Caroma was rated best for tapware & plumbing fixtures in Canstar Blue’s customer satisfaction ratings for the SECOND year in a row, with five-star reviews for durability, features & functionality, design, range variety, and overall satisfaction.
When it comes to turning your house into a home, it’s often the little things that can add character and make the space your own. Picture frames, cushions, and even taps can make all the difference when you walk into a room, particularly if you’re looking to make a statement with a different style. Tapware and bathroom plumbing fixtures like showerheads and bath spouts, may not seem like the part of your house that will wow guests, but make a wrong decision and you’ll be left with that sinking feeling when you see them heading for the bathroom. To help you find the best tapware and plumbing fixtures for your bathroom, Canstar Blue has compared the top brands in the market to flush out a winner.
Canstar Blue surveyed 894 Australians for their feedback on the tapware/plumbing fixtures they’re purchased and installed in their home in the last three years. Note: this may include tapware, showerheads, shower mixers, etc.
Respondents rate their satisfaction with their tapware/plumbing fixture brand(s) from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
1. Caroma
2. Estilo
3. Dorf
4. Mondella
5. IKEA
6. Brita
7. Blanco
Caroma received five stars for durability, features & functionality, design, variety & range and overall satisfaction. The only other brand to earn five stars was Estilo, which rated well for value for money and design.
Find more detailed information on our ratings methodology.
Australian brand Caroma has been operating for more than 75 years and is readily available at showrooms and homeware retailers around the country. While the company mainly caters to the bathroom, Caroma does also offer taps suitable for the kitchen and laundry. Different products available include toilet suites, baths, basins, tapware and mixers as well as showers, among other things.
Caroma’s tapware range starts from under $30 for Caravelle Classic Cross coloured handles and goes up to $1,949 for the Elvire progressive freestanding bath filter (pictured). A number of these items are said to be leak-proof and come with a 20-year warranty. Some of Caroma’s basins similarly have a long warranty period and are additionally claimed to be stain resistant. Expect to fork out about $111-$800 for shower fixtures and slightly more for bath and basin fixtures.
Caroma alternatively offers toilet suites designed to be accessible for people with less mobility. Items like the Caroma Caravelle Support suite contain an ‘Easy Height’ pan that requires less bending, and integrated armrests to help when moving to and from the toilet.
Not all tapware and plumbing fixture brands in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Here are several more brands to check out before making a purchase decision.
When it comes to finding out what drives customer satisfaction when purchasing tapware or plumbing fixtures, our research revealed the following factors as most important:
When it came to buying a showerhead, features make a difference. A lot of households especially opt for a model with a water-saving function or different types of water pressure. Some people also prefer to buy something with a water filter function or LED lighting.
Did you know Australians spend an average of $181 on new tapware and plumbing fixtures for their bathroom? A quarter (25%) also said their new plumbing fixtures had cost more to install than they expected.
Caroma proved to be the brand worth purchasing, scrubbing up full marks across nearly all satisfaction drivers. Estilo also seems to be a great pick for both value for money and design.
But ultimately, it will come down to your personal preference, as style, colour and price will all influence what you decide to install. A bit of research will also go a long way to ensure that your money doesn’t go down the drain and that your perfect bathroom isn’t just a pipe dream.
Tapware might not be at the top of the to-do list when it comes to home renovations but can often be one of the biggest factors when it comes to giving the bathroom a facelift, particularly if you decide to switch up the colour scheme. But with plenty of styles, designs and finishes to choose from, selecting a set of taps and other types of plumbing fixtures that suit your household – and budget – can often be a tough decision. With that in mind, we hope our tap and plumbing fixtures ratings prove helpful.
Megan is Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Editor, leading the team that focuses on consumer products and services, ranging from supermarkets and groceries to home and personal appliances and retail stores. She interprets Canstar Blue’s bespoke research on the thousands of brands that we compare, rate and review, to help shoppers make better purchasing decisions.
Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.
Picture credits: Dariusz Jarzabek/Shutterstock.com, P A/Shutterstock.com.
Check out the previous winners of Canstar Blue’s tapware & plumbing fixtures ratings:
Appliances - May 7th
Jumping out of the hot shower into the cold is something no one enjoys having to do in those colder winter months. But there’s a simple solution so you can stay warmer for longer – …
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Appliances - July 12th
While tiled bathrooms can be a lifesaver in summer, the thought of stepping onto that frosty floor in winter can fill us all with dread. Waiting for the water to warm up ready for a …
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Best-Rated Bathroom Accessories - November 26th
With constant deadlines and responsibilities flooding our minds every day, sometimes the bathroom can transform into the unexpected oasis we need to escape. And it’s little things like shower heads that can make a big …
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