Home » Faucet Brands

Showdown: Moen vs Kohler Faucet Comparison

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a small commission. Thanks.

Picking a new faucet or bathroom appliance is a big decision! They’re expensive and the last thing you’ll want to do is replace it in 2 years.

Finding the right faucet starts with finding the right brand. Each major brand will have different pros and cons.

Today I’ll be comparing Moen vs Kohler faucets so that you can pick the one right for you.

The good news is that you can’t go wrong. Moen and Kohler are both fantastic brands and make high quality products that are durable, beautiful, and perform well.

I’ll tell you up front that Moen is our winner. They’ve got more models to pick from and better technological features. And they’re more affordable than Kohler.

Both brands are high quality, but they have different strengths and weaknesses.

moen vs kohler

Quick Summary: Which Brand is the Right Pick for You?

Moen is best for…

  • Design – Moen has more options for different models and combinations of faucet types, finishes, and technologies.
  • Warranty – Moen’s warranty covers more aspects and parts of their products than most brands.
  • Variety – Moen offers the largest amount of design and style options in the faucet industry. Whatever you could possibly want, they’ve got it.

Kohler is best for…

  • Families with kids – Kohler products are some of the most durable on the market so they can hold up to the hard daily use of whole families.
  • Paying for quality – Kohler faucets aren’t cheap, but they are known for being some of the highest quality you can get. Buy Kohler if you’re willing to pay for quality.
 MoenKohler
Price $$$$$$
TechnologyHigh-tech: Great for high powerAverage technology options
DesignTie Tie
FinishesBathroom: 11
Kitchen: 7
Bathroom: 12
Kitchen: 11
ModelsBathroom: 400+
Kitchen: 450+
Bathroom: 97
Kitchen: 95
WarrantyLimited lifetime warrantyLimited lifetime warranty

Moen Overview

moen bathroom faucet

We bought our house back in 2018 and have been slowly renovating our space. We did a ton of research and we ultimately decided that Moen faucets were top of the line, but out of our price range. We went with Delta instead.

That being said, we do think Moen are the highest quality you can get. And they’re cheaper than Kohler so when it comes to price, Moen is the winner.

We have an old Moen faucet in our kitchen that we haven’t replaced yet. Our dream is to replace it with one of Moen’s touchless faucets whenever we have the money. 

Moen faucets have been around since 1937 when Al Moen started his company. They’re known for their line of bathroom, kitchen, bathtub, and shower heads. They got their start by making high quality single-handle faucets after the founder experienced an accidental burn by a two handle faucet.

Moen has consistently improved the look and performance of its faucets, resulting in some of the highest quality bathroom products on the market.

Their faucets are sleek, durable, and well designed. They’ve also got more options than anyone else to pick from. 

The most unique thing about Moen is their high-tech approach and innovation. They are leaders in the faucet industry and are often the first company to pioneer new technology and innovations.

Moen’s innovations for kitchen faucets include MotionSense™, Power Clean™, Power Boost™, Reflex™ Pulldown Kitchen Faucets, Spot Resist™ Finish, M•PACT®, and Hydro Roller™ Massage Combination Shower.

moen kitchen faucet

Pros and Cons of Moen

Pros

  • Design – Moen carries a number of different models, finishes, and technology options.  
  • Warranty – Moen’s warranty is one of the best in the plumbing industry with lifetime coverage if there’s no damage during the installation.

Cons

  • More expensive – Moen faucets are high end, but that can also come with a high price. If you’re budget-minded, then Moen’s price point could be tough.

Kohler Overview

kohler faucet

I grew up using Kohler products. Everything in our house was Kohler: Sinks, faucets, toilets, showerheads. 

I’m pretty sure my childhood home still has the same Kohler products that it came with when it was built in 1997. 

Kohler is known for durable and high quality products. This quality comes at a price though. Kohler ain’t cheap.

