What Are Sanitary Fittings and What Should You Know When Choosing Them?

Sanitary fittings are the plumbing products that control and deliver water in bathrooms and kitchens — most commonly faucets (taps), mixers, showers, hoses and angle valves. If you are choosing them for a home or a project, the practical decisions come down to four things: which rooms and outlets you need to supply, whether you want one-lever or two-handle control, how well the pieces match as a set, and whether the range is built for daily use rather than occasional use. The notes below explain each of these so you can narrow a product list before comparing prices or brands.

What counts as a sanitary fitting

The term covers the fittings at the point where water is drawn or controlled, not the pipework behind the wall. Typical categories:

• Faucets and mixers — single-lever and two-handle models for basins, sinks and baths
• Showers — shower fittings and outlets
• Hoses — flexible connections for showers and fittings
• Angle valves — the shut-off valves that isolate a fixture for maintenance

A supplier's catalogue usually organises these by room (bathroom, kitchen, other sanitary installations) and then by product family. When you shortlist, check that the same source covers both the visible fittings and the small parts such as hoses and angle valves, because mismatched connections are a common source of extra trips to the shop.

One-lever vs two-handle faucets

This is the first real choice, and it affects both daily use and how the room looks.

If the priority is everyday convenience — for example, adjusting a kitchen tap with one hand while holding a pot — a one-lever model is the practical default. If the room's style is traditional, two-handle models are the better match, and you should expect fewer series to choose from.

Why product series matter

Sanitary ranges are often produced in series, so that taps, showers and accessories share a consistent design language across a bathroom or kitchen. The supplier describes its fittings as mainly produced in series specifically to keep a continuous design touch through the facility.

In practice this means:

• Choose the series first, then the items. Pick a family whose look suits the room, then confirm it includes every fitting you need — basin, bath, kitchen, shower.
• Check availability within the series. Catalogues list many series side by side, and some product types are marked as coming soon rather than available. Confirm the specific item exists in your chosen series before committing to the look.
• Use series names as a rough positioning guide, not a spec sheet. Names such as Premium, Supreme, Choice or Comfort indicate different lines, but the label alone does not tell you materials, finishes or warranty. Ask for the details of the specific model.

What to check before you buy

1. List every outlet. Count basins, sinks, baths and showers, and note which need a mixer versus separate controls.
2. Decide the control type per room. One-lever for high-use areas; two-handle where style leads.
3. Confirm the full set is available. Match the series across rooms and verify each item is in stock, not "coming soon".
4. Include the small parts. Hoses and angle valves should match the fittings' connections; add them to the same order.
5. Judge for daily use. The supplier states its bathroom fittings are designed to be functional and aesthetic for daily use — treat that as the baseline expectation and check finish and feel in person where possible.
6. Treat brand and origin as one factor. German supply and long-established brand names (such as ALMANIT, ALMATHERM, ALMAPLAST and GERMANIT) are useful signals of range and consistency, but they are not a substitute for checking the specific model's specification.

A quick example

For a bathroom refit with a basin, a bath and a shower, a workable approach is: choose one series that covers all three, specify a one-lever mixer at the basin and bath for everyday control, add the matching shower fitting, and order the hoses and angle valves in the same series so the connections and finish are consistent. If the room is traditional, swap the mixers for two-handle models from a style-led series and accept a narrower choice.

The main pitfalls are choosing a look before confirming every item is available, and forgetting the valves and hoses until the fitter asks for them. Settle the series and the full parts list first; price and brand comparison is much easier once that list is fixed.