I totally know where you're coming from. I spent a lot of time thinking about the sink for my new kitchen. A lot. I remodeled the kitchen in our previous home and really, really wanted a copper sink (my dream sink) but was put off by the maintenance (dry it out after each use??) and by the complaints about the upkeep and the uneven patina. I ended up opting for a double bowl cast iron sink.

Fast forward to this remodel. I knew I wanted a farmhouse sink and was planning on getting a fire clay but was concerned about the potential for chipping and cracking. I came across Rachiele's site through this forum and spent a ridiculous amount of time reading everything on it. I was really intrigued by the idea of a copper sink that didn't require any maintenance and seemed pretty bullet proof. I ended up calling Dino Rachiele and what he says makes sense. He comes across as someone who is very proud of what he does and feels very passionate about his work. Research that I did supports what he says and I couldn't find anything that refutes his claims. I did end up buying my 36" copper single bowl farmhouse sink as well as an 18" copper prep sink. I haven't used them yet but I can say that everyone who has seen them has been very impressed with the quality. They really are gorgeous.

I think with anything, you get what you pay for. Rachiele's sinks are expensive but the quality is evident. You'll find the same thing with SS sinks. You can buy a SS sink for a few hundred dollars or a few thousand. There is a difference. As far as the ORB finish that you mentioned, it is a finish that requires some level of care to maintain. It isn't natural copper. Some people prefer that gorgeous ORB finish. I think it is beautiful but I'm not interested in babying my sink or waxing it to maintain that finish. Some people don't mind. I do. It is pretty easy to find complaints about copper sinks and it is almost always about a problem with the finish. I'm pretty sure I'd be one of them because, truthfully, I'd be too lazy to maintain it or too rough and scratch it.

Rachiele claims he makes the finest copper sinks in the world and I'm pretty darn convinced that he feels this is true. Doesn't mean that other copper sinks aren't okay or aren't going to work for you. What you really gain by listening to what he has to say is education that will help you make the best purchase for you and your needs. As well as my sinks, I've purchased Waterstone faucets and accessories from Rachiele and I've been very impressed with the commitment to customer service. If he has said he'd do it, he's done it. Not a relative of his or a shareholder in his company. lol I just really appreciate, in this day and age, when you come across someone who's word and commitment to quality mean something.

Couldn't help but include pictures of my new sink and faucet. I can't wait to use them11111

Forgot to mention one thing. You asked if the patina in a Rachiele copper sink was better than an ORB finish. It isn't a case of better, it's different. The patina in a Rachiele sink is a living finish. It will change over time as you use it and will have the appearance of an old penny. Drop a lemon or ketchup in a Rachiele copper sink and it will take the patina down to shiny copper and then change back to the old penny patina over time. The ORB finish is an applied finish that will not change as long as it is maintained.

Hope that helps. :)

Rachiele makes a lot of claims that his sinks are way more superior to others, but is there really truth to this or just hyperbole?

Mostly truth with some salesman sauce on top IMO. Other sinks in this class are just as expensive. Cheap sinks from India,China,and Mexico are exactly that.

Is the difference between virgin cold-forged copper really that much stronger than the annealed recycled copper used in many of the copper sinks, including the ones from premier copper products? There is a youtube video showing him bending a sample piece of copper from a competitor vs him not being able to bend a piece of his copper.

Cold rolled virgin copper is stronger than recycled annealed copper. Some sinks using the recycled copper use a thick enough gauge that they are pretty strong. The video shows an example of the worst/thinnest type of Chinese copper sinks.

The bigger problem is heavy metal content that may be in there. Some show a slip saying their recycled copper is pure but that does not reassure me.

Many of these sinks don't have the correct decline angle on the bottom of the sink to allow water to drain properly.

Having hammered divets on the bottom of sinks is just plain stupid IMO. It is obvious water will collect there.

Don't know much about premier copper products in particular.

Is the Patina of Rachiele sinks better than the typical dark oil-rubbed bronze patina seen in all the other copper sinks?

"Better" is subjective. Some people find the fire/chemical patinas more beautiful than the ones offered by Rachiele. The natural patina is easier maintenance because if it scratches or some acidic food removes the patina it will just come back in a few weeks.

The optional fancy finishes on the apron of Rachiele copper sinks can also scratch.

If copper sinks are just way too high-maintenance, then are cast-iron sinks that bad of a choice compared to the more common fireclay sinks? There does not seem to be many Farmhouse cast-iron sinks made compared to farmhouse fireclay sinks.

Cast-iron can chip,scratch,and stain but it does not crack like fireclay. But for some the beauty of an English fireclay sink is unmatched and some find it a necessity if building a OTK.

IMO the acrylic type farmhouse sinks look dull and ugly when you see them next to a fireclay sink.

SS farmhouse sinks are beautiful and durable but definetly have a modern vibe to them. Plus they scatch and show hard water spots.

