I have the Kohler Indio Smart Divide which is cast iron. It comes with the colander, cutting board and wire racks in the sink bottoms. The large side is big enough for cookie sheets and large roasters, etc. I also like that the tap and any other holes are on the sink and it is a lower level than the counter top. That way most of the water drips from turning off the tap with wet hands stays on the sink, not the counter. Here is a link: Kohler Indio Smart Divide Sink

As to which sink is a better choice for you, I think if you watch the videos Kohler made for each, that question will answer itself for you.

Prolific: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6sU2QSEBTE

Stages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JacTxiVAhY

I don't see a video for the Indio, but the photo is pretty good. Which one looks like the way you use your sink? When I first saw the Stages video several years ago now, my first reaction was, "Yes! That is how I use a sink!" I don't feel that way about either of the other two. As of 3 months ago, I have a Stages and I love it. I do lots of chopping and washing and it just works for me. When I get done piddling around on here, I'm going to make a big pot of vegetable soup so there will be lots of chopping. But that's just me. How you use a sink may be entirely different. You know that much-repeated-unto-death line from HGTV: I can see myself... ? This is a case where it might come in handy in a real life situation. Can you see yourself using one of those sinks?

I could have written this - I share your sentiments exactly. We have decided to go with a farmhouse sink largely because we already have an expandable colander, and I recently learned that you can order custom sized cutting boards for not much more than the ones branded by the sink companies :)

I currently prep on island so would like to prep near sink. Changing from double bowl to single. The single Indio is discontinued.

Do the sliding colander and cutting boards work on an apron front? I guess something to research.

I have a dish rack on my counter to the right of sink that holds hash washed dishes. I don't dry them with a towel. What do people do with large pots and pans that don't go in the dishwasher?

I use a cutting board over an undermounted apron front sink--I left a positive reveal on the back to give the board something to rest on. You can buy expandable colanders to fit the positive reveal, too.

The hand wash items are drained on runnels beside my sink, where a dish rack would sit. If I have a lot of hand wash items, I start them on the runnels, then move them to a microfiber mat. If you don't have a microfiber mat, I highly recommend one.

Thanks Mama Goose. I discovered runnels a few nights ago on GW! I've never seen them before, lol! Soo much learning on here, I love it. Can u post a pic of your sink with the accessories.

Suzanne looks great! What colander do u use? What about the single faucet? I might need a double but haven't gotten that far yet :)

I think I might go for the Stages. I keep coming back to it and I love that ledge. I love the size too since I won't have a prep sink.

For a colander at the sink I use the one from Ikea that's just a teensy bit too long for the width of this sink. I keep meaning to shave a bit off the end, but haven't done it yet since it can be used as is, just squishy.

I find the single faucet to be adequate. This is the Hansgrohe that Costco is currently carrying. It's plenty long enough to reach the whole sink, but I find it to be quite splashy. The one we picked up for our Kraus 32" sink was actually better. It was something we found at Home Depot for around $120 in 2011. I liked that sink too, BTW; not nearly as much as the Stages, but it's definitely my second choice. In the old house the 32" was all we had room for, but this new kitchen (new after we totally remodeled the original 1964 kitchen!) had enough room is we planned carefully.

Have you looked at the Kohler Riverby? If you don't want stainless steel, but like the ledge, it might be a good alternative to the Prolific because it has accessories and lots of colors to choose from.

My SO wants stainless steel so I don't think that is an option for us, but I liked it a lot when I saw it in person. I like the Prolific but I thought the Riverby looked a little nicer, since the interior ledges on the Prolific are a little bit "different" looking.

The one thing I love about the Prolific is that the functionality of the lower ledges will be useful for us if I can train my SO to use the lower ledge as the dish drain. He washed his tupperware every day after work and lets it dry on the countertop edge, which I hate! I love the idea of having things drying inside the sink and not creating visual clutter.

I do think you can find accessories to work with most sinks these days, but I tend to like the integrated accessories specific for some of the Kohler sinks more than others I've seen.

I don't see the ledge on the riverby, just the rack. Is that what you mean?

We looked at numerous sinks. We're going with a Julien undernount.

We debated the same options and ended up with the Kohler Riverby. Love it so far. The drain is off to one side and the sink is slightly for draining. The only thing I don't love about it is the color. It looked great as a chip, but once it was installed I could see the gray had a tinge of blue that I wasn't expecting. So if you go with color, be careful.

Mkuyekawa which color did u get? Can u post a pic?

I can't get the stages out of my mind. I love the size and that I can do two faucets. I also love the ledge where you can defrost meat, place veggies, etc. I just wish it wasn't stainless.

