Franz Viegener Faucets Review & Rating Updated: March 1, 2024
trading as
Franz Viegener US
4000 Porett Drive
Gurnee Illinois 60031
847-244-3837
info@franzviegener.com
F.V.S.A.
formerly
Franz Viegener, S.A.
Bernardo De Irigoyen
1053 Florida
Buenos Aires B1604AFC
Argentina
Law Requirements
Warranty Footnotes:1. "[T]o the original consumer/purchaser to be free from defects in material and workmanship for as long as the original consumer purchaser owns both the product and the home in which the product was originally installed ..."2. The only living finish is unlacquered polished brass.3. The only powder coating is flat black.
Download/Print the Franz Viegener warranty.
Learn more about faucet warranties.
This Company In Brief
Franze Viegener is a faucet company you have probably never heard of, but if you are in the market for a unique, well-designed upscale kitchen or bath faucet, it may be a company you will want to know about.
Its faucets are of very good quality using critical components – particularly cartridges – that are some of the world's best, and a very good value in good-quality, well-designed luxury faucets.
The parent company, F.V.S.A., is an Argentine manufacturer with German roots that sells its premium faucets in Canada and the U.S. through a subsidiary, FV America Corporation.
The faucets are sold exclusively through decorative plumbing showrooms in the U.S. and Canada. Showrooms may advertise online but may not sell the faucets over the internet.
The company's lifetime warranty on critical parts and most finishes is a solid lifetime warranty backed by excellent customer service.
Fhe Franz Vieg;net brand is not well known in the U.S. even though the company has been exporting its faucets to this country for over 30 years.
The faucets were distributed for many years by Barclay Products, LLC and sold through pioneering online retailers like Clawfoot Supply (long before it changed its name to – a diivsion of Ferguson Enterprises LLC) – and began selling faucets made mostly in China).
The faucets did not sell as expected in the U. S. however, so in 2013 Viegener changed its approach to the North American market. It severed its ties with Barclay and took over its own distribution as FV America Corporation from a home base near Chicago.
It also began importing just its premium line of faucets and restricting its sales venues to brick and mortar decorative plumbing showrooms. The company does not allow sales over the internet [1] and will not support faucets sold through unauthorized retailers, including Amazon and eBay.
To discourage discounting, the company enforces a Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policy. We are not privy to the actual policy (because we are not dealers), but by comparing dealer street prices with the company's list prices, we calculate the maximum discount that can be advertised is about 20% below the list price.
Some showrooms sell below this price, but they don't advertise the actual selling price. Most don't, however.
The Company
F.V.S.A. is South America's premier faucet manufacturer with a 700,000 square-foot factory in Pilar near Buenos Aires, Argentina, and another in Ecuador.
It is essentially the of South America, manufacturing faucets at every price point from economy to luxury, occupying the full range of the South American faucet market.
According to the company history, the original Viegener company was in Attendorn, Germany – a brassworks founded by Franz Viegener in 1899 to manufacture beer taps for the domestic market.
The son, Franz (later Francisco) Viegener, a wartime veteran of the German army, migrated to Argentina in 1921 to escape the economic and social chaos that engulfed Germany following its defeat in the First World War. [2]
Trained in the arts of casting brass and bronze at the original Vieg;net factory, Francisco formed Franz Viegener S.A. as a small foundry in Buenos Aires, almost lost it to the worldwide depression that began in 1929 but recovered sufficiently by 1936 to buy the land that now houses the company headquarters in Buenos Aires.
In 1960 the company acquired the rural acreage now occupied by its Argentine factory near Pilar, about 30 minutes from Buenos Aires, and completed the tranfer of its manufacturing to the new location in 11973. A short tiome later it opened a second factory in Equador.
By the mid-1980s Franze Vieg;net S.A. had become the largest manufacturer of faucets and related fixtures in South America with subsidiaries throughout Latin America.
The Faucets
The faucet lineup sold in the U. S. consists of thirty-two faucets: sixteen bathroom faucets and the same number kitchen faucets. More than half of these have been introduced since 2020.
Viegener faucets can be fitted with as many as six different handles. Each handle style is listed as a distinct model with a separate model number in the company's online catalog.
