Water Creation Faucets Review & Rating Updated: April 14, 2025

Imported

Taiwan

Water Creation, Inc.
1926 E. Cedar Street
Ontario, CA 91761
909-773-1777
support@water-creation.com

Business Type

Product Range

Bath Faucets

Certifications

Brands
Water Creation

Street Price

$66.00 - $379.00

Street prices are based on the lowest and highest non-sale retail prices found on the internet.

Warranty Score

Cartridge

lifetime¹

Chrome Finish

Lifetime²

Other Finishes

1 year

Mechanical Parts

Lifetime²

Proof of Purchase

Required

Transferable

Yes

Meets U.S. Warranty
Law Requirements

No³

Warranty Footnotes

1. Water Creation "warrants its faucets to be leak and drip free … for as long as the original purchaser owns the home."

2. The term "lifetime" as it applies to chrome finishes is not defined.

• Download/Read/Print the the Water Creation fau­cet warranty.
• Learn more about fau­cet warranties.
• Read our Model Limited Lifetime Faucet Warranty.

This Company In Brief

Water Creation, Inc. is an importer of faucets from Taiwan that it sells under the Water Creation^® brand on a variety of internet venues.

These are traditional faucets suitable for heritage bathrooms in a colonial, Victorian, or Arts & Crafts ddécor. Some of the designs are otherwise avaiable only in very expensive luxury faucets.

The quality of the faucets is average to good and prices are consistent with the quality.

Faucets are supported by a warranty that is below the standard for fau­cet warranties in North Amer­i­ca. Its protection is severely limited.

The availability of replacement parts over the long term is questionable.

Water Creation sells fau­cets as a small part of its product line which includes sinks, tub fillers, bathroom furniture, cabinet hardware, and accessories.

It is essentially a bathroom furnishings and sink store that also sells faucets.

Its collections are especially rich in traditional faucet designs and in "telephone" tub fillers for clawfoot bathtubs. Tel­e­phone fillers include a handshower that hangs atop the filler looking much like old-time telepones.

The Comp­any

Water Creation, Inc. is a corporation formed in 2007 by Kuan Jan Han, its CEO, and Chiho "Horace" Chu to import and sell Asian-made home decor products.

It is largely a family affair. Sara Chau is its COO and So­ph­ia Chau an operations manager.

The company has registered its brand, "Wa­ter Cre­a­tion" and the kneeling woman logo (see above) as trademarks applied to almost anything found in a bathroom, including faucets.

It operates out of a single location: an office/warehouse in Ontario, California with, according to ZoomInfo, fewer than 25 employees and revenues of less than $5 million.

The Manufacturer

Water Creation obtains its products from a variety of suppliers from China, Vietnam, and Taiwan. It has no known European suppliers.

Faucets are manufactured in Taiwan by a single ISO-9002-certified manufacturer, Horng Lai Industrial Co. Ltd., which trades in Asia under the registered "Home Life" label. The Home Life brand is not sold in North Amer­i­ca.

Horng Lai also makes faucets for

Faucet Designs

Faucets are not specifically designed or made exclusively for Wa­ter Cre­a­tion. They are stock faucets taken from Horng Lai's and are owned by Horng Lai.

Most Water Creation faucets are interpretations of original North American fau­cet designs dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They are especially appropriate for heritage homes built in the century between 1860 and 1960 including Victorian, Arts & Crafts, and early modern décors.

Only two faucets, the F2-0014 Klein and the F7-0001 Modern could be considered more contemporary styles derived from the minimalist North European design tradition pioneered in Scandinavia in the 1950s and '60s by designers such as Arne Jacobsen. (For more on Scandinavian design, see )

The Klein contemporary fau­cet, for example, is in Horng Lai Industrial's Home Life catalog as the HL-732 widespread fau­cet. The F2-0009 Nerida is the Home Life HL-152-23, and so on.

Nine basic sink faucets constitute the entire Wa­ter Cre­a­tion collection. (One of them, the F5-0010 Kitchen fau­cet appears to have been discontinued although it is still available in stores as of the date of this report.)

The number of fau­cet options is expanded, however, by the company's five finishes and up to seven handle styles.

