Post by Brian M on Oct 28, 2008 12:40:10 GMT
From: OliverShaw1 (Original Message) Sent: 12/04/2006 21:44
Comet Chrome taps, fitted as standard to Safaris from at least 1974 (and probably earlier) up to the end of the line, have been unobtainable new for several years now. I last saw them on sale in the very late nineties, when I wanted to replace the cheap and nasty Whale plastic ones that a previous owner had fitted, and I bought one of the two mixer taps that I wanted (funds were tight at the time), and assumed that since I had seen them on display there was therefore no problem in obtaining them. However by the time I was ready to upgrade the other one they were no longer available.
I have previously noted that what looks very similar, a chrome on brass tap, is made by Plastimo for the yacht and boat market; see www.plastimo.com/catalogue/index.php?title=Plastimo%20:%20Boat%20equipment%20%20-%20Water&catid=10&LangID=1 . However the web page does not give sufficient information to judge the size of the tap.
Today, by chance, when I was in Mailspeed Marine for various bits for the boat I saw one of these in the flesh. It looks a close cousin to the Comet Chrome design, but is not identical; when seen in isolation, and not side by side with the original, the actual tap body and faucet are certainly close enough equivalent to pass any but the most expert and searching examination. However the operating knob is a little taller than the Comet one.
Nonetheless, it is a far closer match than any other modern taps that I have seen in either the caravan or the yacht market. Anyone looking for a reasonably authentic replacement for a previous owner's retro-fitted modern taps, or for originals in poor condition and unrepairable, might like to consider these as an acceptable compromise.
Also today, looking at a 12/2 from the mid-seventies, I was reminded of a point I had forgotten; the design of the operating knob for these taps changed radically at some stage during the seventies. The early design, which we had on our '74 12/2, was a "beehive with a protrusion"; by 1980 this had been replaced by a fluted design, which is the one that the Plastimo taps resemble, and this later design was retained up to the end of the line. The change occurred at some point within this six year period, but I cannot date it any more precisely than that.
Regards,
Oliver
Comet Chrome taps, fitted as standard to Safaris from at least 1974 (and probably earlier) up to the end of the line, have been unobtainable new for several years now. I last saw them on sale in the very late nineties, when I wanted to replace the cheap and nasty Whale plastic ones that a previous owner had fitted, and I bought one of the two mixer taps that I wanted (funds were tight at the time), and assumed that since I had seen them on display there was therefore no problem in obtaining them. However by the time I was ready to upgrade the other one they were no longer available.
I have previously noted that what looks very similar, a chrome on brass tap, is made by Plastimo for the yacht and boat market; see www.plastimo.com/catalogue/index.php?title=Plastimo%20:%20Boat%20equipment%20%20-%20Water&catid=10&LangID=1 . However the web page does not give sufficient information to judge the size of the tap.
Today, by chance, when I was in Mailspeed Marine for various bits for the boat I saw one of these in the flesh. It looks a close cousin to the Comet Chrome design, but is not identical; when seen in isolation, and not side by side with the original, the actual tap body and faucet are certainly close enough equivalent to pass any but the most expert and searching examination. However the operating knob is a little taller than the Comet one.
Nonetheless, it is a far closer match than any other modern taps that I have seen in either the caravan or the yacht market. Anyone looking for a reasonably authentic replacement for a previous owner's retro-fitted modern taps, or for originals in poor condition and unrepairable, might like to consider these as an acceptable compromise.
Also today, looking at a 12/2 from the mid-seventies, I was reminded of a point I had forgotten; the design of the operating knob for these taps changed radically at some stage during the seventies. The early design, which we had on our '74 12/2, was a "beehive with a protrusion"; by 1980 this had been replaced by a fluted design, which is the one that the Plastimo taps resemble, and this later design was retained up to the end of the line. The change occurred at some point within this six year period, but I cannot date it any more precisely than that.
Regards,
Oliver