KOHLER 22974-WB-BL Crue Touchless and Voice Activated Kitchen Sink Faucet with Pull Down Sprayer, Motion Sensor, Hands Free Faucet, Matte Black

We purchased the Smart model of this faucet thinking that it would be nice to monitor water usage / control on/off via Google Home. As far as we can tell, the unit we received does not work with the Kohler Konnect / Apple Homekit at all, it's impossible to install. We've power-cycled and tried the install over twenty times at this point and it just throws up an 'Unable to add accessory' error each time. My husband and I both work in tech and thought we would have no trouble getting this thing set up, and we were wrong - it's simply bad design. We are using a 2.4GHz password-protected wifi as is recommended by Kohler; we've tried restarting the router, reinstalling both the Kohler and HomeKit apps, to no avail. The unit flashes green and red and then stops trying to 'konnect'. I'm so irritated that I paid extra for a smart functionality that is entirely non-functional. The faucet itself is of nice quality, the sensor works well, and while the water pressure isn't super strong it's enough for the average home user. Despite the weight being correctly installed as per the instructions, the hose does not auto-retract into the faucet, you have to push it back manually. These kinds of issues should not be present in a faucet that costs almost $900. Install was kind of a nightmare owing to the fact that the outlet hose is too short to attach to the control unit if your counters are deeper than standard depth. Our sink is in a corner cabinet, which now necessitates building something within the cabinet to mount the control unit to because Kohler does not offer a longer / extension outlet hose. We also had to buy longer supply hoses to connect to the existing ones because they too were extremely short. All of this makes me certain I will never purchase another Kohler product in the future. I would have returned, but the Amazon third-party seller requires a 50% restocking fee for opened merchandise, which in this case would be over $400. So disappointing.

First of all, I really like the look of this faucet, especially the lever, making it quite stylish. The sensor works every single time, unlike the touch sensor one I got earlier that was really glitchy. Now comes the cons: 1. The spray head not only reaches short, but shoots straight down (unlike the most others that point outwards). The consequence is, water barely hits edge of the sink. I've found most of Kohler line has rather short reach except Graze, which has extra wide reach (if not too wide). We found a way around it, to pull out the head and point it outside. It solves the problem, but the faucet looks ugly. 2. Water flow is a bit slow. The faucet is rated as 1.7 GPM (as compared to Simplice, which has 2.2 GPM). It feels slower than the Delta we replaced. 3. The smart function never worked. I've paired it with my router several times. The faucet says it's been paired, but I can't see it in the APP. I finally gave up on it. I had to return it after two weeks of trying, because of the short spout reach that my wife can't put up with. We've got a Simplice, which still has shorter reach than other brands. I had to switch the holes to make it work.

I normally don't write reviews. Especially one star reviews. But I just feel I had to do it for this product to hopefully divert somebody from making the same mistake I did. I am the type that will spend days and weeks researching an item before making a purchase. Based on my diligence, this item constantly came on top of lists. I went for it. Packaging was what you would expect. Everything was clearly labeled and well protected. However, the installation process was quite cumbersome. The installation of the control box is a nightmare with wires all over the place and a high risk of getting the electrical components wet during it. The first faucet that I tried didn't work at all on the electronic side. The second faucet came with the wrong color. The third and final faucet arrived completely intact and fully functional. Well, functional isn't really the right word. The application is horrible. From initially conducting to the faucet and linking to Google Assistant, to actually getting any voice commands to work. It is so bad that you simply will give up on ever trying to use it. The wand also wouldn't retract at all. It's as if I had to force it inward every time and was damaging something. Where's the finish. Nothing about it is spotless. I feel like I stain it just by looking at it. I have had Delta faucets that were less than $100 and prevented spotting way more. It makes my high-end kitchen look so dirty every time. I have never been so disappointed in a product in quite some time. Definitely did not expect this out of Kohler. I have some of their other faucets in my bathrooms and I am quite happy with it. I went with a Moen Cian faucet as a replacement and have not looked back. The installation is super easy. The application is awesome! You can operate the via the sensor or manually without having to close and reopen the handle. The finish is a stain proof as you can expect. And the voice commands are flawless with a lot more functionality. You can establish any presets you would like in terms of a volume. By calibrating it manually. You can tell the faucet to dispense specific temperatures and volumes. Etc. Kohler has a long way to go to catch up to Moen on the voice command side of things. Very surprising!

Where to start? First, the installation of the control box was way too difficult and restrictive. There is essentially one place under the sink where it will mount and not cause issues. For over $700 Kohler should have provided long enough wires/cables/hoses to mount the box in more flexible places. Second, the stupid app doesn't connect to WiFi. I'm an IT Director with a smart home with over 100 smart devices connected, so I know of what I speak. This thing has garbage software. The pull out hose is a joke. Due to the way the control box has to be mounted the hose doesn't go back in easily, and won't go back in at all unless you turn off the water. Finally, using the motion sensor technology causes the faucet to drip or even continue running a small stream more often than not. I've processed my return with Amazon, and I'm replacing it with another brand. Starts with M and ends with OEN. Just stay away.

Update 3/2023 It now turns on itself randomly and I have to shut it off and use it as a normal faucet. Well, this is a good faucet and the touchless function works perfectly. But the voice control part is terrible. It almost never worked. It either saying the faucet is not connected to Alexa which is not true or does do anything after commands. I paid the high premium for the smart function and got nothing for that. Never go for the smart one.

Purchased HomeKit compatible Koehler faucet. When it arrived, the hardware was throwing an error. When Kohler replaced it the board, they replaced it with a non-HomeKit compatible board. The tech said they deprecated HomeKit compatibility on all hardware and no longer support it...even if you purchased it with the feature. I have over 50 HomeKit devices in my home, from over 10 different venders. Never had a problem like this from any of them...and my Koehler faucet was the most expensive out of all of them.