My experience is that good sinks do continue to look "good as new" after years or decades.

I have Blanco sinks; we did remodel about 10 years ago and they look as good as the day they were installed.

My mom has an Elkay with drainborad. It has been in her kitchen 25 years and looks brand new.

So I can't speak to problems with lesser sinks, but I can say that I think the better sinks have been great.

Julie, glad to hear your mom's success story with her Elkay sink. Was that SS? I just started looking into sinks last week for our remodel and commented to our designer that it looked like the large SS models were going for $1000+. He told me he has an arrangement with a supplier for Elkay and another sink (don't recall brand) where he could sell me the Elkay for $500 or the other brand for $150. He told me he has clients who buy a couple so they have one on hand in case of damage to the initial sink installed. Unless we come up with evidence that the lower priced sinks are problematic, I plan to save money on my sink purchase. Hope you get good feedback Chris.

Can't speak to longevity of the higher-end sinks, we've only had our Elkay (double bowl, ELUH3520R) in for about 8 months, but Elkay (and perhaps other brands with "pricier" models) has a line they sell at Home Depot. Would that HD line last as long as the sinks you could get from a speciality kitchen/bath/appliance store? I don't know, but just wanted to mention it.

In our case, my dream sink (Avado undermount EFU311810 from Elkay) was $1600 and for the life of me I couldn't justify that so had to let it go. Looked at HD, then ended up with something in the middle (@ $700), online. Yes, there were differences among all 3 levels, but was the Avado worth $900 more? Not for me.

Also, lots of people here like Ticor. I didn't learn about Ticor until it was too late, but that sure seems like a brand that has a good reputation at a reasonable cost.

thanks for teh opinions, it seems that most people seem happy with what they have... which I guess is good...

Yeah, basically I'm really liking the $900 sink, liking the $400 sink, and then there is Ticor who is really inexpensive with versions of the $900 sink.

I'm happy enough with the cheapies. The 45yo builder grade 20/22 gauge sink that was trashed during our reno was one of the few elements of the orig kitchen that still looked OK. I replaced it with a "freebie" 18 gauge that our counter-top supplier threw in.

If you are putting it undermounted under granite, keep in mind that you won't ever be able to easily replace it.

But people seem happy with their Ticors.

What I see as the main differences are (1) the "name" and (2) extra bells & whistles...sometimes. Occasionally there are sinks in a particular size or configuration that are "unique" to a manufacturer (or at least are unique until someone copies it!)

If you're looking at stainless steel, I think that any sink at least 18 gauge will be fine and will last longer than you'll need it. I have both...a Ticor as my main/cleanup sink and a Kohler as my prep sink...and the smaller Kohler sink cost quite a bit more than the Ticor! But, Kohler had a "5-sided" sink that I wanted in the peninsula, so I had to pay more! So far after over two years I don't see a difference b/w them...and I don't anticipate any issues from either down the road.

As to replacing an undermount sink, in most cases it can be done.

Like buehl says, it has to do with more unique offerings. Kohler Stages and Blanco Flush mount come to mind.
http://www.blanco.de/c3/kt/_www/en/pub/products/spuelen_und_spuelbecken/flush_mount_sinks.cfm
I saw one installed in a showroom and it looks gorgeous. Not seen anyone else copy that.

Blanco has absolutely gorgeous Precision and Steelart line also. Quite expensive....
More customization the difference between Julien and Ticor sink for a typical tight or zero radius sink.
Julien comes in 8, 10 and 12 inch depth for a some/particular model.
You can have it ordered center, left or right drain.
You can also order it for 16, 17 or 18 inches from front to back. There is more customization at higher price.

Ticor comes in at a fixed depth and center drain only.
If you are okay with the configuation available with that particular company, I think a cheaper model is good enough.

I have a Ticor sink and I am okay with it. I could not justify the extra few hundred.

My moms Elkay is stainless. Single bowl with a full counter overlay 24 inches wide.

Mine is Blanco. I have the D with a single bowl as my main sink, and the single bowl with drainboard in my island. We did the kitchen about 10 years ago.

The fact that my 13 year old Elkay 18-gauge Lustertone top-mount stainless sink still looks practically new makes me think that buying a good sink is worth it. I bought it at my local plumbing supply store. I have been disappointed with the other sinks and faucets we purchased over the years at HD so I would be reluctant to buy a sink from HD. Of course like everyone else we buy lots of other things from them.

Anyone have an opinion in the brand Kraus? I can get a 16 guage ss undermount single bowl 30" sink for about $300. Wondering if this is a good buy?

We put in a Pro Flo 30" ten-inch-deep sink we got at Ferguson's. After a year it's still just beautiful. It was $300!

My Ticors are only three years old, but they do still look brand new. I can't imagine that they will suddenly start to look bad any time soon. The fact that the grids came free with them made them even that much better value-wise. I would buy another Ticor in a heartbeat!

My Ticor sink was just delivered. I ordered it on Thursday and it was delivered on SATURDAY. Yes, over the weekend.

