We're in the middle of a major renovation that's seeing us redo three bathrooms. Ferguson steered us toward Delta products for the shower, but we've had a few people we trust tell us they swear by Grohe.

Showers will need a diverter (wall mounted head + handheld head in the master; handheld head + bath in the kids bathroom), and we have a strong preference for one set of controls only ("integrated diverter"?)

Does anyone have any good advice or strong,supported opinion as to why one brand is better than another?

We've totally gutted out a 1940's shotgun house and building out a new bathroom. It's a smaller, open-design concept. In a year or two will build an addition on top. The original design called for a freestanding tub but we have decided to go with an Alcove with the non-drain wall being a half wall. Will have all new plex plumbing.

It's been a toss up between GROHE and DELTA. For our sink we went with a GROHE Eurocube. Read lots of good things here about GROHE and we liked the look. But when it comes to the shower, well that's a different things. Here in Houston, TX most wholesale plumbing shops are steering us towards DELTA. We went to a showroom that had both and we honestly liked a ton of the DELTA offerings. They also carry GROHE but not as large a selection on display.

Upon researching things online, it seems that almost everyone loved their DELTA valves but a ton of people said the shower head or rain shower head and extension arm leaks at some point. The GROHE setup doesn't have as a compact valve/diverter. I think we'd have to get a separate diverter which would mean a lot less cleaner install? But not a single review said anything about leaking.

So, cardinal sin to mix and match the two? Any foreseen issues? Any advice is appreciated.

Setup being considered:

• Delta Trillian 17T Valve - https://www.build.com/delta-t27t943/s1735969?uid=4272392

• Delta Multichoice Diverter - https://www.build.com/delta-r22000/s1240442?uid=2966501

• Grohe Shower Arm - https://www.build.com/grohe-27-414/s141315?uid=1594387

• Grohe 2.5 GPM shower head - https://www.build.com/grohe-27-591-1/s1450400?uid=3411082

• Grohe 11.25" rain shower arm - https://www.build.com/grohe-27-710/s141564?uid=1882846&searchId=J4G69N1jvk

• Grohe 6" Cube rain shower head - https://www.build.com/grohe-27-705/s140934?uid=1882844

• Can go either Grohe cube tub spout but I think the Delta Trillian will match the valve better https://www.build.com/delta-rp93249/s1735917?uid=4272511

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.

Cost differences aside, which ones do you think look more upscale and modern? Any other quality differences between these brands? They all seem to get good reviews from what I've read.