Kohler K-28214 Anthem Programmable Digital Shower Controller - Nickel

One of the hardest things about doing a bathroom remodel is WAITING for it to be done so everything can be tested and used.... I don't know who has had more fun testing it... The General Contractor, the plumbers, my wife or I? We have the three port with digital controller; a waterfall feature, hand wand feature and body massager. ALL three can run at the same time without losing much water pressure or they can each be run independently. You can choose what feature you want the shower to start with and what temp. You can control the temp, water pressure and turn on/off other fixtures while taking your shower. Have a setting you absolutely love? Save it as a pre-set and link your shower up with your Alexa! When I woke up this morning, I simply said "Alexa, turn on morning shower", less than 2 seconds later the waterfall feature was on and the water was warming up to 100 degrees ALL without having to take a step out of bed. A few minutes later the shower paused (setting to tell you the shower has reached your desired temp), crawled out of bed, stepped into the shower, hit the start button and my shower was pumping at a beautiful 100 degrees. My wife likes a little bit colder shower and prefers the hand wand so she has her own preset. "Alexa, turn on my shower" and she's good to go. After a long workout or long day, "Alexa, turn on Massage Shower"... All three features turn on to 90 degrees and I walk into a shower bliss! Afraid someone would yell through your window to turn on your shower? It auto-shuts off after so many minutes (a setting you define up to 30 minutes). Time will tell how well things hold up, but for an initial install and use, it's by far exceeded our expectations. Pros: Great looking MOST everything feels of good quality. One you create pre-sets and link your shower to Alexa, it's MORE AWESOME! Can have multiple pre-sets Can set default (simple on/off) temp, which features you want to come on and water pressure. Can define max hot temp Can adjust water pressure up or down Can run one feature or up to six (with the correct valve) Does what Kohler says it can do! Cons Can't set variable temps to each feature. Meaning one can't run at 90 degrees while another feature is at 100 degrees. Can't set variable water pressure. Would be nice if the Rain and massager could be set at 100% while the body wand was at 50% for example. Install instructions are HORRIBLE. Seasoned plumbers had to call Kohler more than once to get things plumbed correctly. "Test" function/instructions are missed if you blink while reading the instructions. Would not recommend being installed by a novice by ANY means. Suggestions: If you considering this for your shower, you most likely are new construction or a remodel, make SURE you have adequate plumbing. We ran all new Hot and Cold separating this bath 100% from the original plumbing and 2nd bathroom. We did this as we were adding an additional vanity as well as two additional shower features. With its own water line, we have strong water pressure to the new shower and no issues if someone is taking a shower in the other bathroom at the same time.

I bought the Digital control, along with the 6 port valve and a single on/off remote control in March 2022 in anticipation of a bathroom remodel a few months later. Delivery timelines then were long and we ended up accepting chrome finish rather than the originally ordered polished nickel due to supply shortages. The remodel was mostly complete in September of 2022 at which time I began using the controls daily. Setting aside my initial frustration that the mobile app did not support the Anthem control when the shower was complete, I can say the controller is easy to use and the Kohler Konnect app (compatible with Anthem in a software update Oct/Nov of 2022) is a nice compliment for setup management. I've been using for six months now with no issues. My favorite feature is the remote on/off. I step into the bathroom, click the button to turn on the shower, give a moment to heat up, then open the door and step in. No more cold water startles. One review complained about all the shower devices going on when started. That's controlled by the "Shower Warm-Up Mode" setting. Turn that off and the issue will go away. I'm hoping to see an app update soon that will allow selection of which devices to use for warm up. For now, it's all or nothing.