I love my Orca and would do it again in a heartbeat!

1. I've never seen a partial bottom rack, hmmm. I have the non-coated stainless as a full bottom rack though and love it.
2.Non-coated for my bottom rack as I just said. I wanted to be able to pour hot water down the drain without worrying about melting the coating. I have both of the top racks and they are coated. Are these maybe what you are thinking of when you say partial racks? If the Orca has the lip half-way up the sides (ORX-110, I don't know if they still make the one without the lip) then these fit in the upper half of the sink). I use them to dry wine glasses and I didn't want to chip or break them on the plain SS.
3. My soap dispenser is on the right and I wish now that it was on the left. I mostly use the right upper rack to dry dishes, so that would have worked out better.
4. I bought all of mine at kitchensnbath.com as they had a special at the time. I'd just shop around a bit online and see who has the best prices.
5. Again, LOVE my sink! You will, too!

Hi hsw,

Thank you for your informative response. I was wrong, the bottom rack is a full rack and the upper racks are split, as you describe.

Is your faucet centered or to one side of the sink, if so, which side?

Thanks,
MJ

I have this sink but it was JUST installed and I still don't have the faucet in yet.

I did get the full grid for the bottom, and plan to get the half grid for the right side. I had planned to mount the soap dispenser on the right as there is more room, but hsw_sc brings up a good point about drying dishes on the right so I'll have to give it some thought.

Wish I could be of more help, however, I really think I will love this sink! I'm sure you will too!

We have this sink and love it (the stainless version).

We have just the upper rack, on the right side, and it's a real back saver to be able to rest something on the grid to give it a good scrubbing. IMHO it gives you the advantages of a deep sink & shallow sink all in one.

We have the non-coated upper rack, mostly because I was concerned with the coated one getting grungy over time. It does come with 6 little plastic bumpers to help keep it from scratching the sink.

Our soap dispenser is standalone (decorative jar) and we keep it on the left. If you want to mount one in the counter, I'd be concerned about it fitting behind the left side -- there's not a lot of space between the sink and the backsplash.

My Franke Orca has been installed for one year. I purchased the Franke Combo Pack 3 from Kitchen & Bath Authority (KBAuthority.com), plus the Franke air switch and control box. Kbauthority had the best prices and were wonderful to deal with, even price matched. All of the Franke products are top quality, maintain their good looks, and have held up like new so far. I have the bottom grid and both upper grids. However, never use the LH one and plan to sell it. The grids do not show scratches. All of mine are non-coated based of the advice of the seller. I suspect the polished grids are easier to clean and maintain their good looks. I hand wash on the left, taking advantage of the greater depth and stand plates, bowls, etc. upright on the right side to drain by bracing the item against a cross piece of a grid and leaning the dish against the side of the sink where the item is almost upright. When not washing, the RH upper grid is used as a working surface where crumbs and other "messies" can fall into the sink rather than on the counter. Regarding placement, my soap dispenser is in the middle of the right side and the air switch is to the right of the soap dispenser, just barely past the right corner of the sink. This placement was chosen based on what looked most balanced in internet photos. Functionally it works OK, and I would not like the looks of the soap dispenser on the left side.
One more thing, be careful about checking your package before signing for it. In my case, the warehouse had placed all of the smaller packages in the sink bowl. My Franke faucet was stolen, either during shipping or delivery, and the sink box was sealed back up with all other items remaining. Because the faucet was noted missing at delivery, another was promptly shipped.

Hi,

BlackChamois - Congats on your new sink. Please let me know what you decide about the soap dispenser.

ParkerCat-Thank you for your feedback. I am in the process of deciding between a SS or coated upper rack. Happy to learn there are plastic bumpers to protect the sink on the SS.

Texasgal - Thanks for advice about the LH and RH grids as well as about inspecting upon delivery. I plan to use KB Authority.

I will make my decisions today. I am interested in the 4 pack KB Authority is offering. I am also considering GNX11020 for my prep sink; it is 20" X 18" X 9" deep which is a bit large, however I will also use it to fill and drain large pots. It is also closer to the ovens and baking pans will initially be placed in there for cooling prior to transfer to the clean up sink. Thoughts?

Thanks again!!
MJ

I will give you my opinion on upper racks. If you are planning on using them as an air-drying surface, get the coated. They are VERY forgiving to delicate things. They are also very easy to keep clean. I actually have to use a toothbrush to clean the gunk off of my non-coated bottom rack (which I couldn't live without either, love it) and the plastic "bumpers".

