I just purchased a Havens Copper sink - apron style with the work ledge. There is no patent on the design.

The quality of the Havens Copper sink is great and Alex Havens was extremely helpful to me during the purchasing price.

This a bit like the Hatfield McCoy feud on this board. When I mentioned I had purchased Havens on this forum, I was called all kind of names for purchasing it LOL.

I am not privy to their contractual relationship and neither is any one other than Rachiele and Havens but until fairly recently Havens manufactured sinks for Rachiele. There is dispute over who actually designed the sinks.

Suffice it to say, there is no difference in quality between the two sinks so get the one you prefer. God knows my Havens sink was pricy enough but it was still a bit less costly than Rachiele. When I asked about the pricing, Alex told me that it's because they have a larger company - if you take a look at the Havens Metal website, they do quite a bit more than just sinks so they have some cost savings which they can pass on to the buyer.

I am sure people are happy with the Rachiele. I am perfectly happy with my Havens. FWIW, Rachiele offers some fancier patinas on the apron but that wasn't something I was interested in anyway as I felt the large copper apron sink was enough of a statement for my relatively small kitchen.

Helen, thank you for your message! I have been researching sinks and I see lot's of arguments over them. Everyone has a preference and what is "right" for one person, may not be "right" for another! I am glad to hear that the Haven sink is high quality. I am trying to compare both as I think I have finally narrowed it down to these two vendors.

I don't think there is a right or wrong - you can't go wrong with either Havens or Rachiele.

I researched extensively as well and it came down to one or the other and I opted for Havens since there wasn't any objective difference in quality or specifications - like the old rivalry between Macy's and Gimbels LOL.

I think my sink came out to about $1000 less tricked out with all the accessories and I didn't feel I was compromising in terms of quality.

You can call Alex at Havens or Dino at Rachiele.

I waent with Rachiele, but I’m pretty sure Helen’s right in that you wont fo wrong with either.

Rachiele copper sink · More Info

Kitchen · More Info

Rachiele copper sink · More Info

Briana. The sink is 42". If I had a larger kitchen, I would have purchased a larger sink (60"). I use the grid, walnut cutting board, bowls, and colander almost every day (and the sponge caddy). If I have a lot of veggies to prep, then I use the Add-a-Bowl, but that's not so often as there are only the two of us.

Hello!

My husband and I purchased a Rachiele copper farmhouse sink with custom patina and it is above and beyond our expectations! We haven't installed it into our new build home yet, but that hasn't stopped us from taking it out of the packaging to admire it. You can tell that it is heavy duty, meant to last, super high quality; not to mention the custom patina is a work of art within itself. We also purchased the flange, sponge caddy, copper grid and cutting board which on first impression are top of the line. Everything about this sink has been thought out from the drain placement to allow space for a pullout trashcan, to the subtle slope on all ledges so there is never standing water...

As for the custom patina...Debbie and Lori listened to what we wanted and definitely delivered. The first picture of the patina they sent had more green than we wanted and within 24 hours they were able to change it to beautiful shades of blue and turquoise. You can tell this is a true passion for everyone involved and we couldn't be happier to have chosen Rachiele sinks.

(Please ignore the messy couch....we wanted to see what the sink looked like right-side up)

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I found The Galley sink that is a workstation-style sink, and the owner of Rachiele claims on another Houzz thread that The Galley has violated its patents for the ledge design. I see too much dissimilarity in the Rachiele sinks and The Galley sinks to believe that there could be patent violation, but I'd have to see the patent. I appreciate the poster who talked with the Rachiele owner directly. I am getting the same feeling that the tone coming from Rachiele is less than impressive if you want to go with a company that prides itself on professionalism. I did try to contact Havens through its website several weeks ago and never heard back, so either my message was lost or something is lacking there on customer service. Still trying to decide between copper and stainless steel.

FWIW, I chose copper because of the self-healing, low maintenance, and antibacterial properties. After two years, I am still thrilled with my choice. I've had many different kinds of sinks over the years, and this is by far my favourite.

@Jerry Jorgenson thank you so much for that input! I think all the messages like yours here at Houzz have me reconsidering copper. I saw The Galley stainless steel sink in use at a design center, and it was pretty scratched up just from office use for the coffee sink. Since Havens originally manufactured sinks for Rachiele until they broke away and since the quality seems to be the same as before, I am going to reconsider Havens. My request for a quote sent through the website was never acknowledged so I guess I will have to try again and call or email.

Inspo Inspol. You're welcome. Note that my sink is Rachiele rather than Havens (pictures further up the thread). I found Dino and his staff to be very helpful. People have good things to say about both companies.

The self healing aspect of the sinks is kind of fun. I am STILL going through construction and so haven't been really able to use my kitchen yet (going on my 11th month and I am in a relatively small condo LOL).

