[PlumbItRight]

I have an old (pre ceramic) Moen 7100 series single lever cartridge kitchen faucet that leaks badly at the spout pivot like the previous Moen it replaced. Moen tells me the new ceramic cartridge type do not prevent this. I've also seen this same simple O-ring design used on pretty much all kitchen faucet spout pivots I've seen.

Now granted Moen sends out free O-rings, cartridges, and plastic washer bearings when you get leaks, but the O-rings in particular develop leaks fairly quickly no matter how well you grease them, at least on the Moens I've had anyway.

It seems valve designs have evolved but the pivot seals have not. There was a lot of talk about conserving water with these new valve designs, but I've had FAR more water leak out of the pivot than the spout on my faucets, even with pre ceramic designs. You can see what appear to be tiny brass particles under the spout barrel when lifting the lever, which seems to indicate they don't use very tough metal where the O-ring contact is.

So, as the title says, does anyone make a kitchen faucet with something better than O-ring spout pivot seals, or do some brands/models leak less there than others? Some have said the pullout type might be less prone to leak there, but a plumbing expert I spoke to yesterday said even those have O-rings at the spout pivot for leak control, and he also said those can have other problems, like hose wear and leakage.