Touch2O, Touchless or Two-Handle: The Best Delta Kitchen Faucet

Delta kitchen faucets come with a lot of trademarked words: Touch2O, MagnaTite, ShieldSpray, Lumicoat, DIAMOND Seal. Under the names are a few features that really change how a faucet works at a busy sink, and a long list of model names (Essa, Lenta, Leland, Cassidy) that mostly change the style.

This guide picks seven Delta kitchen faucets by what they do: tap-on, touchless, a stronger spray, a tall spring spout, touch control on a spring spout and a two-handle option. Specifications come from Delta’s product pages and the Amazon listings, lead-free statements are quoted as Delta gives them, and we say “not stated” where they are silent. For Moen, Kohler and the rest, start with our main guide to the best kitchen faucet.

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Quick verdict: which Delta faucet to buy

Our main kitchen faucet guide already covers the Delta Trinsic (manual and touch) and the Delta Finnridge, so we left them out here to give you different options; the Trinsic Pro below is a separate spring-spout model.

Five Delta faucets compared

Our five standout Delta picks, one for each kind of cook, with how each one turns on and Delta’s lead-free statement. All seven faucets are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Heights, flow rates, certifications and warranties are as Delta’s product pages or the Amazon listings give them; check the listing and your local plumbing code before you buy.

Our picks for the best Delta kitchen faucet

These seven cover the real choices within Delta’s range: lever, touch or touchless; standard pull-down or spring spout; modern or traditional; one handle or two. Each pick explains who it suits and gives one honest reason to skip it.

How to choose a Delta kitchen faucet

Touch2O or touchless

Touch2O starts and stops the water when you tap the spout or handle with a wrist or forearm. Delta’s touchless models add a sensor, so a hand near the faucet is enough, and they keep touch as a backup. Both run on AA or C batteries or an optional AC adapter, both shut off by themselves after four minutes, and on Delta’s pages both carry five years of coverage on the electronics against a lifetime on the faucet. If you only want one, touch is less likely to switch on by accident.

MagnaTite docking

MagnaTite uses a magnet in the spout to pull the spray head back into place. Delta says it keeps the spray head from drooping over time, which matters on a faucet you use dozens of times a day. Every pull-down in this guide has it.

ShieldSpray and the spray you need

Most Delta pull-downs switch between stream and spray. ShieldSpray, on the Lenta and Leland here, is a concentrated jet inside a ring of water that Delta says cuts splatter by an average of 90 percent. It is the one to want if you scrub pots in the sink. Delta’s Touch-Clean spray holes, on the Trinsic Pro, let you rub off mineral buildup with a finger.

Finish and hard water

Arctic Stainless and SpotShield Stainless are Delta’s brushed, stainless-look finishes; SpotShield is meant to resist spots and fingerprints. Lumicoat goes further: Delta guarantees it to resist water spots and mineral buildup. None of the faucets here is in a Lumicoat finish at the moment, so if your water is hard, look for a Lumicoat version of the model you like.

Holes, height and handles

Count the holes in your sink. The single-handle Deltas here fit one hole or three on 8-inch centers with a deck plate; the Windemere needs four. Then measure up: the Essa Pro Style stands 19-3/8 inches, the Windemere under 12. If you are changing the sink as well, see our guide to the best single-bowl kitchen sink.

What Delta says about lead and warranty

Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA explains, “lead free” means a weighted average of no more than 0.25 percent lead across the surfaces that touch water. Delta’s product pages cite NSF/ANSI 61 for every faucet here and NSF/ANSI 372 for five of them; for the Leland Touch2O and Windemere, the pages mention only NSF/ANSI 61, so that is all we say. Every faucet here carries Delta’s Lifetime Limited Warranty, with five years on electronic parts for the touch and touchless models.

How we chose these seven Delta faucets

We looked for genuine Delta kitchen faucets that Amazon showed as in stock when we checked, then chose one for each real choice: touch, touchless, manual with a strong spray, traditional style, commercial-style spring, touch on a spring spout and two handles. Specifications come from Delta’s own product pages and the Amazon listings. Several models, including the VoiceIQ smart faucets and most Leland manual versions, showed limited stock, so we left them out. The Trinsic Pro also showed limited stock; we included it after the Lumicoat Cassidy we first picked became unavailable (back-ordered), because no other in-stock Delta model added a different choice.

We have not installed or used these faucets ourselves. We also searched the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s site for Delta kitchen faucet recalls and found none; the Delta recall we found there, from 2006, covered bathtub and shower valves, not kitchen faucets. CPSC has warned buyers about some cheap, no-name faucets sold on Amazon that can leach lead, and advises choosing faucets certified to NSF/ANSI 61.

Delta faucet questions, answered

What is the difference between Delta Touch2O and touchless?

Touch2O turns on when you tap the faucet; touchless turns on when a hand comes near it. Delta’s touchless models also keep Touch2O, and you can switch them to touch-only mode.

How long do Touch2O batteries last?

Delta estimates about a year on AA batteries and about three years on C batteries, based on typical use. An optional AC adapter (EP102157) runs it from an outlet instead.

Are Delta kitchen faucets lead-free?

Delta’s listings say its faucets comply with lead-free legislation, and its product pages cite NSF/ANSI 61 for every faucet here and NSF/ANSI 372 for most. Check the page for the exact model you buy.

What does Delta’s lifetime warranty cover?

Delta gives its faucets a Lifetime Limited Warranty, and its pages state a separate five-year warranty on electronic parts for touch and touchless models. Check Delta’s warranty terms for what is excluded before you claim.

Which Delta faucet is best for a deep sink?

The Essa Pro Style, a 19-3/8-inch spring faucet, gives the most room under the spout. If you want more reach into the corners, a standard high-arc pull-down like the Essa or Lenta has a 20-inch hose.

Our final word on Delta faucets

Buy the Delta Essa Touch2O if you want a faucet you can start with a wrist while you cook, or the Lenta if you want no electronics and a strong spray. Pick the Essa touchless for no contact, the Leland for a traditional look, the Essa Pro Style for big pots, the Trinsic Pro for touch control on a spring spout and the Windemere for two handles. For other brands, see our full kitchen faucet guide; for the counter beside it, our kitchen soap dispensers and the dish racks that catch everything you rinse.

All that rinsing usually ends in salsa; our guide to salsa roja and salsa verde shows what to make with the tomatoes and tomatillos. If you would rather skip the dishes, see our menu and call to order.