However, I was able to move back about two months ago but am still essentially subsisting on takeout or frozen nuked meals. I am definitely NOT washing up the sink every night the way I might if I were actually prepping and cleaning dishes (still relegated to paper plates) so I will come upon some bit of food from the takeout container that has adhered to the sink for awhile (who knows how long LOL) and I will scrape off with my fingernail - there will be a splotch of bright copper and in a few days the evidence of my less than stellar housekeeping skills is completely masked with the patina.

http://www.rachielesinks.com Is this website an example of Haven Sinks being professional? Seems maybe having an anonymous person set up a “Rachiele Sinks” website in order to commit a hitjob on their competition is far from professional.

HU:

What evidence do have to support your claim that the website was created by Havens Metal please?

I found the quote by Tim Heston to be oddly irrelevant. I've run several small businesses and can't do Quickbooks to save my life. Do you think the President of Ford Motor Company knows how to build an engine?

The person clearly has a personal vendetta against Rachiele sinks. I can’t imagine someone going through the trouble of creating a website using Rachiele’s sinks as part of their website url just to bash Rachiele’s sinks if they don’t have some sort of personal stake in the feud? Do you?

And no, I don’t think the president of a company doesn’t have to know how to build the product they are manufacting. It sounds like both Rachiele and Haven both make premium, high quality sinks. I just find that whole website odd, and since no one mentioned it, I thought to bring it into the conversation. Who could it be? If it really is som random person reviewing copper sinks, they would have to be some sort of complete sociopath

ok, to cover both sides, another theory could be that the person is a disgruntled ex employee of Rachiele. There. I’m fair to both sides.

Dino Rachiele is a personal friend.

I briefly went to the site in question - based on the posts on that site, I would say it is highly unlikely Havens Metal did this for several reasons

It reads like someone who has a personal vendetta against the company especially because it seems to focus on employees including one who was fired.

Havens Metal is a relatively large company and it would be ridiculous to think they would engage in this kind of amateur crap. I bought a sink in 2018 and the companies had parted ways several years before that. Apart from the legal liability for starting this kind of site by a rival corporate entity, there would be no reason for either of them to continue to dredge up what is in the past.

It's interesting that this thread would come up again after all this time, because re-reading it now, I remember that the earlier comments were some of the primary ones that initially steered me toward @Havens | Luxury Metals versus @Rachiele Custom Sinks in my research for a sink in 2018. The sink was one of the very first purchases made for my kitchen remodel, and I did go with Havens for a small cost savings over Rachiele plus design features I preferred, but the comments above from @Peyton M. about his feeling of one company being more acrimonious than the other did stick with me during my decision process. I'm not at all sure that the impressions are justified to be taken as a blanket evaluation of the companies, though. I think both Havens and Rachiele have a lot to offer, and potential customers should do their research and decide based factors beyond some perceived feud which I don't think actually exists, at least not at this date in 2021 which is many years beyond the time at which Havens ceased to manufacture for Rachiele. I heard from @Joseph Corlett, LLC that Rachiele built its own state-of-the-art manufacturing facility after the split, and Havens still does phenomenal work, so both are still made-in-the-USA brands to this day.

In terms of the personalities at Rachiele versus Havens being equivalent, in my opinion, the following is one example. After I bought the sink from Havens with excellent customer service from Alex Havens during the entire process, I reached out to Dino Rachiele for information on faucets, thinking I might want to purchase a Waterstone faucet from him, since he is one of the largest USA dealers of Waterstone. I found Dino to be above and beyond helpful. He must have spent 20 minutes on the phone with me, precious time for the owner of a manufacturing company, going over all the pros and cons of different faucet brands including Waterstone. I ended up purchasing a Brizo faucet from another retailer running a deep percentage-off discount at that time but have never forgotten how cordial Dino was on the phone. Anyone who has done faucet research at Houzz has also probably seen Dino jumping in on threads where people are having trouble getting follow-up service from Waterstone and offering to help these people completely free of charge. That is outstanding work, in my opinion, and he should be applauded for helping people who were never even his own customers.

While I feel the companies are roughly equivalent in what they have to offer, I have commented on other threads and remain firm in my feeling that Havens website is a little easier to navigate than Rachiele's. Web technology is continuing to progress, and it would probably pay any company to re-evaluate web offerings every few years to stay as up-to-date as possible. I'd personally recommend finding a Drupal-based developer with whom to work if it came down to any business owner wanting to do a makeover of a company site.

