Alsons 4922PK Shower Arm Diverter, Chrome

For the last 20 years we have gotten by with the shower diverter that came with the hand-held spray we bought. It is the kind of diverter with a knob on top that you need to pull up to switch from shower to hand held sprayer. As the years went by, our hands grew weaker and the knob harder and harder to pull. Obviously, what we needed was a diverter operated by a lever instead of a pull knob (see Physics 01). I stopped by our local Ace Hardware, Home Depot, and Lowes stores hoping to find an all-metal diverter with a lever. All seemed to be going the way of supermarket shelving algorithms and to be not the least bit interested in helping semi-skilled homeowners solve problems. I was just a bit hesitant to order the Alsons diverter because one of the nice touches of our current diverter is that it connects to the pipe coming out from the wall with a collar you can use to align the diverter vertically before you snug things up. Needless worry. I screwed the diverter on, used a crescent wrench to tighten it into a vertical position with just a little more than hand-tight force. I knew that if necessary to make "tight" and "vertical" coincide, I could add a layer or two of plumbing tape to adjust the fit. But the "thread gods" were with me and the diverter was snug with the sprayer hose outlet pointing the right way, down. I really shouldn't have worried. The diverter can only leak when I send water into the shower feed pipe instead of the tub and if it did the errant drops would just drop down into the tub.Tried the shower right away. What an improvement! Switching between shower and hand-held spray required just a bit more force than the rotary selector switches on my electronic gear. Hard to fault the economics: 365 x 2 divided by < $20.00.Maybe two years later and we couldn't be happier. Still works like a charm.

Amazon continues to list this as an Alsons product, with the note: "There is a newer model of this item:" You can order from the page describing an Alsons diverter but you will be sent a Delta branded product. I was told by a vendor that Alsons has been bought by Delta, which has rebranded the product. I bought the Alsons version 5 years ago, and it's been solid, very good. Just now getting a little leaky (from one outlet to the other.) The Alsons description states "All-brass," ...the Delta product description does not make this claim. In any case, the Alsons version seems identical to the Delta version shipped 3/2/2015. There is an internal piece that is plastic and rubber (not brass) in both versions. The listed item weight went from 7.2 ounces to 4 ounces. As of the above date, the weight of both Alsons and Delta versions is the same 6.5 oz in package, however. Will Delta cheapen the product, to profit from the reputation that Alsons built? It could happen but as of 3/2015 it seems to be the same product. Made in Taiwan.

We purchased the Alsons Shower Arm Diverter for connecting a showerhead and hand-held hose. I never heard of the Alsons brand before, but liked that this diverter is made of brass. The positive ratings also influenced my purchase decision.Turns out this is an excellent product. It feels very substantial in the hand and the finish is very nice. It looks much better in person than the (current) photo. The edges are very smooth, even around the threads. I put teflon tape where necessary and the diverter installed easily. I'm not very strong, but hand-tightened everything and there were no leaks.FYI... I first pushed the black rubber washer into the diverter since it was flush with the opening. Doing this made it easier to screw in the diverter since the washer is a tight fit. Otherwise, if the washer goes in crooked, there might not be a good seal.This is a very nice piece of plumbing, even if its purpose is utilitarian. Exceeded my expectations and I highly recommended it.PROS:- Brass construction- Beautifully finished with no sharp/rough edges- Priced right for the quality- Installed smoothly, no leaksCONS:- none

I bought this over three years ago to let me hook up both a regular shower head (that I use daily) and have a separate permanent connection for a handshower (that I use occasionally to wash my pooch Niki and normally don't have hooked up). I got tired of having to take off my regular shower head to put on the handshower, then switch them back again, every time that I wanted to give Niki a shower.This has worked out perfectly. It hasn't leaked at all for me in over three years, and it's very easy to swivel the handle to redirect flow from the shower head to the handshower. I also haven't noticed any degradation of the surface finish.Looks like there is a newer version from Delta that is also getting good reviews. I don't have experience with that model, but this one has held up fantastically for me and has made things a lot easier when I want to wash Niki. Two big thumbs up from me. Niki would give it one star, but that's just because she doesn't like the shower... :D

This Alsons 4922PK diverter simply allows me to toggle between the normal shower head and a hand-held sprayer. It's SO much better than the chromed plastic one I purchased at Home Depot. After 3 years, the plastic diverter began to have diminished flow. Due to the lower flow rate, the lower spiggot dirverter wouldn't even stay "pulled" unless you held it until water was flowing well and all the air had bled from the shower pipe. The ball valve in the Alsons diverter works much bettr and the flow rate is better than ever to both shower heads. It's chromed metal and the two-way lever moves easily. It should last for years. IMHO, it is an excellent value for $17.00. It comes with a inner round gasket. Using Teflon tape on all the mating threads is advised. The only reason for not giving this 5 stars is because it doesn't have a sprayer holder built-in.