Any "brushed" or "satin" stainless sink will "hide" scratches somewhat, but none will completely hide them...despite what a salesperson tells you. Small/very superficial scratches will probably be hidden, but any large or deep scratches will probably not be hidden.

A sink grid will help prevent scratches with any sink, including stainless steel. There are a lot of other advantages to a grid as well (see link below).

The best thing, though, is probably to let the scratches happen so a patina develops that "hides" the majority of scratches.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread: Wire Sink Grid- Who likes them?

My 10" deep Kindred stainless now sits at 11-1/4" deep after being undermounted with granite tops that are 1-1/4" thick. I never get splashed from washing pots and pans. The other side is 8" with smaller dimensions. It works for washing out fragile items when I just need a bit of soapy water.

I had ordered a sink 1" shallower than when I had a drop-in executive porcelain, but just realized when I pulled out the tape measure to answer your post, that I received a deeper sink than I ordered. Wow! Thought it was from the countertops. I can't complain about deeper.

A deep and oversized sink is super nice for washing out stock pots, filling water pitchers, watering cans, soaking a broiler pan or washing a roaster. By the way, I put my disposal on that side b/c I never fill the deep, large side for washing hand wash items, only the shallower, smaller side.

Thanks a lot for your suggestions. I will definately get a wire grid. And my friend has a Kindred double sink and she loves it. buehl, what brand and depth sink do you have?

I have an Elkay ELU-2115 undermount sink. I don't know how it differs from the one recommended to you, but it definitely does not "hide" scratches. I have cast iron pots and so my sink scratched almost immediately (I do not use a grid). I freaked out at first, but, like a lot of people here have said, the scratches begin to fade into each other over time. Your sink will never look like it did the day it was installed. I am perfectly happy with how it looks, like a sink that gets a lot of use! In terms of the depth, I am happy not to have it too deep. I think mine is 8 inches and I like it. I think with a deeper sink I would get a backache from leaning over. Hope this helps!

Thanks for your input! I just talked to a friend, too, but she mentioned that she gets water around her faucet each time she washes from back splash. Do you find you have that issue with the 8 " sink?

Stainless steel sinks will all scratch, and after a while the scratches will blend into a patina so you won't notice them. I notice my water spots in my stainless sink much more than my scratches, actually I don't notice my scratches at all.

Many people have avoided this whole issue by buying a Silgranit sink instead. People love Silgranit, though I do not have direct experience myself, but I think in my "next" kitchen, I'll buy a Silgranit sink. Do a search on this forum for "silgranit", or if the search function is not working (it hasn't been lately), and you are interested in this topic, post a new thread asking about Silgranit vs. stainless steel, and you should get a bunch of answers.

As to your question about water around the faucet, that will be more likely if you get a pull-down faucet which is closer to the rear side of the sink than a pull-out faucet would be. There are equal number of fans of both types of faucets, and pull-downs and pull-outs each have their pros and cons, but one con of the pull-down is that water is more likely to splash behind the sink.

Thanks Shannon! Must be what is happening when my friend does the dishes...she has a pull-out faucet.

I have no problems at all with splashing around the faucet. I have a "regular" faucet, not a pull-down or pull-out.

I have a Ticor double-bowl sink...S405D. Its dimensions:
Overall Dimensions: 35-1/8" x 20-7/8"
Interior of Large Bowl: 21-3/8" x 18-3/4" x 9"
Interior of Small Bowl: 10-1/2" x 15-7/8" x 7"

If you add in the 3cm countertop, the large bowl is just over 10" deep and the small bowl is just over 8" deep. (3cm = 1.18", just a bit over 1").

Deep sinks are great for hiding dirty dishes as well!

It fits in a 36" sink base without any modifications to the cabinet. My sink base has 1/2" walls.

The stainless steel sink grids, btw, are included with the sink as are strainers. Most sinks do not include strainers and very, very few include grids.

The farther above the top of the sink a faucet head is, the more splashing outside the sink will be an issue. This is in part b/c we tend to put our hands (or dish) close to the faucet head...which means it's above the sink so the sink doesn't contain the splashes.

Another reason can sometimes be the relationship b/w the drain and the place the stream of water hits in the sink. If the water falls over the drain, there's often somewhat less splashing.

Then there's also dealing with Theory/Law of Gravity...the farther the water falls, the greater the acceleration due to gravity (of course, then you add in friction, which slows down, ...*****:-)*****) Physics aside, the farther the water falls, the harder it hits the bottom of the sink! So deep sinks + tall faucets often lead to more splashing. But, deep sinks will contain higher splashes... So, who really knows what the exact relationship is to sink depth, faucet height, and splashing!

I have found that if I keep my hands/dishes inside the sink, there's less splashing outside the sink...strictly empirical evidence, but nonetheless true for me!

Sorry, I think I got a bit carried away in the previous post!

Meant to post a link to the Pull Down vs Pull Out thread! Here it is....

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread: pull-down vs. pull-out faucet

I have the 7.5" deep Elkay and find it works well in our set up. I don't have issues with splashing but my faucet is a pull down. I'm 5'4" so a deep sink would have killed my already bad back, and besides, less room for things to pile up in there when they do. My sink is brushed stainless (2.5 yrs old) and does have some scratches...even with a sink grid. But, eventually, it'll have that patina look, so not to worry.

Thanks debi, i just purchased the 7.5" elkay, i'm glad to find that you like it. I was lucky enough to find a good price on the internet and the plumbing supply store matched it. I would suggest Homeperfect.com for anybody that is looking for low prices. Since my local store matched the price, if i decide before installation to exchange it I have 30 days to do so, as opposed to paying a 25% restocking fee. Just food for thought.