I also want to make a statement on ease of contacting the companies. I've been in touch with Rachiele a few times and never had trouble getting through. However, as you can see from my earlier comments, I originally attempted to contact Havens by email and never heard back for a couple of months. Then, in another thread here at Houzz which I cannot immediately locate, Alex Havens who is one of the Havens family members who founded the company replied to me and encouraged me to try contacting him again. My second attempt was successful in reaching him. I've been pleased with my sink and have taken opportunity on other Houzz threads in the years since to recommend Havens. The story isn't over, though, because something odd happened a couple of weeks ago. In another thread where I advised the poster to contact Havens for her custom copper hood fabrication needs, the poster responded claiming that she did contact Havens by phone, left a voicemail, and hadn't heard back in 6 days, at least by the last time she had updated everyone. I hope Havens will do some testing of their systems and really take time to diagnose any possible issues. It's one thing to know how many calls and emails you have coming in, but it's another thing entirely to not know who may be slipping through the system somehow. Of course, potential customers should be able to reach either company eventually, so if you're serious about getting the best product for your money, keep trying if you don't hear back at first, and make your decision based on the product rather than your emotions about the peripheral things.

All this aside, I have a few more comments about sinks in basic terms, as follows:

• I had thought the whole workstation sink thing was a big trend. It's really not. You read threads of people currently remodeling kitchens, and only a small percentage of them are looking for workstation functionality. I have a small kitchen and can really utilize the extra wet prep area that an in-sink strainer and in-sink cutting board provide, so I'm happy with my decision to utilize a workstation sink, but people with larger kitchens who perhaps have a prep sink plus a cleanup sink and plenty of counter space may not necessarily need a workstation sink to be happy or productive. There is certainly an extra amount of sink cleaning that needs to be done with a larger workstation sink (mine is 42" wide, but 5 feet minimum is preferred for using a lot of workstation sink accessories), and this applies for splashes into the larger area even if you haven't been using the prep tools. The idea of creating serving or buffet areas in the sink is controversial unless you have an extra sink completely dedicated to buffets, because the sink tends to be a dirty area, especially if you are using the same sink for cleaning up dishes and silverware that people have used for eating. I opted to stay away from the buffet accessories for this reason.
• The 3D rolled finishes that both Havens and Rachiele offer are game-changers in terms of hiding water spots and scratches. I highly recommend looking into them. I have the Prestige finish on 316 stainless steel from Havens and love it.
• The offerings in terms of sinks from Havens and Rachiele are so similar, and each of them can do anything the other offers in terms of custom requests, so a decision should be made on the finest of details which may include cost. Havens has historically been slightly better on cost than Rachiele which was a big factor for my purchase in 2018.
• Rachiele prides itself on the patents for a double-ledge sink design, but I steered away from the double ledge because I was only planning to use 2 accessories, a cutting board and strainer, and didn't feel the need for a second ledge which would introduce additional cleaning requirements. MIne is a single ledge and plenty of functionality with that. If you want a double ledge, probably Rachiele is the place to go. Kohler has done a few things with multiple ledges in workstation sinks if you want to check them out as well.
• These custom sinks are pricey! Looking back on the remodel, I still cannot believe the sink with the accessories ended up costing $4K USD in 2018 which seems high compared to many other elements, but in terms of what is available on the market, I feel like I got the best combination of quality and price that I could have selected.
• One more item, and that is that I was advised by Havens to only use silicone to brace the back part of my apron-front sink. I wasn't comfortable with that idea and ended up having my custom cabinetry maker install a triple bar bracing system front-to-back for my 42" wide sink. I sanded all the braces down to perfection so that the sink ledge all around sat about 1/16" underneath where the stone countertop would go to allow for silicone sealant. It has worked out well, and I'll never be concerned about the sink falling away when fully loaded. It could be, and I hope so, that Havens has updated apron-front sink installation recommendations in more recent times to include bracing or the HUSH or Regent sink straps for the back sections that @Joseph Corlett, LLC routinely recommends.

Hi Has anyone purchased the Royal oak finish? I am trying to decide on the 33" undermount Haven Luxe, prestige or Royal oak Finish. Without seeing it in person, I would love your opinion with the finish you selected

Hi Mia, yes, I do have some advice for you on the finishes! I got the Prestige finish on stainless steel for my Havens apron-front sink. I'm really torn as to whether I would do it again, because although this finish is resilient to scratches, the grooves tend to hold on to debris and create rivulets where pink mold which is common in my area collects. I really have to get in there with a scrubber sometimes to get the sink clean even after spraying it down with my powerful Brizo faucets. If I had it to do again, I would get only the apron front textured and do the inside smooth. You actually can use sandpaper to smooth out scratches on a smooth finish if it becomes bad in the future. The Royal Oak looks like a new finish from when I shopped, so same would apply with that, get the smooth for inside the sink and your decorative finish for the apron. I also recommend ordering samples of each finish you're considering before you make your final order.

This really helps, Thank You!.

Now that I know what Sink to order... Haven Luxe Stainless : ) Any recommendations on Waterstone 5500 Polished Chrome vs the Kohler Artifact? Is there a finish you like better than Polished Chrome that is in your kitchen?

