I've never had Silgranite, but am quite happy with our white cast iron...Main sink, prep sink, laundry sink, and 4 bathroom sinks. Since we have a prep sink, I've found I would have preferred a large single bowl for our cleanup sink, like the Silgranite Super Single, but am not convinced I'd like the more plasticky look (don't mean to offend, I just can't think of a better word) of the Silgranite instead of the heft and gloss of the cast iron.

I have a white fireclay sink and honestly prefer it to the other choices. It doesn't mark, it doesn't stain, it has the thick glossy look of enamel but it cleans like a dream.

I have a Kohler iron sink, and hadn't considered a colour other than white (I just really like the look). I panicked when I saw an orangey ring around the sink (tomato sauce left standing), but gently used Vim. Have only had it for 5 mnths, but no chipping etc to date.

Like Circuspeanut, fireclay would be my choice. This is my second Fireclay sink in two different home and I love it!

Good luck!

I did the Kohler 1/2 divide sink in SeaSalt - I'm in love with it....nothing has every stained it in 18 months, and I rarely have to get any type of cleaner out at all...just do a few pots and pans and it's clean!

Plus, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the half divide....I did the 1/3, 2/3 sizes. Look for it at Kohler.com. The Sea Salt is a beautiful finish, too. Not stark white...very warm.

Deb

I have had two Kohler cast iron sinks. As they age you'll noticed a small bit of etching, but nothing major. Sink grids are wonderful at cutting back on dark scratches to the finish.

If I really want it to glisten (like when company comes over) I just fill the bowls with warm water, pour a tad of bleach in and let it sit for about an hour. It makes it look brand new.

The current enamelled cast iron is harder and shinier than porcelain on cast iron. Porcelain on cast iron (which doesn't come in a lot of varieties) feels more like fireclay, with the advantage of cast iron, but the surface isn't as hard as fireclay. It can stain if you don't pay attention, but the stains come out pretty easily with a little bleach, as Hsw sc said.

Fireclay is stonger and harder than vitreous china, but because it's clay it has size variations that cause the makers to advise only making the opening with the actual sink there. They can be cracked or chipped by dropping heavy things in them, or by overtightening the ring around the garbage disposer or drain. That is, they're clay. But they're beautiful, tactile, shiny, delightful clay, and more durable and less likely to stain than the old kind of clay sinks.

I've never seen a Silgranite sink in white, so can't say anything about the visual. I haven't seen a particularly old one, either, because they haven't been around long enough. They're made of stone dust and resin. Does anyone know at what point the resin starts to age? I wouldn't think it would be sooner than a dozen years, but it stands to reason that they might get weird by the time they're 50 years old. They have a soft, warm texture, and are easier on your breakables. They're not shiny.

The Kohler sea salt color that Dlspellman has is very cool!! When I thought I was getting some granite I was going to get the sea salt. It's just a texture image made with gray lines that gives a crackle effect that looks like a layer of large dried salt crystals. It's white, without being a stark interruption of a mottled surface. I think it looks a lot better with a granite that has a lot of movement or color in it, than the plain white enamel sink.

We have a 15 year old Executive Chef Kohler cast iron sink in white. Love it! We're probably going to get the same model in the undermount version when we have granite counters installed.

As hsw_sc wrote, an easy way to clean it is to fill the sink with water, add a dose of bleach, let it sink and then drain it. A quick wipe and it's sparkling new. It's also one of the best ways to clean it, according to two plumbing reps I spoke to recently. Both told me that products with scrubbing particles in them, such as Soft Scrub, wear away at the finish and end up making them attract dirt more quickly. I guess there's more tooth for the dirt to stick to. I came home and told hubby, "no more Soft Scrub!" He loves the stuff, I never use it.

Enamel sinks scratch and eventually chip. I have a silgranit (although biscque, not white). I don't think it looks plastic at all (the knock-offs at the big box stores I believe look plastic). Silgranit is more like a stone and is colored all the way through. I use Barkeepers Friend on it and nothing has stained my sink even though we drink coffee, tea and I even dye my hair in the sink!

Neesie, Are you talking about the glass enamel (which some call porcelain, but isn't) sinks that they're selling now? I've never heard of them scratching or chipping. The old kind of enamel was more like a paint enamel coating and that did scratch and chip something fierce.

I noticed our sink has 1 *very* small chip but unless I'm looking for it, I don't see it. It's only on the surface (still white). I wouldn't say that our family is careful - not by a long shot - and this is all that has happened in 15 years of hard use. I'm more nervous about granite counters than I am about our sink.

I remember reading somewhere that not all enameled cast iron are the same quality and that affects how well they stand up. Since different gauge SS sinks perform differently, I could believe what I heard has an element of truth. Guess that's an argument for sticking with a reliable name brand and not a knock-off no-name.

I've looked at fire clay sinks but so far, I don't see any that are double bowls, which is what we want.

I used to have white cast iron, now I have white fireclay. The fireclay is much easier to keep clean. I just wipe it down with regular liquid dishsoap and rinse. It's 2 years old and I've never even had to pull out the barkeepers friend. Just soap on a sponge gets off everything.

It also helps if you have a grate on the bottom of the sink.

I have a Kohler white sink that's about 8 years old. It's not at all stained but it sure is chipped. On the rim, there's a dime-sized deep chip that I did when it was about a year old. It's so deep you can see the the blackness of the iron through the thin layer of white remaining. Several other smaller chips in the bowl and on the rim are barely noticeable as they're not deep. I guess we're clumsy people!

I've treated it with only BKF and bleach soaks over the years and it still has a high gloss shine that stainless can't touch. It always looks clean. The strainer looks crappy, but the sink glistens, glows and gleams.

That said, I'm getting stainless this time. LOL.

Our Kohler Executive Chef looked brand new when we moved out...about 7 years after it was put in, and that's why we have Kohler sinks again. I do use Comet or Barkeepers Friend occasionally, but without reservation. I've had cast iron sinks in every house we've lived in, and never chipped one...and 'careful' isn't a word at the top of the list to describe my dish-doing crew. ;-) One thing these sinks aren't is quiet!

Just as an example, the Rohl Allia comes as a Single and double bowl. Pretty much all the farmhouse sinks come as a double bowl too. Look up Whitehaus and Franke. I do much of my research on Qualitybath.com. I purchased my Allia single bowl from them and had no problems.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Rohl Allia Search on QualityBath