In my opinion, in some cases you are paying more to cover the extensive advertising for the brand. In others you are paying more for the style and look of the fixtures and matching other fixtures in the bathroom. In still other cases you are paying for engineering to design the complicated mechanism that provides a powerful flush. And in some cases you are paying for the quality control which some cheaper manufacturers seem to offload onto the consumers. As with many things, paying more doesn't guarantee a better functioning product. There are some cheaper models that work well, and some that provide endless problems. But the same can be said for more expensive models. There are sites that review the functioning of specific brands and models, which are useful in guiding your decisions.

Paid 3.95 in Illinois on Sunday. Went through Wisconsin later Sunday and it was in the 3.40's. Arrived in Minnesota and it was in the mid-3.60s. Returning today from MN, we filled up at the very last station in Wisconsin for 3.67, then headed back into Illinois where it's still 3.95. That's regular, unleaded. DH paid 4.20 on Sunday for his pickup - premium unleaded. This is the first time I've ever heard him complain about the total cost.

Mary04 - in response to your post, as Brickeyee and I wrote above, we believe it is preferable to get a lower gauge. Others may have a different opinion. But I am unclear why you say you had trouble finding a lower-gauge sink to fit in a 30" cabinet. You didn't say whether you were looking for a double bowl or a single bowl. But in just a 2-minute search, I found 16-gauge stainless sinks that fit in a 30" cabinet. There is the Kraus KHU100-30 single-bowl sink, which by previous reports on this forum, is a beautiful sink, price includes grid and strainer, and it has an offset drain which is nice to have (my link below has 41 great reviews). Also, Ticor offers 4 variations of double-bowl sinks that fit in a 30" cabinet. As an aside, I don't know if you are looking at a single or double bowl version, but if I am looking for a sink to fit in a 30" cabinet, I would choose a single bowl sink, so that you have a bowl big enough to set down a roasting pan or cookie sheet. Kraus KHU100-30 16-gauge Single-Bowl Stainless Sink Ticor 16-gauge Double Bowl Sinks (use the search function for 30 inch cabinet size)

Often leathers that claim to be from Italy are actually just tanned in Italy but can come from many different origins. Italy has numerous tanneries that fill orders for leather suppliers all over the world. The USA sends most all of their hides to Europe and other foreign countries for tanning because of the OSHA laws in America that prohibit the use of aniline dyes. It can be confusing to consumers because the leathers do ship from and are tanned in Italy. Just like any other products from eggs to cars. Eggs come in several different sizes and colors just as cars you can choose to buy the one that suites your tastes and budget. So you can tan a hide full of scars in Italy that would price on the lower end and you can tan a hide that has very few natural scars and this would price on the higher end and they are both tagged from Italy. European countries tan leathers from everywhere and I guess in the end we can say they are of Italian origin. Italy does have there own cows but it is not always clear with even the high end manufactures like Leathercraft of where the pasture was when these animals grazed.