Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
Earlier this year we did a Franke Fast-In sink review and also checked out their Franke Bern FF20750 pull-down kitchen faucet. This time we integrated a Franke water filtration system—the Franke DW12080 Cold Water Dispenser—to compensate for the lack of filtered water in a high-end Bosch French Door refrigerator. The water filter system includes the Franke cold water faucet, an under-cabinet water filter, and the connecting hoses to tie it into the water supply. Since Franke doesn’t know your exact plumbing specs, you will need to pick up the correct T-fittings.
Since we wanted matching faucets, we also picked up a Franke Farm House FHPD180 Satin Nickel faucet. This was our second Franke faucet review, and we were particularly interested in how the water filtration worked (and how easily it installed). The Franke Farm House Little Butler Single Handle Under Sink Cold Water Filtration Faucet sounds like a mouthful, but the name carries a pretty good description of what you get. This is classic farm house drinking water faucet that provides a nice look to almost any style sink. That goes double if you pair it with a Franke farm house faucet as we did.
Like their primary faucets, the Franke DW12080 cold water dispenser is made of solid brass. This Farm House faucet stands 8-3/8 inches tall and is designed for cold water filtration. They have options for hot & cold as well as hot only. They even make chillers. The system ties into a Franke under-the-sink water filtration kit. We chose the basic Franke Undersink Water Filtration Canister which comes with an FRC06 filter. They also have multiple filter models as well as a stainless steel option for more exposed applications.
The filter matters. The Franke FRC06 cleanable filter elements remove suspended solids, pathogenic bacteria, cysts, chlorine, mercury, lead, and VOC’s. They also improve taste and reduce trace contaminants. The cartridges have a ceramic pre-filter shell with a post-filter block carbon insert inside. This insert is made by combining powdered carbon blends and zeolite into a tightly packed cylindrical block. The FRC06 filter elements have been tested to NSF protocols for cyst, turbidity, particulates, and chlorine reduction. There are other options from Franke, including the FR07, FR08, FR09, and FR10. Some of these are intended as pre-filters in a Franke dual filtration system. The FR06 makes for a good general filter, while others focus on reducing water hardness and limescale. Others reduce Fluoride content.
We liked the satin nickel finish of our Franke Water Filtration (the DW12080) and it matched our Bosch stainless steel appliances perfectly. The right-oriented handle tilts down towards you and makes it easy to fill your glasses and/or cups with cold, filtered water.
By design, you’d want a sink with a hole at the extreme right. That’s the perfect location for the Franke water filtration faucet. Ours, however, lacked that, so we were forced to mount it to the left of the Franke Farm House FHPD180 Satin Nickel faucet. While not ideal, it allowed us easy access to both faucets without the handles being in each others’ way. As we had a ceramic-coated sink, we couldn’t simply add a new hole.
Like all Franke products, they arrived well-packed and with all of the accessories leading directly to the faucet or filter. The quality of finish, as well as the build quality, impressed. By all I could ascertain visually, these faucets should last a lifetime. The Franke Farm House FHPD180 Satin Nickel pull down kitchen faucet shipped nestled in a cloth bag within the box. The faucet includes integrated braided supply lines and pull-out spray nozzle. The supply line and pull-down faucet hoses all looked well-made.
Franke provided a pair of counterweights in this model to aid in the retraction of the pull-down faucet. This allows gentle retraction of the spray head without forcing you to raise it manually. Franke also includes a stainless steel base plate for use with 2- or 3-hole sinks along with adjustment wrenches, an O-ring, and minimal instructions. The braided supply lines have red and blue colored lines to mark them as hot or cold.
The Franke cold water dispenser (model DW12080) has some more finish options than our sink faucet. You can get the Franke Farm House cold water filter faucet in Polished Chrome and Satin Nickel, but you can also find it in Old World Bronze. The faucet includes a pressure washer to constrain your flow of filtered water to a manageable level.
