Waterstone is a very high end name brand that has gorgeous fixtures - but you will pay for that name! I love my fireclay sink. I've had 3 and never any issues.

I can't speak to fireclay, but I would vote for the drain to be closer to the back and or corner to free up space below the sink.

Waterstone makes nice faucets. I've had cast iron in the past and now fireclay (Villeroy & Boch). Like both and no trouble with either, but I do semi-baby them. Not really out of fear, but habit. I've read a few horror cracking stories with hot water and fireclay - just don't pour hot water directly on to/in the sink, dilute with cold.

I've had a Rohl fireclay sink for about 12 years and have had no problem at all. You might want to check the recent thread about Waterstone before you buy.

Agree about the faucet price. If you want to spend those sums look at KWC, Barber Wilsons, and others made in Europe. (I have Barber Wilson in my apartment kitchen and it is a workhorse and very heavy, in a good way) but you can get a great one from other makers for much less. Newport Brass is top on my list right now and prices are at least one third less than Waterstone. Plumbing supply people seem to speak highly of Newport Brass, at least in my experience. And they come in about 20 finishes.

http://barberwilsons.com

http://www.newportbrass.com/products/categories/05/Kitchen/21/Pull-DownPull-Out-Faucets

I had my heart set on the Rohl/shaw farmhouse sink. But after 57,000 hours of research, I ended up choosing Kohler Whitehaven.

Here are my thoughts why I decided against fireclay... but I don't think there is one right answer. Plenty of people love their fireclay, and visually, it would have been my preference.

Thanks for the comments about the fireclay sinks. Of the 2 sinks I posted, I like the size of the Rohl better, but still undecided between the two.

Thanks ekscrunchy for bringing the Waterstone recent thread to my attention. Like any products anyone can have a bad experience with them. You hear more and more about that these days. I'm still looking at faucets and leaving my options open for them.

I would opt for the kohler and I would not consider that faucet. There are much better ways to spend money then paying an $800 premium for what is a $400 faucet.

I have the Rohl Allia you posted above. Before that, I had a Rohl Allia double bowl in my previous home. I have had the current sink for over 6years. No crazing at all. There is one chip from dropping a drill in it but you can barely see the chip and it has never bothered me. I have a sink grid that I purchased about three years ago. I can do with or without a grid. I love the location of the drain in this sink and agree with others that a drain in the center is not always preferred.

I also have a Waterstone faucet. I posted in the thread linked about. Although the faucet is made in the US, it is made of parts from all over the world. I had a Grohe Ladylux before and loved it. I also like my Waterstone faucet but would not pay more than the Grohe for it.

Good luck!

I have 2 Rohl Allia sinks in my kitchen and an Ikea Domsjo fireclay sink in my pantry. They were installed in 2010. I have not had any issues with any of them. I don't baby them and they are holding up great. Make sure you have an installer who knows what they are doing as you would with anything else in your kitchen. I don't know about Waterstone faucets, I have Grohe and they are wonderful too..

10 yr old Rohl farm sink, still looking good. I am on my second grid. First one was white. Dis colored and rust spots starting to show where rubber had come off the grid. Stainless steel grid now. A pain to clean the grid but your sink WILL chip without it. I have a garbage disposal, no cracks from using it as some have reported.

i always run cold water when draining hot liquids.

ten yr old Moen Aberdeen faucet. Still works like a charm. Good customer service with a replacement part that I recieved within a week of calling them. Friendly and efficient.

Thanks for the additional feedback for the Rohl sinks.

friedajune - Thanks for recommending the Riverby and the Whitehaven. The Riverby which I originally saw in a store is recommending a 36" wide minimum sink cabinet and I only have 33". The Whitehaven is a farm sink which I'm not interested at all.

At least I have the sink narrowed down. Just need to narrow down the faucet. I like the industrial type ones, but not sure how they will look with a traditional kitchen with inset cabinets. I've seen a lot of the bridge faucets in traditional kitchen pictures, but not sure if I like the look. I currently have a Moen pull out faucet that I've had for 23 years without any problems.

@aries61- Which sink did you end up choosing? I came down to your two sinks snd the Riverby in my narrowed down list.

I found a display Rohl Allia sink with grid for $300 and trying to decide if I want to risk the fire clay sink.

@Karen. Following

@perryml - I chickened out and bought an Elkay Lustertone stainless steel sink. (Still love my 17 yr old one). DH reminded me that I complain about deep sinks hurting my back. So in this case, function won out over form.

Thank you. Karen