When you need to choose plumbing equipment for the bathroom or kitchen without any mounting problems, products from the German manufacturers seem to be a safe bet. Now we will compare the two most prolific German brands such as Hansgrohe and Grohe. Any of their products deserves to take its place in your apartment.

Is Grohe the same as Hansgrohe?

Definitely not. Despite having the common family roots, Hansgrohe and Grohe are fierce arch-rivals producing sanitary fixtures and accessories.

It all started back in 1901 when a German visionary Hans Grohe founded the company after his own name that pretty soon revolutionized the bathing process. Hansgrohe hand showers turned out to be an affordable alternative to the lavish bathtub and pioneered the German sanitation industry. At the age of 82, right before his death, Hans Grohe made another game-changing invention. In 1953, he introduced the world to the wallbar – a simple yet innovative accessory allowing people to attach the hand shower at the desired height.

In 1955, the eldest son Hans Grohe Junior inherited the company and the youngest son Klaus also got involved into family business later in 1968.

Hansgrohe got engaged in the long-lasting competition after the second eldest son Friedrich due to some family frictions left the company in 1936, bought a ferric hardware factory in Hemer and changed its profile to the manufacture of sanitary faucets only. This is when the Grohe brand was born.

Key facts about Hansgrohe

The company was founded in 1901 by Hans Grohe, a master of metal riveting. It offers innovative plumbing fixtures, including showers, mixers, drain systems, and other accessories. Trademark “Axor” provides exclusive collections of faucets and accessories for bathrooms. Trademark “Pharo” includes bathroom wellness-systems, shower panels, steam and shower cabins, hydromassage baths.

The company has 34 subsidiaries and 21 sale offices with 4,850 employees. It exports the products to more than 140 countries. Products are manufactured at five sites in Germany, France, the USA, the Netherlands, and China.

Key facts about Grohe

The Grohe was founded by Frederick Grohe (the eldest son of Hans Grohe) in 1936. The company provides shower sets and faucets for bathrooms and kitchens, automatic and electronic mixers, systems and flushing for suspended plumbing. Grohe owns 3 factories in Germany. Three more production sites are located in Europe and Thailand.

Grohe exports more than 84% of its products to other countries. Around the world, more than 5,000 employees work in Grohe manufacturing. The company’s share in the global market is about 8%. Their Products pick up worldwide awards such as Good Design Awards, IF design awards and others.

Comparison

Despite the fact that the products of the companies are similar, each of them poses itself on the market in their own way and conducts its own marketing policy.

Positioning on the market & Design

How can we actually differentiate the companies? Grohe has earned itself a bit more of a hipster’s image due to the active use of digital technologies in its bathroom appliances while Hansgrohe probably has a bit staider reputation.

For Instance, Smart Water Controller from Grohe tracks consumption, detects micro leaks and frost risk in case of a burst pipe, shuts off the water supply.

Apart from sleek and modern design, the Grohe Blue Faucet is equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to monitor faucet performance, track and notify you of CO2 usage and filter status, and control water portioning via an app.

The Plus Digital faucet features an innovative LED temperature display, giving you additional control over hot and cold water flow and ensuring safety at all times.

Hansgrohe bohemian designs, inspired by architects and perfectionists like Philippe Starck and Giuseppe Citterio, are full of style and a nice European flair. The gorgeous Hansgrohe polished chrome perfectly hides the footprints or water drops.

The Grohe products are not lagging behind in terms of look as they have received the most famous design awards in the world like Good Design Awards, Red dot, IF design awards, etc.

Vision

Innovation and craftsmanship have been the standard of Hansgrohe for all the 116 years of existence. At the same time ease of use, technical and design excellence, customer orientation for more than 80 years remain the main values of the Grohe brand.

Own features

Hans Grohe himself and his descendants have always tried to be ahead of their time and come up with devices for their clients that did not exist before. A shower rod was invented in 1953, and the Raindance shower system in 2003 opening a new era in the shower manufacturing.

