i just installed a delta single handle kitchen faucet. to my suprise the copper tubes that stick down to attach hot and cold are attached to the faucet body by pushfit fittings. yeah, they used to be soldered into the body but not any more. when i grabbed one to screw the sink supply onto it turned and felt loose. i thought it was defective. upon closer inspection it was not solidly attached. i suppose it saves them quite a bit in production costs.

And the supplies are half the diameter than what they used to be.

I can confirm these changes are happening. Look at the pictures in my other post. The copper has been reduced in diameter.

[www.plbg.com]

They even put a warning with the hot water label stating not to twist tubes. "Bent tubes will void warranty." Funny how they twist very happily in their little seats.

Semantics.

None of the Delta faucets I have installed in the past year even had copper supply tubes. They were long plastic ones with the 3/8" compression nuts pre-attached.

The last Delta kitchen faucet I installed was such junky plastic (it was in a box that I should've opened and looked at) that I uninstalled it, drove back to the supplier and exchanged it for a brass one. Nothing I did would make it feel snug to the sink. It made Glacier Bay look like a high-quality item.