I personally don't like the Kohler Whitehaven because of the front. If you are looking for a farmhouse sink there are other brands. I went with DXV which is a division of American Standard. Blanco is another brand that makes a nice one that is less expensive than the Shaw farmhouse sink.

Thank you! Are blanco and dxv sinks cast iron or fireclay? I am scared of fireclay after reading horror stories...

Cast iron is Kohler. They are the only cast iron product worth buying if you want cast iron.

I love my Kohler Whitehaven. It is pretty popular so you should be able to find one to look at in a plumb supply shop to see if you like the look or not. The Whitehaven is also very easy to install and comes in a short apron style which can be installed on a standard sink base cabinet and a tall apron style for a farm sink base cabinet.

They are fireclay. I've had fireclay in my condo with no problems.

Agree that if you want cast iron, the only choice is Kohler.

Vigo matte stone is not fireclay. It's plastic.

I didn't like Cast iron and the front design of Kohler Whitehaven as well, so got this Italian fire clay farm sink. It's beautiful and I am happy with it so far.

https://www.qualitybath.com/latoscana-lfs3318-reversible-fireclay-farmhouse-sink-33-w-x-18-18-l-x-10-116-h-product-203472.htm

Just a suggestion: You might prefer a sink with an offset drain as the plumbing will take up less space and is not so much in the way. The DXV fireclay cpartist mentioned has an offset drain, Kohler's Whitehaven cast iron apron fronts typically do (we're going with a smaller Whitehaven 30" in the cleanup zone, it has the offset drain, and the Whitehaven 24" in the prep zone, which doesn't). I don't think the Latosdcana fireclay has an offset drain, but I could be misinformed.

My 30" DXV Hillside has a center drain, not an offset.

Be sure to see in person if you can. When searching online I thought I wanted the Whitehaven but then went to a local store to see and really don't like the front of it at all so I'm glad I didn't order online. I don't like the texture of the cast iron and prefer the smoothness of fireclay. I ended up getting a Nantucket fireclay from Houzz and absolutely love it

https://www.houzz.com/products/fireclay-farmhouse-kitchen-sink-white-30-prvw-vr~42113738

I have had two Kohler cast iron sinks in the past 17 years and I have loved both. Never an issue with scratching or staining, both were white. I previously had the Kohler Entree for 14 years and when we remodeled the kitchen 3 years ago I chose the Kohler Bakersfield. Both were excellent. Not the Vigo stone, but I have a Vigo stainless in my beach house and its just ok.

cpartist, In my haste, I looked up DXV fireclay, and made the assumption all the DXV apron fronts were like the one I looked at. They do have offset drains in some, though.

Quick question: Why do some of you like the Whitehaven sink front, while others don't care for it? I understand about the slight unevenness - that I find very attractive for our style but can see why others might not... but what did you not care for on the sink front? Is it the self-trimming feature? We looked at the Kohler Whitehaven and another (can't remember) and I preferred the way the self trimmed looked in the sink base cabinet.

I think the Whitehaven might for some evoke a more farmhouse style then sleek, contemporary style - I don't know if I am saying that well. When my sister saw my Whitehaven she said it reminded her of her old sink in her first home - an older craftsman, and it reminded us both of grandmothers cast iron sink on the metal cabinet - but mine is a short apron, so does remind me more of an American vintage sink than a European butler sink. I love the way it sticks out because it totally protects my sink base cabinet and doors from water. Sink base cabinets often look a little worn from drips and spills from the sink, but water never drips on my cabinet now. I think it works great in a farmhouse / country /vintage style - but that is not everyones look.

For me it was the wavy lines on the front- it made it look like a defect rather than a decorative element. I wanted a smooth finish.

OK thank you all - was leaning towards kohler whitehaven then I saw the DXV hillside apron front today. It is very pretty!!! It is fireclay though, and as I said before I'm scared of fireclay now. @cpartist, how would you say it stands up? Any issues with staining/chipping/etc?

We use turmeric powder a lot with Indian cooking so staining is a big concern for me.

Here is a close up showing the texture of a whitehaven. I like it, but might not appeal to everyone. To the touch it is very smooth. This is the seasalt finish.

@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 had a 30 Rohl Shaw apron front sink in my previous house, love the look and solid feel to it. However I had to deal with so much grazing, thin fine lines that looks like hairline cracks. Did not affect the functionality at all, not a leak ever. In my current house, we chose Blanco Performa Cascade Sink 440063. I hate it so much. Mine is in white color. A bowl of leftover spaghetti sauce will stain the sink and I had to scrub it using the green Scotch Brite heavy duty to make cleaning easier. I can use baking soda too but it takes more effort. Hate it so much I am going to change it back to either Rohl Shaw or Kohler Whitehaven.

Hi.. was just wondering which sink you chose? Vigo? Kohler ? DXV?

I chose the Kohler Whitehaven 36" apron front. If you don't want to see all dirt, do not choose white. I have to scrub mine every night just b/c everything shows on the white colored ones.

Thank you.

Do not buy the matte stone sink from Vigo!! First there is absolutely nothing proprietary about matte stone. Its a deceptive marketing trick because they own a trademark on the term but the material is PMMA or plastic and glass or better known as acrylic. Stay away! Go with Kohler