I just saw a show on this today. The lower the number, the better. Rule is to go with 18 gauge or lower. While there can be a good price difference in 18 vs 16, there isn't alot of difference in how it wears or insulation. Mine is 18.

Hope this helps.

The lower numbers mean thicker SS. The lower the number, the less likely it is to dent or make noise when dishes and pots bang around.
My Franke sink is 16 gauge. I wouldn't go higher than 18 gauge.

If you're looking for good basic SS 16-gauge sink, check out Ticor at Galaxy Tool Supply. Many of us on this Forum have gotten our sinks there. I have the S405D sitting the garage right now waiting to be installed for my main/cleanup sink. (My prep sink is the Kohler 5-sided b/c I couldn't find one at Ticor to fit in the 18" corner on a peninsula.)

You included are a rinse sink grid and strainer for each bowl.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ticor Undermount Sinks @ Galaxy Tool Supply

WOW. I'm saving that site! I would not hesitate to buy from them after seeing their prices. I have a Franke 12" deep single rectangular pro-sink at 16 gauge. I love it! However, it does not have the insulation that comes with the Ticor and I do believe that it could have used a bit more on the sides. I am not complaining...just making an observation. Their $209 dollar, 10" single bowl sink for a similar product is GREAT. Mine sells at an $1,800 msrp now.

I do like there prices ..do any of you know how long it takes to ship to MA?

I received my sink 2 days after ordering it...I live in MD. I ordered it on a Wednesday @ 6:29pm and it arrived that Friday! I used their standard shipping.

Please tell me, how do these sinks hold up to scratches and water spots. We went to a local high end plumbing place and saw a Franke that was used by the workers. It was a mess! The Kohler one still looked beautiful, but is really out of our price range and is 18 gauge. Do you all like your Ticor sinks?

Has anyone had any luck with Artisan sinks? Those are also 16 gauge.

DIL has one of the sinks from Galaxy and I've been impressed with it. Her's was installed before we were thru remodeling so it ended up with some slight scratches that easily buffed out with a little BonAmi. I think the fact they have a water softener helps in preventing water spots.

I recently saw some 12 gauge sinks online. Would there be any benfit to that or is that just overkill?

Sue

Hi Sherilynn, you are absolutely right on the money with Bar Keeper's Friend. The 20 y/o cheapo builders grade sink we just took out of the kitchen looked brand new! I'm also a Realtor and the well water in our area leaves the sinks looking really crappy. I always give clients a can of BK and show them how to get the hard water crud off of their sinks. They love it!! It works great on SS trash cans too, takes off the little rust pits and everything.

Laurie

I got a gorgeous 16 guage 27" stainless apron-front sink on ebay for $420 shipped. i love it.

FWIW: 'Gauge' means how many layers of material would stack to make an inch: 14 gauge means 14 layers, 18 gauge 18 layers, etc, so lower numbers are better. I'd personally be leary of going with anything thinner than 16.

Copper sinks are often sold by the 'ounce', which is how many ounces a square foot of the material weighs, so higher is better-- 20ounce is 25% thicker than 16ounce, etc.

We also went with the Ticor; we did the 30" single bowl undermount. Kristenfl, our granite guy was going to sell us the Artisan which was going to be a bit more than the Ticor. I went with the Ticor and when he went to template he told me that it was the same exact sink as the Artisan he was going to sell me.

I went with the Ticor S305 and love it. No problems whatsoever. Both the granite fabricator and the plumber commented on the quality of the sink. Since I live in Chicago and only a few miles from Galaxy Tool Supply store, I went to the store and bought it. Everyone there was great.

We just bought this double 16 gauge SS sink at overstock.com for $450. We are very pleased.

Here is a link that might be useful: 16 gauge double sink

Thanks, Spinmom. That's good to know.

The only problem I'm having now is getting the right size. I'm worried that the size I want and have right now, will not work with an undermount sink, plantation shutter, and huge faucet I already got for a Christmas present...in 2006. If you read the style one, I'm the one that can't make decisions...but will in the next couple of days! The plantation shutter was built to fold, and I showed them the faucet when I ordered it. They said it would work. I realized it won't now. My DH, who always has an answer (usually good, sometimes just to give an answer) says, "Do you ever open that thing? When we need it open, I'll pop the hinges." Also, since you have to have the sink before they template, I'm worried that when they get here they'll tell me it won't work. So many things to consider. Too bad I'm my own kitchen designer. If it wasn't me, I'd fire me.

I took alot of people's advice and bought my ticor sink from galaxy tool..double bowl 16 gauge sink which includes strainers and grids..all for $238.00 which includes shipping..it came in tuesday and absolutely am very happy with it...thank you all!!..now comes the decision on a faucet...

