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Has anyone experienced a Kohler Prolific sink?

11 years ago

Has anyone seen the Kohler Prolific sink? I happened by it on the Kohler site when I was looking for info on the Stages. It looks pretty cool but, unlike the plethora of reviews on the Stages, I can't find hardly any info about the Prolific.

Comments (36)

  • 11 years ago

    Had not seen this one...obviously, no experience. But one observation from looking at the photos--even with the the cutting board resting on the top ledge, it sits below the top level of the sink even before you account for the counter thickness in an undermount. How the heck is a person supposed to be able to maneuver their chef's knife with the cutting board down in a hole?

    The unique funnel shape around the drain is interesting--and will be appealing at least in theory to folks who rely heavily on a garbage disposal. We compost so don't have a GD but if I did have one, I would like that part of the design a lot. Might change my mind though after using it a while. (Drinking glasses falling over, etc. because of the funnel...)

    Also looks a bit fussy to clean--not sure the new design wrinkles are enough to offset added difficulty in cleaning. Or enough to offset the double dose of Ugly Factor bestowed on the sink by its designers. :)

  • 11 years ago

    Ah, I didn't notice the thing about the cutting board. Good point. I thought it could be a good smaller replacement for the stages. Kallista has a 33" version, but I don't think either of the Kallistas look as functional as the Kohlers.

    The cabinet that the sink will go into is 42" with the dishwasher on the right and a 22.5 angle to the left. I'm having custom cabinets made so I'm sure the cabinet guy can do cutouts in the cabinet to cheat the thing in there.

    I don't really have a lot of counter space and I currently have a regular double bowl sink centered in the 42" cabinet. I'm worried that the stages 45 will be overwhelming. Do you really feel like part of it turns into "counter space" when not in use? We're switching from a gas cooktop to induction, so that will definitely be "counter space" when not in use. (Or dare I say, "mail and paperwork holder" :) ).

  • 11 years ago

    I like the idea of the top of the cutting board being below the level of the counter. I can't tell from the picture if this might be too low to comfortably work on though. I never understood having the cutting board above or at the level of the counter when placing it slightly below could keep juices, etc. in the sink rather than running all over.

  • 11 years ago

    I think if I hadn't already seen the Stages, I would like the Prolific. I like the way they show using the dish tub and utensil drying rack in the video. The funnel to the drain wouldn't be useful for me because we don't have a garbage disposal. And one thing that would be a deal breaker for my DH is that it is 18 gauge SS instead of the 16 that the Stages is.


    Of course it is less expensive, and in the right kitchen, this could be a great prep sink.

  • 11 years ago

    Looks cool! I am looking for a sink like this as I want an in-island sink and need to maximize prep space. I also looked at stages (too big and $$) and the Indio. But this seems to have more features over the indio. With all of these sinks I have wondered about the cutting board being too far below the counter level. Hmmm.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    I agree with ci_lantro that the sunken cutting board would be problematic. I prep and cook A LOT. Try cutting vegetables or even slicing fruit with an 8 inch chef's knife inside a shallow 10 x 15 in baking sheet :) Those edges would drive me nuts every time.

    ETA - Encountering (pun intended) the edges not good for knives either!

  • 11 years ago

    I'm thinking of using this sink. The low cutting board is a non-issue in my opinion. If it's too low, I can buy another 1.5" cutting board and glue to the top of the first one or have a custom one make with a high bottom lip. i.e. it's not an insurmountable problem. I think having it slightly below the surface works good for things with a lot of juices that run out as sherri indicated.

  • 11 years ago

    I looked at this sink in person and felt it was a good alternative to the stages. I decided to go with the riverby instead as I really wanted a white enameled cast iron sink over stainless. The riverby has a the cutting board, colander and drainer accessories, but not the multi level thing. The riverby also has an off center drain which is nice.

  • 10 years ago

    A year late in the reply but.. We had the Prolific installed and love it. the cutting board is not an issue at all and if we have to have it flat we pop it on the countertop. The drying rack are easy to use and the wash basin. The slanted drain gets everything down rather than sitting on the bottom. Sink is easy to clean as well. An for the big post, cookie sheets, having such a big sink and deep, they are a breeze to wash.