Faucet Finishes

Water Creation offers five fau­cet finishes: Brushed Nickel, Polished Chrome, Oil-Rubbed Bronze, Polished Nickel, and Satin Gold.

Every fau­cet is available in Polished Chrome. The other finishes offered depend on the fau­cet. The F7-0001 can be purchased in Chrome and Satin Gold. Two of the nine basic faucets are offered in all five finishes. Most offer at least three finish choices.

The company guarantees its Chrome finishes with a "lifetime" warranty that covers "defects." However, the specific types of defects protected against and whose or what lifetime defines the warranty's duration are not explained.

Electroplating

Electroplating is a traditional process for finishing faucets.

Finishes other than chrome are guaranteed for just a single year.

It involves immersing the fau­cet and the metal to be used as plating in an acid bath, then applying an electrical charge to both objects so metallic ions are drawn from the plating metal to the fau­cet.

Water Creation describes its Polished Chrome finish as a "three-step process," a statement that is probably true. Chrome does not bond well with brass, so one or more undercoats, usually of nickel, are applied before one or more coats of chrome.

The process is potentially hazardous to the operator and the environment.

It involves toxic and corrosive chemicals that must be disposed of safely. No other coating technology even comes close to the dangers involved in electroplating.

Physical Vapor Deposition

Physical vapor deposition or PVD is one of the latest space-age fau­cet finishing technologies, rapidly replacing electroplating as the finish of choice.

Although the technology was discovered in the 19th century, it was not used in industry until the 1950s and then only rarely due to its great expense.

Its first use was in nuclear reactors where extremely durable finishes are needed to survive the hellish environment.

Today, the technology is everywhere and the machinery required is getting smaller, faster, and cheaper all the time.

A sealed chamber is loaded with unfinished fau­cet components., All of the air is removed and replaced with a carefully calculated mix of nitrogen or argon and reactive gases.

The metal to be used for the coating is heated to a temperature so high that it dissolves into individual atoms.

The atoms mix with the various reactive gases to get the desired color and finish effects and are blasted in a very thin layer – 2 to 5 microns – on the fau­cet components.

The result is an extremely dense and, in consequence, extremely hard and very durable finish.

By some estimates, PVD chrome is up to 20 times more scratch-resistant than electroplated chrome.

From long experience, we know that PVD is nearly impossible to accidentally scratch or mar, never fades or changes color, and resists all forms of soiling.

The process is used to substitute durable, non-reactive metals for metal finishes that tarnish easily.

For example, Water Creation's brass finish, Satin Gold, is almost certainly created using a titanium alloy as the coating metal. Normally a dull gray color, titanium turns gold when applied using PVD in a gas mixture rich in nitrogen.

Unlike brass, titanium does not tarnish. The gleaming gold finish will remain gleaming forever with nothing more than an occasional wipe.

The Website

The company website's navigation is fairly intuitive once the user figures out that the two small horizontal bars in light gray on the left side of the screen are a dropdown main menu.

The more normal three-bar menu icon would be more recognizable. Nor is there anything wrong with the words "MAIN MENU" which eliminates all doubt about where to start.

Site Search

The site search function is rudimentary. It finds faucets by model number and searches on finishes returned every item in the company's inventory finished or partly finished in the specified finish.

Searching on "kitchen fau­cet," however returned 12 tub fillers, 5 lavatory faucets, and six vanities. "Basin fau­cet" displayed sink faucets and tub fillers indiscriminately.

A search on "warranty" produced two pages of products before it got to the warranty link. But at least it found the warranty link. A surprising number of faucet website searches do not.

Minimum Listing Information

Once a faucet listing is found, the listing page displays very little information about the faucet.

We identify 30 or so fau­cet specifications that are important to a fully-informed buying decision. Everything from how the fau­cet is presented in images to the number of mounting holes needed.

The number varies slightly from company to company and from fau­cet to fau­cet. Not every fau­cet listing requires every specification.

For example, Water­Sense^® listings apply only to lavatory fau­cets. So, a kitchen fau­cet listing does not need Water­Sense^® information.