Viegener bathroom sink faucets are part of collections that also include tub spouts and fillers, showers, and accessories (towel bars and rings, robe hooks, bathroom tissue holders, etc.). All of the elements of a collection are in the same design pattern for a bathroom that looks totally coordinated.
The faucets are of very good quality. The samples we examined were precisely machined, all-brass faucets with impeccable finishes – easily as good as we have seen elsewhere from high-end manufacturers.
Designs and Designers
The faucets are true designer faucets, created for Viegener by Josef Moskovic, chief designer of the Franz Viegener Design Group, that includes designers Leonardo Solferino, and Juan Cavallero.
The company also engages outside designers such as noted artist and product designer Cristian Mohaded, creator the new Hito faucet.
Faucets available in to U.S. and Canadian customers are just a fraction of the designer faucets manufactured by F.V.S.A.. Many of the latest designs, including the Nueva 44, Cipres, and Hito are not offered by Viegener in North America.
Viegener styles are weighted toward contemporary designs where the company's design acumen can most easily find expression.
But, the collections also include a sprinkling of traditional designs such as the Casablanca 60 with hints of Art Deco styling, and the Revere which would be at home in a traditional or Victorian bath.
The Edge lavatory faucet introduced in 2010 remains the company's signature faucet. It has, in the intervening decade, been widely copied, especially by Chinese companies. Its innovative styling earned the company its first Good Design award in 2011.
The company has subsequently won two more Good Design awards for its Skyline (2013) and Shoreline (2014) low-profile lavatory faucets.
Good Design, conferred annually by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, is the oldest and most prestigious of the international awards for product design innovation. Designs that are awareded a Good Design stamp are at the top of the international product design world.
Viegener faucets have also won other awards for their designs.
- The Industrial Chic was awarded a Dwell on Design award in 2013 and 2015 from Dwell Magazine.
- The Nerea Knurling single handle lavatory faucet received a Hospitality Design Award from Hospitality Design Magazine.
- The kitchen faucet an NYCxDESIGN award in 2019 from the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
And there are more. After a while, we just got tired of counting.
Faucet Styles and Configurations: For more on faucet configurations and how reach and height may affect your choice of faucets, go to Faucet Style and Configuration
Faucet Components
The critical components of the faucets, valve cartaridges and aerators, are some of the very best. And they need to be for long-term faucet performance. The valve cartridges control water flow and temperature. Aerators shape and moderate the stream of water emitted from the faucet.
The Faucet Cartridge
Never buy a faucet unless you know who made the cartridge.
Its cartridge is the most critical part of a faucet. It is the component that actually controls water flow. Without a working cartridge, a faucet is no longer a faucet.
Companies that use good-quality cartridges in their faucets usually disclose the cartridge source on their websites. Those that don't will happily identify the cartridge in a call to customer service.
If the company refuses to reveal the sources of its cartridges (because it is a "trade secret" doncha know), you can confidently assume it is not one of the better brands.
For more information about faucet valves and cartridges and the companies that make cartridges known to be reliable, see faucet Valves & Cartridges.
Like almost all faucet companies, Viegener buys these components from manufacturers that specialize in these precision devices.
Most faucet companies that provide top-quality ceramic cartridges and top-drawer aerators for their faucets are eager to advertise the fact on their websites.
Viegener, however, does not take advantage of the marketing potential of its first-rate components.
Single Function Stem Cartridges
Viegener's two-handle faucets include single-function stem cartridges, one for the hot-side handle, and another for the cold side.
These are supplied by Flühs Drehtechnik, GmbH of Lüdenscheid, Germany. Flühs (often spelled Fluehs for English speakers) makes what is considered by most in the faucet business to be one of the best, if not the best, European faucet cartridges made for two-handle faucets.
Dual Function Mixing Cartridges
The company's single-handle faucets use a dual-function mixing cartridge. Like a single-function cartridge, it controls water volume, but unlike a single-function cartridge, it also adjusts the temperature of the water.
The company's initial response to our request that it identify it mixing cartridges was that the cartridges are "proprietary", made for F.V.S.A. by an manufacturer and is not in the "best interest" of the company to identify the manufacturer. However, it subsequently identified them as made by the European technical ceramics company, Kerox Kft of Hungary.
Kerox is the mixing cartridge preferred by up-scale faucet manufacturers. Its reputation is well-earned for extremely reliable cartridges that perform well even in relatively hard water. We know it to be a very good, long-lasting cartridge.
