Bristan 1901 Basin Pillar Taps with Crosshead Handles, Single Flow Traditional Design Bathroom Fixture Suitable for All Plumbing Systems, Chrome - N 1/2 C CD

Such a utilitarian household product but I love these taps. For years I have put up with taps that had round handles, were ugly, and hard to turn with soapy hands. These taps look and feel classy and are a delight by comparison. I’ve always loved the traditional look of this tap design but had not bought them as I thought they would be hard to fit and I didn’t want the expense of a plumber to replace my old taps that weren’t actually broken. Well I was right about the hard to fit part due to the cramped space I was working in, but I’m proud of myself for managing it. Apart from looks, and their solid feel, I also like how they are so easy to turn and they release a lot of water at once due to the large spout, which means the water doesn’t come gushing out everywhere. My only gripe was that the hot tap turns clockwise to turn on. The hold and cold taps turn on in opposite directions which I think is stupid! So I paid a little extra for a cold tap valve to put into the hot tap and now they turn on the same way - ahh bliss.

I mulled the “easy to install” score a bit. They’re as easy to install as any basin tap....i.e. not very. But they’re no worse. We’ve had two sets of these. The first I installed in our downstairs cloakroom on a small cloakroom basin. The first time I’d done this job. I ended up buying two types of basin spanners (the fixed type and the ones with toothed claw which self adjusts). It was a horrible horrible job as clearance on the basin was so tight. Not a fault of this product hence the score, but be warned! Only other niggle was that first set arrived with a small but obvious nick in the chrome on top. Had to replace but Amazon made this easy. I fitted the second set on a normal sized bathroom basin. With the right tools already in the toolbox and a little experience it went very smoothly. The taps are usual Bristan quality (we have replaced all our taps gradually and now have Bristan throughout. Only the kitchen mixer is slightly suspect with green corrosion forming at the swivel point, but we do have very hard water). Brass threads and nuts mean you can tighten these up easily and confidently. I was able to reuse the existing olives when fitting the basin taps. No leak issues. The washers between tap base and basin top are a decent thickness so these sit well. We have a modern Bristan mixer on another basin and the washer on that is not adequate). Cartridge operation means these are nice to use. Our original taps had very little use (its a little used bathroom) but had leather washers which disintegrated alongside the tap washers, did not feel nice to use and leaked green corrosion even if not used. They were so bad that we’d ended up going to our ensuite to wash our hands even if using the other bathroom just to avoid using those taps. So having these is a transformation. Let’s hope they last a while. The cloakroom ones have been in for about 18 months and are still perfect.

Great price for these elegant taps. Good quality on first inspection. The only oddity is that the hot tap is a clockwise "on" rotation. The cold is normal anticlockwise "on". They replaced an exiting identical tap set which were both clockwise "on". Why the updated rotation is an improvement will be an eternal mystery. They also come with a 10 year Bristan warranty which has to be registered on-line. Of course the online registration has very poor functionality, which seems to be yet another benefit of everything going on-line.

Excellent taps well made very pleased

Great looking taps . They look amazing in my bathroom.

Well made and value for money.

Used. Remains of teflon tape and what looks like water contact stains on one of the taps. Good quality taps but I paid for new. Will be returning them. I will buy again but considering another supplier.

Good taps. Takes a while to remember on/off direction! Easy to fit x

Leaked within 6 months. Can’t reach seller. Buying new cartridges would be insane for brand new taps that are supposedly under warranty.

I love these faucets. Really dressed up my old 1925 sink. They do not have air rater things on which means the water comes full force but I like it that way! Just don't turn fast to all the way up. 3/4 way is good. I do not think that I could have found a nicer faucet than these esp. for the price. Thanks Bristan!