Here's my sink. It's the riverby basalt. Beautiful color, but turned out to by a little too blue for my kitchen. So although I did not want the sterile look of SS, I would have preferred the outcome. They have many other colors though, and you can get sample chips. I love having the single basin. That was DH request since he does dishes but it turns out I really like it. Washing dishes is almost fun =).

I suggest you to read this comprehensive guide... It has covered everything you need to know about kitchen sinks before buying one.

I've had the Stages 45 for two years now and can't imagine being without it. I agree with Suzanne in that you need to determine how you use your sink. We are all different and sinks are a big investment. I think it's one of the most important decisions in the kitchen. Love my very functional sink!

I think I'm going with Stages. I just need to see it. I'm not sure which way I should install the ledge. My sink is on a u shape with sink on right, cooktop in back and fridge on left. I think ledge should go on the rt side of sink but I'm not sure. I've seen it both ways and wondering how I use yours on rt?

My fridge is across the isle on the right side and range behind. I use my ledge for prep so I I like it close to the fridge. We also have a dish drainer that we place on the ledge for clean up. Our DW is to the left. Im happy with this setup. You need to analyze how you prep, cook, clean to determine what's best for you.

Yes I was thinking I wanted it for dish drainer usage as well as washing raw meat. Can I see the dish drainer you use? Wondering how it looks since ledge is only 12" wide.

smm5525, I didn't see your request for a pic of my sink until I noticed this thread on my member page. I took this pic a few years ago to show someone how the old dish drainer fits in the 33" apron sink. I rarely use the drainer, since I've adapted to using the runnels (love them). The only accessory I use is the bamboo cutting board shown in the pic, which I already owned, and it just happened to fit. This was my inexpensive (cheap) solution to a custom integrated cutting board. The colanders I use are the bowl type, which I rinse in the sink, then place on the runnels to drain. They stack, and although I'd love to try the basket that I posted above, I can't justify buying another colander that won't fit the storage space. ;)

Mine fits perfect. I think I got it at BBB many years ago. I keep it in a lower cab across from the sink.

Oh i love that!

Does anyone have the Kohler prolific? I want this one because of the ledges, but wish it was 16 guage, as the stages sink is. Any input is appreciated.

If the Prolific design works for you, don't worry about 16 vs 18 gauge. By all accounts, 18 is fine. 16 may be "better" because it's heavier/thicker, but the difference is not enough that you'll ever be likely to notice. 18 gauge in sinks is adequate/good. Much more important in this equation is how you use a sink and does this design match up with your work style.

@Amy Banta I have the Prolific and I love it. I have never felt like the 18 gauge was not enough. I agree with what suzanne_sl says.

There are other sinks with accessories, but nothing else really has the lower ledges like Prolific and I get a lot of use out of the lower and middle ledges. I have some extra drain boards and I keep those on the bottom of the sink so it acts as a "grid" and I scratch the sink less. It prevents banging. Grids can be hard to clean, but the drain boards fit right in the dishwasher.

I love the middle ledge for hiding drying dishes, and putting things on the top ledge is great for filling things with water and washing things. I use all the accessories in many different ways. This design is so flexible.

The only thing I don't love on the Prolific is the colander accessory. I feel like it doesn't drain as well as most colanders. I might try to drill more holes in it someday to see if that helps. Everything else about the sink is great. I've had it about 1.5 years now and it is still my favorite thing in our kitchen.

If you think you would enjoy the ledges at different heights like I do, I would not let the gauge be a deterrent.

Cant thank you enough! It appears the prolific would have the most function and I really want it. 16 gauge was on my list of "must have", but I will cross that off and get the prolific.

Does anyone have the 44 inch Prolific and if so do you find it to be too large especially in how it looks?

I’m torn between the prolific and stages. On the stages, what is below the ledge. I heard you can store the accessories but how do you access the area under the ledge?

Under the ledge there is a hook to attach the accessories rack which holds the cutting board, bowls, etc. Kohler's instructions are that you use a 48" sink base and that rack is accessed when you open the sink cabinet door - so it's hanging in space there just like the garbage disposal and the plumbing. Alternately, you can use a 36" base under the deep part of the sink and a 15" or 18" cabinet under the ledge end. In that case you find somewhere else to store the accessories. I leave the cutting board in the sink and store the other parts in a lower drawer as I don't use them very often. See https://www.houzz.com/discussions/4028795/kohler-stages-45-users-cabinet-and-ledge-configuration for an explanation. My narrower base is used for a knife drawer and a trash pullout. (I still love this sink! It's so me.)