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julieste

Anyone have a low divide sink? What do you think about it?

6 years ago

I'm someone who is coming from living with a cast iron sink that is about a 70/30 split and am looking for a different sink for a different remodel. I like having two separate bowls to work with so I can have dirty dishes in one while at the same time have a separate drainage area to wash veggies, drain juices from newly sliced tomatoes, drain a pot of pasta etc. Plus, this will be the only sink in the kitchen. It's only occasionally that I wash oversize items, so I don't feel a need to have to a huge single bowl sink just so I can occasionally accommodate those types of items.


So, I am considering a low divide sink because it seems like it may offer the best of both worlds. My husband isn't so sure a low divide is such a great idea.


If you have a low divide sink, what are your thoughts? Would you buy another one? Does having the low divide truly add to your sink's flexibility? If you have decided you wouldn't get another one, what type would you get instead? Thanks.

Comments (23)

  • 6 years ago

    We just sold our house that we installed a low divide in. I really liked it. The low divide did make cleaning things like cookie sheets easier. However, in our new build I'm splurging on a 45" Kalista Multiere sink. I had a gas range in the last house and I think a single bowl would have been beneficial to clean/soak the grates. If I didn't go with the single bowl I would have ordered another low divide.

  • 6 years ago

    I don’t have a low divide, but the more traditional style split 50/50 and it really works for our family. At a friend‘s cottage, they have one large sink and I don‘t like at all, but they love It. I think it comes down to functionality, based on your needs and habits.

    There could be a compromise by using a large sink with a rack to stack dishes but can be removed when necessary.



  • 6 years ago

    I have a low divide and I hate it . It's just in the way. Not deep enough on either side to really soak dishes or pans but it's in the way for cleaning larger kitchen items. If i had to do it again I would pick a sink with no divider.

  • 6 years ago

    I have an Elkay stainless low divide 50/50 and love it! I know most folks want a single bowl sink but for the way I cook, I really wanted a low divide to have a clean and dirty side and wanted stainless durability. It is low enough that I have not had any issues washing large cookie sheets, skillets, Dutch ovens etc.

  • 6 years ago

    Yup, have and hate it. I agree with bichonbabe.

  • 6 years ago

    So if I would have a really tall pot that is dirty on the outside too and I wanted to soak it, my only option would be to fill the entire sink up so that both sides (the entire sink) would fill up. Did I get that right?


    Cookie sheets would be propped at an angle on the divider. Right?

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Correct. That 's why I do not like mine.

  • 6 years ago

    I have an Elkay 60/40 or 70/30? low divide. I like it for one side dirty dishes and the other for food prep. If I need to wash bigger dishes I use a plastic dish pan that is deeper than the low divide. I do not like my cream color Elkay. It stains too easily v my old Kohler.

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    I replace 150 sinks a year. Three are divided and two of those are low divides. Single bowl sinks rule in the sink replacement business.

  • 6 years ago

    hazelcraddock

    Is your Elkay a quartz type sink? What material was your old Kohler sink?

  • 6 years ago

    I love our low divide sink, and I cook a lot. You can use the larger side for washing veggies in a colander, and the smaller side with the disposal for the peelings. Or keep contaminated items on the small side when cooking and still have use of the other side. We wash things on the large side, and rinse on the smaller side. Our large side is large enough to soak a cookie sheet. I can't imagine having to soak the outside of a large pan. Without a tall divider, it's easy to wash and rinse large pots and pans. It's the best of both, and I'd never want another type of sink after having this one. I guess it depends on how you cook and wash.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I have a 50/50 low divide SS and am glad I went with it. I can have contaminated or peelings, etc. in the garbage disposal side at the same time I'm using the other for washing dishes or soaking. I also can put a stopper in both sides at the same time, if needed. I can get my cookie sheets and jelly roll pans in one side and have no difficulty washing large or tall pots. The occasional times I use my large electric skillet, I prop it on the divider to wash-it's not immersible.

    I was thinking I needed to go with a single bowl, because everyone seems to be on that bandwagon now. My son, who is in the building industry, said "Mom, you don't function that way" and I'm glad I listened. I don't have the space nearby to store a dishpan, nor do I want to have to drag one out for that purpose.

    This week I found another reason to like my configuration. I got side-tracked and walked off with the stopper in one side and the water running. When I came back one side was overflowing, but it was going over the low divide and down the drain on the other.

    Think about how you function with your current sink and what, if anything, you would like to be different and you should have your answer.

  • 6 years ago

    I have the Blanco 33" Precis 60/40 low divide and I don't hate it but don't love it either. I put this sink in at our vacation home because I was too nervous to go large single bowl (have had a double sink for 40 years!). This seemed like a good compromise.


    First, it is too deep - I'm 5'2" and my DH is 6'3" and it's too deep for both of us. I can wash large pans/cookie sheets by balancing them on the divide but the 60 side isn't quite big enough for soaking my largest pans. I never fill the entire sink but will fill one side or the other for hand-washing on occasion. All in all, I would not do it again. The low divide just gets in the way.


