Zucchetti Faucets Review & Rating Updated: 08/01/21
950 Gemini St., Suite 2
Houston, TX 77058
(877) 756-4533
(832) 224-9653
Zucchetti Rubinetteria, S.p.A.
Via Molini Dei Ressiga 29
Gozzano 28024 Italy
Law Requirements
Warranty Footnotes:
1. The Zucchetti warranty, is a "full warranty" as that term is defined by Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. §2301), however, the duration of the warranty is not specified.Where the duration of a warranty is not specified, U.S. courts usually treat the warranty as a "forever" warranty, lasting as long as the faucet is in use.2. "The warranty covers the following cases:
- — casting, porosity and chrome plating defects
- — manufacturing defects recognized by our technical department."
3. The Zucchetti U.S. warranty includes none of the language required by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2301).
Download/Print the Zucchetti faucet warranty.
Learn more about faucet warranties.
This Company In Brief
Zucchetti is an Italian faucet manufacturer and one of the oldest of the Italian kitchen and bath fittings designer companies still in operation in Italy. The company designs and manufactures uniquely styled faucets in Italy's Piedmont area using components made either in-house or purchased from European sources.
The faucets are distributed in North America by Zucchetti USA, Inc., a Delaware corporation doing business from its home base in Houston, Texas. The faucets are sold through showrooms, plumbing supply houses, and by interior decorators and kitchen and bath designers.
Zucchetti is an Italian faucet manufacturer established by Alfredo Zucchetti in 1929, and one of the oldest of the Italian kitchen and bath fittings designer companies still in business in Italy. Zucchetti USA, Inc. is its North American distributor organized as a Delaware corporation in 2010 with its principal place of business in Houston, Texas since 2016. This USA branch is headed by Carlo Zucchetti.
The company designs and manufactures uniquely styled faucets in Italy's Piedmont area, about 60 miles northeast of Turin, and ships them worldwide through a new 775,000 square foot logistics center in Gozzano. It uses components made either in-house or purchased from European sources. We found no record of significant imports of faucet parts or components from Asia.
Zucchetti Rubinetteria, S.p.A. is a part of the Zucchetti-KOS Group of related businesses that also includes Zucchetti Mario S.p.A. (a foundry specializing in hot forging non-ferrous metals) and Omez S.p.A. (a plastics molding company). With immediate access to both forged brass parts and plastic moldings, it is unlikely that the company has to reach outside Zucchetti-KOS Group for any faucet component other than ceramic cartridges. Zucchetti-KOS Group is owned by the Zucchetti family and managed by the third generation of Zucchettis.
Prior to 2010, it appears that Zucchetti exported some faucets to North America, primarily to individual kitchen and bath studios and designers, a process that appears to have been coordinated through Bradco Imports, Inc., a kitchen and bath design firm in Los Angeles that was the brand's original distributor in North America.
The creation of Zucchetti USA, Inc. in 2010 appears to have been an effort to centralize distribution, provide a North-American-based customer service component, and better coordinate sales and post-sale support. It seems to have been successful based on the steadily increasing number of Zucchetti faucets being imported into North America since 2010.
Zucchetti USA, Inc. was initially headquartered in Los Angeles, co-located with Bradco. It moved to Texas in 2017.
Zucchetti is a true designer company. Its bathroom faucets are a part of "families" of related products that may include shower systems, bath fillers, tubs and sinks, furnishings, and accessories: all created by noted architects and product designers including Palomba Serafini Associati (featuring Ludovica & Roberto Palomba); Matteo Thun & Partners; Diego Grandi and Nespoli e Novara, all Italian designers from the Milan area.
Between 1992 and 2004, Zucchetti was a minor player in a scheme among 17 European sanitary wares manufacturers to fix prices in Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, and Holland.
The conspiracy collapsed shortly after The American company, discovered the plot and immediately notified authorities.
In 2010, the European Commission fined Zucchetti $4.56 million for violating Article 101 of the European Union Treaty, finding that the company had been a willing participant in the illegal activities of the group.
The following companies were implicated in the conspiracy:
| Company | Country | Fine (millions)1 |
| Germany | $14.3 | |
| Artweger GmbH & Co. KG | Austria | $3.2 |
| Cisal Rubinetteria SpA | Italy | $1.4 |
| Duravit AG | Germany | $35.9 |
| Duscholux Holding AG | Switzerland | $1.9 |
| Germany | $67.0 | |
| Hansa | Germany | $16.9 |
| Germany | $0.00 | |
| Ideal Standard | Belgium | $398.8 |
| Kludi GmbH & Co. KG | Germany | $6.4 |
| Mamoli | Italy | $1.1 |
| RAF Rubinetterie SpA | Italy | $0.3 |
| Roca Sanitario SA | Spain | $47.4 |
| Sanitec Corp.3 | Finland | $70.6 |
| Teorema | Italy | $24.6 |
| Villeroy & Bosch AC | Germany | $87.5 |
| Italy | $4.56 |
The content of the families varies widely. Most do not include fixtures such as tubs or sinks, or furniture, but any deficiency in that area is made up by another Zucchetti-KOS Group company, KOS, founded in Pordenone, Italy in 1998 which manufactures the spas, lavatories, bathtubs, show enclosures, accessories and bathroom furniture featuring designs by Ludovica & Palomba that coordinate nicely with Zucchetti bath faucets.
