I have been wondering about the switch to a single sink too. For my whole adult life I have had double bowl, but it was a very large bowl with a very small garbage bowl. I liked it so much that I kept duplicating it with each new house. The Silgranit sinks do not offer that option. I was intrigued by the single with the short divider, but there is only one drain hole and it is in the larger section.
Anybody who has made the change have any input?

Lisa  I donÂt understand your question. We went to a single with a garbage disposer. What do you mean by air hole? Are you talking about the air gap that is required by code in some areas for the dishwasher? Or are you talking about the air switch that some of us installed to turn the disposer on? In either case  it would be the same whether you have one or more partitions to your sink.

I really loved my single sink. We moved and I now have a monster 3 hole sink which I hate. I hate it because none of my favorite pans will fit lying flat in this thing.

What Jeri said is right on target. I'll add though that the only thing I don't like about my new giant single bowl, drain offset, at the back, nearly flat sink is dumping out things in the disposal because bits inevitably go all over the big sink and I have to chase them. I can't compost soup dregs even if I wanted to because of the meat content, and putting it in the trash would be an even bigger mess, so the disposal is it. It sure was easier in an old fashioned sink though.

It's a draw...some prefer double-bowl (like me), some single-bowl. There are pros & cons to both.

As to the "air hole"...

An air gap is indeed still required in some municipalities. However, if your DW is installed properly, you do not need one. Sometimes, if you can show the Inspector the installation instructions to show him/her your DW doesn't need one and then show him/her that it was installed correctly, s/he will allow you to not have one. Other areas, though, are didactic and insist you have one whether or not you need one. If you are in an area with the latter, then I suggest, first, the DW still be installed properly to not need an air gap...and then put an air gap in to meet Code. Some people have later replaced their air gap w/a soap dispenser or other item needing a hole...I'm not saying you should, I'm just saying some people have done it! (Be sure, though, your DW was properly installed to not need the air gap.)

An air switch is a switch in your counter for turning on an electrical device. In the vast majority of cases it's used for the Garbage Disposal but it can also be used for other things. An air switch turns items on/off with a puff of air so there is no direct contact w/electrical current like there is in a traditional switch.

There are three very practical reasons why this type of switch is better than a wall (or under-cabinet) switch and one aesthetic reason.

Practical reasons....

1. Because there is not direct contact w/an electric current, you can use the air switch with dripping wet hands and not worry about a getting an electric shock (or worse).

2. I you have a rather short arm reach, this puts the GD switch closer to you so you can easily reach it (and no leaning over a splashing faucet as you strain to reach the switch in a wall.)

3. While the switch is closer to you, it's not easily reached by young children who might want to "play" with the switch...unlike an under-counter switch that can be found/used even by toddlers. (Trust me when I tell you that many children only need to see you do something once and they will have figured out how to do something...my DS is a prime example...as a young toddler, he figured out how to defeat the child-proofed cabinets in a matter of days after installation & figured out how to change our computer background!)

Aesthetically, it takes the switch off the backsplash and puts it on the counter where it is almost flush and is unobtrusive. So, no interrupting the backsplash and barely noticeable on the counter!

I donÂt think the OP intended to start the "2 sinks or 1" debate. :-)

I *love* a big single  however, in my future kitchen design, my cooktop may be to the left of my sink  so I could see a useful double bowl setup where I use the left side for prep, leaving the right side for clean-up.

Do they really make double bowl sinks that will fit my large baking sheets and large pans with handles?

the air gap you are most likely thinking of is the little stainless steal thing about 3-4" high you probably had with your double bowl sink. I am guessing you did not have a garbage disposal before. Anyhow without a garbage disposal the line from the dishwasher went to the drain of one of the sinks and also had a hose going to the little thing on the back of sink that looked like it was a couple of inches high. It was to show you the drain was backed up if water came out of it.

In a garbage disposal you do not need that device. A common mistake in installing the garbage disposal is not taping out a cast piece of metal where the dishwasher connection is made. The plug keeps the garabage disposal water tight if no dishwasher is connected.

the drain line from the dishwasher is supposed to be installed with a loop that has the hose of the dishwasher mounted to the underside of the countertop so the drain water from your sink is never vertically higher from the floor then the water in the sink. This way you will never get dirty water from your sink flowing into the dishwasher by accident.

Jeri...How long/wide are your pans & baking sheets?

there is NO difference in the installation of a GD between a single bowl or double bowl sink.