Should a kitchen faucet pull out or pull down?

A pull-out faucet has the edge when filling things like dog dishes and coffee makers outside of the sink bowl. (Kohler)

A pull-out faucet has the edge when filling things like dog dishes and coffee makers outside of the sink bowl. (Kohler)

Q: Hi Ed: We want a new trendy faucet for our kitchen, the type that has a built-in spray head. But, I've noticed that some of these faucet spray heads pull out of the faucet body, and some heads pull down. Is there a reason to choose one type of these faucets over the other?

— Linda, Maine

A: This is a popular question. Pull-out and pull-down kitchen faucets are similar, and why one type may be chosen over the other can come down to three preferences: vessel filling, cleaning tasks and style. Let's explore.

VESSEL FILLING

Pull-down is nice for filling large pots in the kitchen sink bowl. A pull-out faucet has the edge when filling things like dog dishes and coffee makers outside of the sink bowl.

CLEANING TASKS

A pull-out spray head has a larger hand grip for easy control, but a pull-down spray is great in tight spaces.

STYLE

Finally, it may just be the high arch style of the pull-down or traditional-looking spout style of the pull-out to pull you in the direction of the kitchen faucet you desire.

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Master Contractor/Plumber Ed Del Grande is known internationally as the author of the book "Ed Del Grande's House Call," the host of TV and Internet shows, and a LEED green associate. Visit eddelgrande.com or write eadelg@cs.com

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