If there were a cheap and durable sink that most people agreed was beautiful then most people would buy that sink.

These kitchen reno decisions are not easy.

I found the sink question much harder than I expected. Over the last 8 months my wife got sick of me talking about sinks. She would probably have chosen stainless, but I really didn't like the look for our 100 year old house. I started with Copper, then went to Silgranite, and then (when she vetoed my soapstone) I went back to copper. I researched and picked out a sink (Circle City Copperworks, another high end american company making their own sinks--I preferred their rounded corners to the zero radius Rachiele sinks), and even had copper samples sitting in the bottom of our sink for months.

In the end it wasn't the tarnishing that bothered me, but scratches. Copper is softer than Stainless and scratches more easily. The dimpled look hides scratches better, but I don't like it and wanted smooth copper.

Then it was back to Silgranite, but my wife thought it looked plasticy (and I had to agree). The for a while I had settled on Kohler cast iron, but finally looking in person we both agreed that we really liked the look of fireclay better (the new Kohlers are quite glossy and more modern looking than a traditional cast iron sink), so we're just going to go with it (you can read horror stories about anything, but I'm guessing the percentage of people that have major problems is probably pretty low). Of course we haven't ordered our sink yet, so there's always the possibility of changing our minds again.

FWIW, I do understand your point about silgranite looking "plasticy". However, I'll just say, as a 6-month or so owner, that I find it more "silky" than "plasticy". Essentially, it's a sink that goes away, is inoffensive - not bright or shiny or spotty or noisy, just not-there. Personally, I think this is a fine option for a sink. I also like all the other options, too -- it's really an aesthetic, highly-personal choice. But I just wanted to toss out that living with the silgranite, I find it a very aesthetically pleasing surface to interact with -- it's soft and gentle. Splashing, noisy and hot, hard-to-control water is enough of a disturbance; the sink is a 'calming presence', if you will. =0.02!

gregincal, thanks for the info on Circle City Copperworks. I looked them up since I've been trying to search for other copper sink vendors and have been doing a crazy amount of comparing. For comparison, I noticed that they make theirs using 18 gauge copper. Rachiele uses 14 guage, which is noticeably stronger. But does strength also mean more scratch resistant?

I'm sure you've chosen a sink by now but I'll add my thoughts for the next person. I owned a Rachiele copper sink for a year or so before I sold my house. I almost cried when my husband told me it couldn't be removed from the cabinets we had built then I rejoiced when it practically sold my house for me. It's absolutely gorgeous and as well made as promised. There is really no maintenance required other than wiping it down with a teak wood cleaner Rachiele recommends now and again. Now the possible downsides. So many things you put in the sink will create a splash pattern and remove the patina. Green bean juice, ketchup, lemons, rice if left in the sink for awhile will leave little rice shaped spots. If you have kids they will leave things in your sink. If they are my kids, they will think it's funny and make heart shapes in the sink, lol. But... As soon as they are there, they will start to patina again so if you don't mind the sink not always looking perfect it's great for you. About scratches... It will scratch, so I did feel a little like I had to baby it in that regard. I kept a small, flat, brown, plastic "drain thing" for lack of a better word in the bottom of mine when I was cleaning anything that might scratch it to lay it on. Ok, I always left it in the sink which might be why I had rice shaped spots in my sink as they would get trapped underneath. You will still get small scratches but like the splattering of removed patina, the scratches also go away. It heals itself and you would be amazed at how quickly it does. Now, if you are the type to have a party and want to show off your perfect copper sink to your friends you may want to think twice as it will never fail... You or someone will dump something acidic in the sink hours before your guests arrive and your sink will look like some kind of spin art project your kid did. If you can enjoy a sink that looks absofreakinglooking gorgeous most of the time and, in my opinion, even when it's somewhat marred and requires nothing more than a cleaning with soap and water then this is the sink for you. Oh, maybe if I'd used that teak wood cleaner every now and again like I was supposed to it wouldn't have lost patina so easily. I doubt it though. It's beautiful, will never chip, will never break, is guaranteed for life. I'll be buying one for the new home I just moved into. That's how I found this post. I was looking for his site. Happy sink hunting! Oh and if I can find a picture of the heart my son left for me I'll post it. I didn't check spelling or grammar. Don't judge. ;-)

Rachiele is not exaggerating about the quality of its sinks. Dino Rachiele is one of those sometimes irritating fanatic perfectionists. I have never seen a defect in one of his sinks, or had any issues with any Rachiele sink, and some have been installed for almost 15 years.

Here is the link to Rachiele.

He also offers good prices on Waterstone faucets, the only faucet, in his opinion that is good enough to be paired with one of his sinks. He will lend you a Waterstone faucet to examine before you buy one. Nice fellow to do business with.

shhuges, Your sink is amazing. The hearts and rice shapes that age at different rates are one of the reasons for choosing a copper sink.