Widespread 1/2" ceramic in-wall three-handle valve system with integral diverter and 8" centers

I've been seeing the range of plumbing fixtures with an ongoing remodel, and this valve set brings up an excellent example of why to spend a few bucks on better quality stuff. There is a huge difference between the $50 Moen shower set I initially purchased for this particular installation (one of my first ~regrettable~ fixture purchases for this project, one that sat around for a good long while before I got to it), versus the high standard this is built to.The quarter turn valves are precise, and feel precise from stop to stop. There's no nudging the valve handle at the end of its rotation to prevent the shower head from dripping. There's no wiggle or slop in the handles. There's no realistic chance of over-tightening or overheating the brass construction during installation. And there's a good chance this (in my case) will make the moove from its current temporary-for-now installation location to its ultimate home in a yet-unbuilt bath.Perhaps the greatest value is knowing the valves can be easily rebuilt when the time comes, though that ought to be a long time away.Kohler introduces a small amount of confusion in with this installation. Because of the "pull for shower" design of the diverter valve, which is lightly spring-loaded to default flow to the bath nozzle, this rough-in guide specifically states "do not use the 3-valve yoke with ceiling supplies," and then proceeds to give directions on flipping this over for ceiling supplies (the instructions are also written for their 2-valve models). But then a large card affixed to the valves states, "for ceiling supplies, connect cold water to red valve" -- implying it's acceptable to mount THIS YOKE upside down. But it's not, according to the other tag string-tied to the yoke. So if you're dropping in from the ceiling, you'll need to make some turns underneath the valve assembly.Kohler does an interesting thing with the supply connection to the yoke -- it's a compression fitting using their proprietary hardware (not your standard brass "olives" used to connect sink and toilet compression stops to 1/2" copper). This keeps the torch away from the valves, and eliminates the pipe thread fittings on two of connection points (the shower and bath spout connections are remain 1/2" NPT. In the event this valve needs to be removed / reinstalled, my assumption is the custom Kohler olives would need to be replaced. The fittings are drip-free, but I tightened them before installing the yoke in the wall, and soldered the connections to short 4" stubs of 1/2" copper.In use, my only gripe is the action of the diverter valve is somewhat forceful and loud. The pull required to activate the valve is very light, but water pressure takes over and basically forces the completion of the pull, with a very solid "Klunk!" sound. The same is sometimes true for pushing it back in to redirect the water to the spigot, though not consistently.

I purchased this Kohler valve body to go with a 3 handle set for the bath/shower in my home. I like the quality of this product; I had looked at several other 3 valve units at my local stores and found tapped threads with large metal shavings still attached, etc. The Kohler part was machined better with more attention to detail - no burrs, etc on the unit. That says a lot.The ceramic washer system is wonderful, as is the 1/4 turn feature for full off to on. I had the old gerber style system with rubber washers. I had to replace those every few months to a year and I was still getting drips. Plus, when you turned them, you didn't get a smooth change in flow rate. The Kohler unit is flawless - no drips, and it smoothly changes the flow from off to on through the 90 degrees.The holes through the wall needed to be enlarged for the valve body - the old gerber valve body was considerably smaller.That said, the only disappointment is that the valve bodies must not be quite the same between manufacturers for easy replacement. The 8" width is right, but the vertical distance from the valve body centerline to where each of the 4 connections is made isn't the same as the previous model. I had to alter the plumbing length for all 4 connections, which turned this job into something considerable longer. This is something these manufacturers should have standardized a long time ago.UPDATE: After one week of use, the hot water valve cartridge failed (water flow would not shut off). Later found out a small screw was in the valve and caused it to fail. I can't figure out how a screw ended up there, and cannot tell if it came from the factory or it was me. Lesson - check the valve body for foreign materials just in case.

It is in the wall so I rate it based on the feel of the stems. They are rock solid. On is on and off is off. The 1950s valve system that we cut out was mushy and leaked. The technology seems to have advanced.

I decided to go with this valve because of the reviews. I was not disappointed in spending the extra a $30 over the other available valves. FYI... I was recently made aware that 3 handle valves are (and have been) slowly being faded out, and might be the reason these valves/trim kits are highly discounted.Anyway, this valve works perfectly. There are no drips (so far) and the action is very smooth with only a 1/4 turn to adjust from off to full on. The shower knob action is very smooth as well. One good thing about the shower knob is that once the water is turned on, you only need a slight pull to activate the shower. The great thing is that when you turn off the water the shower knob resets to off automatically. My old valve didn't do this and occasionally someone would get wet when the shower was not turned off from the previous shower.I am very happy that I spent the few extra dollar to get this valve with the matching trim kit...I also reviewed the trim kit. Time will tell as I have only had these Kohler products installed for 2 months but for $150 (trim + valve kit) I don't think I could have done better. Yes, you can get an entire valve with trim for less, but it will be a cheaper valve with lots of plastic parts. The trim will be all plastic.

Threads came in with burrs and not fully machined. Metal sealing surfaces were damaged. Valves themselves worked but everything else needed repairs or work arounds.

Wanted to wait awhile before reviewing this, to see if any problems came up. So far nothing, works just as well now as it did when when I installed it. The shower diverter valve on my old system would not shut off after a month or so because the spring would quit working and you would have to push it back in manually. So far this is working well.

Good quality product. It was a bit tricky to install due to the size of the three holes needed to be drilled through the cement board, tile and adhesive as the final handle cover is only about 1/4" large in diameter that the valve body itself. So any variation to the hole in any direction will not be covered. Also, the instructions for the mounting depth is off by at least 3/4". I had to use the longest extender that came with the kit in order to connected the valves to the handles, even then I could have used a longer piece.It looks great though and the quality seems pretty good. It's been 13 months since the bathroom has been completed and everyone loves it.

I purchased this along with the Kohler trim kit for the main floor bathroom reno of my house. I did a full gut and built a custom Schluter Kerdi shower system with slate tile. I've worked my hands to the bone for this reno as it's my "dream bathroom". I installed this valve kit a few months back, and with the drywall down I tested it multiple times to ensure no leaks. The only TINIEST leak (as in 1 drop of water would form after 12-15hours sitting with the valves closed) at the giant brass nut fittings that hold the pipe connectors. I tightened them with a pipe wrench and the leak vanished.Fast forward 2 months while I finished the drywall, waterproofing, tiles, grout, glass wall, etc. TODAY I took my first shower in the new shower. I turn on the hot and cold valves which direct pressure to the "tub spout" below and I notice a stream of water spewing from the "pull handle" in the middle of the valve set. As I increase water pressure so does the stream. I pull the handle and activate the shower head and it stops. When I push it back in to activate the tub spout it begins leaking again from behind the pull knob.I tried to remove the pull knob and the allen screw that is about the size of a pencil tip stripped...Because that screw stripped I cannot get the trim off now to try and figure out what to do with this leak. Later today I'm going to have to drill that screw out and hopefully not damage the trim in the process to access the leak. Knowing what's behind the trim knob I can say that water is definitely leaking from the "rod" that pulls out to switch between the tub and shower outputs.I had tested this several times during the shower build while tiling (using water from the tub spout to wash the tiling dust from the floor of the shower) and there were no issues. If I had to guess I would say I used the valve set for a total of maybe 10 times at less than 5mins each and it's already leaking. The real panic I have now is what might be leaking behind the walls. I know Kohler, they are a big name brand, but now I have a valve set cemented into my walls behind over 18,000$ worth of work that is leaking. I feel sick and I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else out there.

The measurements of Kohler were different than the measurement of Waltec valves I was trying to replace. I had to return the Kohler valve.