Batteries, Sensors, Shut-Off: The Best Touchless Kitchen Faucet

Raw chicken, wet masa, chile oil on your fingers: at some point in most cooking sessions your hands are the last thing you want on a faucet handle. A touchless faucet starts the water with a wave, which keeps the handle cleaner and spares you from wiping it down after you’ve finished.

It also adds things a plain faucet doesn’t have, namely batteries, a control box under the sink and a sensor that can misread a wiping cloth. So this guide looks at seven motion-sensor faucets on the questions that decide whether you’ll like one: what powers it, where the sensor is, when it shuts off, and what happens when the batteries die.

Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a restaurant kitchen looks for, product specifications and verified buyer reports.

Quick verdict: which touchless faucet to buy

If you aren’t sure you want a sensor at all, our main guide to the best kitchen faucet compares lever, touch and touchless models side by side.

Five touchless faucets side by side

One pick for each kind of cook, with the power source and shut-off each maker or listing states. All seven faucets are reviewed below.

Product images from Amazon. Details are as stated by each maker or listing, and battery life depends on use.

Our picks for the best touchless kitchen faucet

Listed in the order we would look at them. Every faucet has a stated motion sensor and a stated power source, and each pick was in stock when we checked.

How to choose a motion-sensor faucet

Plan for the power source

Most of these run on AA batteries, and the Deltas can also take C cells, which Delta says last up to 3 years against 1 year for AA, based on typical use. An AC adapter removes the battery chore but needs an outlet under the sink, and Bob Vila’s review notes that the Kohler Crue needs one too. Before you buy, look under your sink and see where a control box and battery pack would go.

Check what happens when the batteries die

This matters more than the sensor range. The Kraus listings describe a coin-slot switch for manual use. Others rely on the regular handle, so ask the maker whether the handle works with dead batteries. The American Standard adds a low-battery reminder, which spares you the surprise.

Think about false starts

A sensor can’t always tell a wave from a wipe. Bob Vila’s review of the Moen Brantford reports that it can’t distinguish a deliberate wave from someone wiping the sink, and sometimes soaks the user’s arm. Side sensors like Kraus’s are meant to reduce that, and the Colony Pro lets you disable the sensor while you clean. Bob Vila also warns that a sensor that is too sensitive can be triggered by slight motion and waste water.

Touch and touchless aren’t the same

Touch faucets turn on when you tap them, usually with a wrist. Touchless faucets respond without contact. The Delta picks here do both, which covers more situations. If you only want the wrist tap, see our Delta faucet guide, which includes Touch2O models without a sensor.

Measure the spout

Overall height decides whether the faucet clears your cabinet or window, and spout height decides whether your biggest pot fits underneath. These numbers vary a lot: the Kraus KSF-1610 is 18-3/4 inches tall with a 6-1/4-inch spout height, and the shorter KSF-2830 has 8-3/4 inches under its spout.

Read the lead statement, and install with care

Federal law sets what “lead free” means for faucets, and makers commonly cite NSF/ANSI 61 and 372. We quote what each maker says and write “Not stated” when a listing is silent, as on the Colony Pro and KSF-2830. If your shut-off valves are old or your local code requires it, hire a licensed plumber.

How we chose these seven touchless faucets

We looked for kitchen faucets with a stated motion sensor and a stated power source, from established makers, in stock on Amazon as a New offer when we checked. Details come from the Amazon listings and from Delta’s and Kraus’s product pages, read directly. Good touchless faucets are on our other guides, including the Moen Adler in our main faucet guide, the Moen Arbor and Essie in our Moen guide and the Delta Essa in our Delta guide, and we didn’t repeat them. Most Kohler and Pfister touchless listings were low in stock when we checked, so we left them out. We also left out an American Standard Aspirations listing because its product page doesn’t state its power source.

The independent review we read is Bob Vila’s touchless faucet guide, whose writers say they installed each faucet and used them for 12 weeks. We have not used these products ourselves. A brand search of the CPSC recall database found no kitchen faucet recalls for Delta, Moen, Kraus or American Standard when we checked.

Touchless faucet questions, answered

Does a motion sensor kitchen faucet work without power?

Most battery models work when the house power is out, since they don’t use it. Kraus says this directly about its sensor. If the batteries die, Kraus provides a coin-slot switch for manual operation. For other models, ask the maker about the handle.

How long do the batteries last?

It depends on use. Delta says up to 1 year with AA and up to 3 years with C, based on typical use. Other makers on this page don’t state a figure in what we read.

Do touchless faucets turn on by accident?

They can. Reviews report arms getting soaked when someone wipes the sink. Short sensor ranges and side-mounted sensors help, and some models let you switch the sensor off for cleaning.

Do I need an outlet under the sink?

Not for the seven picks here, which all run on batteries. Delta, Moen and American Standard offer optional AC power. Some touchless faucets from other makers do need an outlet, so check before you buy.

Is a touchless faucet more hygienic?

It means less handle contact, which keeps the faucet cleaner during messy jobs. It doesn’t replace washing your hands properly, so follow normal food safety practice when handling raw meat.

Our final pick for messy hands

For most kitchens, the Delta Lenta Touchless is where we would start, because it gives you a sensor, a tap and a lever, and states its NSF certifications. For a commercial look with a clear backup plan, take the Kraus KSF-1610, and for a straightforward sensor with a low-battery reminder, the American Standard Colony Pro.

Pair your faucet with a clean sink setup using our kitchen soap dispenser guide, and see our main kitchen faucet guide if you want to compare other types. Or skip the dishes and call to order at (346) 546-8283.