I live in a 20+ year-old house, with sink and shower faucet hardware to match. All the faucets had those round, clear plastic knobs on them. By now, they were all cloudy, dirty, and old fashioned. For the master bathroom, I installed Pfister Pasadena faucet sets.
These have worked out great, and a representative from Pfister told me they are among the most popular upgrades that homeowners choose.
But now came the time to replace the shower knobs. The knobs were the same round, plastic knobs as on the sink faucets, but instead of the spline shape that fits on a valve stem, they had a special prong shape. I thought this might make finding a replacement difficult. I searched around, on the Pfister web site and on Amazon.com and found a beautiful replacement valve stem. However, there was no easy way to tell if it would fit. The description on Amazon just said, "Fits 0X8, JX8, TX8 and VB8 Valve Bodies." I have no idea what valve body my shower has, so I had to take a chance. I bought the Contempra handle in brushed nickel:
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Let me say that installation was very simple. The box includes an adapter ring, and an extension/conversion kit (elongated valve stem and screw to hold the stem on the valve), and a washer to seal the escutcheon and the valve stem.
Following rave reviews from my wife, I bought another for the downstairs bathroom. Following more rave reviews, I am going to order a third replacement for the last shower.
Bottom line: The Contempra in brushed nickel offers a dramatic (though not cheap) upgrade to the old, plastic knobs. The upgrade is apparent both in appearance and in the sumptuous quality feel the handle delivers as it is turned.
Highly recommended.
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