How best to determine quality of ceramic WC, Sink etc.,?

[Tarquintar]

We have 2 suites, one an ageing Ideal Standard that we're looking to replace and a second that wasn't bargain basement cheap but is unbranded.
To all intents and purposes the glazing looks the same on both but the Ideal Standard WC self cleans - 'no brush!' a lot better than the other. The sink the same.

Mindful that a lot of quality manufacturers are now happy to play in the budget arena, are there any guidelines, apart from going for the higher priced ranges, to make sure we buy a suite that's up for the job?

 

[Madrab]

Why do you think the quality manufacturers are happy to play in the budget arena, their cheaper alternatives are of a lesser quality than their more expensive items but they do play on their good name to move that merchandise, which I believe really devalues them as a brand.

 

[Tarquintar]

their cheaper alternatives are of a lesser quality than their more expensive items

Yes, but paying more doesn't always mean better quality which is why I'm asking the question?

But I'll counter that by saying that a manufacturer I once worked for simply re-packaged a product to look budget to sell at a lower rate into the DIY multiples.

 

[Madrab]

Yes, but paying more doesn't always mean better quality which is why I'm asking the question?

I don't just think it's just paying for better quality, there's also support and returns, spares etc as part of that. Things the way they are these days though has made companies cut their margins to shift units against the cheaper market, so maybe it exposed some of these companies to the fact that their items are priced way too high. That and I also believe that the quality of some of the budget lines is actually getting better to some degree and again has exposed the bigger names to price some of their products accordingly

Lets be honest though, most of the bargain basement stuff is absolute crap and only last a couple of years, (spell edit) if the main names dropped their quality like that they wouldn't be a main name for long I don't think. The trouble is that a lot of people don't care about their throwaway habits these days and are happy to fund the majority of the east's monopoly on patterned/copied crap.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I'd disagree. Often the only thing that distiguishes top tier from the economy model from the same brand is the amount that the punter is prepared to pay.

It's called Market Segmentation. Sell at a low price to the bargain hunter, and at a higher price to those who want theirs to be reassuringly expensive. Make maximum profits. The cheapskate can brag about what a bargain theirs was, the Apple Watch wearing Mr Flash can brag endlessly about how wonderfully expensive theirs was, everyone's happy.

Limescale is often what makes a surface more difficult to clean. The muck is sticking to the absorbent limescale that's on top of the glaze. Get some decent descaler on it, it should stay clean after.

If it's shiny then it's glazed. If not then either it's unglazed or covered in limescale.

 

[Madrab]

Often the only thing that distiguishes top tier from the economy model from the same brand is the amount that the punter is prepared to pay.

Not at all - Believe you me, I've seen more than my fair share of ever price point piece of bathroom items going and it's quite easy these days to spot cheap manufacturing against expensive - final finishing quality/incorrectly finished mouldings/incomplete patterns/mis matching items/quality hardware etc. Of course that's not in every case and there will always be stuff that is still overpriced for what it is.

These days a lot more customers are much more discerning and have a lot more information available to them and manufacturers can't get away with that any more and end up with more and more returns. The amount of stuff that clients of mine have returned because of poor quality has increased significantly, even with the budget items, where before they wouldn't have bothered. Of course there will always be the old adage where it's 'ah well it was cheap so I don't care' mob that still fuel the really crap side of the market. Everyone in the 1st world wants everything that everyone else has but may not be able to afford it so the cheap and nasty will always find a customer. That's called supply and demand, if there is a market for the crap quality then we all know the far east will supply it. It's all simply customer driven.

Still doesn't take away from the fact that a lot of stuff (not all of course) at the higher end of the scale is of a much better quality. I know with certain brands @ certain price points, that I will have no issue with fitting or installation as they prescribe to all the specific standards and if something doesn't meet expectations its swapped out really quickly. Not the same at the other end of the scale, where it can all change month to month because they found a cheaper way to mass produce something and industry standards never seem to be considered, cust service is shocking and it can take months and multiple arguments to get things changed. In fact I'm in the middle of exactly that with VPlumbing just now, just to get a straight answer for a client and that's even before the item's been bought.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I've fitted Screwfix's cheapest in my bog room. Seems fine. The glaze has one imperfection on the underside of the sink basin, I don't care.

It definitely all cleans though, unless it has a build-up of limescale in which case acidic limescale remover takes it straight off and it's wipe clean again.

I have however opted to pay more for the main bathroom. Mostly as it's prettier.

Many long established brands hardly exist these days anyway. I know the village of Armitage in the midlands, where Armitage Shanks were once made. The factory site is a housing estate now, but they're still being made somewhere and branded with their name. Ideal Standard is a similar story, in fact they're the same company.

I wouldn't put any trust in the logo that's printed onto anything these days. Many brand names can be rented from their owners and slapped onto product made by anyone anywhere. They might be good or bad, you just have to judge for yourself but ignore the brand name.

I suspect that people see dirt/limescale more readily on a new bathroom as it's new and otherwise perfect. But your eyes are more forgiving when it's older with stained taps and mucky grout around the place.