Luxart & Mainline Faucets Review & Rating Updated: May 6, 2024
127 Coulter Ave.
Ardmore PA 19003
(225) 295-4212 EMCO Corporation
1108 Dundas St
London, ON, N5W 3A7 Canada
(225) 295-4212
Law Requirements
Warranty Footnotes:
1. "[A]s long as the original consumer purchaser owns their [sic] home."2. The Luxart warranty attempts to exclude liability under state law implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for purpose. The disclaimer of state law implied warranties is expressly prohibited by the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. §2301).
Download/Print the Luxart faucet warranty.
Learn more about faucet warranties.
This Company In Brief
Luxart and Mainline are private brands of Hajoca Corporation, the largest privately-owned distributor of plumbing and heating products in the U.S. It is also a major distributor in Canada through its wholly-owned subsidiary, EMCO corporation.
Its Luxart and Mainline plumbing fittings and accessories are made in China. For the price, they are generally a good value. Luxart faucets are Watersense®, qualified. The products are well supported through Hajoca's network of plumbing supply stores in the U.S. and Canada.
Hajoca is the largest privately owned wholesale distributor of plumbing and heating products in the United States. Founded in 1858 as Haines, Jones & Cadbury Co. in Philadelphia, PA, the company was already being referred to informally as "HaJoCa" by 1904.
If you have never heard of it, it's because in your town it probably does not operate under its corporate name but under one of the 50 or so trade names it uses throughout the U.S. Hajoca expanded primarily by buying up local wholesalers and keeping the wholesaler's original name. The company operates over 350 stores in 32 states. In Canada, it trades as EMCO Corporation which operates 180 branches throughout the country.
Its chief competitors are Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. ( Wolseley in Canada) that sells comparable lines of faucets under the brands, and WinWhole:sale Inc., a distributor of plumbing and heating supplies as Winnelson with 240 retail stores in the U.S.
The history of Hajoca is largely the story of plumbing in the U.S. One of the first large-scale plumbing and sanitary ware distributors, it played a major role in deciding which products and features would become the standards for North American plumbing by encouraging innovation and providing a ready outlet for new products through its catalog sales and local wholesalers.
The Hajoca catalog, now well into its second century, is an invaluable resource for tracing the evolution of the U.S. plumbing industry. For restorers it is an essential aid in determining the origin of fixtures and products no longer available but which may need to be either located or duplicated for a historic renovation.
In Canada, the faucets are sold by EMCO, Ltd. which was purchased by Hajoca in 2003 and operates as its wholly-owned subsidiary. EMCO, based in London, Ontario, is a distributor of products for the construction industry including plumbing and heating, through its numerous locations across Canada.
Hajoca has assembled 10 collections under the Luxart name, which also include shower fixtures and accessories. The styles range from traditional to contemporary, meaning that there is probably at least one Luxart faucet to fit any style requirement. The contemporary Aerro collection is stylish but not far divorced from what we think of as the basic contemporary Chinese faucet. But, other collections are striking. We especially like the Perpetua collection which features faucets that would be at home in any Arts & Crafts bathroom, and the Downtown collection which contains some striking widespread sink faucets.
The Mainline brand includes eight collections. These are more economy or builder models but while not as stylish overall as the Luxart line, we found no substantial difference in quality. The warranties on both lines of faucets are substantially the same, although Mainline includes a commercial faucet collection that is guaranteed for five years rather than the lifetime guarantee accorded residential faucets.
Luxart faucets are made in China, boxed, labeled, and ready to sell when delivered to Hajoca. The principal manufacturers are:
All of these companies are manufacturers that make faucets for export to North American and Europe. Globe Union and Lota are probably the two largest, providing finished faucets and/or faucet components to a wide variety of faucet companies in the U.S. and Canada.
Globe Union manufactures in-house brands for a growling list of U.S. and Canadian importers, including
Lota's lineup is almost as extensive. It makes faucets for
Seagull manufactures finished faucets and/or faucet components for American Standard's luxury line of
The collections, particularly the Luxart collections, have been assembled by someone with an eye to coordinating styles but there is nothing unique or novel about the individual faucets themselves. They are generic Chinese designs that appear to be right out of each manufacturer's They are neither designed by nor created expressly for Luxart. Chinese designs rarely are innovative. They tend to stick closely to the middle of the road and follow the pack rather than lead it. The goal of Chinese faucet manufacturers is to sell as many faucets as possible, which means keeping their designs well within the design mainstream to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible. Few design adventures take place in China.
The Luxart and Mainline websites are well designed and simple to navigate. Faucets can be displayed by just about any feature you can think of including the number of handles, finish, flow rate, height, and style class (traditional, transitional, and contemporary). The search feature is accurate and responsive. Information about each faucet is extensive, more than enough to make an informed buying decision, except for the origin of the ceramic cartridges. Knowing the manufacturer of the cartridge is useful to determine where or not it is a good one.
Specification sheets are downloadable in .pdf format and provide considerable information, including a dimensioned drawing of each faucet. Installation instructions (also .pdf) are easy to follow and including an exploded parts diagram and the warranty that applies to the faucet. Specifications and instructions are in three languages: English, Spanish and French.
Our plumber rated installation of our test faucets "Easy" to "Very Easy" on a four-point scale of "Very Easy" to "Very Hard."
Finish choices are limited. All faucets are available in polished chrome, some in brushed nickel, and a few in oil-rubbed bronze. Some Luxart faucets are finished in polished nickel. Custom and specialty finishes are not available.
The product warranty on both collections meets the standards of the industry in North America. The customer support provided by Hajoca is vastly superior to most. We have been Hajoca customers for many years), and our overall impression of the company is that it is well run and on top of things. Our testing of the service provided after faucet sales merely confirmed our earlier judgment.
Hajoca's replacement parts program has depth and is operated by a company that has vast experience at keeping track of small parts, so parts availability for the duration of the faucet warranty is virtually assured. What we do not like is that Hajoca does not publish a customer support telephone number (but we do, see above) on its website, forcing potential customers to communicate by e-mail.
Taiwanese- and Chinese-made faucets comparable to Luxart include
Based on our knowledge of the company's suppliers, an examination of a sample of Luxart and Mainline faucets acquired through normal retail outlets, and our conversations of plumbers who regularly use the products, we believe that either the Luxart or Mainline faucet line is of good quality overall and offers good to very good value for the price with top drawer Hajoca customer support. There is an adequate range of designs and finishes, and the ceramic valves used in the faucets we examined were at least good with some being very good. The faucet lines started strong and are getting better. We would have no problem installing a Luxart or Mainline faucet in a busy kitchen or family bath.
We are continuing to research the company. If you have experience with Luxart or Mainline faucets, good, bad, or indifferent, we would like to hear about it, so please contact us or post a comment below.