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Kohler Sensate Smart Faucet Review—Best Smart Faucet

Kohler Sensate Smart Faucet Review—Best Smart Faucet

Kohler Sensate Smart Faucet Review—Best Smart Faucet - Blog - 1

Sensate Faucet with KOHLER Konnect

On a regular day in my kitchen, I’ll routinely turn from the stove to call out “dispense three cups of water” of “turn on the faucet!” But I live alone. I just have a smart faucet: the Kohler Sensate, to be exact, a top-of-the-line model that connects with your home assistant (Google Home, Amazon Alexa, etc.) as well as Kohler’s own Konnect app to help you in the kitchen. Bonus: It also encourages you to use less water! I’ve had the faucet for about four months. Here’s what I think.

Installation

The first part of getting any new fixture is installation. The Sensate faucet comes in a package about 4 feet long by 1 foot wide, with each part labeled and clear instructions included. For those who have never swapped out a faucet, the process is easier than you might think: Simply detach your existing water pipes, remove the existing faucet, and then attach the new faucet’s pipes and secure the new faucet into place.

Kohler Sensate Smart Faucet Review—Best Smart Faucet - Blog - 2 My builder-grade faucet before swap.Kathryn Wirsing

With a smart faucet, you’ll have the added task of attaching an electrical box—the Sensate’s is fairly small and can be screwed to the wall behind your pipes (it comes with a water-resistant cover). The most important part of this process? Turn off the water before you start! It’s the faucet that regulates the pressure of the water in your sink, so when you remove that, you’ll have water gushing out at full volume from the pipes if it’s not shut off. Once the faucet is in place, you

‘ll download the Kohler Konnect app and set your faucet up on your WiFi.

Kohler Sensate Smart Faucet Review—Best Smart Faucet - Blog - 3

The new faucet. Note: If you have a three-hole faucet, you’ll want to install a deck plate to cover the extra holes.Kathryn Wirsing

Functions

Once the faucet is all set up, you’ll be able to make use of its many functions.

Hands-free control: A sensor on the underside of the faucet means you can turn the flow of water on and off just by running a hand under it—an ideal option if your hands are dirty or holding dishes.

Voice control: My favorite function on the faucet, this is what allows you to command the Sensate using your home assistant. So, I can say “OK Google, talk to Kohler: Turn on my faucet.” But, even better, I can tell it how much water to dispense (in ounces or cups), without having to get out my measuring cups.

Experiences: The Konnect app also offers the option to set certain. “experiences” for things you do frequently. So, for example, you always boil an exact amount of water to use in your French press, you can set that as an experience in the app and then simply select French press to dispense the exact amount of water you need—every time.

Usage statistics: One of the elements of the Sensate that was a surprise to me is the statistics section of the app. The Sensate keeps track of exactly how much water you use, so you can know if you’re using more or less than normal—and even set guidelines for yourself to try to cut down on usage. This info can also help you determine if you have a leak that’s wasting water.

Kohler Sensate Smart Faucet Review—Best Smart Faucet - Blog - 4

Using the new faucet.Hadley Keller

Biggest Pros

For me, the best parts of the Sensate are:

  • Design: I’ve talked a lot about function here, but haven’t yet touched on the design. I confess: I don’t love the look of many smart home devices (that big black column that is Amazon Echo? No, thanks), but the Sensate doesn’t sacrifice looks for technology. It has an elegant, curved shape and comes in several options to match any sink of kitchen style (I opted for Vibrant Stainless—there are nickel, rose gold, and even ombré options). Plus, the pull-down sprayer is seamlessly integrated into the rest of the faucet—and always attaches completely, a pet peeve I have with other faucets.
  • Measuring: As far as features, I have to say the precise measuring is a favorite for me. As someone who cooks a lot and is also a neat freak, it’s great to be able to measure exact amounts of water without getting out measuring cups or spoons. Now if only the Sensate could measure my flour…
  • Stats: Though I wasn’t expecting it, I’ve come to love the statistics element of the Sensate. It’s fascinating to see how much water I’m using and definitely makes me more mindful of turning the water off whenever possible (which is easier than ever to do with just a wave of the hand).

Biggest Cons

As for the drawbacks of the faucet:

  • Price: The Sensate certainly isn’t cheap, ringing in between $800 and $1,100 depending on where you buy it. That said, this mix of technology and design doesn’t come free, and the fact that Kohler continues to add new functions to the Sensate means that its value will continue to grow. (Full disclosure: Kohler gifted me this faucet. I may not have bought it for my rental, but think it’s well worth it for a kitchen reno.)
  • Finickiness: I won’t lie—the faucet can be a bit finicky at times. Occasionally my “dispense three cups of water” will be met with a “I didn’t catch that” or “try again later.” I’ve found this to be the case with most smart home devices I’ve tried, though, and in my experience, these devices tend to get better the more you use them. So keep on barking orders at your faucet—no matter how crazy the neighbors think you are!
  • www.vigafaucet.com

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