I’m coming from a Moen Wave (Google Home enabled) faucet, and after switching to this Kohler model there are some clear pros and cons compared to Moen.
Pros:
The build quality is excellent. Aesthetically, it's a well‑designed fixture with good proportions and high‑quality materials. The use of replaceable parts and a solid sealing system gives me more long‑term confidence than the Moen it replaced.
Cons:
The wave‑to‑activate sensor is poorly placed. Moen positions the sensor on top, while Kohler places it underneath. While Kohler’s placement looks cleaner aesthetically, it leads to frequent false activations from steam or water spray. For example, if you’re draining pasta into the sink, you need to remember to move the faucet out of the way - or it may randomly turn on for the next 30 minutes. Water splashing can trigger it as well.
It’s also unfortunate that the manual valve is separate from the automatic valve. This means the faucet must already be turned on for any smart home or motion features to work. Additionally, the feature set feels limited. Moen offered pipe‑freeze protection and temperature adjustment via voice or app, neither of which are available here.
Overall:
If I were shopping for a smart faucet again, I’d probably skip this one. It’s a beautiful faucet for basic on/off use, but the motion sensor design makes it prone to random activation, and the smart valve engineering is less functional than competing options.
