you can tell your contractor that no manufacturer contacted over the phone is going to say that whatever any old contractor thinks is OK will be OK for the manufacturer to maintain his guarantees and warranty. Since these sinks do occasionally crack, the manufacturer has to set a norm, a standard, a limit. So the clips have to go on although they are unnecessary once a competent installer has provided sufficient support.. I say "unnecessary" as that is what you might want to say to your contractor who seems able to decide for himself what is sufficient and appropriate. He may be right, he may be wrong, he may be good or not. We'll never know. Odds are he is good at making mechanical support to hold the sink in place. Your contractor may be perfectly correct that the way he made mechanical support is sufficient and probably even better than clips. ((Any other pair of eyeballs can come over and say "I can tell he was right based on what I saw when I went over and looked. Besides, my estimation is all the reassurance anyone needs.") Nonetheless, add the clips so that the manufacturer is not obliged to decline later if you need a replacement. If you really don't care what story you will give to the manufacturer if you have to replace the sink at some future date, then don't bother adding the clips. In any case, the manufacturer cannot say anything else other than what they have said. Even if you showed them a complete video of how the mechanical support was built. They cannot allow themselves to get drawn into a discussion of what else might work. It is a guaranteed loss if they spend time analyzing exceptions from the rule and allowing homeowners to make their own decisions about installation support. The clips are designed (calibrated) to be just enough support to warrant guaranteeing the sink's physical integrity. HTH -david

I also got a Blanco silgranit sink and also had to wonder about the gasket. One way was up but it didn't say. (The gasket was not symmetrical). In the end, I just installed it one way and then turned it around when I saw it leaked. Sorry I don't remember now which way was up and can't help you more than that. I can confirm that I was disappointed in Blanco for this. I called them and got nowhere, so I was disappointed again. I called later about the tailpiece and also got nowhere, so I was disappointed again. I didn't post about it because it all happened too fast. Forums are not good when instant responses are needed. And, the first few responses may not be the right ones you need. Hth

I have a feeling the truffle is going to be just right! Either of the ones you have there would work but I think the truffle would be the perfect one. Will you be able to get a sample of that in the future? Or could you take a chip of your granite to the showroom or somewhere where they have a truffle something whether a sink or chip? Maybe someone could loan you one who has the chips and doesn't need them anymore. Fingers crossed for you!

believe it or not, i used nothing more than the washer that i got with the strainer. No gooey "substance" was applied. I have a drawer under the sink so when i open the drawer, i can see easily if a drip happens. None has.