Im going to put in a dissenting voice I don’t wish to disparage anyone. Sorry, but …
I put in copper sinks in my new kitchen by one of the manufacturers listed above. I loathe the sinks. First of all I wanted a deeper sink like the Franke which I had put into my other house and was talked into an 8 inch deep sink. I hate it. It’s way too shallow for how I like to use it.
I hate that the sink is hard to keep clean and always looks grungy. The stainless steel was so much easier to clean. Food scraps and water don’t drain well and I’m always pushing and scraping it along with the sponge.
I have a HUGE island so don’t really need to do prep on the board in the sink. I thought I would love the concept as I had a small useless island in the previous kitchen. I have the copper draining board and the cutting board and they just get in my way. If I take them out to have more sink space then I don’t know where to put them or store them.
The sponge rack seems to be a few mm too short and keeps falling off the ledge.
The ledge now becomes another surface to clean .
There were some other issues which landed up in not having the sinks undermounted as I wanted so you see the top rim of the sink and I can’t just brush crumbs into the sink. Now that the countertops have been cut, there is nothing I can do about it.
The copper is soft and we have issues with it supporting my mammoth hp garbage disposal.
I know that it’s self cleaning but I feel it’s hard to clean well.
No I’ve never followed up with the manufacturer. I don’t know that there is anything they can do except maybe remake the accessory holder. But I was disillusioned after so much back and forth and discussion about the various aspects of the design and individualization and also a high price point that there was no follow up from the company with a quick call or short email or to say, how do you like your sink ? Is it working out well for you.
I’m not doing any more renovations of houses but putting in a copper sink was a mistake I regret. I would only do a good quality stainless.

@waverly6 Thanks for the insight. I did steer away from copper because of the softness and concern for scratching as well as the patina look that I was unsure would work well with my design. However, after seeing the mold that tends to grow on my textured finish, I have wondered if the naturally antibacterial properties of copper would prevent that. It is interesting to hear your take as someone who did get copper and wishes they hadn't. I agree these custom sinks don't have the drain slope that would be desirable for taking more food debris with the water. Water drains fine, just the food tends to get stuck behind a lot on the shallow slope. I almost wish I had checked more closely into Julian, Kohler, or a few other brands for a more steep drain slope. I also agree that someone with a large prep area may not need a workstation sink. My kitchen is small, and I can make good use of the capability in the sink, but I can see not needing it if I had a larger kitchen. Also, I avoided anything more than a single ledge to not have to clean extra ledges.

As to faucets, Waterstone has a bit of a spotty reputation for longevity and customer service, in my opinion. I have seen more than one Waterstone with loose joints or broken in other ways in showrooms where they are minimally used. Also you can find a few stories of difficulty getting customer service. I went with Brizo's Brilliance Stainless finish for a faucet which is a PVD finish, strongest in the industry right now aside from solid stainless which is incredibly expensive. Brizo is part of the Delta family which has great customer service and warranty terms. I really cannot recommend faucets outside of Brizo due to my lack of experience with them, but I did do months of research on faucets and am very confident in my purchase. I got an articulating style which I love and adjust regularly to help with back strain.

Silverlined -- There's nothing wrong with the drain slope on my 42" copper sink. Absolutely no regrets (Installed 2017, pictures earlier in the thread). Any scratches become invisible after a couple of days. However, you get what you pay for.

Like @Jerry Jorgenson my copper sink has absolutely no draining problems. I have a Havens sink and Jerry has a Rachiele sink.

When I was researching copper sinks, I did read that some of the less expensive brands did have issues with pooling by the drain but I have no pooling problem at all.

Obviously don't get a copper sink if one doesn't love what defines the beauty of a copper sink which is the living patina. It is the equivalent of being comfortable with broken in jeans and crumpled linen versus starched shirts. It is never going to look shiny but it doesn't look dirty to me.

I actually find it incredibly easy to maintain as you just use a sponge to swab any errant crumbs down the drain. At most I use some Dawn detergent if I feel there is some grease from a cooking pan. But I never have to scrub it or bleach it or do anything else to maintain its good looks.

As to the other stuff - I am not sure what your accessories don't fit and why your installers couldn't do an undermount sink. I would think that is an installation issue and not an issue of the sinks. I had a few glitches when I did a gut remodel but the sink was not one of those glitches.

My only problem with my sink was that I live in a high rise and evidently in my jurisdiction sinks have to be UL certified. Why this is true I have no idea. I decided to roll the dice and assume that my beautiful copper sink was not going to be rejected by an inspector because I couldn't figure out what in the world they would be worrying about. Obviously no company is going to go through the hassle and expense of getting a UL certificate for one desperate person in Los Angeles :-)

And FWIW, I had a multitude of inspectors for plumbing, electrical, framing etc. who focused on lots of details but evidently inspecting an kitchen sink for a UL sticker was ridiculous even to them :-)

Thanks all for your experience. Any other pros or cons for the Haven Luxe workstation Stainless? Is the 8’ big enough.

