I change sinks for a living and install a lot of Kohlers. Karran makes excellent sinks also.

Elkay is also good.

I love Kohler cast iron. Elkay, Ruvati and Allora make beautiful, high quality stainless steel sinks. Ruvati makes a lot of 16 gauge. For those wanting composite, Blanco Silgranit is the best.

Mine is a ss Kohler. Much nicer finish than most other brands.

I got mine from Victory Range Hoods, they have 16 gauge sinks with pretty good prices.

oliveri sink just not the cheaper end as they are not very thick gauge

Abey do one of the better sinks around for price and quality. Blanco etc are extremely expensive for what you get.

I'm assuming we're talking about production sinks here. Rachiele and other custom fabricators are in a league of their own.

Is anyone familiar with Wells sinks?

I have looked at them. I think they are probably comparable to most other brands.

I am really enjoying the Rachiele sink.

We have been thinking about getting a 42-45 inch two basin stainless Rachel’s sink.

Jerry Jorgenson, do you have a copper or stainless rachiele sink? Can you provide a little more of a review: pros, cons, things to consider? Do you have signature sink?

Joseph Corlett, as an installer, any issues installing Rachiele sinks or large sinks (~45 inches) in general? Any other issues/tips etc specific to Rachiele sinks.

I haven't had the pleasure of installing a Rachiele sink yet, so I can't say. With the exception of sinks designed to set on a specific cabinet, I recommend strapping undermount sinks in place and not using blocking or insert or glue-on stud fasteners, even if provided by the manufacturer.

Joseph, by strapping, do you mean metal fasteners and screws? Something else? Should the sink be glued also or just the straps?

Hercules Universal Sink Harness (Braxton Bragg) or Sink Strap (Regent Stone Products). Undermount sinks have 100% silicone applied between the sink flange and the stone bottom. It has adhesive properties, but its function is that of a gasket.

We have had a couple of stainless Kohlers and they look good and work OK, but my wife still prefers the Blanco silgranite ones. That's what's going in the new kitchen (and my bar).

houztongirl Mine is 42" and copper, and yes, it's a signature. The two main pros are that you do all your prep in the sink so the counter stays clean, and that it doesn't need fussing over. If I had a larger kitchen, I would get a larger sink, but I have no complaints about it, and highly recommend it. Another pro is that the bowls are large enough to use. I've seen some in stores where the bowls are so small, it's not obvious what you could do with them.

This is after over a year of use.

Thanks Joseph for an explanation of strapping.

Jerry, Your sink looks great! One question about prepping food over the sink. The ledge on the Rachiele sink is two inches below the top of the sink if I recall, making that 2.5 to 2.75 inches below the countertop surface. I assume that puts the top of the cutting board below the top of the countertop. Is that correct? If yes, that helps against spilling liquid over the countertop when using the cutting board. However, doesn’t that make for an awkward angle to cut at?

I'll post some pictures tonight and some additional detail. Yes, it's below the countertop level but I've never found cutting to be a problem.

As you can see from these pictures, it's only below counter level on the sides and back, not on the front. Almost all my knife work is done with this Takeda nakiri.

Resting window side

Working window side

Cool photos Jerry!

Thanks, Rita and Dino. On one of the other threads, there are some photos from a video showing the sink draining and not pooling. I was going to upload the video, but it appears that they only let you link videos from places like youtube. Also, Dino, you asked some time ago about wooden cabinets and undercount sinks. So far, no issues. I do make a point to keep the counter top oiled. (Automatic fingers typed cabinet previously.)

Do you oil your cabinet or countertop, Jerry?

Just the countertop around the sink and the induction cooktop. Due to a language barrier communication issue, the counter has a finish on it except where it's been cut out. I really wanted one without finish so the the oil would enhance the grain of the wood. However, eventually the finish will wear away, so I'm okay with it. I also oil the baking cart.

Thank you, Jerry.

Jerry Jorgenson - you've probably answered this multiple times elsewhere, but what finish do you have on your wooden countertop, and what do you to for care and maintenance for it? It's lovely! Is it maple?

The finish is called Durakryl. It was put on by the countertop manufacturer, so I don't know anything about it other than the name. The last set of close up pictures show the cut out part with no finish on them. For those parts I am using food grade mineral oil. A damp cloth takes care of the rest of the counter. Doing the prep work in the sink really saves the counter as it never really gets dirty other than a few splatters when cooking. The wood is ash, however, it looks about the same as the maple I have elsewhere.

For the oil: Purchase one small bottle ($10) of the mineral oil and a gallon to refill the bottle ($30). Use your hands rather than a cloth to apply. It also helps with chapped hands in winter. All the information I've seen says once a day for the first month, and then once a week for six months, and then as often as required. Most sources also say to not use any kind of vegetable oil because they will eventually go rancid.

For the parts of the counter that I use the oil on, I put some on every time I oil the cutting board.

I use mineral oil on my bread bowl too. It’s definitely good for wood.

Jerry Jorgenson - thank you SO much! I've got the gorgeous big Rachiele sink waiting for installation, just deliberating whether to go with a wood countertop or a stone/quartz countertop around it. I prefer the look and feel of wood, just concerned about the maintenance and longevity. Do you take extra care around the base of the faucet?

I wipe up any spilled water, but I only oil it when I oil the rest of the items. Other than that I don't take any special care. The Waterstone faucet lets you pull down the spout, so that helps with splashing. The reason I chose wood over hard surface is that wood will develop a wabi sabi patina over time where the hard surface either looks new or broken rather than used and loved.