Thank you for the great reply. I know your modern brand recommendations, but the reconditions for older brands is a great idea I'll have to look into.

For anyone that has contractor grade faucets, if you ever get to handle a higher end faucet, or even a lot of the commercial fixtures and compare them to the cheap stuff, it should be night and day.

I replaced my faucets before attempting to sell my house and used ok stuff to modernize, but they're still low end. I ended up not moving, and I treat them nice so they're doing ok.

But they all have plastic internals, the weight is much less, the parts wobble more, and the finish isn't holding up as well as I'd expect of a premium faucet. Even when right out the box, they aren't as nice as a decades old name brand faucet.

They're made to meet a price point. While they will get you the look (potentially) of a high end faucet, it won't hold up like one with better fit and finish, and if it does need repair, your chances of getting the part is likely much better.

Do you want a buy it for life faucet? Or do you need one to last a couple years? Spend accordingly. There's a market for both, and people need to determine which product is right for them.