We have the Dickinson and have been very happy with it. But, Johnliu really did say it best. After drooling over the Rohl I realized I didn't want to shred my nerves over a sink or anything else anymore. I've seen 30 year old cast iron sinks that lived in households with 5 kids and they looked fine. DH all by himself can be the equivalent of 5 kids in the kitchen so I figured I was okay with the Dickinson. Bottom line, I guess, is "know thyself" (as well as the habits of others who will use the sink) and choose accordingly.

Our fireclay apron sink has been indestructible, and we do a lot of clumsy swinging of cast-iron skillets. Others, however, have not been so fortunate with their fireclay, so perhaps it's a model/brand/size issue (I've got the 30" Whitehaus model). Copper's great but it will speckle and patina over time and some folks strongly dislike that aspect of it. Porcelain over cast-iron is wonderful, but it can chip. Silgranite seems pretty durable but being a rather new material, the word is not yet in on how stain-resistant it is over the years, and some object to its plasticky feel. Stainless steel is probably as indestructible as it comes.

Hi We have had a copper farmhouse sink for a little over a year and we love it! The sink is built like a tank and will most likely outlast everything else in the kitchen. The cleaning of this sink is really easy - just soap and water. Âthat's it with an occassional (maybe once a month) wax to protect the surface. It's the easiest kitchen sink in terms of maintenance that we have ever owned. Besides longevity, one reason we chose this over fireclay was the living finish. We love how our sink has sort of a "personality". It doesn't change much - but it will change somewhat. That is part of the beauty of these sinks. Ânot to mention that they are individually crafted and every one is a bit different. Âand there is just something about the warmth of copper - much more inviting than what we considered the "sterile look" of a white fireclay sink. Although we didn't choose the bow front, I don't think that would be an issue at all. In fact, in the right kitchen, I think they would be stunning. We purchased from Copper Sinks Online (I'll include a link). They were recommended by several folks on this forum at the time and they were certainly outstanding. We had no problem matching a faucet to the finish (Oil Rubber Bronze) and the faucet/sink combo came with a discount. I'm not sure they still have the special going but you might ask. One thing you might check out on their site is the photo gallery. They also had a lot of information there about copper sinks in general. Hope this helps! Here is a link that might be useful: copper farmhouse sinks

We're doing a remodel in my daughter's small kitchen. We are trying to use one of the flat ship/you assemble cabinet companies. (Any recommendations?) I want to use a 24 inch farm sink. I know that it is always recommended to buy a cabinet that is 3 inches wider than the sink. Without having it completely custom built, I haven't been able to find a cabinet line that has a farm sink cabinet that is 27 inches. I have found one that is 30 inches, but it is difficult to find a fireclay sink that is 27 inches. We really can't go any bigger than a 30 inch cabinet. Oddly when you look at many of the pictures of the sinks they clearly are not in cabinets that are 3 inches wider. It looks like they just sit on two short base cabinets with no filler. Is this a thing? What height should these short cabinets be for a 10 inch undermounted sink? Thanks!