Aerators
Aerators used in Vieg;net faucets are from Neoperl®.
Faucet aerators used to be simple devices that merely infused a little air to soften the water stream so it would not splash out of the sink.
Today, however, they are precision products used to limit water volume to the lower flows required by federal and state water conservation laws, and in faucets with pull-out sprays, to prevent back-flow that could contaminate household drinking water.
It is important, therefore, that this little device, often smaller than a dime, be the best available. And that, almost by definition, is the Swiss-engineered Neoperl® aerator.
The Finishes
The company offers ten finishes on most of its faucets.
Chrome, an finish, is the standard. Any other finish will result in an additional charge over the base price of the faucet.
All other finishes except Flat Black and Unlacquered Polished Brass are (PVD) finishes. These are incredibly durable finishes, almost indestructible, that require very little maintenance. A wipe-down every once in a while will usually suffice.
Faucet Finishes: For information on faucet finishes and the advantages and disadvantages of each type of finish, see Faucet Finishes.
Unlacquered Polished Brass is just a brass faucet without an applied finish. It is considered a intended by design to show evidence of age and use over time.
Flat Black is Viegener's only . The finish is essentially a paint applied in powdered form and then cured in an oven to produce the cross-linked molecles that make it durable.
It is not as durable, however, as the metallic finishes. It has about the same endurance as the finish on your car. It scratches fairly easily and requires more care to maintain a like-new appearance than PVD or electropated finishes. Keep any sort of scouring pad or abrasive cleaner far, far away.
How to Buy a Faucet: For information on how to buy a reliable faucet that is safe, reliable, and free of lead and other toxins, see How to Buy a Faucet.
The Website
Viegener recently revamped its North American website to make it work well with multiple devices, from smartphones to desktop monitors.
It is colorful, full of striking images, and well-designed with intuitive navigation. But, the hard data provided about each faucet is not sufficient for a well-informed buying decision.
Physical Vapor Deposition
The physical vapor deposition (PVD) process was first discovered in 1852 by Sir William Robert Grove, but the technology remained a little-known scientific curiosity until the beginning of the Atomic Era in the 1950's when the need arose for virtually indestructible metal finishes that could withstand the hellish environment inside a nuclear reactor.
Watch PVD Finishes Being Applied
To watch faucet components being given their PVD finishes using a process called reactive sputtering, check out this brief video. Be aware that it is very noisy, so you might want to turn down the volume on your player.
PVD finishes are applied in a very thin (2 to 5 microns) but very dense layer in a vacuum chamber loaded with unfinished faucet components. All the air is replaced with a carefully calculated mix of inert and reactive gases. A metal rod to be used for the coating is heated to a temperature so high that it dissolves into individual atoms creating an ionic plasma that bombards the components.
Nearly constant experimentation with gas mixtures is producing a rainbow of new finishes. Some mimic traditional finishes like polished brass (but completely tarnish-free), nickel (but much harder than a true nickel), and stainless steel (that does not show fingerprints like true stainless steel). Other combinations produce patinas not found in nature, like black chrome and rose gold.
The very dense PVD coating bonds to the faucet at a molecular level, essentially becoming an integral part of the fabric of the faucet and creating a dense and extremely hard shell (Rockwell HRC-80+) that encloses and protects the underlying metal.
In abrasion tests, PVD finishes are regularly found to be 10 to 20 times more scratch-resistant than the old standard, electroplated chrome.
Faucet listings vary greatly in the information they provide about a faucet.
Most contain only bare-bones information: a brief description of the faucet, a display of the finishes available, a dimension drawing, and the faucet's certifications. Some include the faucet's flow rate(s), but not all.
Most faucet companies supplement this very basic information with a more detailed, specification sheet, usually in downloadable .pdf format. Viegener does not.
The dimensioned drawing is scaled-down and cannot be enlarged which reduces its usefulness in helping a user determine whether a faucet's reach and height will match his or her sink choice.
Most listings have a link to the warranty – now a requirement under federal law – and a link to care and usage instructions.
But, there is no link to an exploded parts diagram or installation instructions.
Online installation instructions are a useful preview for your plumber to help him or her determine whether there might be any installation issues in the location you have selected for the faucet or if any special tools are required.
