Well, they have their name going for them with a good marketing plan for starters! 16 gauge is better, however many are now putting sound proofing on the bottom of 18 gauge sinks which helps tremendously. I think the more known brands also have more bells & whistles ie. cutting boards, grates etc. made specifically for those sinks. That raises the price just to have that option - imo from personal research.

I've got 18 gauge now & will be going 16 for the remodel. I was all set to spring for a Blanco (18 guage) until I found an Elkay with all the same features & its 16 gauge and $500 cheaper!

Sometimes I wish we had fewer choices - my head just spins from all of the decisions for a remodel; all involving what seems to be thousands of choices!

At least I've got my sink picked out. Best of luck!

They all have sound deafening system of some sort. I just find it hard to swallow that a no name brand off ebay that's a 15 or 16 gauge (strainers included) for around $500 is as good as one nearing 2K. I realize that the cheaper no name brands or Ticor, perhaps Vigo are Chinese imports but I was wondering if there's something I don't know that I should.

16 gauge stainless is .0595" thick and 18 gauge stainless is .0480" thick. So you are really only talking about .0115" thickness difference, which is about 1/90" of an inch. Not much really. I'd worry more about the sound coating on them. Do they make sinks in T-316 instead of T-304? 304 S/S has more carbon and less Nickel than 316 and is therefore more prime to rusting.

When I started my remodel---I had bought the Consumer Reports magazine that rated Kitchen stuff. One of the things they said was not to buy a sink for the name, but buy for the gauge. They found no difference in a 16 guage between different companies. That's why I went with a Ticor.

I also thought that a better sink will also weigh more, when comparing apples to apples. So, once I found the sink style I wanted (Zero Radius, 16 gauge), and the size, I looked a bit further to see which one weighed more. I have no reason why I did this, except, like you, I needed one more thing to compare to figure this out. I believe this was coming from the theory of when buying a whisk, buy one that is heavier than it looks.

good luck--isn't every decision overwhelming? Just wait til the backsplash decision...

I agree with Kay. You are paying a big upcharge just for the name (Franke, Blanco, Kindred). And please note that Franke, Blanco and Kohler are also getting many of their stainless steel sinks from China. Just call their customer service number, and ask them the origin country for the model sink you are interested in, and they may answer "China", depending on the sink model. There was a poster here a few months ago who was very concerned with buying American, and to her dismay, her Blanco sink came with the box stating "Made in China". I think Elkay sinks are one of the few brand names still made in USA.

I am in the minority in that I think that a lower gauge does make a difference. I know that Consumer Reports studied this issue, and found that 18 gauge was just as good as 16 gauge. So it's one of those personal opinion things where my opinion is to prefer lower gauge. Also, the accessories that Kay mentioned are usually NOT included in the more expensive name-brand sinks. A grate for a Blanco sink could run $50-80. Ticor sinks include grates in the price.

I just think the sink price differential is one of those market anomalies that doesn't make sense. So my advice is to look for the shape and size sink you want, not worry so much about name-brand, but buy from a reputable seller (if eBay, make sure you look at eBay Seller feedback, and how long in business), and if you can buy a lower-gauge sink for less, so much the better.

There is a thread on here that discusses guages and I found it very helpful. I ended up purchasing a 15-guage rim with a 16-guage and my sink makes no noise and is very solid. I purchased it from builders spec and it arrived within a few days. Retailed for $1000 plus and I purchased it for 329 and it came with a strainer and grid for bottom and drain for plumber. It is a deep sink, but it is one of the purchases that I have always been extremely satisfied with. I tend to question everything but i had no questions about that.

We had a thread on this several months ago. I think the conclusion was that some sinks were actually a bit thinner than claimed. Unfortunately, I didn't mike my Ticor sinks when I had the chance, so I can't assert anything about their actual thickness.

There may also be a conservative claims element in play (nah, who would do that?). I suspect that 16-gauge sinks, for example, start with 16 gauge steel and are then formed from it. The forming process stretches the steel in some areas so it is thinner in spots.

My large Ticor S112 sink, when mostly full of water (perhaps 150 lb), can be seen to bend slightly at the supporting flange, thereby separating a tiny bit from the soapstone above it at the reveal line. This is in spite of steel supports on all four sides of the sink. Eliminating this would require a very stiff undermount support around the entire flange following the flange contour. I am curious whether the very large examples of higher priced sinks also show this effect when filled.

kas

beekeeper... interesting. Which weighs more... BRILLIANT! A totally unscientific but sensible approach. I'm going to experiment and research this. They all are the same shape, size, and either 16 gauge or 18 gauge stainless. Also great point about them starting off a specific gauge and then being worked from there till thinner.

kas... that's a concern about your sink, sorry to hear that. I have seen undermount packages available online.