Similarly, the material used in a spray head and spray hose information applies to sprays usually found only on kitchen fau­cets. Bathroom fau­cets seldom include sprays.

The information that Wa­ter Cre­a­tion provides about its faucets, however, is disappointing—devoid of most of the most basic specifications required for an informed fau­cet-buying decision.

Certifications, spout reach and height, valve and aerator type and source, installation instructions (usually downloadable), a dimensioned scale drawing, and a parts diagram (both also usually downloads) are nowhere to be found.

Overall the site provided just a third of the required minimum information, a failing score.

The Warranty

The Water Creation fau­cet warranty is badly written—obviously not by a lawyer—and does not even begin to comply with the Mag­nu­son-Moss War­ranty Act (15 U.S.C. §2301). This law specifies the minimum content requirements for consumer product warranties in the United States.

Much of it makes little business sense.

A prime example is the paltry one-year warranty on fau­cet finishes other than Chrome.

Chrome is an electroplated finish while all of the other finishes are produced using physical vapor deposition (PVD) – a process that creates finishes up to 20 times more durable than electroplated chrome.

So, why the one-year warranty?

The short-term warranty on PVD finishes is not only a giant step down from the 10-year warranty offered on such finishes a few years ago but also defies all common sense.

If Water Creation truly believes its PVD finishes will last just one year without developing a factory defect, then it needs to find a manufacturer that can produce better finishes.

Restricted Coverage

The warranty protects against "leaks and drips" for a lifetime. This sounds generous. It's not.

Of all the many things that can go wrong with a fau­cet, the warranty covers just those defects that cause a leak or drip. If a defect, no matter how serious, does not result in a leak or drip, there is no coverage.

So, if the cartridge stops working altogether, a handle snaps off, or the aerator begins directing water flow across the room, the defect is not under warranty. There is no leak or drip, so you are on your own.

To be fair to the company, however, there is no evidence that it has ever denied warranty coverage for a defect that did not involve a leak or drip. But it could, and that's our concern in this section.

Problematic Provisions

A lot of the provisions are ambiguous, ill-defined, or both.

For example, the lifetime coverage for leaks and drips lasts only

"…for long as the original purchaser owns the home."

This definition has a few problems.

The most immediately obvious is that the language excludes buyers who do not "own the home."

Granted that not a lot of rental dwellers buy faucets for installation in their leased property, but some do, and these buyers are automatically excluded from warranty coverage.

Almost certainly not what the company intends, and so far as we know the company never actually asks about home-ownership status. but that's the way it has chosen to word its warranty.

The wording also defeats the company's attempt to prevent the transfer of the warranty to any subsequent owner of a fau­cet.

Consider this example:

Here is language that takes care of both of these problems and a few more:

This is just one of several problems with the language of the warranty.

Here's another:

A court, in interpreting this language, would be bound by the common law legal doctrine of contra preferentem to award to the buyer the longest warranty duration reasonable under the circumstances and that could be a very long time.

Warranty Law Violations

The lack of a precise definition of lifetime is just one of several violations of federal warranty law.

The warranty does not provide

"…a step-by-step explanation of the procedure which the consumer should follow…"

To make a claim under the warranty including the mailing address or telephone number to use. (16 CFR § 701.3(a)(5))

Nor does it include the following statement, required to be in every consumer product warranty: (16 CFR § 701.3(a)(9))

"This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from State to State."

Clearly, the warranty needs to be examined and rewritten by a lawyer to be much stronger, more inclusive, and fully compliant with applicable warranty laws.

All defects in manufacturing and materials should be covered, not just defects resulting in leaks and drips, and all finishes should be included in a well-defined lifetime warranty.

Customer Support

We have not formally tested the company's warranty response. Our structured tests do not work well with small companies. Agents soon realize they are being tested which defeats the purpose of the testing.

Our researchers have, however, contacted the company from various parts of North America with a standard set of questions that any customer service organization should be able to answer without hesitation.

They found large gaps in agent's knowledge about faucets – a lack that is probably to be expected as faucets comprise only a minor part of the company's business. Nonetheless, as the company sells faucets, it should be able to support them competently.

