Hansgrohe products (till end of this year). The dealers participating are Agrow, Bathroom Centre, Living Portal, Prestige Bathroom etc.

But I only know of Bina Warehouse and Living Bathrooms as listed in Hansgrohe web and from reading this thread, can also confirm these two are confirmed HG dealers/distributors. Does anyone know if those in the PB list above are also bona-fide HG dealers?

btw anyone know when Bina Warehouse normally have their sales?

thanks.

Bina is having sales now if you visit them at Viva

Rainshower head comparison



Left: Grohe Cosmopolitan, Right: hansgrohe Raindance S 150 AIR 1-Jet

I've been using the Grohe for the last 3+ years. It's a large 160mm diameter head with 4 spray patterns, but I really just use the Rain function. Being such a large head the spray pattern is quite wide. The water spray is medium thickness and has a fine touch.

I've been intrigued by the hansgrohe AIR system for some time but never got one since I was quite happy with the Grohe. Anyway, with the recent Bina Warehouse sale I decided to pick up one to try. I bought the S 150 since that was the largest size. You would think with a name like S 150 the head is 150mm diameter, but in reality it is only 137mm. As you can see from the pic it is noticeably smaller than the Grohe.

Using the hansgrohe the first thing you notice is it is louder. Must be the air injection thing. The water spray is definitely thicker and has a more pulsing feel (very light massaging sensation), probably due to the air injection. The perception is that there is more water. The marketing material says it creates a "more voluminous feeling" and that is certainly true. Later I did test the actual flow rate by filling a bucket and timing it - the hansgrohe does in fact output 20% more water than the Grohe. Aside from that when washing the head and face, yes it does have a slightly softer feel than the Grohe.

So I'm happy switching over to the hansgrohe AIR shower head. Note: to really make full use of these large showerheads you need high water pressure.

BTW both heads are made in Germany.

This post has been edited by jchong: Aug 31 2012, 12:20 PM

One the nozzle is slightly larger and less chance for limescale to accumulate, and secondly because the nozzle is soft rubbing/touching it dislodges the limescale easily.

Was checking both manufacturer's websites. For Grohe, 60% are made in Germany. Hansgrohe 80% are made in Germany. The trick is finding out which are the items which are not made in Germany.

At least this site indicates which is from Germany and which from Thailand: http://sanihome-penang.blogspot.com/search/label/Grohe

Any recommendation on shower pump for a double-storey house?