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Hi r/plumbing! I am getting ready to gut my bathroom and completely remodel it. I am in the process of selecting my fixtures and have gotten a lot of conflicting information regarding shower valves and trims.
Three contractors have told me to get the Grohflex shower valve and Grohe trim. When I went to the store to look at them in person, the woman at the store told me that Grohe is more or less garbage because they use a lot of plastic in their trims. She told me Hansgrohe is much better. The price point is about the same.
So I ask my good friend who is a licensed plumber and GC how he felt about Grohe vs Hansgrohe, and he told me that Grohe is #1 and Hansgrohe is crap. So I went to another store, and the guy at the store tells me they are more or less the same. My main issue with Grohe and Hansgrohe is that the back plate to the pressure balance valve trim is plastic, and I worry that it won't hold up for 20 years.
I started looking into higher end stuff like Graff because they don't use any plastic in their trims. Everything is solid brass. But I couldn't find a lot of information regarding the longevity of their valves and the long-term performance of their trims. Cost is a factor, but not a huge factor as I hope to never have to remodel this bathroom again for as long as we own the house. That said, the Graff stuff is a heck of a lot more expensive than Grohe and Hansgrohe.
So my question is, who makes the best shower valve and trim? I'm not talking ease of installation, because I am not doing the work myself. A lot of the anecdotes I've read about valves has been that plumbers really like Delta and Moen for their ease of installation. I am not a fan of their trims or corresponding sink faucets. What I want to know is, what is least likely to leak and cause problems for me? Bonus points if they have a stylish selection of trims. Thank you for your help.
Update: Thanks everyone for your feedback. I’m going to look into the higher end Delta stuff.