Dometic makes a better portable water faucet

As a hesitant preparer for the Day of Resurrection Vanliver is anxiousOver the past few years, Dometic’s battery-operated Go Faucet has played a major role in my camper. Several bugs And my camping gear’s water system. So it took 2 minutes together The new Recon 360 faucet from Dometic To realize it’s an upgrade in every way that matters – and then confirm it after a week of testing it.

As for upgrades, the Recon 360 faucet ditches the easy-to-miss touch surface for real mechanical buttons. The first button produces a standard stream of water to brush your teeth or fill a cup, while the second, larger button emits a more powerful stream to wash dishes or your hair or quickly fill a water bottle before heading out for a walk. The water flow is stopped with a second press of the active button, otherwise it will automatically stop the flow after 90 seconds or 1.5L/3L to avoid exhausting this precious resource.

In my testing, pressing the smaller button extracted 1 liter of water in 41 seconds (as loud as 52 dB at arm’s length), while the express button extracted 1 liter in just 24 seconds at a louder 60 dB. The low flow mode is quieter than the original one-button Go Faucet, with a less annoying drone due to the lower pitch. However, it’s still a little loud for vanlifers to sneak a glass of water at night while everyone else sleeps, although the bright LED light that illuminates the stream certainly makes that possible.

As the name suggests, the base can now be rotated 360 degrees for more positioning options. It’s a welcome change that will reduce the number of times I have to scrub water off my kitchen counter when the stiff, crimp-resistant water hose—included with both Dometic models—causes the lightweight Go Faucet to twist away from the sink.

Fortunately, the new tap has also migrated from Micro USB to a USB-C connector for charging, with the battery still good for around 150 liters (about 40 gallons). The Recon 360 faucet now also has a 4-stage LED meter on the top that shows the remaining charge.

The faucet is a little smaller but a little heavier than the Go model. It comes with a selection of metal discs that can be stuck to a work surface or water jug ​​to create a platform for the magnetic faucet base. The new magnet seems to be about twice as strong as the old model, which should hold the faucet in place better when driving off-road. Which is a good thing because I’ve sent my Go faucet flying across the truck about five or six times now, but it keeps pumping. I hope the Recon 360 faucet is just as durable.

The only real problem is the price: $149.99 for the Recon 360 faucetinstead of $99.99 for Go Faucetwhich Dometic still sells. The Go Faucet is great, but the Recon 360 fixes so many small complaints that I think it’s worth every extra penny. Yes, there are cheaper, less functional alternatives available on Amazon and Aliexpress, but if you need to use a portable faucet regularly, as I do, Dometic’s durable and feature-rich faucets won’t disappoint if you can afford them.

All photographs by Thomas Ricker/The Verge