Are you going with a 33" wide 8" deep sink @Mia Ness? Mine is 42" wide with two faucets which is the largest I could go in my small kitchen, and I love this size. It is perfect. I wouldn't want any narrower for a workstation sink. You won't be able to leave your accessories inside the sink all the time if you only have 33" in width. As for 8" deep, the Havens sinks vary in depth throughout due to drain slope, but generally 8" is a sufficient depth to control water spray. I have raised countertops at 38 3/4" (standard is 36"), so that brings the sink up higher to prevent back strain for me at my height of 5'7".

@Jerry Jorgenson I edited my comment above to be more clear that it is food debris, not water, that I have trouble draining. Having used many other sinks in the past, this is an issue unique to this particular sink in the degree to which I must spray and sponge to get food down the drain. It isn't a reason for me to hate the sink. I do like it very much and spend several hours per day working at it. Also, I have a textured sink bed which adds to that dilemma of catching food particles, but the relatively shallow drain slope plays a role. My sink with accessories cost right at $4,000 USD, and I certainly hope that I got value for what I paid. It was one of the most expensive purchases of my remodel next to cabinetry, even exceeding my Wolf vent hood. I believe we may be confusing the issues of an etched chemical patina on copper and physical scratches into the metal itself. Both copper and stainless steel physically scratch over time, but copper is the softer of the two metals. The bright chemical etching does disappear on copper in time as the dark patina re-forms. Physical scratches must be sanded out of either metal if desired, and as mentioned copper will scratch more readily than stainless steel.

Silverlined -- I should clarify that I don't have a garbage disposal because I've never found one that lasted more than a few months (even some very expensive ones). So I don't buy them anymore. But I don't have any more food not going to the drain than I did in double sinks and smaller sinks, However, I never used the smaller sinks for food prep as they weren't suitable, so it's not a real comparison. If the bottom was flat rather than sloped, or had a low spot which didn't drain, that would be an issue.

My sink is stainless steel and holds a garbage disposal fine. I have read poor longevity reviews of newer disposals, so put back in my old one that is around 20 years old and still works beautifully. It is the relative softness of copper to stainless steel in terms of scratching that formed the basis of my decision and also the potential interaction with copper of other metals that may be left in the sink. "Copper always wins" is what I have read concerning potential corrosion. It isn't the size of the sink in question but rather the slope, and for anyone shopping as I alluded to before, they would do well to look at slopes of other workstation sinks as more of a factor in the decision process if they don't want to chase food debris with a sponge despite a strong water spray. My sink is textured which contributes to that issue, but another reviewer above with a presumably smooth sink has the same issue. I have also found the sharp corners with seams difficult to clean and would have loved a seamless sink, but this was my first time to order custom, and I really do love the concept and the majority of features. You have to do the best you can in a small remodel without a pro designer to guide you, and I am happy with the outcome. In another remodel I might try copper, and I might also look more closely at the Julian, Franke, Kohler, and Ruvati brands for slope and seamlessness. I might also be more creative to interchange accessories I liked with my favorite sink. I picked Havens because I favored the accessories and also because I wanted an apron front which many other brands do not offer. Nothing in life is perfect, and it wouldn't surprise me if Havens (or its nearly identical competitor Rachiele) won in my opinion again were I to do another round of research after experience with my installed sink. The apron front is awesome and a non-optional feature for me in helping to prevent back strain.

I'm leaning towards a Haven copper sink. Any thoughts on hammered vs smooth inside the basin?

Smooth interior, please. I got a textured sink from Havens and struggle every day to clean it. Food and water won't drain as easily over the texture and will cost you extra cleaning time over the long haul.

@kodiak_heather I responded in the other thread where you asked the same question.

My sink is a copper farmhouse from Havens Metal. I opted for a smooth bottom with a hammered front. This was because I thought the hammered bottom would be a pain to clean because the dents would trap the food particles. When I spoke to Alex Havens he agreed.

I opted for the hammered front because i thought it would blend it better since it wouldn't be subject to food which would alter the patina.

When I researched copper sinks, what I learned (or came away thinking) was that the hammered finish on lots of copper sinks is intended to disguise the poorer quality of construction and generally goes together with the dark brown artificial finishes of those sinks. The hammering is very obnoxious and obtrusive as well versus the very subtle hammered look of my Havens sink.

@Aglitter I'm in the design phase for a new build and all of your comments have been SO HELPFUL TO ME!!! I was somebody heavily considering a workstation sink, but after reading your ineradicable thorough posts here, I realized I would probably find all of the extra accessories involved in a workstation sink to be cumbersome and annoying to clean. I'm already planning 2 separate sinks for my new home. In my current home, I have 1 36" sink and use a silicone roll-up dish drying rack over, and I've found it to be so handy (hence my exploration into the world of workstation sinks). I've now made up my mind (thanks to you) that I only really need a drain rack and a cutting board and it's probably not so crucial that I have those things in a workstation configuration..... no accessories needed!!