Kohler is one of the oldest and largest plumbing companies in the world. They’re one of the best American made faucet brands in the country. When it comes to bathroom and kitchen faucets, they’re widely considered to be top of the line. 

The company was founded by John Kohler in 1873. They were the first company to create a one-piece bathtub for everyday use. These days they offer absolutely every plumbing product you could ever need. 

They are best known for their touchless technology in kitchen and bathroom faucets. That’s one of the reasons they are super popular in commercial spaces. They also produce one of the most durable toilets. 

Kohler is also one of the most innovative companies when it comes to being environmentally-friendly. They are working hard to create more products that use less water and energy while remaining effective.

Pros and Cons of Kohler

Pros

  • American Made (mostly) – Kohler faucets are one of the few faucet brands made in the USA guaranteeing a higher quality faucet. They do have some outsourced manufacturing in China and India.
  • Environmentally friendly – Many Kohler faucets are designed with an option to utilize less water making it better for the environment.
  • Variety – Kohler has a huge lineup of different faucet options from type of finish to design and installation type to handle type.

Cons

  • Less specialized – Kohler has one of the widest product offerings with plumbing products. They are less specialized on faucets compared to a company like Delta. 
  • More expensive – Compared to other brands like Moen and Delta, Kohler is on the pricey side.

Moen vs Kohler: Feature Comparisons

We’ve done a deep dive on Moen vs Kohler features to compare for you. If you’re at all interested in Pfister, we’ve done a head to head comparison of Moen vs Pfister faucets that could be helpful!

1. Price

When it comes to price, Moen is the winner. A higher percentage of their faucets are on the more affordable side compared to Kohler.

Moen

Moen is on the more expensive end of the faucet industry. While they have a wide variety, the majority of their bathroom faucets fall in the $150-300 range.

Because of their emphasis on technology, they do have a large selection of more high end faucets in the $500-$1k range. 

Their kitchen faucets are more expensive with the majority falling in the $500-750 range.

Thankfully, they have a number of slightly cheaper options at the $200-400 price point. 

Kohler

Kohler faucets tend to be on the more expensive side. Most of their bathroom faucets tend to range between $250-500 with most of those in the $3-400 range. 

2. Design

Both brands have great design and style options to pick from. Moen simply has more faucets to pick from so they are likely to have more options that are right for you.

Moen

Moen offers a great variety of design styles for their bathroom faucets. The most popular are either the widespread or single-mount setups. They’ve also got a number of wall mounts and deck mount options. 

If that’s not enough, you can go with Centerset. These are faucets with three holes and 4 inches apart. 

You can also filter your choices by spout shape, handle type, or valve type.

Kohler

When it comes to design, Kohler has a number of options. You can pick from six different mount options for their bathroom faucets. The most popular ones are their widespread, centerset, deck-mount, and single-hole. The vast majority of their faucets are lever faucets. 

Most of their kitchen faucets are single-hole set ups with one handle. Their most popular spout types are pull-down, pull-out, or a standard faucet with side sprayer.

3. Technology

Moen is the winner when it comes to technology. The only advantage that Kohler has is that they offer touch-free bathroom faucets. Moen only has touch technology in the kitchen.

Moen

Moen has the widest selection of faucets in the industry. You can get super standard faucets that are affordable. But if you want to go a bit more high-tech, they’ve got the bells and whistles to offer. 

They have a number of innovations to make their faucets some of the most effective on the market. 

  • Motion Sense Technology – This tech involves operating the faucet without the need to touch it. By just moving around the faucet, the sensors located at the neck or base sense the control you need.
  • Power clean tech – Releases water with 50% more force to help clean dishes easier and faster. Makes it ideal for low water pressure kitchens. 
  • M•PACT – Helps to change faucet style without replacing and plumbing costs. They offer compatible installation parts for easy changing.
  • Spot Resist technology – Helps keep your faucets free of water spots and stains! Available in stainless steel and brushed nickel finishes.

