One hole, 35 mm, and a tail long enough for your worktop
A basin tap is bought on three numbers and returned for a fourth. The three are tap hole diameter — 35 mm is the near-universal single-hole standard, and a 32 mm hole in an older basin needs an adapter —, spout reach, which decides whether the water lands in the bowl or on the rim, and spout height, which decides whether a hand fits under it. The fourth, the one that catches people out, is the tail length: a tap sold for a thin ceramic basin often has 30 cm flexible tails that will not reach the valves under a thick stone worktop. Then there is the cartridge, and it matters more than the finish: a 35 mm ceramic disc cartridge is a spare part you can buy in five years, an unbranded 25 mm one usually is not. We compare tap hole diameter, spout reach and spout height, stated flow rate with its test pressure, cartridge diameter and type, body material, and finish.
Basin mixer · SUS304 stainless body stated · ceramic cartridge · aerator · matt black
A matt black basin mixer that names its steel and its cartridge — two claims that matter — while publishing none of the dimensions that decide whether it fits.
Best for: A basin where a black finish is wanted over a stainless body, on a standard 35 mm hole.
≈ £29 / 25 €
Basin mixer · solid brass pop-up rod waste supplied · ceramic cartridge, 500 000 cycles stated
A basin mixer supplied with a solid brass rod waste and a cartridge the maker states has passed 500 000 cycles — the tap on this page that arrives most complete.
Best for: Replacing a tap and a tired waste at the same time, on a basin that has an overflow.
≈ 40 €
Basin mixer · ComfortZone 70 mm stated · AirPower aeration · pop-up waste · G3/8 DN15 · suitable for instantaneous heaters
A basin mixer that publishes its working height, its connection size and — unusually — that it suits an instantaneous water heater, which decides whether it can be used at all on that kind of supply.
Best for: An inset basin where the tap will be kept for a decade, and where the supply may be an instantaneous heater.
≈ £57 / 46 €
Basin mixer · 65 mm stated spout height · ceramic cartridge · aerator · G3/8 hoses supplied
A compact chrome basin mixer that publishes its spout height, its cartridge type and the thread of the hoses in the box — and tells you to check your own measurements first.
Best for: An inset or semi-recessed basin where a low, compact spout is wanted.
≈ £29 / 30 €
Basin mixer · ceramic cartridge · replaceable aerator · two DVGW-tested 50 cm G3/8 hoses · 5-year warranty stated
A chrome basin mixer sold as a complete, tested set: a ceramic cartridge, a replaceable aerator, two certified 50 cm hoses and a five-year manufacturer warranty.
Best for: A shallow inset basin where a flat spout suits, and where certified hoses and a long warranty are worth the premium.
≈ £70 / 75 €
