Delta single handle ball faucets (1963)

https://archive.org/details/DeltaSingleHandleBallFaucets

Comments

dpe82Jan 26, 2026, 5:07 AM
I've never see the MR-510 dishwashing handle before - that seems so convenient!
nik282000Jan 26, 2026, 4:02 AM
Oh my god, actual dimensions on a drawing, part numbers, AND service instructions!?! I work on industrial equipment with 1/10th the documentation presented here.

Cool find, op!

dpe82Jan 26, 2026, 5:11 AM
No wonder our grandparents generation were good with mechanical things. If they were looking at materials like that all the time - I feel like you'd build an intuitive sense of how common household devices work pretty easily if it were so clear and accessible.
matthewmcgJan 26, 2026, 4:39 AM
The terms of sale are so clear and concise. But I don’t see a warranty period. Would they still replace a part on a 1961 sink?
eclipticplaneJan 26, 2026, 5:14 AM
Not sure about warranty, but a few years ago my mother's 80s(?) era Delta faucet started leaking. I sent a blurry photo to Delta's service team and a few days later had a link to a replacement part and an old manual scanned as a PDF. For a 40 year old product!

Ultimately we replaced the whole faucet and fixture, but that single reply probably made me a customer for life.

800xlJan 26, 2026, 4:09 AM
I paid a little more and waited a couple weeks to receive a Delta single handle faucet for my kitchen back in 2020, rather than just buying what was available on the shelf at Lowe's. Model: #400LF-WF. The reviews at the time said it was basically the same faucet made back in the 60s. I'm glad I did - it has been an excellent faucet.
userbinatorJan 26, 2026, 4:52 AM
It's interesting to see the prices back then - the model 400 cost $24.95 (see page 15), which would be around $260 today.

Incidentally, the newer variants also have flow restrictors, which aren't hard to remove.

vel0cityJan 26, 2026, 4:37 AM
> rather than just buying what was available on the shelf at Lowe's

Funny, that exact model dominates the shelf space at the Lowe's near me. Practically a whole bay for just those, over 50 in stock right now.

throwaway173738Jan 26, 2026, 4:33 AM
I just changed a valve in one of these shower handles last year. They’re great. The Moen shower handles are pretty good too but the cartridges require a special tool to replace.
amarantJan 26, 2026, 3:56 AM
These are still very common in Sweden. I installed one when I renovated my kitchen a couple of years ago for example. Different design of course, but the same mechanism. 2 out of three bathrooms have similar ones too! Iirc the shower in the guest house does as well, but memory is fuzzy and I'm currently too far to check
jessmartinJan 26, 2026, 4:28 AM
Wow. This is exactly my kitchen faucet. Which makes sense, because my house was built in 1961.

Works great. Amazing how durable the faucet is!

voidfuncJan 26, 2026, 3:36 AM
We had one of these in our kitchen when I was growing up before we renovated in the late 90s. Very cool.
trivialities777Jan 26, 2026, 3:50 AM
I just installed a similar one in my bathroom, except the handle is on the side instead of on top. Also has a pull-down flexible hose that snaps back in with a magnet, very useful for cleaning.
pengaruJan 26, 2026, 4:30 AM
I need a time machine.
seg_lolJan 22, 2026, 4:35 AM
Haven't seen one of these in years!
jibalJan 26, 2026, 4:00 AM
My shower and all my sinks have this design.