  • 10 years ago

    We have had the Prolific installed since late last year and love it. The depth and width are awesome for cleaning large pots and dishes. It is nice to have the accessories to segment dirty dishes out a little. For example, we use the collander to put dirty utensils in before they get washed. We haven't used the cutting board, but that's more of a reflection of my culinary skills than the sink's usability.

  • 10 years ago

    We installed one last year, no complaints. I haven't used the cutting board much because I usually prep on our island where I can watch TV or chat with others. It's nice and deep and not hard to keep clean.

  • 10 years ago

    Been using the Prolific sink for a month and really admire the design and features. This is an awesome prep sink. Cutting board depth is not an issue, size is great, cleaning is easy. Favorite feature is the dish rack. Highly recommended.

  • 10 years ago

    Does food (icky stuff) get caught in the ridges that hold the cutting board and colander, etc?

  • 10 years ago

    they are not actual ridges but rounded :) so nothing sticks. The only place you need to make sure you clean well is the bottom edges as they are squared off but it is easy :) the rest of the sink is very easy to clean as a normal sink would be :) We actually have a drawer we put the accessories in when not in use. One drain board is always out and we take the others out as needed. It can get crowded if everything is out at the same time :).

  • 10 years ago

    Hi, thanks for the feedback. I think the Prolific has just moved to the top of our sink list. I did notice that it is 18 gauge stainless (not 16 gauge). Does water hitting the bottom of the sink make a lot of noise? I know it has sound absorption. Also, some of the reviews on Amazon state that the bottom of the sink is not sloped enough making it difficult to clean up (except for the funnel around the drain). Does anyone here who has the Prolific feel that way?

  • 10 years ago

    nope, no worries about noise that I have noticed. Our faucet has dual sprayers so we use the wide spray to rinse the bottom. No problem. We are on a well so that is actually good for us and we do clean up with a paper towel if necessary.

  • 10 years ago

    @Stan Z, I have never noticed it being noisy so I just tried. The water is not noisy hitting the sink from our Kohler Karbon faucet. Spraying or using our RO faucet is a little noisy, but the RO faucet is is really high and the water is traveling a long distance to get to the bottom.

    Yes, I do think that the sink could be sloped a little more and water doesn't always go to the drain as easily as I want. We don't have a garbage disposer (we're on septic and skipped it), so we usually don't have a lot of food bits in the sink.

    With all that said, this sink is my favorite item in the new kitchen. The accessories have been so useful to me and it is functional is so many ways. I love it.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Susan and Lisa, thank you! Glad to hear it isn't overly noisy or "tinny" sounding. I want to hear a muted thump not a high pitched metallic rattle when the water hits the base. I'm also looking at a 16 gauge Julien stainless sink with their countertop accessories (more than twice the cost of the Prolific) or going with a Silgranit super single with hacked and improvised accessories (about 1/3 less than the Prolific). The Prolific is at the top right now because we do hand wash a few dishes every day (such as coffee mugs) and I like the idea of having the bottom and middle layer rack so that those dishes will be recessed under the sink while drying.

  • 10 years ago

    Yes, it is all about the 3 ledges for me. It opens up a lot of different ways to use the sink, and I love hiding the drying dishes in the sink.

  • 10 years ago

    I don't find the water hitting the sink noisy, but the 3/4hp garbage disposal seems much louder in the stainless steel sink than my previous cast iron/ceramic one. But with that much power, we don't need to run it very long.

  • 10 years ago

    Weird, I have the 1HP Insinkerater Excel and I can barely hear it when it's on. We don't use the accessories that much, but I still like the sink. Nice and deep.

  • 10 years ago

    I've been considering the same sink. (Initially loved the Stages -- too big-- the Galley, too expensive and researched Kallista Soltiere, Houzer Novus 5200, Ruvati 8300). Leaning toward Prolific due to price, 3 levels (can get similar functionality to Galley, watch their videos), and great accessories. The main problem for me is the center drain as I was trying to get 3 pull out bins (garbage, compost, recycle) under the sink around a batch disposal. But with the center drain either I have to go with smaller bins on either side or 2 large bins and put the recycle elsewhere. I don't know why they put the drain in the center-center? The Kallista Soltiere is so much better in that regard. Anyone else dealing with under sink design and organization issues?


