Kartell K-VIT Flair 4 Hole Bath Shower Mixer – Chrome (TAP006FLJ)

Kartell K-VIT Flair 4 Hole Bath Shower Mixer – Chrome (TAP006FLJ)

The Kartell K-VIT Flair range is built around one idea: a square-set chrome body with a wide, open curved spout, so the water arrives as a broad flat sheet rather than a round jet. Kartell describe it as a collection that "gives a totally chic finishing touch to a trendy interior", and the open spout is what people notice — it is the whole point of the design.

This is the 4 hole bath shower mixer — the same set of parts as a bath shower mixer, but split into four separate pieces that sit across the rim of the bath: a hot lever, a cold lever, the open spout, and the shower handset in its own upright holder.

What four holes means

This is the thing to get right before you order. A four hole set needs four separate holes drilled in the bath rim or in the deck around it, spaced to suit. Most standard baths come drilled for two, so this usually means a bath sold undrilled, a bath you are drilling yourself, or a tiled or solid-surface deck surround.

It is worth the trouble for the look — the components sit low and spread out rather than clustered in the middle, which suits a wide bath and a deck surround particularly well. But it is not a straight swap for an existing two hole bath tap, and the spacing wants planning before anything is drilled.

Water pressure

Kartell rate this tap for pressures between 1 and 5 bar. The 1 bar minimum is the point to watch: a gravity-fed tank and cylinder will rarely reach it without a pump, so this one is for mains, combi or unvented systems.

That 1 bar minimum matters more here than on most taps, because the handset is fed through a longer run of pipework and an extra outlet. On a gravity-fed system this one will disappoint without 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.

Chrome is the easiest finish to live with and the easiest to spoil. A wipe with a soft damp cloth is all it needs, though it shows water spots and fingerprints more readily than a brushed finish, so in a hard water area it pays to dry it off. What it will not tolerate is abrasives: cream cleaners, scouring pads and strong limescale removers cut through the plating, and once chrome has gone dull and cloudy it cannot be brought back.

If your bath is drilled for two holes, the Flair bath shower mixer does the same job in a single deck-mounted body.

The rest of the Flair range

The range also includes a mono basin mixer with click waste, a hi-rise mono basin mixer for countertop bowls, a wall mounted basin mixer, a mono bidet mixer, a bath filler, a bath shower mixer and a freestanding bath shower mixer.

Specification

• Code: TAP006FLJ
• Chrome finish
• Solid brass construction
• Ceramic disc cartridges, quarter turn operation
• Four piece set — hot lever, cold lever, spout and handset holder
• Deck mounted, four tap holes
• Open waterfall spout
• Shower handset and hose included
• 3/4" BSP connections
• Suitable for pressures between 1 and 5 bar
• Fixings supplied
• Waste sold separately
• Lifetime guarantee (1 year on moving parts)
• Barcode 5055681461065