I ordered my sink for GTS right before christmas and it arrived on my front steps the next day - without overnight shipping. We're not too far from chicago, but the processing was very quick. That was the fastest I've ever received an online purchase (and I buy alot online).

After reading this forum for months and months I felt like I "had" to get a 16 ga sink since I wanted to do things "right." DH works with sheet metal and he said 18 ga would be fine (he's a bit of a perfectionist so I took him at his word.) We ended up with 2 Blanco Precision 18 ga sinks. I'm perfectly happy with them and was glad to save the money by buying the less expensive of the sinks I was considering 2 1/2 years ago. So for me "better" was actually the thinner material since I haven't noticed any performance issues and I saved money. I suggest you go to a sink showroom and try out similar 18 ga and 16 ga sinks and see if you notice a difference.

Here is the issue, gauge versus performance. Bottom Line is THICKER IS BETTER when it comes to sinks. The ARTISAN line mentioned above is the only nationally advertised and fully UPC certified 16ga sink. Price comparision to a BLANCO,FRANKE,or ELKAY is untouchable. Problem with TICOR or any other SINK BROKER is that the quality in construction is NOT the same from container to container. Yes i do know this first hand as i am in the business. IF A SINK DOES NOT HAVE A MANUFACTURERS LOGO it can not be UPC certified. See (UPC/IAPMO). This is one of thier stipulations for a sink to be certified. 'WHAT IS CERTIFICATION' it means that a companies sink is tested by UPC to certify that it is either 16 ga or 18ga and is the type steel they claim it is. IF THEY DONT LSIT THE GAUGE BE LEARY. All of the ARTISAN line is UPC certified and in thier certification you will see the gauge listed. ALSO be very leary of companies that try to pawn off 18 gauge bowls with a welded 16 gauge rim. Look at a FRANKE double bowl sink...why is it flimsy??Three peices thats why..2 bowls welded to a seperate rim. Ask yourself whats better a single stamped sink like an ARTISAN or 3 seperate peices. I have been in the business 18 years, i have seen and sold all lines..Kohler, Elkay, Blanco, Franke, you name it...THE best deal for the MONEY is an ARTISAN 16 gauge CERTIFIED sink. Available through dealers or direct from your fabricator. If he isnt selling them ask for it...if he says he has something just like it...there isnt..find another fabricator. Id be happy to answer any emails from anyone that has questions...Once again 16 ga ..' THICKER IS BETTER'

Here is a link that might be useful: www.artisansinks.com

We bought a 16 gauge Pegasus double sink from HomeExpo and are very pleased. It also has insulation so not only is it thick metal and sturdy the insulation makes it even quieter when the disposal is running. I think it was about $400- Should last a lifetime+

sinkguy: Thanks for offering to answer any questions. Our KD has recommended that we purchase a Ukinox sink. Do you know anything about them? (I read somewhere that they are ISO certified but I don't know if that relates to the type of certification that you indicated one should look for in a ss sink.) Thanks.

no it is not. ISO only certifies a facility. UPC ( universal plumbers code) actually tests the sinks from the rim, sides and bottom. They verify a sink is the gauge and stainless quality the manufacturer claims. Be leary like i said of any compnay that does not list thier gauge in thier UPC/IAPMO registration. They could be a welded product and did not have thier gauge tested only the stainless grade.

Thanks, sinkguy. How can someone check to see if the sink has the UPC/IAPMO certification?

the link for the iapmo search is here
http://pld.iapmo.org/

If you want to see how a legit compnay lists its products if the gauge is tested do a search for Artisan Manufacturing Corp. You will see size, type and gauge listed. That is all tested by them, to verify the manufacturers claims. If there isnt a GAUGE then chances are it wasnt tested for that. PS. the company above does not have a listing.

sinkguy, there are a number of vendors on Ebay selling sinks listing the gauge and saying approved by UPC and listed by IAPMO, but searching on http://pld.iapmo.org/ came up with nothing.
Does this absolutely mean they are lying?
They have high approval ratings on Ebay... 99%, 100%.
The similar artisan sink is over $1,000 which I cannot afford. Those listed on ebay start at around $300.
Any thoughts on where else to shop?

Sinkguy...help! Or anyone else that has the scoop. Should I assume that an Artisan supplied from a granite fabricator is the real thing...ie certified.
What is your 2 cents on an Elkay, Lustertone, 18 gauge?

Thanks!!!

Go with 18 gauge, because you're not saving much money getting a thicker sink.

I bet you won't even notice the difference. Check the link for a supporting opinion:

Here is a link that might be useful: Stainless Steel Sink Gauge Guide

Anyone know anything about the KE 16G stainless steel sinks being sold on e-bay??

The KE sinks on ebay are not 16g they are 18g. I got one and had to return it because I thought I was getting a 16g. I measured it and compared to another 16g to be sure. If you go to their website outside ebay kitchenexpoline.com you can see were it says the sinks are 18g.