Stainless is not all the same. Stainless steel is made from a blend of metals and the blend, as well as how it is fabricated, make a difference in the appearance, the strength and other properties the stainless will have. Gauge only measures thickness of that metal and there are other properties than may go into the quality of the sink. And then there is name recognition. ;-)

beekeeper, if you want to research weight, 16 gauge weighs 2.52 pounds per square foot and 18 gauge weighs 2.016 pounds per square foot. But then you also have the weight of the sound deadening materials to add in, so weight alone won't give you much useful information.

Well... crud. And here I thought it was a great approach. So, I'm not closer to understanding what makes the huge disparity in pricing for what looks like the same sink. Guess, I'll just pick something and move on.

And factor in where the drain is located. Corner or offset drains may allow more useful area under the sink. Plumbing will be shoved into the corner. Rear drains, rather than center drains, will maximize your under-sink space.

The sinks with rounded corners are stamped. The stamped steel is stretched and becomes thinner, so if it started out at a perfectly uniform thickness, like you can see at the very edge, where stretched it becomes quite a bit thinner. I'd guess we're talking 20% thinner.
OTOH, a zero-radius sink, or a commercial sink, is cut, bent, welded and polished, It would measure out to gauge thickness everywhere on the unit. The manufacturing of these sinks is likely to contain more hours of hand working than a simple stamping process.
Casey

westsider... I'm with you on the offset drain. I orginally was going to go with a Silgranit and loved the right drain. I then fell in love with the curved front apron sink and began an exhaustive search for one with a right hand drain. No luck, but there are those with rear drains.

sombreuil... thank you. I didn't before understand the significance of zero radius so that's a big help. Now I know... 36" curved front zero radius rear drain 16 gauge apron sink.

Here's a shocker for you. There are many differet grades of stainless out there too! It's not just about gauge. It's about whether it's 304 medical grade non rusting stainless vs. a lesser grade that will rust! I'll bet you didn't know there was such a thing as stainless steel that would rust! Well, there is. Depending on the alloy mix, some low grade Chinese stainless sinks being sold out there may end up rusting. And I say "may" because even if it's sold as top quality 304 grade, if the source is China, can you be sure about that? With the hundreds of other substandard recalled products out there that are of Chinese origin, can you afford to take the chance on one of the hardest working essentials in your kitchen? And be locked into that decision via an undermount situation?

Most of the no name sinks out there originate in China. I'm not saying that always bad. Quality manufacturing can occur there as well. But, if you're taking the chance on a low cost no name brand, be sure you really understand the chance that you're taking!

Here is a good breakdown on the SS types.

Here is a link that might be useful: overview on stainless

This site has some ties to Elkay but it's useful. Most sinks are 304 but they suggest 302 is actually better - no idea if that is correct. It certainly is rare in my experience.

Here is a link that might be useful: Friendly Plumber

I went with a 16 gauge handmade ss sink, somewhat due to its dimensions and somewhat due to how great it looked. It very heavy and due to retrofitting, I can see the double layers welded at the corners. It is completely silent. It was high end and while others on this forum have and love the brand (Julien) I find this sink impossible to keep clean. It always looks stained and spotted.

In our house, I have a 18 gauge Elkay D-shaped drop-in in the mudroom. Not so quiet, even with sound deadening stuff on it but it cleans up perfectly. It cost a third of the other.

This is one area where I think the technical details may be less important than the conventional wisdom of experience here with the various sink brands. In theory, along with the brand/price you should be getting a specific quality level but my experience doesn't support that.

After seeing the Ticor sinks and hearing the satisfaction of multiple people, it leaves me with one of those "why pay more" bottom lines -- unless there is some special accessory or feature that is wanted/needed. In that regard, I love my sister's Franke, which cleans up well and has a ridge halfway down that lets you put a rack or cutting board in there. It makes sense to me to pay extra for something like that. Otherwise, fugheddaboutit.