    Currently remodeling our main home kitchen and am going with the Whitehaven 36" single apron. Hopefully, it's the winner. Good luck with your decision!

  • 6 years ago

    Mary


    Valuable input. thanks. I am starting to think that if I want 2 bowls maybe the solution isn't so much the low divide. Rather it's finding a 70/30 or 75/25 type split that has one really good size sink with the other smaller bowl just being a small extra space for when I want another drain.


    People's opinions on these are so split. I was at the Kohler store the other day looking at sinks. A woman came over unsolicited and showed me her NeoRoc, low divide sink she had recently installed and told me she just loves it.

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    I have a Kohler low divide cast iron farmhouse sink with a 70/30 split. I would like to think that you don't see many of these yet because they are relatively new to the market. Maybe I just wasn't in the market before? But, as a realtor, I see many houses every day and have never seen another like mine other than in a showroom. I love mine!

  • 6 years ago

    I am new to remodelling a kitchen and considering what sink I would like for my new kitchen. The size of the sinks aren't being mentioned, for the most part. Aren't there different sizes? Won't that affect the size of each side if divided? Julieste, what size sink do you have now?

  • 6 years ago

    @newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada, yes there are different sizes that will effect the overall width. And depending on if you go 50/50, 60/40, or 70/30, that will also impact useable space so make sure you look at inside dimensions when researching sinks.

  • 6 years ago

    Thank you MinnesotaMary! I also want to make the point that if one has a certain sized sink and changes to a different size, that makes a difference too. And for any of the differences there are pros and cons. For me, I have a equally divided 30 inch sink. If I go with a 60/40 low divide on a 33" sink, I will have the same amount of space for my dish rack as I have now. I will have a larger size (2 inches larger?) for my washing sink, I would have more room for washing larger pieces, but will have to use less water for soaking and washing than I'm used to. My larger dishes (to be washed) may be resting against my other dishes in the dish rack. That doesn't happen now as my divide is high. So pros and cons are to be weighed.

    Also some of you may be in condos and that makes a difference too. As I reside in a house, I can take extra large items (like oven rack, kitchen shelf) to my basement sink (which is larger) to be washed. Not an option for the condo dweller?

  • 6 years ago

    juliest: If you have a showroom nearby, make an appointment and take a cookie sheet with you and see what works. Showrooms usually have sinks installed in cabinets, so you could check for size/depth and configuration and see which type feels right for you.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Someone asked me what size my current sink is. That's related to what my dilemma is. I have a long-discontinued, cast iron, Kohler Epicurean sink that is totally unique because it has a 2 bowls (one 17" x 19" x 8.5" and one 8" x 16" x 3.5") and the best part of all a 14 x 16 drainboard to the right of the small sink. If I could find one of these, I'd use it again in a minute. Other than having to do the cookie pan rotation when washing up, it really meets all of our needs. The small bowl is large enough to wash a few veggies or put something down the disposal while the big sink is in use. And, the drainboard is our favorite part of all. While it occasionally has dishes drying on it, our favorite use is to put a cutting board on it to use while doing messy things like cutting juicy tomatoes or using as is to put a rub on messy fish or meat that drips.


    I've spent tons of time looking at sinks and saw one at the Kohler store the other day that I think can meet the needs of many who have been following this thread. It is a regular divide (fits a 36" or 39" sink cabinet) but has an extra large primary bowl. It's stainless, which isn't my first choice but can work.


    https://www.us.kohler.com/us/strive-35-1-2-x-20-1-4-x-9-5-16-under-mount-extra-large-medium-double-bowl-kitchen-sink-with-basin-rack/productDetail/kitchen-sinks/941425.htm

    "This Strive kitchen sink offers professional style with easy-to-clean curved corners. Made of thick, premium quality 16-Gauge stainless steel, the unique extra-large offset bowls maximize cabinet space, making room for your largest bakeware and cookware. Strive features a sound-absorption system that significantly reduces disposal and dishwashing noise. This sink includes a divider dishcloth bar, a divider utility shelf for scrubbers and sponges, and a bottom basin rack to help prevent scratches.

    • Double bowl
    • Left bowl is sized to fit a half cookie sheet flat in the bottom of the basin
    • 9-5/16 in. bowl depth
    • No faucet holes
    • Rear drain increases workspace in the sink and allows for more storage space underneath the sink"
  • 6 years ago

    Carolyn Green/Coldwell Banker


    Is this the sink you have? Kohler Whitehaven.



    Kohler Whitehaven, 36 Under-Mount Double-Bowl Kitchen Sink, Biscuit · More Info


  • 2 years ago

    I am the OP. Since someone just tagged this discussion, I thought I would provide an update.


    I installed the Kohler IronTones cast iron low divide in the configuration that has one large and one medium bowl (I think it's 70/30). For the most part I like it a lot and it has worked for me. But, at times I do think that perhaps I should have instead purchased the Kohler Neoroc with the same bowl configuration but with a higher divider. With the IronTones I can lay a cookie sheet flat and my largest pans fit in the large bowl without being tilted. Since that works I don't really need the low divide feature. So, if I did it again I would think long and hard about which divide height to purchase.