Porcelain for me. Every now and then I bleach my 20+ year old Kohler sink and it looks as good as new.

Just returned from DD's apartment with a SS sink. I'm a terrible housekeeper, but it really bugged me that I couldn't get the SS "spotless."

My 20 old Kohler cast iron was still in perfect condition when I replaced it with a Kohler Irontones Low Divide, which I love.

One dropped pot and you'll look at the chip in porcelain forever. Maybe dent the stainless, but you might get it out. Stainless is easily refinished.

Need insurance against dents in stainless and chips in porcelain or fire clay? Invest in the bottom grid. Grids can be replaced easily.

Joe, I guess I'm either very lucky or totally NOT clumsy. I wash all my pots and pans in my sink, including heavy Le Creuset, and have no chip (yet). Hated the grids because gunk would get caught. The dark scratch-like marks are easily removed with a nylon scrubbie.

I've never had anything but SS and some have been cheapies. I've never dented or gouged them either. The little scratches blend together to make a nice patina. I simply wash the sink out to get the food down with my dish scrubber and a little dish soap after using and it looks fine.

This may sound funny but I don't like the way my stainless steel sink smells. I don't mean when it's dirty, although the smell is very strong when I am cleaning it. Could just be the material of the sink? We use stainless steel eatware and that doesn't smell.

Is it possible the smell is coming from the pipes, not the sink itself? Try some baking soda down the drain or lemons if you have a garbage disposal.