Q: Ed: I plan to surprise my family with a new kitchen faucet. I want to get a pull-out faucet with spray options that are useful for everyone in the house. I enjoy your plumbing recommendations, so what spray head features do you like? — Brent, Washington state
A: Ever since pullout and pull-down-style kitchen faucets became popular, spray head technology has really taken off. The spray component on many new kitchen faucets take task management to another level. With that said, here’s a basic rundown of some spray features and options now available.
First, the standard spray pattern for most pull-out/pull-down kitchen faucets is a “ring” spray and you can upgrade from there with setting options. One is a pause feature. This quickly turns the flow of water on and off for greater spray control. For additional spray pattern options, a sweep spray for sink washdowns and a soft spray for delicate items like produce are handy as well.
For a final forceful feature, a power boost button can increase spray flow rate in short bursts whenever you need an extra blast for the task!