It depends what gauge are you looking for. Consumers make a simple mistake by referring just to gauge.
The thickness of the sheet metal used to fabricate a sink is called its gauge. The gauge of sheet metal for most sinks ranges from 22 -15 gauge. The lower the gauge number, the thicker the sheet metal is. High quality residential sinks range from 20-18 gauge while commercial quality sinks are offered in 15-16 gauge. When manufactures refer to the gauge of their product, they are referring to the thickness of the sheet metal before the manufacturing process begins.
Most stainless steel sinks are manufactured using a process called deep draw forming where a sheet of metal is drawn down into a form through a series of steps called reductions. Each reduction stretches the sheet metal deeper and deeper into the form, so what started out as an 18 gauge sheet of metal will not end up being 18 gauge throughout the entire finished product. The industry standard is to state the gauge of the metal that the manufacturing process started with. Since this is the standard practice, it makes it easy to compare one sink to another.
If you are looking for 16 gauge finished product you need to look for 15 gauge sink, not 16. I hope this helps you with your selection.

Just bought a KE sink from their website after coming across them on eBay. Sent the seller an email late in the evening and had a reply within an hour. The sink is described as 16 gauge. It appears comparable to the 16 gauge sinks at Home-Depot. I paid ~$90 with drain, mounting brackets and shipping (very fast shipping). This is a huge savings compared to the $230 at Home Depot. The sink is coated on the underside and also includes a sound deadening pad across the bottom. Excellent quality and a phenomenal value. Came out well with the Ikea birch butcher block. Highly recommend this seller and the KE sink.

Here are the results of using a sink that YOU DONT know of and have no clue what type of steel a sink is made with. Just because a sinks claims its 16ga dosent mean it is. This sink pictured was installed in a customers home and SPLIT after they used it a few months. Why because the steel was inferior. There are SEVERAL different types of stainless and no one not even someone in the industry can tell you by looking at it. Someone asked above how can you know you are gettting an ARTISAN- Artisan has a registered trademark logo in their sink. This allows a consumer witha problem to track the sink company down if their fabricator or dealer goes out of business. REQUIRED FOR CERTIFICATION IN THE USA..NO LOGO ..NOT TESTED OR CERTIFIED they are lying. For more info friend Artisan on facebook and you will see some more good stuff about this issue.

Here is a link that might be useful: Artisanstyles

I am sorry Sinkguy, but that "split" in the photo just looks too clean. Perfect even. I smell a hoax, or to give the benefit of the doubt, perhaps something happened to the sink prior to installation while it was sitting around the construction site. We have so many GWers who have sinks from Ticor, Kraus and no-names from eBay. Not once have we ever heard of a stainless steel sink "splitting". And on this site, we would have heard.

I don't think sinkguy ever implied that Ticor or any other no-name brand would always be defective. But that the higher possibility of defects does exist. I think his point is that uncertified products do carry a little more risk, so it's caveat emptor.

I bought a Kraus. And thanks to the info provided by sinkguy in this thread, I was relieved to see that Kraus is certified. Prior to knowing this, I felt that Kraus was a good product. Those feelings/impressions have been confirmed.

Just came across this website and it has alot of good info. We are looking at one of these Ticor sinks and I have not heard anybody mention if you can hook up a garbage disposal. I am not sure if this is a dumb question but it's something I need to make sure before we purchase. Thanks

You can hook one up but I would not recommend buying a Ticor sink from Galaxy Tool Supply. I have another post about them but need to add a follow up soon.

Dj, we have 4 of the Ticor sinks, two of them have garbage disposals. They are normal sinks and the GD hooks up just like normal. Not that I know how to do it, our plumber hooked it up, lol.

Don't let lindy1096 dissuade you from Ticor or Galaxy Tool Supply. She/He waited until 12 days before she needed the sink before she ever looked at their website and got upset because the one(s) she wanted were out of stock and on backorder. GTS received a shipment in the day after she placed her order and shipped her order out to her within 3 business days but she was upset they didn't turn the shipment around and ship her order out on the same day that they received their shipment in. Many others here have been extremely happy with the service from GTS and the quality of the Ticor sinks. Myself included.

Hello, Lots of useful information in this forum! I know that a lot of you have used Ticor in the past, but they are now out of business. I am not a Brand person when it comes to sinks and always look for what I consider to be the best value by comparing features, price and customer service of the company I'm buying from. If you are looking for an alternative to Ticor, I've had great luck with Bella and Ellis sinks, I'll post the website below. They are mainly 16 gauge, but do offer some 18 gauge as well. Also, I noticed that this website has 15 gauge sinks. I haven't tried one, but the prices look very enticing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stainless-Sink.com

This post was edited by CertifiedKitchDesign on Tue, Nov 25, 14 at 13:40