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plumberry_gw

Stainless sink, how do I choose?

plumberry
13 years ago

I'm overwhelmed and don't understand how a quality sink can go from $250 to +$1500. I know there are different gauges but if I want a quality sink how much should I budget and what brand should I choose?

Comments (7)

  • svs128
    13 years ago

    Structurally, I look at the gauge, nickel content and undercoating. Features and shape are important too! ;) I prefer 16 gauge with 18/10 chrome-nickel content. A sink with an 18/10 chrome-nickel content is considered to be an excellent grade, due to its corrosive resistance and greater durability. The lower the number of the gauge, the thicker and better the stainless steel.

    If you are not concerned with name brand, check out http://mrdirectint.com/sinksandfaucets/index.php. This site was recommended by our granite fabricator. He has been recommending them for 4 plus years. We showed the site to our KD and she was really impressed with price, gauge and nickel content.

    I'm sure there are benefits to buying name brand but IMHO the construction and materials are more important. So if you find a non-name brand sink with similar construction to a name brand sink, but cheaper, I say go for it!

  • alwaysfixin
    13 years ago

    As Svs128 wrote, the gauge is important, as is sound insulation, and a feature like an offset drain is also important. Having said that, frankly, the higher priced name-brand stainless steel sink makers are laughing all the way to the bank. Sinks are not like ranges, or hoods, or other kitchen items that have multiple moving parts and longevity issues. No, stainless steel sinks are just, well, stainless steel shaped into a form that is the size and shape you like or don't like. The companies charging $600 and up are counting on people to want the name-brand badge.

    There have been numerous postings on this forum of people happy with the Ticor or Kraus sinks, or even no-name eBay sinks. The Ticor and Kraus are mostly 16 gauge sinks (Franke and Blanco are mostly 18 gauge). Also, Ticor and Kraus sinks come with accessories like grids for free; Blanco and Franke charge, like, $80 for grids.

    We ended up foregoing stainless entirely, and choosing Silgranit instead. But when we were going to get stainless, we were going to get the Kraus 30" rectangular 16-gauge sink with the offset (rear) drain. It fit every one of our criteria, and you can check out the reviews on Overstock.com.

    Kraus SS sink at Expressdecor (lowest price with 10% off offer)

    Kraus sink at Overstock (reviews for you to read)

    I also posted similarly on another thread, which was actually about offset (rear) drains, in case you want to read it.
    Thread about Offset Drains and sinks

  • cookie08
    13 years ago

    Another sink to consider is the Affluence seamless sink

    http://www.seamlesssink.com/

    Here is a link that might be useful: Affluence Seamless Sinks

  • rufinorox
    13 years ago

    I have the ticor sink and love it. I didn't want to spend a ton of $$ and this is the one I chose.

    http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Ticor-Undermount-Kitchen-Sink-Stainless-Steel-16-Gauge-Single-Bowl/3666381/product.html

  • plumberry
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks everyone. I'm sure I can fnd something at overstock. The next question is our current sink is 7" deep and these are 10" deep. Have you noticed that dishwashing is harder on the back to bend in deeper?

  • boxerpups
    13 years ago

    Plumberry,
    I wondered the same things what do I get for an expensive
    sink. I ended up going with the sink my granite installer
    recommended. And I did upgrade.
    I believe I am the only one on GW who has an Oliveri sink.
    I love it. It is probably cheaper than a Ticor, Kholer
    and Blanco. I wanted a big deep sink to hide dirty dishes
    in. It is in the $300 range not very high but it is
    beautiful.
    ~boxer


    http://www.oliverisinks.com/us/

    Let me clarify this is not my kitchen. I have
    a sink exactly like this.

  • daveinorlado
    13 years ago

    my dealer cost on an 18 gauge undermount double bowl 9" deep or an single bowl is about $75 buying them from a warehouse in Tennesse. Hence you see sinks all over the place at 150 without brand name recognition. Mark up is 100%. Yes 16 gauge is thicker and more durable but without taking a hammer to it the extra thickness is over kill many times. Imagine what the company makes when you buy a $1,000 sink. More expensive is not always better. Again americans are suckers for a brand name so they can feel better about themselves for having something nicer then their neighbors. Wise up and spend your money smartly and not on what will impress your friends you do not know well enought to call in the middle of the night if your car died on the side of the road.

    Acrylic sinks are much better at not being scratched and come in a multitude of colors more people should consider them instead of grate at the bottom of your sink to keep it from scratching after paying $300 for it! There are wiser places to spend your money above $300. Farm sinks are another issue. They have dealer costs of approx $400 and up. I would not pay more than $800 for a farm sink even in copper.

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