Customers have complained to the Better Business Bureau about problems with after-sale support. These complaints suggest that problems were not adequately addressed internally by the company. That there were only two such complaints over the past three years is somewhat reassuring, however. The business is not accredited by the BBB and not pledged to its code of ethical business conduct.

We found a larger-than-expected number of complaints on other sites, such as Yelp, of problems getting adequate help with missing parts, wrong products delivered, and defective faucets.

Replacement Parts

Replacement parts may also be a problem, especially after a few years or for faucets no longer in production.

Typically an Asian importer of this type does not have an organized parts replacement program with which to support its warranty. Parts, if needed, are usually scavenged from faucets still in the warehouse. When those run out, there are no more parts.

The warranty promises to "make every effort to offer replacements for discontinued products;." However, Wa­ter Cre­a­tion

"cannot guarantee their availability for replacement."

The company does not explain how it will cure a fau­cet defect if parts are not available.

Testing & Certification

Legal Actions

The company is at risk of legal action by the U.S. Department of Energy for failure to register its faucets as required by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act which could result in penalties of several hundred thousand dollars.

It has already been fined $89,496.00 to settle a lawsuit by the California Energy Commission for illegally selling unapproved faucets in California from January 2016 to July 2021. Since then it has very sensibly ensured that its faucets are legal to sell in California.

Where to Buy

Water Creation products are not sold in plumbing supply houses or showrooms. Its retail outlets are online including over its website. Otherwise, the faucets are available online, primarily at venues that host third-party sellers. Known retailers include:

This list is not exhaustive. Other retailers carry Water Creation products, primarily bathroom furniture, accessories, and sinks. However, we believe these are the main outlets for the company's faucets.

Comparable Faucets

Comparable Asian-manufactured faucets, all of which are certified safe, reliable, and lead-free, and all of which offer a better warranty include

Conclusions

Our inspection of Wa­ter Cre­a­tion faucets found them to be of reasonable quality, sold at a price level consistent with or slightly below the price we would expect. The finishes are excellent and as most are PVD finishes, exceptionally durable.

The company sells very few faucet designs, ensuring minimal inventory, but so cleverly selected that it offers at least one or two faucets to fit just about any déecor requirement.

For those looking for bathroom sink faucets to fit an architectural period from early Victorian to the end of the early Modern period, Wa­ter Cre­a­tion may have just the fau­cet to fit your needs at prices that are often considerably below those charged by some other companies selling similar designs.

On the downside, the company is much too casual about obeying the laws of the land.

Its failure to register its faucets with the Department of Energy and conform its warranty to the federal law designed to protect consumers raises serious questions about not just its business sense but its business ethics.

The company is risking hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties for selling unregistered faucets.

Why they are not registered is truly inexplicable.

Of all the convoluted state and federal regulations governing the sale of faucets, this is one of the easiest to comply with.

Re­gis­tra­tion is completely free and can be accomplished in just a few hours online.

We also found violations of the federal requirements that…

• faucets bear "a permanent legible marking" to identify the brand located where it can be viewed after installation. (16 CFR § 305.24(a)(2) and

• faucet packages be labeled with "… the rlow rate expressed in gallons per minute (gpm) … and … "in liters per minute (L/min) (16 CFR § 305.24(a)(4).

However, while Wa­ter Cre­a­tion cannot legally sell its fau­cets, you can legally buy them, and as they have been fully certified to North American standards, they are safe to use in a drinking water system.

Keep in mind, however, that the fau­cet warranty is very limited in its protection against manufacturing and material defects. Many companies (See list above) selling similar faucets offer much stronger and more comprehensive warranties.

Our rating panel was somewhat divided over the faucets, but, in the end, most members concluded that they would buy the faucets but only after they were registered with the Department of Energy and the company has introduced a standard North American lifetime warranty that complied with the law.

Continuing Research

We are continuing to research the company. If you have experience with Wa­ter Cre­a­tion faucets, good, bad, or indifferent, we would like to hear about it, so please email us at starcraftreviews@yahoo.com or post a comment below.

Please note that we do not respond to questions posted in comments unless the question is of general interest. If you have a question, please contact us by email.