So with that said, should I still bother going with Havens if I'm no longer doing the workstation sink? Are they worth the cost just for the quality, craftsmanship, and customer service? Are the (better) 316 stainless steel sinks out there, in your opinion?... I've taken note that you wish you had seamlessness in your sink, perhaps with a greater slope as well. Could you recommend to me a good place to start to perhaps discover this?

Another question for you would be about Apron vs undermount. I've found undermount to fit my astehtic better, however, I've taken note of your comment regarding back issues and finding relief when using an Apron. I did some research and found others claiming to have back relief at Apron sinks, too. Unfortunately, I have never used one before... So, are you aware of any companies who make high quality SEAMLESS stainless steel sinks with also an Apron?

Lastly, I've made note that Brizzo faucets are among the best you can get and that Waterstone has some quality control issues. Would you still say this is the case to date, 2023? I love the appearance of the Galley faucets (very tall, over-sized, half-moon faucets). Are those faucets worth the price? Or can you think of something that looks the same but is a better quality?

Thank you so much, I hope you see this message! :)

@Aglitter Another thought for you - do they make quartz farmhouse or apron sinks?

Here's an Elkay Quartz Luxe in Caviar (black):

Here's an Elkay Ferguson model in Ricotta (bright white) which is a workstation:

@Pi_pumkin_sol3 think about your counter material when considering an under or top mount sink. Our family friend will be installing our Havens micro hammered copper sink soon. He is a granite man, and highly suggested a top mount with the stone we chose. He said that many granites can chip easily and people are constantly needing them fixed because they are getting banged by pans. If you have a "soft" or "chippy" counter material- consider a top mount sink. Good luck

Countertop chipping at sink edges is more a result of edge profile selection than material. Put a nice 3/8" roundover at your undermount sink endge and you'll have lowered risk of chipping.

@kodiak_heather thank you! That is great info. We're going with Quartz

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Question for you: What do you think the disadvantages of quartz farmhouse sink would be? All I can think of are advantages!!!

1. rounded corners (helps move crumbs down the drain better)..

2) no scratches,

3) no rush (steel will eventually rust. Even seen minor rush on The Galley workstation sinks)

4) No dents

5) no cracks ( traditional ceramic farmhouse sinks, you drop a pot in it and it cracks).

6) quick googling around seems they are way cheaper than Havens or Rachiele.

I wonder If I can source a 4' quartz farmhouse workstation sink!!

THANK YOU for showing these to me!! This totally changes everything for my plan. Now I'm on the hunt for 3'-4' quartz farmhouse workstation sinks.

You can scratch a quartz sink, it's just more difficult to do. Stainless scratches much more easily, but the scratches are easily removed. Scratches in quartz can be removed, however, getting the factory finish to match exactly is problematic.

Stainless steel sinks do not rust. Period.

Quartz sinks won't dent, however, they can be broken and cracked.

They are production sinks and any production sink is going to be less expensive than a custom sink.

I've never seen a 48" quartz sink. Let me know if you find one please.

@Pi_pumkin_sol3 It looks like I may not have gotten to you in time for your decision phase, but I'll reply to previous questions and comments anyway in bullet form, as follows:

• ". . . I realized I would probably find all of the extra accessories involved in a workstation sink to be cumbersome and annoying to clean." Not if you have a megasink. I would have put a 7-foot sink in my kitchen renovation if space had allowed, and when you have that much width, you'll end up using most of your accessories in the sink full-time. My small kitchen only allowed for a 42" width with 2 faucets. I do leave my 18" wide strainer in the sink and use the strainer constantly for draining dishes. This has resolved my pre-reno problem of moisture on the countertop from draining hand-washed items, my primary goal to resolve in sink selection, so the new sink has been a success in that respect. I have not used the cutting board in the sink as much as I thought I would, as it is easy enough to chop on a countertop cutting board. If I had a wider sink, I would use the sink cutting board more. Putting a cutting board next to my strainer essentially blocks off all of my sink space and makes faucet use tricky, so that is why I prefer to leave the sink open next to my strainer. You'll need preferably a 5-foot-wide workstation sink to comfortably use multiple accessories, but if you have room for a 7-foot-wide, go for it! You'll love it!
• "I'm already planning 2 separate sinks for my new home." This opens up possibilities for you to use a workstation sink as a serving area. Cleanup sinks are generally dirty places, so the idea of serving food from them with in-sink serving tray accessories becomes less viable. If you have a separate cleanup sink, then you could put a "clean-tasks," large workstation sink elsewhere, like on an island, and use it for clean food prep and serving. The workstation sink idea is here to stay. I just saw a 7-foot workstation sink in a multi-million dollar California mansion real estate listing. My opinion is that workstation sinks are poised to become popular additions to luxury homes.
• "Should I still bother going with Havens if I'm no longer doing the workstation sink?" If you are not planning to use a workstation sink, then I would recommend finding a sink from any high-quality brand that is designed more like a bowl with a fully rounded interior and a floor that slopes significantly toward the drain. The reason for this is that you will be able to clean the sink by simply spraying it down. On the contrary, with workstation sinks, all brands I have seen are shaped more like boxes with sharply angled corners and minimal floor slope which makes them more difficult to clean merely by spraying, though you can still clear most of the debris by spray. That is just how workstation sinks are. In terms of quality in a non-workstation sink, you'll find higher quality of metal and construction from some brands more than others. My best suggestion is to read as many reviews as you can of various brands, and Houzz is a good place to start your search. Look for comments on how well the sinks drain, how the metal has held up over time, and how the materials for the sinks are sourced (e.g. recycled metal or not; unrecycled is better, and if a company uses unrecycled metal, they'll typically advertise so). This is the one element of the kitchen where you shouldn't make your decision based on price. Once a sink is undermounted, you will not be able to replace it without significant cost to your countertop or cabinetry, so get a quality sink. You will probably be looking in the USD thousands for cost rather than the hundreds for a good-quality sink in the USA. Yes, 316 stainless steel is one of the features better sink manufacturers provide for increased corrosion resistance. Julien is the only brand I can 100% say rivals the quality of Havens and Rachiele, at least at the time of my research several years ago, but please always seek out the most current reviews you can in case things have recently changed.
• "I've taken note that you wish you had seamlessness in your sink . . . ." All metal sinks start their lives as a flat sheet of metal and are cut and seamed in some way or another. The problem with Havens, at least at the time I purchased my sink, was that they were not doing the greatest job microwelding the corner seams, meaning that material builds up in those corners and requires cotton swabs and on occasion a fold of sandpaper to clean the corners. Rachiele and many other workstation sink brands do a much better job of microwelding and smoothing the corners so that this is not an issue. However, Rachiele's prices have skyrocketed since the pandemic, so Havens is still a better value, even more so than it was at the time I ordered. Havens does custom work, so if you're interested in Havens, talk to them about the corners and see what can be done to smooth them. I am hoping @Havens | Luxury Metals will see posts like this and take note for future manufacturing.
• "Another question for you would be about Apron vs undermount. I've found undermount to fit my aesthetic better, however, I've taken note of your comment regarding back issues and finding relief when using an Apron." It's generally true that we become accustomed to liking what we see most frequently, and undermounted sinks dominate kitchen design literature and film programs, so it is what the average consumer tends to expect in a renovation. As an exception, the Fixer Upper TV show popularized fireclay apron-fronts which they called farmhouse sinks, but if you'll read reviews of fireclay sinks, they tend to crack and craze, making installation and the risk for replacement a nightmare. Fireclay sinks have never really caught on in the larger market despite their promotion on Fixer Upper, most likely due to longevity issues. Metal apron-front sinks are few and far between. Most sink manufacturers don't even offer them except perhaps via a custom order. If you are interested in a metal apron-front, Havens and Rachiele are your two top contenders for standard apron-front offerings. The Galley offers an apron, but only at an upcharge. Installation for a non-apron-front can greatly influence the final effect, as some countertop manufacturers will create a huge front lip to help prevent cracking of the countertop material, while others are more sensitive to placing the sink as far forward as possible for ergonomics. If you cook a lot, I would recommend focusing your search on apron-front sinks simply for relief of back strain when working at the sink, as you will be able to stand closer to what you are doing. If you use the kitchen infrequently, a non-apron-front sink should serve fine. Note that both apron-front and non-apron-front sinks can be either undermounted or top-mounted, but undermounting has become favored for kitchen design in modern times due to the widespread use of thick slab countertop materials as well as improved aesthetics and also the lack of debris buildup that can occur around the edges of a top mount. On occasion, you will see flush-mounted sinks, but those are more often used in sink replacement scenarios rather than original designs and require special sealing at the edges for successful installation.
