GROHE 35601000 Rapido Smartbox Universal Rough-In Box, No Finish

Good price for a quality product, with lots of instructions. We still had to watch the youtube video though.

super easy to install once you understand it they have instructions and videos on installing and works perfectly .

I love, love, love the finished product using these valve boxes. These boxes permit very good water rate of flow and a wide variety of install options in terms of how many fixtures attached. The boxes themselves were pretty straightforward to install....I had to get them set up for my plumber but once he got the idea it was easy...just plug the ports you don't need and that's about it. Only word of caution is the the valve assemblies and covers are very pricey. Wow...yes. But they work fantastic. Temperature control is spot-on-perfect and so easy to use. I have them set up with two functions, hand sprayer and rain shower head. You can use both or either independently...works so well. So no regrets, but make sure you price the contraption you'll be putting inside this box before you get them.

Love this type of water mixer. Pressure is good

The valves that go into this smartbox are expensive, but AWESOME. This review is about the rough-in itself though, so here we go: Install brass threaded connections x5 for up to three outputs (you'll pick how many when you purchase the valve assembly). The assembly is adjustable to fit into multiple types of rough-in framing that you might put in. Your best bet is to make sure that this box is right in the middle between 2 studs. I used a piece of half-inch plywood to mount it to and attached that to the framing. Next is to sweat some copper onto a male thread that you will screw into the valve. Bring your supply lines down in such a way that they can be connected and soldered together with one final joint near the valve (but not too close). This box doesn't have any integrated shutoffs without disassembling the valve (that's a BIG minus in certain use cases), but I have a closet right behind my shower so added a shutoff in the ceiling of the closet. You need to make sure that the tile/shower wall is cut very carefully because there is not the wiggle room that you get with more traditional rough-ins, but that's fine. Pros: - Flexibility in where/how to mount this for new construction - Threaded connection makes the soldering job easier for both pro & diy installers - Works for up to three outlets simultaneously - Pretty well documented for how to set up (see cons though) Cons: - Grohe obviously didn't want to get a manual translated into multiple languages so they have a no-audio installation instruction video. This is super easy to follow - UNLESS and UNTIL you get stuck, then you have no other way to figure out how to make this thing work and will have to try your luck with phone support (I can't attest to how well their phone support works - I didn't need it) - This is a poor choice for a retrofit. Most brass rough in valves will be located very close to a stud and this simply won't be able to be shoe-horned into a tight space. You cannot solder directly to the unit, only mpt fittings work - The valve assemblies that connect to this are brilliant (but they are pricey and complicated in their own rights - make sure you do your homework to know the total cost) - Lack of shutoffs in the unit means that your code may either not permit the use of this valve or you'll have to add your own shutoff upstream or be satisfied with removing the valve and replacing the plugs in the supply inlet (I don't see this as a big con, but then, my local bldg code doesn't require a shutoff for a shower, that's a nice to have and my design easily accommodated a separate valve in the ceiling.) Overall, I found this to be a pretty easy product to work with on new construction and the finished product is more than worth any minor additional hassle related to the tolerance with the tiling and the 500-piece thermostatic valve assemblies (I'm exaggerating on # of pieces, but only slightly). I would absolutely not recommend it for a retrofit or bathroom refresh where framing cannot be moved. I wish I had used this for the master bath reno I completed before putting this in the basement shower.