Monika and HU - I wonder if you're having problems because the Kohler plant had a fire several months ago and are really backed up in production, and thus, things are being rushed or done half ass to try to keep up with orders. I just replaced a double sink Kohler (can't remember the model but it was 20 years old) and wanted to go with a single basin. When I looked into Kohler, I was told (by Kohler) that they were back ordered nearly 6 months. (You could get it in almost any color but white, and white is what I wanted). I didn't have that time to wait so I went with a stainless steel (also by Kohler).

I've always had Kohler cast iron sinks in all of my kitchens. Cast iron has always felt so fresh and welcoming to work in, certainly in comparison to a stainless steel sink. SS always seems like a dark-dingy hole in the countertop, with lots of water/grease spots--unless it was recently cleaned with Barkeeper's Friend and buffed dry. My appologies to the many folks who own stainless steel sinks, SS definitely has its advantages over cast iron in some areas, but so does cast iron over SS. It's a matter of pros and cons and personal preferrence. Anyway, my first cast iron sink was ancient and dull, so I had to use an abrasive scrub on it with plenty of bleach to clean it up for company. As for the many new sinks I've owned, I've use a non-abrasive scrub with or without bleach. I also use sink grates, which eliminates the black marks from rubbed metal objects--not to suggest that the black marks are permanent, but black marks are definitely a worry when you want your sink to look pristine at all times. None of the many cast iron sinks that I've owned have ever chipped or cracked. I've broken many drinking glasses until I got sink grates.

@cpartist How do you like the DXV Hillside? Any pros/cons with it? Anyone else have one? We were originally considering the 36" Shaw farmhouse sink but the salesman said they all end up crazing over time. He said that Shaw makes their sinks they same way they did 100 years ago and it takes 3 days to dry. In those 3 days the sink settles and thats why the bottom can not consistently drain towards the drain (thus puddling) and that the settling enables the crazing to happen over time. He showed us several sinks like the Franke and Home Refinements Julien but those two were too modern for our kitchen (thinner walls). He said if you're going for a really worn in kitchen with lots of character in a 100 year old house, then those crazing spider webs on the Shaw won't matter. Our house is built in the 1930's with white inset shaker cabinets but I still don't want to look at cracks in my sink. The Hillside has almost the same dimensions and thicker walls like the Shaw. He said they poke a hole in the bottom front in the drying process and all the liquid fireclay pours out and leaves a shell of a sink. That leaves the sink sounding a bit more hollow when you knock on it, but also allows it to dry in one day so that it retains its shape. The water will drain toward the drain and the sizes don't vary like the Shaw (+/- 2%). I'm worried if something went wrong with the Shaw and we had to replace it, that it wouldn't fit exactly in the original cutout for the sink. I'm not too aware of the DXV brand though. Any good?

I agree, I would also call American Standard. It should not have cracked that easily. I had a 30 yr old drop in (avocado green, no less) Kohler in one house for 30 yrs. I am not particularly careful, with my sinks. I clean paint brushes, and any number of things in them. It looked as good the day, I moved out, as it did the day I moved in. In the next house, I bought a new double bowl Kohler drop in sink in white right after we moved in. 18 yrs later we sold that house and bought this one, and that sink still looked new. In this house, I have the exact same sink (not installed by me). No idea how old it is, but looked new when I moved in, and still looks new, except, that I want to replace it with black. I believe this one is called Brookhaven, and has the center drains. Could be wrong on the name. I know you want a farmhouse type and undermount, but, quality should be the same.