But having to use Softscrub on a s/s sink that's touted as one of the "best" brands to make it even look clean is a lesson. If I had a do-over I'd do it differently. Can't say that about anything else in the kitchen.

just wanted to make a point here about something live wire said. Medical grade stainless is not 304. It's 316L or better. 302 stainless is basically the same thing as 304 but it is stronger. It has a little more carbon in it to increase strength but it also makes it a teeny bit more prone to rusting. All stainless steel has some carbon in it. Carbon is what rusts. Carbon is needed for strength though, so it's in there. But the way the steel is forged prevents the carbon from causing problems with rust unless it is exposed to certain elements. 304 stainless sinks will probably not rust though unless at some point the steel is contaminated from the outside with carbon steel. This can happen in manufacturing if they use carbon steel tools on it such as carbon wire wheel, etc. It can also happen if you let a wet carbon steel spatula or steel wool (like a brillo pad) sit in it. 316 stainless will rust too, but it is much more unlikely. I have some 304 stainless components in one of my koi pond filters that has been wet for over 5 years now and there is not a speck of rust anywhere. So honestly, it's not too much of a concern.

Most stainless steel stock comes from india or china. The United States makes stainless steel too, but it is more expensive from imported steel. So even if you purchase an expensive American made sink, chances are the steel was imported. When the material arrives at the factory, it can be accompanied by a "Material Test Report" if the buyer requests it. This is a report that proves that the metal meets the standards and specifications for the grade they are claiming. So if you are concerned about low grade metals being used instead of good ones, ask the sink mfg where the steel comes from and if the steel quality was verified by way of an MTR. That should solve all concerns about steel quality.

ccoombs1--when I said the weight, I meant what the seller says the weight of the item is. I did say that it is one more thing you can consider when comparing apples to apples--such as a 36" 16 gauge sink from xyz company and a 36" 16 gauge sink from abc company. If one weighs more than the other, it might have more padding, more stainless, etc. If everything about the 2 sinks were alike, then you could use the weight of the item to help make your decision.

As I said, it's not scientific, but it makes some sense to me.

In my experience, I like a heavy sink.

OK. Here are two C Tech Sinks. They look similar but one is 18 gauge and the other is 16 gauge. There is a $150.00 difference in price. Is the extra money worth the heavier gauge? The webpage link is to the 18 gauge sink. The arrow to the next sink will bring you to the 16 gauge.

How does a C Tech compare to Franke, Blanco, etc. in quality, soundproofing ....?

Here is a link that might be useful: C Tech Sinks

When my Ticor sink arrived from Overstock, I saw it had the C Tech I logo etched/lasered into it. I freaked out and contacted Ticor. They assured me it was one of theirs.

I have no other information. I like my sink.

"There are many differet grades of stainless out there too! It's not just about gauge. It's about whether it's 304 medical grade non rusting stainless vs. a lesser grade that will rust! I'll bet you didn't know there was such a thing as stainless steel that would rust!"

All stainless steels will rust under the right (or wrong depending on your point of view) conditions if they contain ANY iron (and all but some really odd alloys that are not really steel have iron).

Stainless means less corrosion, not zero corrosion.

Many grades are also susceptible to corrosion from salt (as in sodium chloride).
The chloride ion can attack the surface and cause a white corrosion product to develop.

Scrubbing a stainless steel sink with plain old scrub pads can also smear enough carbon steel onto the stainless to cause rust to appear on the surface.

The gauge number is also commonly the starting thickness of the blank the sink was drawn from, and all the depth comes by stretching the metal thinner.

This is what Consumer Report (online) has to say about Gauge.

Stainless: Gauge doesn't matter. More people buy stainless steel kitchen sinks than any other type. We tested 18- to 23-gauge sinks; the lower the gauge, the thicker the steel. We also listened to the noise made by running water and dropped weights to see if we could hear a difference between the thicker and thinner models. All resisted dents, stains, scratches, and heat, and silenced noise similarly.

I had learned through my research that 316 is a better less corrosive grade then 304 but residential sinks are not made of that. I don't mind spending $500 more for something I feel is better quality/longer lasting/quieter/etc.; however, I do have my limits. I won't spend over 2K on a sink no matter what it does! I have a plethora of choices that range from $450 to about $1800. I'm not leaning toward the low end and prefer 16 gauge based on nothing 'cept the feeling that it MAY be thicker. I'm getting zero radius, so it shouldn't be stretched like the ones with cove corners. Havent' made a set decision yet as I'm ordering lighting tomorrow. Then I'll be free to think about sinks again!

