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Two spare parts that make an old tap new

The best tap aerators and cartridges for 2026

Two small parts account for most of what goes wrong with a tap, and both are cheaper than a call-out. The aerator is the screen in the end of the spout; when it clogs the flow drops and the stream sprays sideways. Buying one means matching the thread, and there are only a few: M24 male and M22 female cover most European taps, with M28 on kitchen mixers. Note the flow figure with the pressure it is rated at — a 5 l/min aerator is 5 l/min at 3 bar, and less on a weak supply. The cartridge is the valve inside the lever; when it wears the tap drips or the lever goes stiff. It is sized by diameter — 35 mm and 40 mm are the common ceramic disc sizes — and by the shape of its base, which is where compatibility actually lives. Neither part is glamorous and both extend a tap by years. We compare thread size and gender, cartridge diameter, stated flow rate with its test pressure, seal type, and material.

What we recommend

  1. TIANLIN swivelling tap aerator with a 360 degree ball head

    TIANLIN 360° swivel aerator, M22 male / M24 female with adapter

    An aerator that swivels on a ball joint — so a fixed spout suddenly reaches the corners of the sink.

    Thread size
    M22 or M24 — stated
    Thread gender
    M22 male, or M24 female with the supplied adapter — stated
    Flow rate
    Not stated as a figure — the maker claims a 30 to 60 % saving with no litres-per-minute figure and no reference pressure
    Seal type
    Not stated by the maker
    Material
    A copper body with a stainless steel filter mesh — stated
    Quantity supplied
    One, with an adapter — stated
    Amazon reference
    B09B39RGGR (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    0761062929806
    • A 360° ball head, so a fixed spout can be pointed into the corners of a sink or at a pan on the side
    • Fits both M22 male and M24 female with the adapter in the box, which covers most taps
    • The "30 to 60 %" saving is a wide range with no flow figure and no reference pressure behind it

    Best for: A kitchen sink with a fixed spout that never quite points where the washing-up is.

    ≈ £6 / 7 €
    Check price on Amazon
  2. COOLUCK ten-pack of M24 tap aerators with a fitting key

    COOLUCK ten M24 aerators with 304 stainless mesh and a fitting key

    A ten-pack with the fitting key included — the sensible way to do every tap in a house in one afternoon.

    Thread size
    M24 — stated
    Thread gender
    Not stated explicitly — M24 aerators are the size fitted to taps with an internal thread
    Flow rate
    12 to 15 l/min — stated by the maker, with measurement error and pressure differences acknowledged but no reference pressure given
    Seal type
    Ten seals supplied — stated; the material is not named
    Material
    A chrome-plated brass body with a 304 stainless steel filter mesh — stated
    Quantity supplied
    Ten, with ten seals and one chrome-plated carbon steel fitting key — stated
    Amazon reference
    B08R9TN55J (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    0762716221109
    • Ten aerators, ten seals and a fitting key, which is a whole house done in one order
    • A chrome-plated brass body and a 304 stainless mesh, both named
    • 12 to 15 l/min is high — this is a full-flow aerator, not a water-saving one

    Best for: Renewing every aerator in a house at once, where full flow matters more than a saving.

    ≈ 9 €
    Check price on Amazon
  3. PERLATOR M18.5 water-saving screw-in tap aerators with service key

    PERLATOR four M18.5 water-saving screw-in aerators, about 5.7 l/min

    The genuine water-saving option in this hub — about 5.7 l/min against 12 to 15 for a full-flow aerator.

    Thread size
    M18.5 — stated
    Thread gender
    Male, for screwing into a tap with an internal thread — stated
    Flow rate
    About 5.7 l/min — stated; no reference pressure is given
    Seal type
    Not stated by the maker
    Material
    POM plastic, made in Germany — stated
    Quantity supplied
    Four, with a matching service key — stated
    Amazon reference
    B0F9F9W38Q (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    7640141455357
    • About 5.7 l/min, which is roughly a third of a full-flow aerator — a saving you can actually measure on a bill
    • A service key supplied for fitting and removal, and four aerators for a whole bathroom
    • No reference pressure for the 5.7 l/min figure

    Best for: A basin used many times a day for washing hands, where a third of the flow is entirely sufficient.

    ≈ 11 €
    Check price on Amazon
  4. Neoperl Perlator DL chrome M24 tap aerators, ten pack

    Neoperl Perlator DL M24×1, ten pieces, 13.5–15 l/min at 3 bar

    A ten-pack from the manufacturer that invented the aerator, and the only listing here whose flow figure means something.

    Thread size
    M24 × 1 — stated
    Thread gender
    Male — stated
    Flow rate
    13.5 to 15 l/min at 3 bar — stated, with the reference pressure
    Seal type
    A seal is supplied — stated; the material is not named
    Material
    Chrome plated — stated; the body material is not named
    Quantity supplied
    Ten — stated
    Amazon reference
    B00ACMN65C (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    8021031401644
    • Publishes the flow AND the pressure — 13.5 to 15 l/min at 3 bar — which nothing else in this catalogue's aerators does
    • Ten pieces from the manufacturer whose brand name became the generic word for the part
    • A full-flow aerator: at 13.5 to 15 l/min it is not a water-saving part

    Best for: Replacing aerators on good taps where the original specification matters, and where the flow should stay as designed.

    ≈ £16 / 14 €
    Check price on Amazon