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twobelles

Rachiele Sinks: A Review

9 years ago

Hi, Friends!

I'm back with another review. I am slowly working my way through the kitchen. I need a little more time with some of my new kitchen tools before I'm ready to report back, but this one I could've written the day it was installed!

I purchased a custom 36" Rachiele Signature Series apron-front sink in traditional stainless steel from owner, Dino. He was so helpful and patient in walking me through how I planned to use the sink and in thinking through the details of the sink. I also purchased these accessories: cherry cutting board, colander, white cutting board, stainless sink grid and the sponge caddy. My most used accessory, hands down, is the sponge caddy. My sink is naked without it. I love this thing! It sounds like such a silly thing to love, but I have serious germ issues and I love that this helps keep my sink nice and clean. It is worth noting that all of the accessories have wonderful craftsmanship and work exactly as intended. What do I mean by this? The finish process is complete and details obviously matter to the people at Rachiele. The quality and sturdiness of the accessories make them a pleasure to use....and I'm sure they will be for many years to come!

Like many of you, when we began this build process, I discovered Rachiele due to their copper sink fame. Once we decided to move forward, I had settled on stainless steel as a better option for me. I went back to Rachiele and ordered the sink and have been so pleased that I did. This sink was definitely a splurge, but as other posters have mentioned in different threads, the sink is the most used item in a kitchen. I have never had the "treat" of having an apron front sink before, but I will never be without one again. For those of us who are, ahem, vertically challenged, they are a must have! I won't get wrapped up in the single/double-bowl debate, but I do love the 36" single bowl sink.

To add....I know there are a lot of fans of the Galley sinks and the Kohler Stages sinks. I carefully considered these, as well. I would certainly not offer an assessment of an item I do not own; however, I can tell you that the craftsmanship on my Rachiele sink is impeccable. Further, the customer service that I received from everyone involved....ordering, production, shipping.....let's just suffice it to say it was very refreshing. I highly recommend Dino and Rachiele sinks.

Comments (28)

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    I am humbled by the kind comments Beth! Thank you.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    She's a beauty! I particularly like that the apron front is straight across. So many of the stainless steel apron fronts I see have a thick curved front which defeats the point of the apron front IMHO.

    I too have a sink with a corner drain and could never go back to a center drain now. Don't you just love it?

    Can you tell us what the sink's stainless steel gauge is?

    P.S. I love your counters.

  • 9 years ago

    Your counters are stunning!

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Jerry, The photos are terrific! Your photos are better than anything I have been able to accomplish. Thank you for the kind words! By the way, how are the wood tops holding up? I get questions all the time about wood tops and under mount sinks. From the photos, they look perfect.


  • 9 years ago

    twobelles, I love how your soap matches the finish on your Waterstone faucets!

  • 9 years ago

    Hi, Jerry! LOVE your finish on the sink. I still love the copper and maybe in the next house.....LOL, if we ever build another.


    Stan, thanks! Remember the cleanliness issue I mentioned above? It's made me a soap connoisseur. (If there is such a thing.....HA!)

  • 9 years ago

    Dino,

    This all newly installed, and they still have a couple of non-visible items to do before it's completely finished, so I can't give you a long term report. The wood tops have a very thin finish on them. I didn't really want that, but I thought natural meant no finish--language barrier here. However, the parts right around the sink where they did the cut out aren't finished.

    What I'm doing with the cut out edges is the practice that I've read about: Oil generously with food grade mineral oil every day for a month, then every week for six months, then twice a year. Use your hands rather than a rag because you can feel which parts need more oil--it also softens your skin--and because the rag soaks up a lot of oil the cost of which adds up if you are buying it in the tiny bottles. If you have a entirely natural countertop, you can purchase the oil in five gallon containers for a reasonable price. The caulk should keep the water out of the underside of the wood that can't be reached by your hands.

    Despite the many recommendations, don't use vegetable oil, olive oil, etc. as it will go rancid. I believe that teak oil is okay because it's wood based not vegetable based.

    I suspect I'll do around the sink more often than twice a year just to keep the water resistance up. The water just beads up and is easily wiped off, so I don't expect any problems. In a way, the wood tops are like a copper sink: If you don't like a changing surface, and the occasional burn mark, then you won't be happy with them. If you don't mind them taking on a patina, then you'll be happy. Note wood is right behind copper and stainless steel for sanitariness. I'm a big believer in wabe sabi.

