Price buys three things in a tap, and only two of them matter. It buys the cartridge, the body metal, and the finish. The finish is what the photograph sells and the first to stop mattering.
The cartridge
The valve inside the lever is the part that wears. A 35 mm or 40 mm ceramic disc cartridge is a standard size you can still buy in ten years; an unbranded insert of an odd diameter is not, and a tap whose cartridge cannot be replaced is disposable however solid it feels.
The body
Under the plating there is brass, stainless steel or zamak — a zinc alloy that is cheaper to cast and more brittle at the threads. Makers who use brass or stainless say so; makers who use zamak usually write only “chrome”, which describes the coating.
The finish
Chrome is a plating over any of the three. Matt black and brushed finishes are coatings too, and in hard water they show deposit differently rather than resisting it.
Where the money is wasted
On spray modes nobody uses, on a lever shape, and on a brand premium at the point where two taps share the same cartridge size and the same body metal. That point exists in most families, and it is what a comparison is for.
Questions people actually ask
How do I find out what a tap body is made of?
Read the specification rather than the description. Makers who use brass or stainless steel state it, because it costs them more; a listing that only says "chrome" or "high quality material" is describing the surface.
Is a heavier tap a better tap?
Weight correlates with brass rather than zamak, so it is a rough signal — but a heavy tap with a proprietary cartridge is still a tap you cannot repair. Weight is a hint, the cartridge is the answer.
Last reviewed 5 September 2026