KOS S.p.A. was acquired by Zucchetti in 2007. Shortly thereafter the KOS website, kosItalia.com, was abandoned. The two companies are now so intertwined that they are often referred to as simply Zucchetti-KOS. A distributor or showroom that carries Zucchetti decorative fittings will also probably handle KOS fixtures.
Many of Zucchetti's faucet creations have won prestigious awards at juried design competitions. Zucchetti designs have earned a coveted Good Design award from the Chicago Athenaeum, several Red Dot design excellence awards, the Design Plus award sponsored by the German Design Council, and the Italian ADL Design Index prize.
Styling ranges from classic to ultra-modern with a look suited for just about any decor from Victorian to modern urban chic but heavily weighted, as are most Italian faucet collections, toward the contemporary. The emphasis is on bathroom fittings but the company also offers six kitchen faucet collections, including the striking ZP1265 Isy faucet shown above.
Zucchetti USA sells through showrooms, plumbing product distributors, and individual kitchen and bath designers. Some of these authorized sellers have an internet presence through which they sell basic Zucchetti faucets. But, for special finishes or if you need to coordinate with KOS fixtures, a trip to the nearest showroom or consultation with a kitchen and bath designer is highly recommended.
Faucets are available in eleven metallic or colored finishes. Some of these are the nearly indestructible finishes but most are or .
The Savoir collection of modern faucets has its own palette. Four metallic finishes paired with six trim colors, making a total of 24 different possible combinations. The Zucchetti website does not specify, but the trim colors are probably which can be easily coordinated across manufacturers.
Some faucets, primarily those with a chrome finish, are in stock and can be delivered in about two weeks. Any finish other than chrome, however, usually has to come from Italy. The lead time is up to twelve weeks.
The Zucchetti website is colorful and artfully styled but difficult at first to navigate until you figure out the navigation scheme. With a little practice, it becomes easier.
The information provided about each faucet includes a "Technical sheet" that contains a dimensioned drawing of the faucet and the available finishes. It sometimes includes an exploded parts diagram, but not always. The "Install Manual" displays, as expected, installation instructions. All of this information is helpful in forming an informed buying decision.
Installation instructions are "international": a series of drawings illustrating the installation steps with virtually no explanatory text. Measurements, water temperature ranges, and other specifications are often metric rather than in U.S. customary units (inches). Admittedly the U.S. needs to get in step with the rest of the world and adopt the metric system. But, until that happens plumbers are not going to be happy with metric measurements.
Dimensioned drawings were also formerly dimensioned in millimeters. Today they are in inches and no longer require translating for U.S. buyers. The parts diagram includes the inventory number of each part of the faucet the number is not keys to a description of the part. You just have to somehow know, for example, that part number R98112 for the ZON594 faucet is a ceramic disc mixer cartridge.
Standards certifications are usually specified as IAPMO or CSA to identify the testing organization issuing the certificate. But, some are identified as just USA which is of no help in identifying the actual certifying organization or finding the certificate. If you are unsure whether a faucet is certified, ask customer service for the certificate. They should be on file.
ADA compliance and Watersense® listing are not noted. Most of Zucchetti's bathroom sink faucets are Watersense® listed, but not all, so it would be nice to know which ones are and which are not Watersense approved.
There is no indication that any faucets are ADA compatible although from visual examination we are convinced that at least some of the faucets would meet ICC/ANSI A117.1 criteria for faucets that could be approved for use in American's with Disabilities Act applications.
There is also no identification of the cartridge type and manufacturer. We presume all of the cartridges are ceramic, the current standard, but it would also be nice to know who supplies the cartridge. Zucchetti does not make its own cartridges – one of the few faucet components it does not make.
Zucchetti uses at least a dozen different ceramic cartridges in its various sink faucets, bucking the industry trend of reducing the number and type of ceramic cartridges used in a line of faucets to minimize inventory. All cartridges appear to have been made in Italy. We have not, however, been able to identify specific manufacturers. We are frankly surprised that the cartridge manufacturer or manufacturers are not identified on the company website. Faucet manufacturers that use good cartridges are usually more than willing to disclose their sources.
This lack of cartridge identification is a major hole in the information available to a potential buyer, and one Zucchetti should plug. It makes it more difficult for specifiers like architects and designers as well as individual buyers to adequately assess the faucet. We suggest you telephone customer support and get this information before deciding on a Zucchetti faucet. And don't take "I don't know" for an answer. Somebody knows.
For architects and designers, there is sometimes but not always, a 2D drawing and a 3D CAD model of a faucet, which makes it easier to incorporate the faucet into specifications and designs. The 2D drawing is just that, a bare drawing without dimensions. The 3D model is very detailed and in universal .dxf format but dimensioned in millimeters that require translation in most CAD programs.
Warranty
This warranty applies only to ZUCCHETTI faucets installed in North America.
If a defect is found in normal residential use, Zucchetti Rubinetteria S.p.A. will, at its election, repair, provide a replacement part or product, or make appropriate adjustment.