Finish Durability
Some finishes are more durable than others. Some, the so-called , are intended to fade, discolor, and otherwise show the effect of use and wear over time.
Here are common types of faucet finishes and their durability from most to least durable.
- (PVD) finishes are 10 to 20 times more scratch-resistant than electroplated chrome.
- Thin Film Ceramic (TFC) is the newest type of finished used on Faucets, is nearly as durable as PVD finishes. Very few companies are using it, but see
- is the old standby. It is a tough finish that will stand up to most abuse, but its durability depends on the metal used.
- Chrome is durable, nickel less so because it is inherently a softer metal – the reason chrome replaced nickel as the faucet finish of choice in the early 20th century.
- is essentially a paint applied in powdered form then heated in an oven to cure. It is considered semi-dirable with about the same durability as the finish on your car.
- Lacquers are more vulnerable to damage than powder doatings. Clear lacquers may be applied to bare brass to prevent corrosion.
- are intended to respond to the environment by fading, discoloring, staining, and so on. They are designed to look old out of the box and look even older as time goes by.
Faucets are displayed only in chrome. If you hunt around, sometimes an image of the faucet in another finish can be found.
But, the actual listing, while offering as many as ten finishes for a faucet, does not give the user the option of displaying the faucet in any finish other than chrome.
The websites of other faucet companies (See, e.g. ) display the image of a faucet in whatever finish the user selects, a feature that is a great aid in visualizing the faucet.
By not having a similar capability, Vieg;net is denying itself a powerful sales feature.
The Warranty
The Franz Viegener warranty is a standard North American lifetime warranty.
The warranty guarantees all mechanical parts of a faucet against defects in material or workmanship for as long as the original purchaser owns the faucet and the home in which the faucet it initially installed.[3]
Finishes other than living finishes and powder coatings are also guaranteed for a lifetime – a safe bet since electroplated chrome is very robust and PVD finishes almost indestructible. (See the sidebar Physical Vapor Deposition for more information.)
The company's sole living finish, unlacquered polished brass, is not guaranteed at all, which is not unusual. Living finishes are rarely guaranteed because they are intended to tarnish, change color, and otherwise show signs of age and use.
Understanding Faucet Finish Warranties
No warranty protects against all of the hazards that can befall a faucet finish, and theFranz Vieg;net finish warranty is no exception.
it protects against just those defects that result from errors in the finishing process: peeling, flaking, blistering, scaling, excessive discoloration, and delamination. These are extremely rare, and by "extremely rate" we mean "almost unheard of."
Most damage to faucet finishes results from over-zealous cleaning. Modern finishes do not require scrubbing. They need little more than a wipe-down with a mild detergent and soft cloth. Harsh chemical cleansers or scouring pads are not needed. Finish damage caused by users is never covered by a faucet warranty.
Flat Black, the company's one and only powder coating, is guaranteed for just two years.
This is an unusually short warranty term. Powder coatings are typically guaranteed for five years or longer.
We consider the Veigener guarantee as an indication that the company is not yet fully comfortable with the long-term durability of its new powder-coated finish.
Proof of purchase in the form of an original dated receipt is required to make a warranty claim. Viegener will not guarantee or provide service for any faucet purchased from an unauthorized source. It also will not pay for "labor charrges, installation or other consequential costs" no matter where a faucet is bought.
Warranty Problems
We found just one problem with the warranty. It's in this disclaimer clause:
"TO THE EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, FRANZ VIEGENER PROVIDES THIS WARRANTY IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED …"
The federal law that governs the content and form of consumer product warranties, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. §2301), prohibits issuers of written warranties from disclaiming state law implied warranties.
The usual savings expression "TO THE EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW" does not save this provision because, unlike other legal documents, consumer product warranties must be written in "simple and readily understood" language that can be grasped by the aveage consumer. ((15 U.S.C. §2301) Legalese is not "simple and readily understood" except by (some) lawyers, and most consumers are not lawyers.
The most the warranty can do is limit the duration of implied warranties to the same duration as its written warranty. and the warranty already has language to that effect
"Any applicable implied warranties that cannot be disclaimed are limited to the same duration as the express warranty herein."
The problem with the disclaimer clause is that it could be considered deceptive and one of the three cardinal rules of Magnuson-Moss is that warranty language must not be deceptive.
