The Lenova is such a great idea. The easy to clean thing is an attention grabber. But my rubber gasket for the disposal pops right out, I soak and scrub it up with no problem. The plumbers putty cracking, ive never had happen. The seam around the drain has never been an issue with cleaning and sanitizing. And I am a crazy person about the cleanliness of the sink since I watched a show on the type and numbers of organisms they found on an average home sink. And to think our mothers used to wash babies in there.
I cant see spending the extra for just this bell and youre getting the same gauge. (16 vs.16) I guess it comes down to what you place value on for your lifestyle.

>Why are these sinks so much more expensive that the ones at Lowes or Home Depot?

There are several reasons, but one is that they are usually made of heavier 16-gauge steel. The lower the number the thicker the steel is. Most of the sinks at HD and Lowes are 18 or even 20 gauge.

One thing I noticed when I was shopping for a sink is that pictures online do not give you a realistic view of the sink's finish. They all look good in the online photos, but some don't look so hot in person.

Regarding the gauge, there are more things to consider with a sink besides gauge, and any 16 gauge sink is not automatically superior to any 18 gauge. Even Franke's highest priced sinks are 18 gauge, but they are really beautifully finished. The lower priced Franke sinks that are available at Home Depot are completely different from their "luxury" line.

>there are more things to consider with a sink besides gauge, and any 16 gauge sink is not automatically superior to any 18 gauge.

Agreed, but in any line a 16-gauge is going to be more expensive than the same style in 18 gauge. I didn't say it was necessarily better, just a reason for a higher price.

EDIT The sink I'm most likely to go for, since I plan to have a smaller sink cabinet, which restricts my options, only comes in 18 gauge and that doesn't bother me at all.

This post was edited by writersblock on Sun, Sep 8, 13 at 13:13

"Agreed, but in any line a 16-gauge is going to be more expensive than the same style in 18 gauge. I didn't say it was necessarily better, just a reason for a higher price."

True that. I'm just saying that the gauge of a sink is not necessarily an indication of quality. Some 18 gauge sinks are much nicer than some 16 gauge sinks. Which is why, IMHO, there are other things to consider when shopping for a sink besides the gauge of the stainless.

Boops2012, how many babies died from being bathed in the kitchen sink???