Damage to a product caused by accident, misuse, or abuse is not covered by this warranty. Improper care and cleaning will void the warranty.
Proof of purchase (original sales receipt) must be provided to Zucchetti Rubinetteria S.p.A. with all warranty claims.
Zucchetti Rubinetteria S.p.A. is not responsible for labor charges, installation, or other incidental or consequential costs. In no event shall the liability of Zucchetti exceed the purchase price of the product.
Zucchetti warranty cannot be renewed.
For more detailed information please refer to M-UFCO09 1 document available on request from the technical office of the Company or from the e-mail address support@zucchettirub.it.
1. We requested the M-UFC009 document, but it proved not at all helpful in explaining the Zucchetti warranty. It is an agreement between Zucchetti/Kos and someting called Professional Distributors. We have been unable to find out anything about Professional Distributors. It may once have been a distributor of Zucchetti and/or KOS products. If so, it is no longer.
When using the website, keep in mind that while you can find out useful information about Zucchetti and its products, you cannot buy a faucet through the site. You can buy only from an authorized dealer. Unfortunately, however, the website does not include a dealer directory, so finding the nearest dealer may require a bit of sleuthing.
Zucchetti's warranty practice is a mess.
The company has a written warranty, published on its website. But, in practice, it ignores this warranty and substitutes an undocumented warranty.
The published warranty is a "full warranty" as defined in the U.S. Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. §2301 et seq. (1994)) for an unlimited time period and is transferable to subsequent owners of the faucet.
The undocumented warranty, according to Zucchetti customer support, covers mechanical defects, chrome finishes, and ceramic cartridges for 5 years and all other finishes for two years. It is a limited warranty that is not transferable to any subsequent owner of a faucet. It bears not even the slightest resemblance to the published warranty which does not mention five years, two years, or even hint at a limited warranty.
Neither warranty complies with U.S. universal warranty law as contained in the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. §2301 et. seq.). The unwritten warranty violates the requirement that the warranty be in writing in a single document ant that it be made available to the buyer prior to or at the time of sale. Since it is not written down anywhere, it obviously cannot be read prior to or at the time of sale.
The published warranty omits terms required by Magnuson-Moss. It does not explain how to make a warranty claim. It refers to a document outside of the warranty for "more detailed" warranty information, something Magnuson-Moss absolutely forbids under its "single document" rule, and, adding insult to injury, the e-mail address provided for getting "more detailed" information does not actually exist.
Zucchetti's management is telling you something very important through its warranty practices.
First, the company has no regard for the U. S. law and has chosen to ignore its provisions including the prohibition against having two warranties on the same product.
Using one apparently generous warranty to encourage a consumer to buy a product, then replacing it with a much more restrictive warranty once the consumer has bought the product is called a "warranty shuffle" – a form of bait and switch
. The shuffle was a common abuse of written company warranties in the days before Magnuson-Moss, and one that the law was specifically intended to quash.
Second, the company is not willing to bet its own Euros that its faucets will last more than five years. If they do, great. But, if not, Zucchetti does not want to be on the hook for any problems. So, if six years down the road your Zucchetti finish starts to flake or your cartridge starts to drip, the problem is yours and yours alone to deal with. Zucchetti will do no more than sell you the parts to fix it.
If Zuccheti management actually believes its faucets will last just five years, it needs to drastically improve its manufacturing quality control. And, if its finishes last just two years, it should consider contracting finishing work to a company that knows how to create a durable finish. We suspect the faucets and finishes will last much longer. But, maybe not. Zucchetti management may know something about faucets and finishes that we don't.
Italian faucet companies that sell in the U.S. such as Zucchetti, have somehow gotten the idea that they are competing only among themselves, so the standard 3- to 5-year European-style warranty is sufficient. It's not, and if they want to compete head-to-head with American and North European faucet companies that offer lifetime warranties in North America, they need to consider a much, much stronger warranty posture.
At least one Italian company has gotten the message. It started with a 5-year warranty, upgraded to twenty years, and now guarantees its Italian-made faucets for the lifetime of the buyer. There is no reason that Zucchetti cannot do the same.
As it now stands, any customer unhappy with the result under Zucchetti's 5-year undocumented warranty can sue to have the unlimited published warranty enforced, and he or she will not only win, but will be able to recover any costs involved in the lawsuit including attorney fees. It is stunningly illegal to publish one warranty then apply another, more restrictive warranty in actual practice.
Imported Italian faucets comparable to Zucchetti include
Most of these companies provide a better warranty. Some, such as Paini's are protected by a lifetime guarantee.
These are expensive faucets as befits a line created by award-winning international designers. However, they are in sync with prices charged by other sellers of true luxury faucets. Being fully certified, we would judge these faucets to be a reasonable value and well worth consideration by anyone looking for a stylish, reliable luxury faucet.
However …
Bear in mind that Zucchetti's warranty as implemented is decidedly below par for the North American market and its warranty practices violate federal warranty law.
We are continuing to research the company. If you have experience with Zucchetti faucets, good, bad or indifferent, we would like to hear about it, so please contact us or post a comment below.