Kraus Ramus Bathroom Vessel Sink Faucet with Pop Up Drain

I love this faucet. I read about some design bloggers using it in their bathroom remodel (over on www.yhl.com) so I knew ahead of time that it was going to be a great faucet, and it has lived up to its reputation. The finish (I got satin nickel) is great, zero problems with leaking, install directions were perfect. Whole faucet install took < 10min. Also we bought the Kraus porcelain vessel sink (rounded rectangle), and this faucet has no problems with water splashing out of the sink even when it's on all the way. I know that's a problem with some vessel sinks so I did my research and this faucet consistently out-performs its competitors on that score. I have two caveats, which is why I'm writing this review for future buyers: 1) Be sure you place the faucet pretty close to your sink. Our Kraus sink installation instructions said to leave 3 inches between faucet and sink. At the last second my husband thought they looked to far apart and we moved them closer - boy am I glad we did that! You don't want to be dripping water between vessel sink and faucet every time you go to turn off the water, which is definitely what would happen if we had left three inches of space. We have them 1.5"-2" apart and that seems good although if I did it again I'd move them even a little closer. I think the optimal install would let the water stream right onto the pop-up drain. 2) Be careful to use the drain installation instructions that come with your *sink*, not the faucet! We made this mistake (because we had so many different Kraus instruction sheets around during install), and had leaking the first time. Even the instructions with the sink are v. inadequate - basically a picture and a supplies list. I've read other reviews of the drain complaining that not all the water drains out of the sink - in that case your drain is installed incorrectly!! (It is also installed incorrectly at yhl.com). From the Kraus web site, talking to a Kraus rep and reading all the instructions, this is how we figured out it should go: above the sink: metal drain and one thin slanty washer. below the sink: concave washer (cupped upward like a bowl so it 'cups' your drain), second slanty washer, then the rest of the pieces in the order they come in. We also used clear caulk above the sink, both between the drain and washer and between washer and sink. We have had zero problems with leaking since installing this way, and now have a lovely minimalist drain above the sink (if you install it wrong with the concave washer on top then you have this ugly plastic lip and the water will not drain all the way). It was worth the effort it took to figure this out, because our drain looks awesome now. Love it. Would have given 5 stars if product had included adequate drain installation instructions.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? Looks even better in person
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Zero leaks, zero splashing, awesome water flow
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? Great