Had a similar experience recently with Hansgrohe fixtures—pretty straightforward overall, but their diagrams could definitely use some improvement. A couple times I found myself squinting at tiny illustrations, wondering if part A was upside down or sideways... Ended up relying more on intuition than instructions. Grohe's regular installs sound promising though; might give them a shot next time around to save myself the headache.
I feel your pain with those tiny diagrams. Recently tackled a Kohler faucet install, and halfway through I realized the instructions were more like abstract art than actual guidance. Ended up watching a random YouTube video at 1.5x speed, pausing every few seconds to double-check my work. Honestly, intuition and trial-and-error got me further than the official manual ever did. Might give Grohe a try next time too—sounds like it could save some sanity.
Kohler instructions are notoriously bad, you're definitely not alone there. Installed one of their shower valves last year and spent more time squinting at the tiny print than actually working. YouTube tutorials saved my sanity too—pretty sure DIY plumbing would collapse without them. Grohe's manuals aren't perfect either, but at least they seem written by someone who's actually installed a faucet before. Hang in there, it gets easier...eventually.
Yeah, Kohler's instructions can be a real test of patience. Installed a kitchen faucet from them a couple years back, and honestly, I spent half the afternoon just deciphering their cryptic diagrams. Felt like I was assembling IKEA furniture, minus the meatballs reward at the end. You're spot on about YouTube tutorials—those videos are lifesavers. One tip I've found helpful over the years is to lay out all the parts first and match them visually with the diagrams before even starting. Sounds obvious, but it saves a ton of frustration later on.
Grohe isn't perfect either, but at least their manuals seem to acknowledge that actual humans (with normal eyesight!) will be reading them. I installed a Grohe bathroom faucet last summer, and while it wasn't exactly a breeze, at least the instructions followed a logical order. Still had to double-check a few things online, but overall it was manageable.
Honestly, plumbing fixtures in general seem to have instructions written by engineers who've never actually done a DIY install. I sometimes wonder if the companies intentionally make them confusing to push people toward professional installations...or maybe I'm just overly suspicious.
Anyway, stick with it. Every fixture you install makes the next one a bit easier. Before you know it, you'll be tackling these projects without breaking a sweat...well, almost.
