Kartell K-VIT Fiuto Nero Hi-Rise Mono Basin Mixer – Matt Black (TAP119FIJ)

Kartell K-VIT Fiuto Nero Hi-Rise Mono Basin Mixer – Matt Black (TAP119FIJ)

The Kartell K-VIT Fiuto Nero range is squared-off and angular in matt black, with a flat open waterfall spout. Kartell call it "a striking and bold choice… a distinctive highlight to your bathroom", and that is a fair description — this is deliberately a feature rather than a quiet fitting.

This is the hi-rise mono basin mixer — a taller version of the standard basin mixer, with the spout raised well clear of the basin.

When you need a hi-rise

A standard basin mixer sits low, which is fine for a basin with the tap hole in the rim. But if you have a countertop or vessel basin — a bowl sitting on top of a worktop or vanity unit — a standard tap will be too short, and the spout will sit at or below the rim of the bowl.

A hi-rise gives you the height to get your hands underneath comfortably. Measure the height of your bowl from the worktop before choosing, and check the spout will reach far enough over to land water near the middle of the bowl rather than the edge.

About the waterfall spout

The open spout is the point of this range, and it behaves differently from a closed one. Water leaves as a wide, shallow sheet, which looks striking and is the reason people choose it — but it is a shorter, flatter stream that lands closer to the tap. Check your basin has enough depth and that the spout reaches far enough over the bowl, because a waterfall spout on a shallow basin splashes more than a conventional one. The open channel is also visible, so it shows limescale sooner than a closed spout would.

That matters more on a hi-rise than on a standard tap: the water has further to fall, so a shallow bowl will splash.

Water pressure

Kartell rate this tap for pressures between 0.5 and 10 bar. That covers mains, combi and unvented systems comfortably. A gravity-fed tank and cylinder can reach 0.5 bar where there is enough height between the cold tank and the tap, but in a bungalow, or where the tank sits close above the bathroom, it often will not — worth checking before you order, or fitting a pump.

Living with it

The ceramic disc cartridge with quarter-turn operation gives full flow from a small movement of the lever, and is far less prone to dripping than a washer tap.

Matt black is a powder-coated finish rather than plating. It looks superb against a white basin, but it is less forgiving than chrome: limescale and toothpaste splashes show as pale marks on a dark surface, so it wants wiping down more often. Never use an abrasive cream or a limescale remover on it — those strip the coating rather than the deposit, and no amount of polishing brings it back.

If your basin has a rim tap hole rather than being a countertop bowl, the standard Fiuto Nero mono basin mixer is the one you want — and unlike this one it comes with a matching black click waste.

The rest of the Fiuto Nero range

Alongside this there is a mono basin mixer, a hi-rise version for countertop bowls, a wall mounted basin mixer, a bath filler, a bath shower mixer and a freestanding bath shower mixer.

Specification

• Code: TAP119FIJ
• Matt black finish
• Solid brass construction
• Open waterfall spout
• Ceramic disc cartridge, quarter turn operation
• Single lever, deck mounted, one tap hole
• Raised spout for countertop and vessel basins
• Suitable for pressures between 0.5 and 10 bar
• Weight 1.85kg
• Fixings supplied
• Waste sold separately
• Lifetime guarantee (1 year on moving parts)
• Barcode 5055681461096

Downloads

Download the technical data sheet