Here’s a NOS kitchen product that has made my Dear Husband very happy.
Getting ready for my end-of-summer tag sale [ever seeking to lighten the load], I came across two New Old Stock kitchen sink basket strainers among my stashes. I had picked them up at some estate sale.
Knowing that DH always has struggled to find a basket strainer that really works — one that really holds the drain closed so the water won’t slowly seep out — for our vintage Kohler sink, I brought the boxes upstairs to consult with him on giving the old stock a try. He was totally game.
So we did. We took a look and at first, were worried that the PVC or rubber or whatever it is on the bottom of the decades-old strainer would be too dried out, but it was fine.
We tested each one — locked each one down, ran the water, waited, and…
… Without question: The New Old Stock sink strainer worked better. No seepage. And DH says the gauge of the metal is much stronger.
Could it be that new basket strainers are meant for the design of modern sinks
— and you need a vintage basket strainers fit the old designs?
Or, are the old designs just better?
Seriously, as we were walking the dog last night, DH commented again on this strainer, out of the blue-ish (we had just finished cleaning up the dinner dishes). These things have been one of his lifelong pet peeves. He’s 56 years old, like me, and said he never has found one that really works. Finally.
Hurray for little pleasures! Hurray for vintage! Note: I think you should be able to get these on ebay, they are around if you also want to give it a try.
Erik says
After re-reading your today’s article, I realize that you may not have a Kohler drain flange with your Kohler sink.
Also – I wasn’t quite sure which strainer in your photos was the non-leaking one. I presumed it was the one that appears to be a Kohler and matches what is in the Kissler catalog.
If it is the more rounded one, that also appears to be available from Kissler, part 59-2020 which is just to the left of the Kohler in the catalog that I reference in my prior post.
Erik says
No need to hunt for new old stock. New kitchen sink basket strainers for vintage Kohler sinks are still being manufactured/distributed by Kissler & Co. in New Jersey.
Kissler has many OEM replacement parts available for plumbing fixtures manufactured in the last 65 years for a number of different brands.
http://www.kissler.com/index.html
I believe your Kohler specific basket strainer is Kissler 59-2606. See upper right hand corner of page 344 in this section of their catalog:
http://www.kissler.com/Downloads/Sink%20Tub_G.pdf
The strainer can be purchased online at Faucet Shark or Chicago Faucet Shoppe.
http://www.faucetshark.com/Kohler-Kitchen-Basket-59-2060-p/kiss-59-2060.htm
http://www.chicagofaucetshoppe.com/Kissler_59_2060_p/kiss-59-2060.htm
Perhaps a little spendy, but well worth the price if the generic replacement isn’t working out for you.
Your local plumbing supply may also carry Kissler products. (Even Home Depot has a limited selection of Kissler products online.)
See below to view other Kissler catalogs:
http://www.kissler.com/products.html
I recently discovered Kissler because I’m in the process of rebuilding the original American Standard three-valve bathtub fixture in my 1953 home. Kissler distributes everything I need, right down to exact replacement faucet escutcheons to replace the heavily corroded, 62 year old originals. In fact, a complete rebuild kit is available via Home Depot.
pam kueber says
Wow, what a resource! I can get lost in this place all weekend. Thank you!
Yes, that looks like mine! But the online one costs $26.10 yowza. Yay for NOS found in an old garage at an estate sale.
Note: I corrected the caption in my photo showing the two side-by-side. I got myself confused: The one on the left is the NOS one that works — the one that’s called “for Kohler” in your Kissler materials. WOOT!
Kimberly Bruhn says
Love this. But my question is: Is your sink polka-dot or does it just appear that way on the picture?
pam kueber says
That’s a rubber mat
Jay says
Yes, NOS wins the day! You hit the jackpot, finding one that fits tightly and to think it was sitting in your own house. I’m beginning to think you have one of those mega-basements like WOT for your hoarding, I mean, storage,
tammyCA says
I hear ya! Thawing a turkey when the sink keeps draining is not good. Recently I was at my sister’s rental house doing the dishes in her vintage sink (double drain boards, too) & I immediately noticed the old heavy strainer..I remember these as a kid. Will have to look for one that’s made for my particular sink.
Birgitte says
The house we just moved into (1948) still has the original drainer. It looks just like yours, and works great!
Eliza says
In the olden days we used to wash our dishes in the sink, so we really needed the drainer to keep the water in the sink! I think these days most people don’t really notice/care because sinks rarely get filled up any more – just throw everything into the dishwasher.
Janet in ME says
Oh, wow, can I relate to this! My current double bowl sink is original to the house but not the stoppers – they leak, not fast but they do seep gradually. The sink in my last house was a single sink and I never had to worry about rinsing in the same sink and overflowing it, because the stopper leaked so badly, the water level never got up very high. But I did use a lot of dishwashing detergent! When we built a house in 1991, we got two extra stoppers when we bought the sink. The plumbing place thought it was an odd request but I get so ticked when the sink stopper leaks and you can’t find a replacement that fits. I agree that the old ones are heavier and better, for sure! Yup, leaky stoppers are a bee in my bonnet too!
Allen says
This is wonderful. I do agree that the older stoppers are much heavier and better built (like most things that are older). More importantly, I think its important that your stopper be designed for whatever brand drain you have (Sterling, Kohler, Elkay etc.). The sink i grew up with had Sterling drains and we had the original stoppers where the rubber finally wore out. The universal ones mom got never sealed correctly but once we sourced new Sterling stoppers, everything sealed fine again. The new stoppers were by far not as well made and heavy as the originals but they did keep the water from seeping.
pam kueber says
Yes, I bet you are right. The question is: What stopper was intended for my 1963 Kohler sink!
mobile_home_dude says
Are the chrome drains also from 1963? It’s the brand of the drain that the stopper must be matched to.
pam kueber says
I don’t know whether we received the original 1963 drain when we bought the sink. I mean, the four sinks. Yes, four sinks came with the kitchen that I salvaged. It was a former cooking school that had been run by nuns!
Allen says
Our drains were brand labeled in very small lettering on the rim and on the bottom of the unit. Several drains I’ve seen do not appear to have lettering on the rim and I did not want to crawl in someone else’s under sink cabinet to see if they were labeled on the bottom. Sterling was apparently very good at labeling their plumbing hardware. My current bathrooms have Sterling faucets and drains from 1960 and all labeled “Sterling” in very small lettering.
midmichigan says
Sink stoppage technology has obviously moved into the realm of trying to fix something that wasn’t broken. Good comparo, product shootout, Pam. Thanks!
Ed says
I’d say it’s devolved into “one size fits most”, and if you aren’t in the “most” group, you’re out in the cold.