Basin waste plug

They're OK, but prone to failure in my experience. I currently favour the captive swivel type like

Tim Lamb wrote

The release/hold mechanism in the centre of the plug takes up so much room that the drain flow is substantially affected. Basically, the water can no longer 'swirl' and the drain rate is so slow as to leave particles in the sink. Also, hair has a tendency to get clogged around the mechanism. Avoid.

The captive swivel type which A mentions is a much neater alternative. They seal well, don't pick up dirt and if the water's too hot to dip your hand in, you just wait a minute or so. Their main drawback is that they usually have no grating below the swivel -- if you drop a ring down the plughole, it goes straight into the trap.

It is beyond my comprehension as to why anyone wants anything but the old fashion plugs. There are so many pitfalls and problems with the alternatives. My daughter insisted that I install a lever type for her, the blasted thing slowly leaks water and it restricts the out flow. When I empty the basin I always remove the plug,I'm too impatient to wait for the thing to empty otherwise! Reminds me of the old adage when cigarette lighters first come out, that if they had preceded matches when matches were invented everyone would have hailed them as a huge improvement.

In message , Brian L Johnson writes

OK Points taken.

Re-write the adage *if it looks too good to be true, it probably is*:-)

Thanks to all

Yes, they work well as long as you buy a good quality one.

I've used a Hansgrohe one

I did also look at the various lookalikes in the DIY stores, bathroom shops etc. and most of them are rubbish; plus they were generally bright chrome and I was looking for a satin stainless steel finish

Yes we've just bought one of their shower mixers, looks like its hewn out of a lump of solid brass!...

Because crud gets caught in the chain and the plating wears off quite quickly.

Not if you buy a good design, well manufactured.

There I agree. The concept is faulty and generally the seal inadequate.

Broadback wrote

Re: different types of waste plug

Well, each type has its own disadvantages. The plug-and-chain variety, for instance, has to have somewhere to sit when you don't want it plugging the waste. They can leave water-ring marks around the sink area. The little balls on the chain often get dirty and grubby-looking. If the plug is metal-topped, it can scratch/chip the surface of the basin.[1] If pushed in too firmly, they can either leap out at you when pulled or snap the chain.

I often feel the same: but then I ask myself why I feel the need to stand there and watch it empty.

But yes, they do leak and they do clog and they look ugly on exposed (free-standing) sinks.

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1. More usually, though, they scratch baths because they fall/swing from a greater height.