KOHLER K-8801-2MB Duostrainer Sink Strainer, Sink Drain and Strainer with Tailpiece, Vibrant Brushed Moderne Brass

I just installed two of these Kohler sink strainers (in polished chrome) last week and I really couldn't be more pleased with them! Perhaps it's a bit weird to be so pleased with a lowly sink strainer, but, well, I am, and partly because I've always been DISpleased with sink strainers for as far back as I can remember noticing them. Strainers are typically made mostly of light gauge metal (except for the part of the body with the threads) and just don't work well.There are several standard approaches to strainer design. One is to have a doubled over spring-metal tongue on the bottom of the strainer basket that is pushed down into a slot in the bottom of the strainer body drain hole, this holds a rubber-ringed disc below the main basket against the sides of the body, thus sealing the sink to hold water. There are two main problems with this design: when not pushed down, a gap is present between the basket rim and the strainer body, which allows food to flow down into the drain, bypassing the basket; and, the rubber gasket gets all gunked up with food and is a pain to clean and is integral with the basket and thus can't be replaced separately.Another design is to have a metal disc down below the strainer basket, with a threaded extension. To seal, you just twist a turn-knob on the strainer and this pulls the metal disc down against a sealing surface on the strainer body. Previous to experiencing this Kohler unit, this was my favorite design as the metal disc can be cleaned and the seal was pretty good if you turned it down nice and hard. The draw back is that both the male and female threads get all gunked up with food and all the units I have found based on this design were moderate quality at best.And yet another design--the one used here--is to have a four-way cross piece at the center of the basket. In one orientation, a sealing ring is held up above the sealing surface on the body. Rotate it 90 degrees to the other orientation and that ring is allowed to drop down onto the sealing surface. The problem I have experienced in the past with this design is that the ring would get accidentally knocked down far too often during the process of washing dishes. Otherwise, it seemed like a decent design, I thought.Well, Kohler has proven this beyond a doubt in my opinion. Even after several hours of washing / rinsing dishes and the like, I have not had one case of the sealing ring dropping down unwanted. It STAYS in the locked up position pretty well, probably because it is so substantial. And when you drop it down, that extra mass helps it seal perfectly to the strainer body. It makes a really great seal from everything I have seen so far. Water can stay in the sink for hours if you want, with no leakage. I don't normally do this, so it's not a big deal either way for me, but for others it will be a welcome change from cheap, poorly designed sink strainers.In addition, the sealing is done by an o-ring. To my mind, this is GREAT! Because o-rings are cheap and easy to obtain and easy to change. Even if an o-ring only lasted a year or two before it started to lose performance, it's no big deal. Just replace it! One reviewer here noted the exact size. I will verify this and update this review. But I believe you can buy them in a two-pack at one of the big box stores that sells Kohler. I will verify this as well. Either way, my point stands. Easy and cheap to change. But that's not all! The other advantage in my opinion is that there is a minimal amount of rubber to get all gunked up, so it's easy to clean the sealing ring and to keep it clean.The strainer body itself is a thing of beauty and excellence in design. It's a heavy-weight, well machined piece of metal (brass in my case) and the three-screw tightening ring assembly makes installation of this unit a joy. Normally you need a strainer wrench (to turn this really large locking ring) and a basin wrench (to hold the strainer body), both of which are specialty tools. Cheap, but a pain, and pretty limited to just this one function. With the Kohler, these tools are not needed.Except that you have to remember that REMOVING the OLD strainer body is probably going to be a nightmare. Just assume it will be very difficult, because it probably will be. Something like this that has been in place for 20 or 30 years is just not fun to remove, and you will need some way to hold the strainer body while you turn off the locking ring. It may even take two people. Or a hacksaw if you're really unlucky.And please follow the instructions and put plumbers putty at the top sealing surface (between sink and strainer body) and use the rubber gasket at the bottom one (between bottom of the sink and the washer). One review I read somewhere the person complained about an 1/8th inch of water remaining in the sink because the gasket raised the strainer up that much. Ah . . . yeah, that's because that gasket should have been BELOW!But, once it's installed, all that pain and frustration will have been so worth it. Or at least it was for me. Every time I look at these Kohler Sink Strainers, I get a small dose of satisfaction and joy--the joy of something which works well and looks great and exudes quality. Very nice indeed.

Kohler K-8801-CP Duostrainer Sink Strainer, Polished ChromeThis is probably the highest quality kitchen sink strainer on the market, but it’s also the most expensive. The lowest-priced chrome model is the best value if that finish is OK for your application. I used it on a stainless steel utility sink with a chrome faucet and it looks great.Pros:- Compared to most other sink strainers, this one is downright elegant.- The body is thick solid brass, chrome plated, and high quality.- The large rubber and steel mounting washers are thick and good quality.- The tightening ring and three number 3 Phillips-head screws are stainless steel. This is the best mounting system for a strainer since the body is easily aligned (with the Kohler insignia) in the sink bottom, plus it’s easy to get the assembly tight without special tools; it’s also the most expensive to manufacture.- The tail pipe is chrome-plated brass; and a decent gauge.- The strainer is either stainless steel or brass. It has two positions – open and closed.Cons:- The weak link in this product is the O-ring used in the stopper. It should come with several spare O rings, given that they will eventually wear out or stretch. You might want to keep extra O-rings on hand. Also, the stopper must be positioned dead center and level when it’s dropped down into position for it to actually stop water; miss by a tad and water passes through.Other:-If you call Kohler [800-456-4537] they might send two or three DuoStrainer O rings at no cost. Or, go to kohler dot com, click on parts, and search for part number 48694. They are currently $1.20 each with eight bucks shipping for the order, so order several. There are lots of sellers for this part; one reviewer said he found them at an ACE hardware store.- The KOHLER K-8799-CP Duostrainer is the same as this one, but doesn’t include a tail pipe.- Made in China.Summary:The duo strainer is an excellent quality sink strainer and looks great!

So what difference does a sink strainer make? A whole lot!!!This is a high quality product that is extremely well made, heavy weight materials, easy to install and looks great in our renovated sink. We also purchased a less expense strainer from another brand and there was no comparison between them. The less expense strainer was returned quickly.The price is high, but you definitely get what you pay for.Kitchen renovations are not inexpensive, but there is no reason to cut corners and save $50-$60 by buying a cheaper strainer unit that will stand out like a sore thumb.This unit is built to last, like all Kohler products.

The main body of the drain is heavy duty cast brass, with beautifully machined threads. The design is fine, and installation goes very quickly because of good design and manufacturing. It seems almost a shame to hide that part under the sink.But then there's the part that shows inside the sink: the top flange and the drain stopper. They are absolutely gorgeous, and amazingly well made. The polished brass has no machining or polishing marks, just gleaming bright metal. Even the strainer gleams like jewelry. This is a very expensive strainer assembly, but now we know why... and it's an excellent value.The only downside, possibly, is how it fits in the sink. Perhaps the issue is only for our (Kohler cast iron) model. The polished brass surfaces of the strainer end up essentially flush with the bottom of the sink, and that's great for placing bowls in the sink's almost-level surface. But we are concerned that the bottoms of metal pans (especially cast-iron Le Creuset Dutch oven pots) or even silverware could permanently mar the lovely brass. So, those items will be going into the other sink basin.