• "I've made note that Brizo faucets are among the best you can get and that Waterstone has some quality control issues. Would you still say this is the case to date, 2023? I love the appearance of The Galley faucets (very tall, over-sized, half-moon faucets). Are those faucets worth the price? Or can you think of something that looks the same but is a better quality?" The Galley faucets are what I would call an average size for a gooseneck, restaurant-style faucet, especially compared to Waterstone which offers huge faucet styles. Some people like The Galley faucets, and some people aren't well pleased with the function of them for various reasons. Very few faucet manufacturers would have anything higher quality than The Galley faucets, but a number will have something at a similar level. I was pushed away somewhat by the price of The Galley which seemed high compared to other high-quality products such as from Brizo, as well as the fact that The Galley faucets do not retain their set spray/stream setting when turned off. They revert to stream every time they are turned off, a typical European feature, unlike Brizo and other North American brands that retain the setting. If I am rinsing dishes, I want the spray to stay as set even when the faucet is turned off and on. The Galley does offer some rare finishes, like rose gold, so if you need a certain color, The Galley may be one of the only places you'll find it. A number of European brands of faucets offer a similar look to The Galley faucets. I would say The Galley faucets are worth the price if you want the specific look that they offer; otherwise, shop Brizo, a Delta brand with excellent quality and top-of-the-industry warranty. You can read up on the latest quality of different faucet brands via @StarCraft Custom Builders excellent faucet reviews here: http://www.starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets.Best.Value.htm 
• "Another thought for you - do they make quartz farmhouse or apron sinks?" In my kitchen renovation research, I found so many reviews of people who had cracked quartz/composite sinks that I quickly crossed them off my list. In the event that you can install a quartz or composite sink without cracking (some people have had to re-order several times because the sink arrives from shipment cracked, and then others have to re-order because the sink cracks during installation), you will still need to deal with the fact that quartz is heat sensitive and can melt. You shouldn't be pouring boiling water on a quartz sink or else you will be risking permanent damage. The sink may even crack from the thermal shock of high heat! This means draining pasta or even placing a hot pan straight from the stove into the sink will be prohibited. Even if you can follow those rules, disaster may occur if the babysitter or a friend comes over and doesn't realize the properties of your sink. The advantages you mentioned are far outweighed by the longevity of a metal sink, whether stainless steel or copper. I have never seen a quartz or composite apron-front sink. A few vintage sinks made of natural soapstone are floating around on the resale market, and you could get a skilled fabricator to create a new apron-front soapstone sink for you if you like that look, which would be similar to that of a composite but with vastly improved properties such as heat resilience, though thermal shock could still be an issue with natural stone.
• In fact, I am so passionate about helping you avoid the problems of a quartz/composite sink that I'll go over your concerns one by one here, as follows: 1) Rounded corners (helps move crumbs down the drain better). -- Any workstation sink will have some slope that makes spraying the majority of debris down the drain possible, perhaps with the added encouragement of a sponge or rag for heavy debris. Most workstation sinks have microwelded corners that are easy enough to clean. If you select a smooth interior surface, you'll be able to clean the sink with plenty of ease. An advantage of the relatively flat floor of a workstation sink is that it holds a lot of pots and pans and dishes at once for the avid chef. 2) No scratches . . . . -- Stainless steel sink deep scratches, if they occur, can be EASILY sanded out. This should not be a criteria for your selection because composite sinks are known for cracking, a much more serious issue. Stainless steel in general will develop a patina of light scratches over time. If you select an apron-front sink, you can request a custom fabricator to place a hammered or rolled pattern on the front of the apron to disguise the natural patina and watermarks, but I highly recommend going with a smooth surface for the interior of the sink for functionality. 3) No rust (steel will eventually rust. Even seen minor rust on The Galley workstation sinks). -- My Havens sink has had surface rust develop even though it is 316 stainless steel, but it comes off with a scrubber pad. You will never live long enough to have a high-quality sink rust completely through unless you pour some sort of chemical on it or neglect it for decades. Take care of both 304 and 316 stainless steel by avoiding pouring salty liquids like brine into the sink, and never use bleach or Clorox on it. You should also never wash cast iron items in a stainless steel sink due to chemical interaction. You'll find multiple reviews here on Houzz about brands such as Kohler stainless steel sinks developing surface rust perhaps more than some other brands, possibly due to the quality of the source metal or even the fact that Kohler sinks are so popular that more reviews both positive and negative exist about them. There are occasional commenters who insist stainless steel cannot rust, and I've previously engaged on other threads about that topic by providing various research-based references indicating that any steel can rust within months when exposed to certain conditions, so no further comment on that here. You can purchase a number of different products to help coat a stainless steel sink to protect it, but these must be routinely applied to make a difference, and all of the precautions mentioned above should still be observed regardless. 4) No dents. -- A thick-gauge metal sink such as from Havens or Rachiele will not dent with normal kitchen usage. 5) No cracks (traditional ceramic farmhouse sinks, you drop a pot in it and it cracks). -- As mentioned earlier, these white farmhouse sinks aren't ceramic; they are fireclay, and you'll want to avoid fireclay. 6) Quick googling around seems they are way cheaper than Havens or Rachiele. -- Save money now and pay later when you have to demolish your countertop or cut out your sink cabinet trying to replace a cracked composite sink. My Havens sink was the first purchase I made in my kitchen renovation, and aside from the cabinetry and coutertops, the most expensive, being several thousand dollars. I love the sink overall! Here are some photos for you below from a Havens brochure.

@Aglitter What an incredible wealth of information you have brought!