Grohe is always keeping pace with its competitors. It was they who proclaimed the thesis of turning the bathroom from the washing room to a personal corner, carefully and securely sheltered from the outside world.

Their Grohe SPA collection includes all the necessary attributes for a home spa, turning hygienic procedures into relaxation, recovery and pleasant pastime. From bath and shower to the sink – the company’s models will help you design the bathroom in accordance with various likes. The Allure, Grohe Ondus, Atrio, and Grander series, which are based on different types of geometric shapes – from oval to square, will be well suited to any interior.

Quality

It’s impossible to be on the customers’ radars for more than 100 years without the highest quality and constant innovation. Brands Hansgrohe and Grohe have been highly valued all over the world thanks to their high-quality metals approved for contact with drinking water. Continuous independent testing of samples, compulsory training of the employees in all countries, attracting the best designers, all this allows the companies to be at the top of the global plumbing market.

Production lines: are they still made in Germany?

Until recently, Grohe products for the US market used to be assembled in Canada, but in 2014 the company was acquired by a Japanese concern and later moved its production line to Mexico, China, and Thailand.

The German roots were blatantly eradicated from Grohe by the Japanese giant in an aggressive move to increase the revenue needed to cover the massive debts. Such a rush for cash might undermine the quality of products that are now only designed in Germany but never touched by the real Germans anymore.

Hansgrohe on paper is now more American than German after it has been acquired by Masco, an American company that has a bunch of other brands like the Peerless Delta, Brizo and Newport Brass.

Unlike their rivals, the Hansgrohe luxury faucet brand Axor is still produced in Germany while Hansgrohe premium products are also assembled in Deutschland. To cut the manufacturing costs, more and more finished faucets and almost all faucet elements are being shipped from China.

Pricing policy

Though both manufacturers are undoubtedly operating in the premium segment with a comparatively equal pricing policy, you will easily find inexpensive Hansgrohe and Grohe faucets and mixers.

The only distinction is that it is hard to find a direct Grohe alternative to the products of the Hansgrohe’s luxury brand Axor boasting extraordinary designs you can buy in the upper price range.

Warranty and customer service

Winner: Hansgrohe 🏆

In general, Hansgrohe and Grohe offer similar limited warranty terms like lifetime warranty on cartridge, finishes, and mechanical parts, however, the real-life guarantee is valid for 20 years or less under the condition you hold a sales receipt.

Grohe’s major blot is the reluctant, if not ignoring after-sale customer service. You can only approach Grohe by e-mail or voice-mail though their customer support department failed to live up to its declared 24-hour response time.

We have sent a couple of test requests and got a response in three days, five weeks and were ignored once. We were also held on the line for about 30 minutes before the customer service representative answered our phone call.

Hansgrohe’s limited lifetime warranty would have completely met the standards in North America but contains one strange clause saying the guarantee is voided unless the faucet is installed by a trained plumber. As for Hansgrohe’s customer service, we found it smooth and pretty helpful.

Conclusion and final verdict

If you want us to tell you what kind of the two brands to prefer we would slightly lean towards Hansgrohe in terms of quality. Should you want a robust shower appliance on a slightly lower budget, probably, Grohe will do good for you. It’s the case when you need to make your choice based on your own vision of the bathroom or kitchen interior.

The choice between the Hansgrohe and Grohe is pretty much similar to the rivalry of the leading German automotive companies like Audi or BMW. The truth is, each company has products of similar quality in its class in terms of comfort, design, reliability, and other characteristics.

If you want to forget about the leaking cartridges and multiple replacements for at least 10 years, stick to Hansgrohe as they are using a full brass cartridge.

Hansgrohe – Best for Hand Showers 🚿

Grohe – Better for Faucets 🚰

We keep our tabs on the latest news and have a close look at the latest developments of the above-mentioned brands. Feel free to share your reviews based on personal experience related to Hansgrohe or Grohe bathroom and kitchen faucets, shower systems and accessories in the comments section.