Whew, what a great amount of information. I happen to manufacture custom stainless sinks and will not offer a link as I do not want to abuse this resource. I thought I would offer some added info. Most of the name brand stainless sinks on the market (18 gauge or thicker) are great quality sinks. Stainless is a bit of a chore to keep up. I have heard of some imported sinks rusting. That can be a significant problem. Some companies, such as Franke and Blanco, have a relatively high sheen on their sinks. Something to keep in mind... Scratches will be more noticable. I have to disagree with the Consumer Report. A sink thinner than 18 gauge will not sufficiently hold a heavy faucet.

drachiele... I wonder if you are the manufacturer I checked out that made the SS apron sinks with the offset drain. Actaully, I'm almost certain it's you since it's part of your screen name. I appreciate you not using this board as a marketing tool.. commendable. Your sinks are glorious; albeit above my means. Thanks for the information on Franke and Blanco having a higher sheen. That's not something I'm interested in. If it's not inappropriate to ask, do you have an opinion on Lavello, Kindred, Ticor, or Kraus? And if it is inappropriate; I sincerely apologize in advance. I would never mean to put you in an uncomfortable position.

Just 1 note about a lesser name sink: you get what you pay for.
That is, I purchased some noname SS sink at least 18 gauge from ebay and was happy w/ it when it was installed undermount under hundreds of pounds of granite. BUT once I started using it, I found the problem. It didn't drain properly. The drain was in the center, and it would usually puddle just to the right of the drain. Not a ton of water, but just enough where I would have to help push the rest down (because it irritated me to have the puddle).

That's my experience.
Argh.

This is a great thread and I learned a lot. Thanks everyone!

I have been going coo coo lately trying to find a sink. I have one I bought two mos ago , ADKY, that already has rust in the brushed stainless grooves on the upper left lip that sits ON the countertop. Now that is just not gonna work. I have learned more than I wanted to have to learn at age 72. Check out the reviews on these sinks and you will be flabbergasted. Much of the talk here has been about gauge and sound quieting when the main talk should be about how easy these stainless steel sinks rust and scratch so easily. It is just not acceptable. I removed an old SS sink that NEVER had rust issues whatsoever to place the new one that is rusting . I will just not tolerate it being there. That is when my search began and I sadly discovered how the sink makers are ripping us all off. Why can't they make them like the older ones anymore???? 304 is standard and it rust extremely easy. The majority of sinks out there are 304 mixture. The next marine-grade would be 316. Not easy to find in the style you may be looking for but it corrodes less easily and I assume is pretty rust-resistant. At the moment I have a 33” x 22 “ Workstation Topmount / Drop-in Nano Black Stainless Steel Sink, 16-Gauge Bowl w/ Integrated Ledge in my sites. They say it is made with premium 16-gauge Nano black stainless steel and the deck is made with an extra-thick 9-gauge 4 mm Nano black stainless steel. Nao black stainless steel also offers rust-proof long lasting durability, performance and lustrous beauty. Moreover, Nano black stainless steel repels water and more dirt resistance than normal stainless steel – easier cleaning and maintenance! It has a 9-gauge deck. It has nano-PVD finish, the stainless steel is overlayed with a colored mat finish that is resistant to wear and abrasion. The finish has a matte texture that is fingerprint and stain resistant. They claim it will never rust or tarnish. I may be willing to find out lol. Not fond of the blk but I have been pushed into that corner because it seems the only one I can find that hopefully will not rust. Here is the sku # SKU: WSRT3322-BLK The best of luck to ya. If anybody has any other suggestions please comment below.

Genuine 304 stainless steel sinks don't rust. It's usually contamination.

It is the color of rust and will not come off. If you read the reviews on these sites that are selling these pathetic sinks you will see MANY complain of the sink not draining properly and rust. So does that mean everyone's sink is "Contaminated"? And what exactly are you calling a contaminate? What I do not understand is that all the newer SS sinks are a pain in the butt to take care of. The manufacturers are saying don't use this in the sink, don't scrub it with practically everything and on and on and on. Who wants a sink that you have to baby? I upgraded my old SS sink with the newer deep bowl one and It is certainly not worth the money nor should they even be on the market. Not sure what they are doing differently or if it is a pathetic product because it is being made by a foreign country. I have no clue what is going on but the quality is not there in most of them I have researched. When you wash in a sink you need something that will stand up to any product that one may choose to use but manufacturers are saying not to use bleach and many other chemicals in their sinks. I am 72 and I have never ever experienced anything like that.