Hi hsw,

Thank you, again, for your response. I have to admit I'm "on the fence" regarding coated vs. SS for the upper racks.

Would also like to ask you - is your faucet centered or to one side of the sink, if to one side, which side?
MJ

Hi MJ,
I have had my orca sink for over 2 years and I love it. I have my soap dispenser on the left and faucet in the middle. Works out fine. I got the one piece bottom plastic grid. Hot water does not melt it and it didnt crack however when I put a hot pot on it, some of the plastic melted and I dont do it anymore.
I didnt get the top racks at all as I wanted to always keep a bottom rack on so it didnt scratch. You will love the sink.

Our faucet is centered so that the stream of water goes straight down the disposal. Love that. Really wish that we had put the soap dispenser on the left.

Hi,
Maryanne - we are tall so I think having the dispenser further back is OK; will the distance be OK for smaller users? Thank you for your feedback.
Hsw-your sink is beautiful! Thank you so much for all your help.

You're welcome! I know that whatever you decide with the racks will be what works for your kitchen. I also know that you're going to love this sink! We Orca owners seem to have a certain type of love affair with them ;)

Hi,
Thank you to those of you who have responded ordered my post, you were all very helpful. i ordered my Orca sink from KB Authority and received it yesterday, I ordered all stainless racks; everything was delivered in good condition.

I have one more question - when placing the sink in a conventional depth counter how much space did you leave in the front of the sink? Will I be better off to plan a "bump out" for the sink area.
Thanks,
MJ

Does anyone have a picture of their Orca sink with the soap dispenser on the left? My granite is being fabricated this week, and the plan was to put the soap dispenser on the right, but now I think that the left would be a lot more convenient.

Soibean,

Please tell me about your sink clearance front and back. Will you be having a bump out? By the way, which granite did you select?
MJ

Soibean,
I like it, it has nice movement. What type/finish cabinets?

You can see the cabinets at the bottom of the picture. White shaker cabinets on the perimeter; the island is cherry with a mahogany stain.

mjocean - I don't have a bump out and the distance from the counter edge to the front of the sink is 3.5"

Soibean - I plan to put my soap dispenser on the right like hsw. I am short (with short arms) and, for me, putting it on the left would make the reach a bit too much for me.

I have had an Orca sink for 6 years. The faucet is placed similarly to hsw's. The soap dispenser is on the right side. We also have a Franke faucet. Franke backs their products 100%. Great customer service. They sent us a new faucet head without question when the piece that switches from spray to full broke. No questions asked.

I have the full and 1/2 grids. They did not have non coated when we bought. I do have the cutting board which comes in very handy.

We did not do a bump out but we had to have part of the cabinet cut to fit it since it was being placed in a slightly smaller cabinet then recommended. My one must haves was to have the largest sink I could fit in my galley kitchen. Mission accomplished.

Hi,

Soibean - nice cabinets
BlackChamois - thank you; what is the distance from the back of the sink to the wall?
Jerseygirl - happy to learn you like your sink 6 years later! Thank you for your endorsement about the Franke faucet. I already purchased Grohe faucets, however, I have one now and love it so I think I'll still be happy.

Thanks again,
MJ

Hi MJ - "what is the distance from the back of the sink to the wall?" On the left about 5.25" and the right about 8.25". Here is a pic ...

BlackChamois,

Adding up the sink depth and clearances you must have 30" deep counters. I wanted all 30" counters but settled on having just one counter on a back wall at 30". It is where I will be doing most of my baking. How do you like your 30" counters?
MJ

Hi MJ - The counter at it's deepest is 28" (from the front edge to the window). If you notice in the pic, the counter extends farther out at the window (about 2.5"). Otherwise the counters are between 25.25" and 25.5". The bases cabs are all standard 24". I can tell they are a little deeper than my previous counters. I am short so I notice even the slightest difference as everything is a stretch for me! :)Hope that helps!!!

Hi BlackChamois,

Yes, I do see they are deeper at the window.
Thanks!

My installer allowed 4" from the edge of the Orca sink to the front edge of the granite counter. This works well as it keeps water off of the front of the sink base but is still a comfortable working distance. By the way, my sink has a "0" reveal. The sink cutout was cut exactly flush with the inner sides of the sink--a thing of beauty but difficult to do!

Texasgal,

How much space was allowed from the back edge of the sink to the wall?