We sell a fair few Vado showers and taps, and a customer this week asked the question we hear all the time: "Is it actually worth it, or am I paying for the name?"

Vado have been going 40-odd years and the engineering reputation is solid but I'm always more interested in how kit performs after a few years in a real family bathroom than how it looks on day one.

The exposed thermostatic bar valve is the one that tends to get the best feedback: straightforward to fit, easy to service, and the scald-safe thermostatic control is reassuring with kids or older relatives about. The electric showers come up a lot too for busy households where hot water runs short.

So for anyone who's lived with one:

• Vado thermostatic/exposed shower owners does the chrome still look smart a few years on, or has limescale been a battle in hard water areas?
• Has the thermostatic control stayed accurate, or does the temperature start to wander over time?
• Anyone gone for the Vado electric shower in a busy family home practical win, or would you go a different route next time?

We'd rather give honest advice than just push a brand, so the good, bad and annoying all welcome. What did you fit, and would you buy Vado again?