This clause would almost certainly lead an average reasonable consumer to believe that implied warranties have been disclaimed, and no longer apply. But, Magnuson-Moss absolutely prohibits any company issuing a written warranty from disclaiming implied warranties
We don't think that Franz Wiegener is being intentionally deceptive. No doubt whatever lawyer wrote the warranty was unaware that it is totally prohibited in a written consumer Warranty.
But, under Magnuson-Moss, deliberate deception is not required to incur liability for deception.
The Act imposes a duty of reasonable care on every issuer of a written warranty "to make the warranty not misleading." (15 U.S. Code §2310(c)(2)), language that is a little awkward but unmistakable in its meaning. Consequently, the very presence of the disclaimer clause in the warranty evidences a lack of reasonable care and, therefore, culpable misrepresentation.
In any lawsuit, FV America's liability could well include punitive or exemplary damages for deception that could far exceed any actual damages.
The bottom line is that the clause does nothing to help the company. Since implied warranties cannot be disclaimed, even if state laws allow disclaimers, it has no effect whatsoever. The only thing it can do it get the comapany in trouble, so it should be removed.
Customer Service
We did not conduct our usual sructured tests on Franz Viegener's post-sale customer support. They usually don't work with very small companies like FV America employing just one or two customer service agents. Agents quickly figure out they are being tested.
What we do is, starting 90 days before a report is revised, ask questions of the agents that appear to be coming from all over the country. Some of the questions are pretty tricky. Then we score for knowlege, attitude, and demeanor.
Agents were friendly, helpful, and respectful, and kept their cool even with truly stupid questions and deliberately rude callers. We were satisfied that the answers we received were candid and accurate although sometimes the agent had to do a little research to find an answer.
We rate FV America's customer service "superior."
The Better Business Bureau does not have a file on FV America, which suggests that in the or so years that it has been handling Viegener's North American distribution, no customer has made a complaint to the BBB. We find that somewhat astounding, but a firm indicator that the company has very few issues with its faucets and what it does have, it handles successfully in house.
Testing & Certification
Comparable Faucets
Faucets comparable to Franz Viegener in quality and strength of warranty, but not necessarily in price or design, include
Conclusions
We believe Franz Viegener faucets to be a very good value in luxury faucets.
The faucets are well-designed, high-quality luxury faucets in a variety of styles and finishes suited to just about any decor preference. The faucets are equipped with very robust top-quality cartridges that should provide trouble-free service for many years.
Viegener backs its faucets with a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser supported by knowledgeable and responsive customer service.
The fact that the company has not complied with the flow-rate certification requirements of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act means that the sale of the faucets in the U.S. is illegal under federal law, but you as a buyer are not affected. Although Vieg;net cannot legally sell the faucets, you can legally buy them. FV America is at substantial legal risk for serious financial penalties, but you are at no legal risk whatsoever.
Viegener prices the faucets to be very competitive with North American and European designer faucets of equal quality. In many instances, they are half the price of the competition. For those looking for a fresh, innovative, and unique design in a luxury faucet with a variety of finish options, the Franz Viegener collection is well worth consideration.
We are continuing to research the company. If you have experience with Franz Viegener faucets, good, bad, or indifferent, we would like to hear about it, so please contact us or post a comment below.
Footnotes
- According to the company: "We encourage our dealers to promote our beautiful products online so they're searchable, however, we want the purchasing experience to be personal; offering our showroom sales staff the opportunity to be part of the sales process. By doing this, both the consumer and the sales associate have a stake in the movement of product. This strategy offers the consumer the ability to easily address any product questions or concerns while affording the sales associate an opportunity to advise, offer care information or suggest other items which may be required to complete the installation."
- Interview with Rodolfo Viegener, former president of Franz Viegener S.A., by Andrea Lluch, May 23, 2008, Creating Emerging Markets Project, Baker Library Historical Collections, Harvard Business School.
- Original purchasers that are not homeowners are apparently out of luck according to the terms of the warranty. Since they don't own their home, the warranty never attaches. The better language would be "as long as the original purchaser occupies or resides in the home in which the faucet is originally installed."
- However, a company spokesman informed us by e-mail that the company does not take the ownership requirement literally, stating that "If a tenant buys the product and installs it in their leased apartment, they are still covered."