I love Swanstone. We have integral sink/vanity tops from 1989 and they are virtually indestructible. Note however mine are all a beige or taupe granite-look, not the light solids that may stain or show scratches more. Our kitchen counters and sink are also Swanstone, put in during a 2003 remodel. They are extremely durable and I love the matte finish. I have cultured granite, very similar in look to the Swanstone but a bit glossier. It was cheaper, but I prefer the Swanstone for its superior durability. The only reason we used some cultured granite (just like cultured marble but more particulate in the resin mix) is that Swanstone didn't make a neo-angle showerpan large enough. So our master bath showerpan, shower surround, and sink are cultured granite instead. Both are non-porous and extremely easy to keep clean. Neither needs any abrasive cleaners, ever.

I am not sure what your KDs are thinking of. We have owned Swanstone sinks for almost 20 years. The bathroom sinks are indestructible, and our kitchen sink, installed in 2003, has been a delight. It is quieter and frankly, easier to clean than the top-notch Kohler Executive Chef porcelain-clad cast iron sink that was replaced. Which, BTW, was in perfect condition when it was removed, despite hideously hard usage. Nonetheless, we were glad to replace the double EC with the single Swanstone. Note that aluminum pans will leave the same "gray marks" on solid surfacing that they do on clad cast iron sinks. These scrub away very easily with Softscrub or a quick soak with a bit of bleach (but if you use bleach, ALWAYS rinse well after a few minutes - especially for clad cast iron; it will eat the coating away). As I said, the Swanstone solid surface sink cleans much, much easier than the Kohler. You may believe whomever you wish, but my DH has often commented to me that the Swanstone sink was the best thing we did in a $26K updating of our kitchen and bathrooms. One thing matte sinks are very bad with is leaving wet cans (we have to rinse cans before they can go into the recycling bins) overnight: they leave a rust stain that takes about a month to go away. Note that uncoated cast iron cookware would probably do the same thing. I don't clean the sink extensively more than once a month; it simply doesn't need it. One either likes the matte finish of Swanstone/Corian or one doesn't. Many people like the high-gloss look and think solid surface sinks always look "dull". Our kitchen is extremely high-glare - I get sun in the windows 365 days a year, all 24' wide and 16' tall from picture windows, so we are very anti-glare. Best of luck with whatever you choose to do.

Actually I considered the Swanstone with the low divider, but cannot remember it's name right now. But when I researched it here I heard more positives about the silgranit and I really liked what I saw in person. I only got to see the chip in person because, like you mentioned, they really favor the black sample in the showrooms. I'm not saying anyone said anything negative about the Swanstone. I recall one poster named Fern that loved hers. I'm sure both are good sinks. Good luck making your choice.

These are my pics of my countertops placed Friday June 22, 2018. I cried looking at these seams. It looks so cheap. Fabricator explains that's the way it comes. I explained that I shouldn't be able to see the seams so clearly. It looks so unprofessional. They ended up taking them back to their warehouse. In hopes they say if it is quality control will try and fix it just to make it look better. Otherwise I will have to pay an additional fee for them to come out again to install. I just don't know what to do and if still looks the same. This is the first time I've replaced my counters in 24 years. I don't and can't live with it. looking at this for another 24 years. It looks so cheap and it really was not it's a lot of money to me. I hope fingers crossed that they will fix this problem. They never told me that there would be such seams. I thought the edges were done by a machine and it would be all one piece. I have read up on this and now understand there are seams. But now I do know that they should not look like this. If they are good fabricator you shouldn't be able to see them so clearly. I will find out next week what happens.