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Jerry, do you mind if I snag these photos to put on my site?


  • 9 years ago

    Go right ahead.

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Thank you!


  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Jerry, can you explain the intersection of the copper where it hits the counter top? What did you do to seal that?

  • 9 years ago

    It's copper angle iron that's fastened with screws and caulked. The seal is likely not perfect, but it's better than just the countertop against the stainless steel.

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Miranda33, I missed your question about the gauge of the stainless. We use 16 gauge Stainless that is made in the USA. Sadly, most sinks are either made in China or are made with Chinese stainless these days. You might find this video of interest. It shows all of the accessories available in the sink that Beth and Jerry have.


  • 9 years ago

    I received my Add-a-Bowl and Sink Strainer Element last Thursday. Kudos for a great product. There's one thing that you could do for future Add-a-Bowls to make them absolutely perfect. Add a strainer basket underneath.

    What I envision is a rectangular basket about 15 mm tall, 250 mm long, and 150 mm wide with a 10 mm lip around the top. The lip would slide into a guide rail welded to the bottom of the Add-a-Bowl so that it would hold the basket on three sides. The basket mesh should be of a fine weave rather than a coarse weave--small enough that tomato seeds would be caught.

    I hope that's a clear enough description. ( For the metrically challenged, there are 25.4 mm in an inch :-) )

  • PRO
    9 years ago

    Jerry, I love the way you think! I will work on this.

  • 7 years ago

    Beth, Thank you for introducing me to this wonderful sink! I would have never known about! I'm just discovering how valuable Houzz is!!

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Leisa, you are so right! Houzz is an amazing website.

  • 5 years ago

    TwoBelles - I'm considering this very same sink! Could you tell me if the stainless has scratched on the front of the apron? Thank you!

  • PRO
    5 years ago

    HU-891276262 - I too am interested in her comments. She does have an extended reach Waterstone faucet. That should help. She does, however, have a brushed stainless steel on her sink. That finish is easily scratched and difficult to repair. We also offer a hand-finished stainless that is very easy to repair. Brushed stainless has a linear grain pattern, which requires a professional to repair a scratch. We also offer a hand-finished stainless that has no pattern, so simply going over a scratch in a random pattern with the ScotchBrite pad we send with the sink will take care of scuffs and scratches easily and quickly. The key to avoiding issues with the front of metal farm sinks is a faucet that will drop the water in the center of the bowl. Most people would not have to lean on the apron to use the sink.

  • 5 years ago

    Leisa Firth --- Agreed. I have received a lot of value from Houzz. If I have any money left over (Yeah, right) after the the "rest of the house" makeover (excludes kitchen and bathroom), I have five copper sinks I would love to order. Three are fairly standard and two are totally custom.

  • 5 years ago

    Hi All! I really have almost no scratching on the front of my apron. I am not at home currently but will do my best to remember to snap a pic when I return. The only area that really has a couple of marks (besides interior of course) is the top edge of the apron, if that makes sense. And that is primarily bc my daughter, who loves to bake, often rests batter bowls, pottery pieces etc in it as she’s moving things into the sink and she’s young. So, harder for her to reach and put things in. More careful cooks will probably not have this issue. HTH!

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Here are current pictures of the apron. (Sorry about the tilted picture.) Installed 2017. The speck in the third picture is a piece of dough or something, not a chip. I'm not particularly rough with the sink, but I'm not particularly careful either.









  • 5 years ago

    And here are the current photos of the ledge. (For some reason, Houzz didn't like all the pictures in the same post.





  • 4 years ago

    Jerry - I have a 42" on order from Dino. What faucet do you have and do you like it? I am having problems finding one with the appropriate reach. TIA

  • 4 years ago

    tapattee -- I have a Waterstone 5300-2 Tuscan Brass faucet. I have no problem with reach. Tuscan Brass is one of their living finishes. Note that the living finish is probably not a good idea if you have maid service because there's no protective coating so vigourous cleaning will turn the living finish to solid brass. If you are the only one that does the cleaning, then it's a great finish because it ages over time.





  • 4 years ago

    Thank you Jerry. I had a Waterstone picked out but with the price of building a home going up so much in the last year we have to cut corners. The Waterstone lost.

  • 4 years ago

    tapattee -- I hear you. The rest of our house (not bathrooms or kitchen) is being remodeled--including some new exterior walls. Unfortunately, all of the non-Waterstone faucets in the house (that's everything but the kitchen sink) have issues of one kind or another.