Bath product manufacturers fill their Web sites with detailed specs and colorful photos.

By BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine Staff

From shiny brass faucets to luxurious acrylic whirlpools, the bath product Web sites offered by many manufacturers are loaded with marketing hype and pretty pictures. But the ones that made it to the top of our contractor-reviewers' favorite sites list contain a lot more than glamour shots and clever prose.

What our reviewers saw at their favorite sites were detailed specifications, clear, quick-loading photos, comparable prices, and easy-to-search dealer lists. Several of them allow contractors to search by price, finish, model, and function, and most were extremely easy to navigate. It?s hard to pick one or two standouts in this category because they all are truly outstanding.

Favorite Bath Product Sites

 

Alumax N N N N N 3 3 2 2 3 Great specs and installation info; includes PDF guides with CAD drawings for each product line; nifty toolbar on each page; dealer search includes maps. American Standard Y Y Y Y N 3 3 3 2 3 Detailed specs, installation info, color examples, and list prices; helpful toolbar on every page; easy to navigate. Delta Faucet Y Y Y Y N 3 3 3 3 3 Extensive specs; can search by price, finish, model, etc., under faucet finder; includes section for professionals; detailed site map. Kohler Y Y N Y N 3 3 3 3 3 Detailed specs and installation instructions; great enlargeable photos; helpful toolbars with pull-downs on every page; site map under ?Help Me Find? section; can buy service parts. Moen Y Y Y Y N 3 3 3 3 3 Detailed specs; can search for products by price, style, function, etc.; helpful toolbars; easy to navigate; installation info also in Spanish and French; great photos. Sterling Y Y Y N N 3 3 3 3 3 Extensive specs; can narrow down searches by choosing product characteristics; installation info included for each product line; easy to navigate. As compared with the other favorite sites. 1=below average; 2=average; 3=above average; N=no; Y=yes

Click for more Favorite 50 sites.

[This article is a reprint from BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine, November/December 2001 issue.]