Kohler

When it comes to bathroom faucets, Kohler has been surprisingly un-innovative. They really don’t have any fancy features or even touchless options for bathroom faucets. 

In the kitchen though, Kohler has introduced a number of high tech features and faucet functions over the years.

The most popular features are… 

  • Touchless faucet technology
  • 2 or 3 function sprayheads
  • Innovative docking technology so that your sprayer or pulldown faucet will actually stay connected
  • Their ProMotion technology is available for their pulldown and pullout faucets.

4. Finishes and colors

Surprisingly, Kohler has more finishes to pick from! If you want more variety or color, they are your best bet.

Moen

Moen offers a fairly standard selection of faucet finishes and colors. For the bathroom, you can pick from 11 different options with the most popular being chrome or brushed nickel. For the kitchen, the most popular of their 7 selections is matte black or stainless steel. 

Moen faucet finishes

Kohler

Kohler has 12 different finish or color options for their kitchen faucets and 11 to pick from for their bathroom faucets.

kohler faucet finishes

5. Models

Moen has an incredible selection of models. They’ve got more than any of the top faucet brands we’ve researched. Compared to Kohler, it isn’t even close. They’ve got 4x as many options to pick from.

Moen vs Kohler faucet model comparison

Moen

Moen has 450+ kitchen faucet options to pick from and 400+ bathroom faucet models available. This is just another evidence of how innovative and creative Moen has been over the years.

When it comes to kitchen faucets, no other brand comes even close to this much variety. They’ve also got the widest offering of laundry and bar area faucets.

Kohler

Kohler has a pretty great variety of faucets with 97 different kitchen faucet models and 95 different bathroom faucets to pick from. 

6. Warranty

All of the warranties we’ve seen offered by different faucet companies are the exact same. There are 11 faucet companies with lifetime warranties and Moen and kohler are both on the list!

Moen

Moen offers a lifetime limited warranty which covers almost every part except damage resulting from installation. As long as you’re the original owner of the faucet, you can get it replaced if it ever starts leaking or dripping. 

It’s good to note that the electronic parts have a different warranty depending on the model.

Kohler

Kohler faucets come with a lifetime warranty on their faucets for leaking, dripping, or other issues. This guarantee is only good for the first owner of the faucet. Improper care or cleaning can nullify the warranty. 


Common Questions About Moen and Kohler Faucets

Does Kohler own Moen?

No, Kohler does not own Moen. They are completely separate companies and are actually competitors with each other.

Is Moen made in the USA?

Moen faucets are made in the USA. They have manufacturing centers in New Bern and Sanford, North Carolina. They also have one in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania.

Where are Kohler faucets made?

Many Kohler faucets are made in the USA, but they do have manufacturing in China and India.


Final Verdict: Moen vs Kohler Faucets

Moen and Kohler both create amazing faucets and shower heads with modern styles, technology, and design. Their products are also durable and perform well over time. I’m confident that if you purchase a faucet from either brand, you’ll be satisfied.

If we had to pick one brand to go with, we’d go with Moen. But it really depends on what you’re looking for.

  • Moen – Best for Touchless Faucets, high-end faucets, and great warranties.
  • Kohler – Great for high-end models and classic finishes like polished chrome. Super durable products.

I hope this Moen vs Kohler comparison helped you decide which brand is right for you!

If you’re interested to see how Delta stacks up, check out our Moen vs Delta or Delta vs Kohler articles.

If you need to see how a budget brand compares to some of the household names, check out our Delta vs Glacier Bay or Kohler vs Glacier Bay faucets comparisons.

Photo of author

Richmond Howard

Richmond Howard started My Plumbing DIY in 2022 to help people solve all their home plumbing issues. He and his wife have been problem solving DIY issues all around their fixer-upper house they bought in 2018. His goal is to build My Plumbing DIY into the one stop shop for home plumbing needs so that people can save money and time.

Leave a Comment