While not a Fast-in product, the use of a Ridgid telescoping basin wrench made quick work of installing the two Farm House faucets to our sink. The rest of the process involved mounting the filter system itself. The Franke filter kit (FRCNSTR100) came with the red and white plastic filter housing, mounting bracket, FRC06 filter, polyethylene tubing, and hardware. The system uses a mixture of 3/8″ quick-connects and threaded adapter fittings to get to the drinking water faucet. The filter canister costs just under $150 and includes a single filter.
We first connected the labeled hot and cold water hoses for the main faucet along with the pull-down spray head. That included affixing the two weights. After verifying the faucet was in working order, we switched over to installing the filter and Franke DW12080 water dispenser into the cold water line.
After turning off the cold water supply, we removed the 3/8″ compression nut using a wrench. We attached a diverter valve in preparation for running the new lines. Next, we mounted the Franke Water Filtration Farm House dispenser to the top of the sink. It comes with an O-ring to keep it any topside water from leaking through. Underneath, we attached the fasteners to center and secure the faucet. The faucet can be fastened tightly enough so as to not rotate during use—but you do have to crank it down. We then connected the adapter to get us from the threaded supply to the quick connect system.
While you may want to mount your filter housing to a stronger side wall, our sink lives at the apex of a corner cabinet, so we mounted it to the back wall. We set it high enough to allow for easy access to change out the filter when needed. A couple screws later, and we had the mounting bracket fastened into place.
We then ran a tube from the valve to the inlet side of the filter system and then from the outlet side to the drinking water faucet. We measured and cut our tubing and then pushed it into the various quick connects. Easy peasy!
While not quite as easy as a Fast-in sink or faucet, it remains fairly simple to add a Franke Water Filtration and Dispenser. The use of quick-connects and straightforward design makes for quick work. If you’re a plumber or builder, these faucets will save time on installation but they also make a nice premium upgrade over “builder-grade” solutions. The Franke DW12080 Cold Water Dispenser and under-cabinet filtration system should deliver reliable use over many years and give you (or your customers) a truly effortless way to get clean water in the kitchen. It also, but the way, provides delicious water on demand. We love the design and how easily the Franke water filtration system becomes part of your normal kitchen workflow.
For more information, visit the Franke website.
When he's not remodeling part of his house or playing with the latest power tool, Clint enjoys life as a husband, father, and avid reader. He has a degree in recording engineering and has been involved in multimedia and/or online publishing in one form or another since 1992.
Clint’s career has covered nearly the entire realm of audio and video production. After graduating at the top of his class with an Associates Degree in Recording Engineering, he began working for the famed Soundelux studios in 1994, one of the largest post-production companies specializing in audio for feature films & television. Working on a myriad of feature films, Clint honed his skills as a dialogue editor, foley editor, and sound designer. Years later, he moved into the expanding area of video editing, where he served as the company’s senior AVID video editor for three years.
Working for such clients as Universal Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, NASA, Universal Studios, Planet Hollywood, SEGA, NASCAR, and others, Clint dealt extensively with client management as well as film & video editing, color correction, and digital video & MPEG compression. He also carries several THX certifications (Technician I and II, THX Video), and is ISF Level II Certified.
After founding the CD Media, Inc. publishing company in 1996, he went on to help start or grow several successful online publications, including Audioholics (as Editor-in-Chief for 12 years), Audiogurus, and AV Gadgets. In 2008, Clint founded Pro Tool Reviews followed by the landscape and outdoor power equipment-focused OPE Reviews in 2017. He also heads up the Pro Tool Innovation Awards, an annual awards program honoring innovative tools and accessories across the trades.
Crediting his excellent staff for the success of what is now the largest power tool review publication in the industry, Clint DeBoer hopes to see continued growth for the company as it rapidly expands its reach. Pro Tool Reviews critically reviews hundreds of hand tools, power tools, and accessories each year to help inform users about the best and newest products in the industry. Reaching everyone from the construction industry professional and tradesman to the serious DIYer, Pro Tool Reviews helps tool consumers shop better, work smarter, and stay aware of what tools and products can help put them at the top of their game.
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Professional Tool Reviews for Pros