Kartell K-VIT Nero Curve Bath Shower Mixer – Matt Black (TAP291CN)

Kartell K-VIT Nero Curve Bath Shower Mixer – Matt Black (TAP291CN)

The Kartell K-VIT Nero Curve range is the Curve design in matt black — a squared-off lever and body meeting an open waterfall spout that pours in a wide flat sheet rather than a round stream. Kartell describe it as offering "on-trend sophistication for any bathroom space craving an instant update".

This is the bath shower mixer: a deck-mounted bath tap with a diverter and a shower handset on a flexible hose.

What it does

It fills the bath like a normal bath filler, and the diverter sends water to the handset instead — so you can shower over the bath, rinse hair, or clean the bath itself without a separate shower installation.

If you already have a separate shower and only need to fill the bath, the Nero Curve bath filler costs less and looks tidier without the hose.

Before you order

Bath taps use 3/4" BSP connections, larger than the 1/2" on basin taps, so check your existing tails.

The waste is sold separately — unlike the Nero Curve basin mixer, which includes a click waste.

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 also means 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. In a hard water area, expect to wipe it more often.

Water pressure

Kartell rate this tap suitable for low water pressure systems — it will run from as little as 0.2 bar. That means it works on a gravity-fed tank and cylinder as well as on mains, combi or unvented pressure.

Being straight about what that means here: on gravity-fed plumbing the handset will be a gentle spray rather than a powerful shower. That is your water pressure, not the tap. If you want a proper shower over the bath on low pressure, you need 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.

The same tap is made in polished chrome as the Curve bath shower mixer.

Specification

• Code: TAP291CN
• Matt black finish
• Solid brass construction
• Open waterfall spout
• Ceramic disc cartridges, quarter turn operation
• Integrated diverter, shower handset and hose included
• Deck mounted, two tap holes
• 3/4" BSP connections
• Suitable for low water pressure systems
• Weight 1.88kg
• Fixings supplied
• Waste sold separately
• Lifetime guarantee (1 year on moving parts)
• Barcode 5055681447731

Downloads

Download the technical data sheet