Even though I lost 3.5 inches in sink bowl width, it was worth it for over about 65% savings in price.

I'm very happy with my purchase. Now I just need a new kitchen to install it in.

Pepper

SS will scratch, no matter what you pay for it or what "finish" you get. All SS scratches. Over time, though, a patina develops so the scratches "run together" and are not noticeable and even give it a "brushed SS" look - something that some people are willing to pay extra for to get up-front. This happens with inexpensive sinks as well as expensive ones. The only way to avoid scratches is to not use your sink...

Any SS sink will also cleanup nicely using something like Barkeeper's Friend. Many here use it to make scratches less noticeable in the beginning (before the sink develops a patina).

Our 13-year old builder-grade SS sink looked fine when it was demo'd. Yes, there were scratches, but it had a "patina" so it didn't look scratched.

I have been see antique sink at this blogger and I think it's not to expensive.

Here is a link that might be useful: antique sink

Another Ticor fan here. I'm not sure about the statement that Ticor sinks only come with a fixed depth and center drain. The catalog shows various depths and my sinks have the drain in the rear, not in the center. I originally had some issues concerning backordered grids, but everything was finally delivered and the quality is outstanding.

I bought a Kraus 32'' single bowl. It is not installed unfortunately but it is beautiful. I thought the quality was very good. I think I paid $318 including the strainer and grid with free shipping from expressdecor.

How do Franke sinks compare?

My Ticor sink was shipped out from Galaxy Supply on Thursday and I recieved it on Friday. It's the Ticor S3510 and looks great.

Like Txpepper, I just need a kitchen now.

Nancy

After checking out Ticor and Vigo I ended up with a Blanco 441024 with grid but, no strainer. I installed a disposal instead. I only paid $250 shipping included. All of the sinks I looked at seemed comparable. As long as they're 18 gauge or better and the make up of the stainless steel is the same (18/10 chrome/nickel content) there should be no appreciable difference. You should check Vigo. They have several models comparable to the Blanco and reasonable prices. Here's a link

Here is a link that might be useful: Vigo Industries

Regarding the comments from people who say they've had certain sinks for many years, and they've held up, unfortunately, things have changed with today's sinks. I wish we could say that the sink of 10 years ago will be an indicator of the same brand today, but it's not.

Most stainless steel sinks are from China. Even the big names like Franke, Blanco, Kindred and Kohler have many of their sinks imported from China. You would either need to look on the sink's box to see country of origin, or you can call the companies' customer service numbers, and ask about a model you are interested in. I think Elkay sinks are one of the few brand names still made in USA.

That's not to say that if a sink is made in China, it's not going to be good. On the contrary. My point in bringing this up is that you are paying a big upcharge for the name Franke, Blanco, Kindred or Kohler. You will get the same or even better quality from lesser names, or even no-name sinks.

As Buehl said, ALL stainless steel sinks scratch. Regardless of the gauge, or the manufacturer, stainless steel sinks scratch. If a salesperson says their sink is more expensive cause it won't scratch, they are lying. As mentioned, the scratches blend into a patina after a while. Many people love the sink grids cause they minimize the scratching.

I am in the minority in that I think that a lower gauge does make a difference. I know that Consumer Reports studied this issue, and found that 18 gauge was just as good as 16 gauge. So it's one of those personal opinion things where my opinion is to prefer lower gauge. Also, the accessories that ChrisK327 mentioned are NOT included in the more expensive big-name sinks. A grate for a Blanco sink could run $50-80. Ticor and Kraus sinks include grates in the price.

So my advice is to look for the shape and size sink you want, not worry about name-brand, but buy from a reputable seller (if eBay, make sure you look at eBay Seller feedback, and how long in business), and if you can buy a lower-gauge sink for less, so much the better.

"I am in the minority in that I think that a lower gauge does make a difference. I know that Consumer Reports studied this issue, and found that 18 gauge was just as good as 16 gauge. So it's one of those personal opinion things where my opinion is to prefer lower gauge."

You should see the vibration from a larger GD in a lighter weight sink.

It makes the noise even worse as the sink acts as a sounding board.

Have a 16 gauge from Kraus from overstock. Very good price (almost 1/2 of the franke I was considering) very quiet sink. Only complaint is the hard black plastic on the included grids has scratched the bottom of the sink... but with the grid on it you don't see the scratches. I don't know if that will cause problems in the future. On second thought maybe I should follow up on that :)

isle2isle - How do you like your Elkay 3520 sink? That's the sink I'm about to order because of the size.

juliekemo - How do you like your Blanco prep sink with the drainboard. That's also something I'm considering. Would you get the sink with the drainboard over again?

nollie,
I love the drainboard, especially as it is our prep sink.

Having a dedicated wet surface on the wood was important to me. It's great for draining fruit or pasta in a colander. The water goes right into the sink.

The model we have does not accept a disposer. Here is a closeup of the drain.

Thanks juliekcmo. Do you know the size of your sink or the model #?

