How to choose the basic hardware for showerheads

The quality of the basic hardware of the showerhead affects the overall service life of the showerhead, and the quality of the hardware is mainly affected by the material.
1. Nozzle material:
ABS plastic: Most showerheads on the market are made of ABS plastic material, with diverse shapes and appearance treatments, high aesthetic value, long-term use without burning hands, lightweight and convenient use, affordable price, and the highest cost-effectiveness.
Stainless steel material: not easy to shape, but can be large or thin in size, with a certain degree of beauty and practicality. Long term use does not burn hands. The price is relatively expensive compared to ABS plastic, and pursuing aesthetics can be a good option
Copper nozzle: Due to cost and craftsmanship issues, there are few styles available, mostly in European retro style, with low cost-effectiveness and practicality.
2. Faucet material:
Recommended copper alloy material, with good texture and strong durability.
Copper has excellent processing performance and is easier to create different shapes. Copper ions have antibacterial properties, so the inner wall will not breed bacteria, and water use is more in line with human health standards. Easy to cast, resistant to high and low temperatures, explosion-proof, can withstand high water pressure, and has high fluidity.
Stainless steel material is not easy to shape and is rarely used for faucets. If selected, 304 or 316 stainless steel should be used.
3. Material of lifting rod:
Commonly used stainless steel material, with high comprehensive cost-effectiveness. A few high-end models will use copper alloy material, which has a better texture than stainless steel, but the price is relatively expensive.
4. Valve core material:
Ordinary showerhead: ceramic>copper>stainless steel. The common valve core materials include ceramic, copper, and stainless steel. Among them, ceramic valve cores have the highest application rate, wear resistance, high temperature resistance, long service life, and the best sealing performance.
Thermostatic showerhead: Paraffin constant temperature element valve core>Memory alloy spring
Paraffin: Fill high-purity special paraffin into a small copper container, and cover the container with a rubber sensor. As the temperature increases, the volume of paraffin in the container also expands or decreases, and then the sensing piece at the container mouth drives the spring to push the piston to adjust the mixing ratio of cold and hot water.

Memory alloy: Shape memory alloy spring, made of nickel titanium (Ni Ti) alloy, changes its shape by sensing the temperature of the mixed warm water, thereby pushing the piston to adjust the mixing ratio of cold and hot water.
5. Material of hose:
There are mainly two types of hoses: PVC hoses and stainless steel hoses. There is no significant difference in the performance and price of the material. It is recommended to choose a shower tube with a dual pipe design and double-layer protection, so that it will not be hot to the hands after long-term use. The bending resistance of shower hoses is also crucial, and it is important to choose ones with anti entanglement function.