Thanks to all who have replied so far & those upcoming. Amazing & I really do appreciate it - chris45ny, websitegirl, breezygirl, mabeldingeldine, a2gemini & cindyof4kids. Chris45ny, all you can do is give me your opinion and I appreciate you taking the time to reply. Westiegirl, glad to hear you have not felt the need to get a sink grid after 4 months. I must say that I am a little suspicious of the HD sink. We hear that often, about items not being the same from super stores - usually faucets & such. Breezygirl, odd how we feel like we know you because we have heard & seen so much from you. I am especially glad you replied because I know you have the same metallic grey color as I do and I knew you didn't start out with a sink grid. I suspect I will hate them too, as I didn't care for them the few times that I washed at other people's sinks with grids & have hated things getting trapped under there & things not able to stand in the sink, etc. Mabeldingeldine, glad to hear you have put that sink through a lot & super hot water to boot. Awesome news! Maybe the problem is in extremely cold areas? I am a little envious of the thought of your garden & even more envious of your chilies! Spicy, my favorite. I have a small outdoor deck where I grow flowers. Nowhere for veggies & such, but I still love tinkering in my little garden. A2gemimi, I haven't forgotten you & I have been lurking late at night. I replied to your PMs so I hope you got my replies. My faucet is centered. You can PM me to see how I like it centered, as things will be too crazy for me to check GW daily. After I move back, I will have to furnish most of my place and I have a 3 year old keeping me very busy. Try me after the weekend - maybe next Tues and check if I have any thoughts on it. If you need an answer sooner, email away & I'll let you know. I expect chaos when I first move back because work is not completely done, but my husband is determined to go home. Cindyof4kids, I too feel like the disposal & the grid combo will be an issue. Glad again to hear about the hot water stories. So, my plan is to skip the sink grid and ride this pony bareback. If I find I need a saddle, I'll deal with it then. Again, much thanks. Jamrock

I`m not 100% sure but I have read something here and there about this sink and from what other people say the price difference may come from the fact that they werenâÂÂt made in China. that was the only plausible explanation I could find.

My faucet is ORB. So it is sounding like I should match my faucet. Nancy, that is what I was trying to decide between- ORB or black to actually match the sink? BTW, Nancy, love your granite! Is that Uba Tuba? Your sink looks AWESOME!!! I am getting Santa Fe Brown granite which no one seems to have. Darker granite so it should match well with the Blanco sink! Dh and I agreed on this stone so it was a keeper. My cabinets are hazelnut maple w/ mocha glaze. Not very 'original', but very warm fuzzy for me. ;) I am so eager to have my new kitchen! I will be posting pics like crazy when it is my turn! LOL Thanks for the help, everyone! Now, just to decide.......ORB or black for the flange! hmmm... I think I really want it to MATCH the sink. ccat

Hi Redroze, Yes, that is how the Blanco sinks come. We didn't buy a strainer, because it was included with our grabage disposal (insink errator). So if you don't have one, you should get one... The pipes and fittings our plumber took care of. I don't think you need to worry about anything, unless you are DIY or your plumber asks you for all the parts (which would be odd - how would you know which ones to get?). I'd say double check everything with your plumber, if you want to be sure.