I have the Herbeau fireclay for myself, and just bought the Kohler Whitehaven for my mom, as she wanted the most durable sink possible. I vaguely remember another GW member mentioning an Ikea cast iron farmhouse sink, but could be mistaken. Other than that, I'm not aware of anything but the Kohler Whitehaven line. As for fireclay, I've had mine for about a year now, and love it. The plumber left the flange a little loose to prevent cracking and then used some type of silicone caulk. For the first few months I was extremely careful. I cook with all cast iron pots and pans, and I was worried for several months that the pots and pans would crack or chip the fireclay. I was also extremely careful about pouring hot liquids into the sink. At this point, I usually forget altogether that I have fireclay. It's still in perfect condition. it's proven to be durable, and my cast-iron pots haven't affected it in the least. Although I don't pour boiling liquids directly into the sink without first running cold water, I know other family members have probably done so without a problem. The fireclay has also been just as stain-proof as my other 2 enameled cast iron kitchen sinks. All in all, I'd encourage you to consider fireclay. Good luck!!

I have no scratches on the apron of my sink, installed in 2011, but one of my DDs dripped nail polish remover down the front, and the 'trail' seems to be permanent. I've tried cleaners, wiping the whole apron with nail polish remover, even rubbing alcohol, but it's as if the remover took off a bit of patina, and it will never be the same. It's not noticeable--I have to look closely, at a certain angle, but it's still there. A few times I've been aware of a zipper on a sweat jacket making contact, by the sliding noise, so I try to remember to take off jackets before using the sink. I don't wear belts, but I'd imagine a buckle could cause damage. The inside of the sink is a disaster, as I do not use a grid, but the scratches there don't bother me. I actually took a scrubbie to the brand new sink, to christen it (instead of breaking a bottle of wine on it's bow, lol). The same DD mentioned above lost her grip on an iron skillet, so the sink has a nice little dent, but I don't notice that either--I had to look for it when I just checked for scratches on the apron. I'm not too picky about scratches and dings, but YMMV.

Joseph Corlett, LLC- Thank you for the picture. I don't like under-mount sinks at all - there's something germ-catching to me about that underside where the sink hangs - had one in a house I finally sold and I never, ever liked it. I'm re-thinking the drop-front sink and may get a drop-in sink, same sink but without the apron front. I'll definitely have a cutting board that fits over the sink. Kohler used have made-to-fit cutting boards for just about every one of their sinks so it had a little edge underneath that allowed you to slide the sink from one end to the other. I need to investigate something like that.

Fireclay is certainly more beautiful IMHO. But I like the ease of stainless, and being free of worrying about chips, cracks, wine stains, and boiling water. I was at the store yesterday looking at sinks, and my thoughts are identical to yours. A sink is -- first and foremost -- a workhorse, so I'm going with stainless steel ... even though I think a white fireclay sink is prettier. I don't like the Vigo apron front because the front is curved and thick. The big advantage of an apron front sink is the ergonomics of being able to stand right up against the sink, as opposed to an undermount sink where there is a strip of counter in front, which makes you have to bend slightly which can be uncomfortable over time for some people. But the Vigo apron front is curved and thick and so defeats the benefit of an apron front sink. That had not occurred to me. Thanks for this. I had no idea that was the benefit of a farmhouse apron sink. I might reconsider my choice now. Farmhouse sinks are great for us short people -- I barely scrape the bottom edge of 5' tall with my shoes on. We don't have to reach our short arms so far to reach into the sink, but don't take my word for it -- go to Lowes and pretend you're working at one of their sample sinks. You'll see whether you like them or not. i contacted kohler and their's is guaranteed for life against chips but yea i suppose if that happens i''ll be stuck paying to have the work done Yeah, having them replace a chipped sink is good, but having a sink that never chips in the first place is far superior! Even if they paid for the installation, you'll never find a convenient time to schedule workmen, clear out that portion of your kitchen, and miss a day of work while it's being done. A bounce-off question: Like I said above, I was at the store yesterday looking at farmhouse sinks ... and I notice that the cabinets underneath are noticeably shorter /a little harder to access. I'm sure it has to do with necessary support under the sink. Questions: - Assuming you're sold on the farmhouse sink, is this a worthwhile trade-off? - Is this shorty cabinet still enough for a garbage disposal? (You'd think I'd have thought of that question at the store.) - I'm thinking a pull-out shelf would work well here. Any experience with such a thing?