Mayflowers - the story about a company's stainless sinks "disappearing from the landscape"--which is a rather dramatic way of saying the sinks were no longer offered for sale--was about the TICOR company, not Kraus. Regarding rust on stainless steel sinks, even well-known stainless steel sink manufacturers like Franke and Blanco warn about rust appearing on THEIR sinks from using steel wool or leaving other metallic items (cans, metal spatulas, etc.) on the sinks so that tiny particles are left on the sink's surface which rust. So your rust warning applies also to Franke, Blanco and any other manufacturer who provides care instructions for their sinks to avoid rust. Your recommendation about finding a sink with American steel is problematic. Major manufacturers like Kohler, Blanco, Franke, and even Elkay source their steel from all over the world, including China. It would be difficult for any consumer to know for sure where the stainless steel in their sink came from. Even if you call the manufacturers, they won't have the information on the sources of each run of stainless steel they buy, which went to which factory, which went to which retailer, and which went to which sink an individual is buying. There are many enthusiastic owners of Kraus sinks on this forum. It's a lot of bang for the buck. Franke, Kohler and Elkay offer the thinner 18-gauge SS, and no grid, at the same price point or higher as Kraus' 16-gauge with grid.

In my business, the cabinet installer sets the farm sink or apron front sink. Then the quartz or granite (or whatever) tops are templated with the sink in place by the countertop fabrication company. Two weeks later, they set the tops....then I send out the plumber for the hookup.

Is there a 24" wide stainless steel farmhouse/apron-front sink that can be installed into a stand-alone cabinet? I would like to use one of my laundry room, instead of a stand-alone ABS/acrylic-sink-cabinet unit. I have looked at the Zuhne 24" apron-front stainless steel sink. It looks like it must be installed next to counters if it's installed flush or built-up. I really wish I could mount it on a stand-alone cabinet like the single bowl IKEA DOMSJO. https://zuhne.com/collections/farmhouse-sinks/products/prato-24?variant=3509129797

We recommend choosing a stainless steel sink with a thicker gauge (14 gauge), as it's less likely to scratch or dent.