12 June 2010

A follow up with Hansgrohe's Pura Vida


I wrote a column on the 22nd of April that was a recap of sorts of the sights and sounds of Kitchen and Bath Industry Show 2010 in Chicago. I said it then and I'll restate it here, the Hansgrohe PuraVida hand shower was the best thing at the show.

Every morning at the show in Chicago, Brizo's grande dame Jai Massela and I would head over to Hansgrohe's exhibit and get an espresso or two before the show opened. Without fail, I'd walk past the Pura Vida exhibit and let the water run over my hand. I was smitten. With a showerhead. I had no choice but to call it my personal best in show.

Hansgrohe's espresso bar at KBIS 2010

Shortly after I stated that in my blog post, Hansgrohe sent me a PuraVida hand shower. I write product reviews all the time and I don't expect anything in return, really. It was a generous gesture made even more generous by the fact that I'd already said nice things about the product.

Well I sped home and installed my PuraVida the day it arrived. No sooner did I have it installed I jumped right in. It exceeded my lofty expectations. It's a different experience to have a shower hit your back in privacy instead of your hand while you're standing at a convention.

My hand shower (it clips into a hook when I'm not holding it) has three settings I can click through by pressing a button that reminds me of the button on a wireless mouse. The first setting is a soft rain, the second is what Hansgrohe calls Caresse and the third is a combination of the two.

It's the Caresse that made me fall for the PuraVida. I don't know how to describe it so I'll show you instead. At :52 in the video below, a shower head similar to mine springs into action. It's a controlled stream that swirls.


It's also an engineering marvel that feels like fingers dancing across my back. In fact it's so convincingly finger-like, it rinses the shampoo out of my hair --hands free.

I couldn't be happier with this shower head and not just because it's an indulgence. Hansgrohe's patented system for mixing air bubbles into the water flow at a ratio of three to one keeps this a low-flow shower. I have been suing low-flow showers for the last 20 years and this is the first one I've ever come across that doesn't feel like a penance. Had I not known in advance I never would have guessed this was an efficiency-minded addition to my life.

So thank you Hansgrohe, you have a terrific product. And I have to say that as a specifier and as a consumer, it's good to know that Hansgrohe is more than just great product photography. Speaking of which, here are few examples.



11 comments:

  1. Thanks for the guidance and information. It's wonderful to be able to recommend a product from a respected resource like you, Paul! The fact that you have tried and used the product means even more. And, a smart move by Hansgrohe.

    Can't wait to get one. Thanks again for the post.

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  2. Hmmm. It could use some LED lighting, though.

    You know, for the health benefits.

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  3. Bill: It will change your life.

    Mark: It does need some chromatherapy LEDs. While I'm at it, it would benefit from some chemical- and VOC-free essential plant oils to promote my wellness and support my immune system. Maybe I'll make that suggestion. :)

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  4. And vitamins! It should mix vitamins C and E into the water, to anti-oxidize your skin and make you look younger! And the head should be made of green plastic, to show PuraVida's commitment to the environment, and/or pink plastic, to show they're involved in the fight against breast cancer. Has it been evaluated for feng shui? 'Cause if not, somebody should probably do that, too. Perhaps a small, tasteful American flag as well, just to bring the whole thing together.

    My goodness. How long have I been this cynical? How did this happen?

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  5. Of course I meant Hansgrohe's commitment to the environment and/or breast cancer, not PuraVida's.

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  6. I ask myself the same question all the time.

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  7. This confirms what I have suspected for a long time. A Caligulan aesthete masquerading as a humble blogger and kitchen designer... You would not find this sort of aqueous decadence installed in MY house. I value my pious soul far too highly and am content to wait many long years for my just rewards (um, could I have that in writing please, St. Pete?) Ahhh..justwaitaminute ... don't you live near there... you're cheating AND getting away with it!!

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  8. Great video and music and ..... the product itself doesn't sound too shabby either.
    Now tell me Paul, does the gentleman (in the fourth photo) come with any of their products?????????? Nice be a nice added feature. ;) -Brenda-

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  9. Oops, that should have read ...."MIGHT be a nice added feature". -Brenda-

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  10. There was no young man in the box. At least none that I noticed.

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