  • 10 years ago

    @Lara, The sink is pretty deep, so that is another thing taking away from storage space under the sink. You could figure out a way to put 2 bins under the sink, but a 3rd might be difficult.

    My SO really didn't want any pull outs under the sink. Hopefully he won't have to do any work there, but he wants it easy to get in there if necessary! I didn't really want garbage there either because I like having it next to the sink not under it. I don't want to have to move to open the garbage when I'm at the sink. We really only have the RO system under the sink and the bowl/colander from the sink in the cabinet.

    Is there anywhere else in your plan where you might put the waste/recycling? If you really need your trash in the sink cabinet, the Prolific might not be the best choice. It is probably do-able, but maybe not ideal.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Yes, the sink is deep. You could get 2 short bins on either side but where would you put you soaps etc. We put our compost bin in a pull out beside the sink along with another bin, but, if your pullout allows you can put 2 large bins. Our pull out is narrow so hang a compost inside which works great. hope that made sense. We love the sink though. FYI....we bought 2 wood tilt outs that are free standing. They look like furniture...so they live in our foyer and look great. No one realizes they are bins. Here are some examples.

    http://www.arkzoft.net/p/Recycle-Wood-Trash-Bin-for-Kitchen.html

  • 5 years ago

    Do you folks all still like your Prolific sink? How is the noise (18v16)? We use a garbage disposal extensively so that’s a good thing.

  • 5 years ago

    Still like it. No regrets. Noise not an issue. Wish corners were rounded so I could clean better, but a minor inconvenience compared to the shelving.

  • 5 years ago

    Still love the sink and would purchase again. Dishpan and strainer are starting to show wear after 5 years, so I probably will cough up the $90 to replace them. A little problem with the weight of the sink causing pull away from the granite countertop; gravity and too small clips at installation, but my countertop company serviced under warrantee.

  • 5 years ago

    as @joseph cortlett (not sure why I can't tag) will tell you, you should strap the sink into place with a Hercules Sink Strap. Much better than clips.

  • 4 years ago

    Concerned about scratches from washing large pots etc. Is there a sink mat available for the prolific?

  • 3 years ago

    I thought I’d give a review. We have a 44” Prolific. It’s now 18 months old. I love it. We slide the bins and racks about as needed. Usually dirty dishes that need hand washing go into the solid bin and washed items in the colander for air drying. Big items in the middle to wash, dry in a rack. Noise from garburator not bad at all. I wish the sink drained a little better as I find bits of food needs spray flushing out a few times a day. The white bins are getting dirty and aren’t cleaned by usual methods. Will try bleach I think. Periodically I put the accessories in the dishwasher. We mostly have the cutting board beside the sink, especially during meal prep but I do put it in the sink when I’m wanting a tidy look. The stainless steel is scratched - that doesn’t bother me. I’ve attached photos.

  • 3 years ago

    Meggie Ross Please tell me about your countertop. It is fabulous.

  • PRO
    last year

    @Meggie Ross did you add something onto the bottom of the cutting board to make it flush with the counter?

  • last year

    Michelle - no we didn't. The board that came with the prolific sits flush in the sink.

  • last year

    T jarmuth from 2022 - just read this. For current folks this is a soapstone countertop.

  • last month

    I'm late but will post. I have a 44-inch Prolific. I was coming from a 29-inch non-workstation sink. Yes to some scratches, but cleans mostly well. Top corners can need something to get into the crevices. About cutting boards: I use the white drain inserts at the top level and a separate cutting board on top. No issues with reach or strain, and I'm on the short side. I REALLY like its width and depth. I also like being able to adjust the racks down so that the kitchen looks more tidy. The rack inserts are sturdy. Yes, they do need (weekly) or more cleaning, but they do clean up. Would buy again.