We had to get a sink with a 21" inside dimension due to space considerations. Our KD recommended a Nantucket NS03-PRO-16. Its a 16 gauge D shaped sink. It is 18.5 front to back at the deepest point and almost 10 inches deep. Zero radius at the corners and the pictures I've seen of it look great. The normal online price is about $350 everywhere but under $200 @ Overstock.

I wanted to chime in to say that I spend half my life at junk yards and habitat restores and see TONS of old sinks. I personally believe that you can usually tell the cheaper sinks from the more expensive just by looking at them. It's not true across the board but it's true often enough that I myself would go with a heavier gauge if I was going to go with stainless steel.

nollie,

The whole thing measures just a smidge under 31 wide by 20 front to back. Sink depth is 7" I don't know the model. We remodeled about 10 years ago.

It is a Blanco. I remember when we got it that it didn't appear on the Blanco US website, but their Canadian one. I didn't see the exact one, but this is pretty close

Here is a link that might be useful: HD Canada link

I ordered a Kindred undermount, double bowl, 20 GAUGE, sink online. Have not received it yet. I needed to find a sink that would fit a 30 inch sink cabinet, hence the choices were limited. I am concerned about getting the 20 GAUGE versus a 18 gauge. Any comments would be appreciated.

We have an old home that needed a lot of work when we bought it. The kitchen was our first endeavor, but I knew that the sink would be home to lots of brush washing and abuse from the rest of our house projects. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something that could get ruined or damaged in our process. So, I bought our sink at a garage sale for $10. No idea of the brand or gauge, but it's held up really well.

My dream sink is an antique cast iron farmhouse sink. I don't think we'd have the room for one, but I keep my eyes open at our local architectural parts warehouse for the perfect one to put in someday. Until then, our current sink is just as nice as any of the fancier and much more expensive sinks I've seen.

I have a Ticor sink, (60/40 16-gauge) and love it. Great price that included the grids. I got the brushed finish which is beautiful - no upcharge for that either.

I want to add that my sink is NOT a center drain. It is toward the back of the sink, and one side has an included nice strainer "basket" that is removable. If you're interested in a Ticor - be sure to check out all the models. Oh and I got it 3 days after ordering!

We got an Elkay sink for almost 1/2 price by ordering online, so punch the sink you like into Google and see what you get.

We bought it at NationalBuilderSupply.com and they were awesome. There price is a lot more now only a few weeks later though, so it may just depend on the day you look, but we had a great experience ordering online.

Mary04 - in response to your post, as Brickeyee and I wrote above, we believe it is preferable to get a lower gauge. Others may have a different opinion. But I am unclear why you say you had trouble finding a lower-gauge sink to fit in a 30" cabinet. You didn't say whether you were looking for a double bowl or a single bowl. But in just a 2-minute search, I found 16-gauge stainless sinks that fit in a 30" cabinet. There is the Kraus KHU100-30 single-bowl sink, which by previous reports on this forum, is a beautiful sink, price includes grid and strainer, and it has an offset drain which is nice to have (my link below has 41 great reviews). Also, Ticor offers 4 variations of double-bowl sinks that fit in a 30" cabinet.

As an aside, I don't know if you are looking at a single or double bowl version, but if I am looking for a sink to fit in a 30" cabinet, I would choose a single bowl sink, so that you have a bowl big enough to set down a roasting pan or cookie sheet.

Kraus KHU100-30 16-gauge Single-Bowl Stainless Sink

Ticor 16-gauge Double Bowl Sinks (use the search function for 30 inch cabinet size)

Mary04 - I just realized you DID say the Kindred is a double bowl sink (sorry I missed that). As I mentioned, perhaps consider a single bowl sink so that you have a bowl that can soak a roasting pan, etc.. Many people prefer the double bowl sink understandably, but most of them have a larger cabinet base than 30".

Nollie, sorry for the delay. We're happy with the big Elkay 3520! One comment is that as an undermount with 3 cm counters it's quite deep. I'm about 5'5" and have to bend a little to do the dishes. Been tossing around the idea of a grid, but we don't hand wash a ton of dishes anyhow so I'll probably stick with it as is. We came from a single bowl and I really like having the same large size for the main bowl, with the smaller sink on the side (which we use either to dry clean veggies or a few dishes). Most people might put their disposal there, but we don't have one.

My only other comment would be the faucet we picked -- because of the depth of this sink, and the height of our faucet (Grohe Minta), we get a lot of splashing and just had to learn to turn it on low (and use the spray feature as often as possible).

Otherwise, the sink is wearing great (but is still fairly new, and it's only the two of us).

I ordered a 20 gauge sink from Ira Woods online. I wished I had known about the Ticor brand at the time, but when I researched online the smaller double bowl sinks were way too high priced. Ira woods return policy stinks. They want to charge me 25% to 50% to cancel and the sink hasn't even left the manufacturer. Has anybody had any luck canceling through Ira Woods. I know a 30" sink cabinet is not very big but I enjoy the double bowl since I do a lot of hand washing.Thanks for your help.