I guess I don't know that term, in a practical sense. You mean a sink with ledges for cutting boards, etc.? Or a real deep sink like a commercial kitchen would use for clean-up?

Look at creategoodsinks.com Beautiful ledge sinks and accessories at amazing prices! I'm getting the 46 inch sink and can't wait!

We splurged on a copper Rachiele workstation sink - 54" long, all the bells and whistles - two chopping boards, bowl, colander, soap caddy, draining board, and nifty food prep dishes I never use, personally, but they were part of the package!

It's been a game-changer for us. I can't imagine going back to a 30" or even 33" sink, single or double, let alone the back-achingly silly depth of many sinks trying to be workstation sinks. The Rachiele workstation is better than any other on the market, imho, because of his patented design where stuff can slide back and forth at two different heights. ALL the mess, the clutter, the splashes, are contained within its confines.

I can have dishes drying at one end while chopping and washing and prep go on at the other.

We have three 18" pull-outs beneath which accommodate (1) garbage and recycling bins; (2) chopping boards and Rachiele paraphernalia; (3) more chopping boards, cleaning stuff, and the plumbing.

This is a standard Ikea kitchen and it took very little effort to modify the cabinetry for the Rachiele sink because it is particularly well-designed, with plumbing taken into consideration. Buying the sink was a big splurge, but well worth it. The opposition doesn't even come close when it comes to design, innovation, finish, and customer care.

It's well worth wandering around the Rachiele website, as it's full of really sound information, whichever sink you buy. I did a TON of homework, and went and played with Julien and Galley workstation sinks first, and spoke to Dino at length. His sinks aren't cheap, but they are, imho, the creme de la creme, and worth the extra money when you see what a quality sink can really do for you.

(No, I'm not affiliated with Rachiele in any way, just a very satisfied customer!)

Rachiele custom sinks

We have a 4’ Galley and we love it. Our kitchen didn’t really call for a separate prep sink but this does that job in much less space. We have two faucets and one person can be washing their hands while the other one is prepping veggies. It’s extremely functional for us.

We got a Kohler Prolific and I love it. It makes it SO much easier to wash pots! I usually have one of the dish drainer inserts in it, so I use that to rest the pot on and can wash it without reaching so far down. Then when I need to rinse it, boom, slide the drainer to the side and plenty of depth to rinse it.

My back loves washing dishes this way.

The accessories all stack/nest so storage is easy. I think the workstation sink is an awesome invention.

Here’s a picture of our setup with the Galley. I‘m not sure why I had those particular accessories there, but the middle one is a drying rack and the lower one holds a bowl or colander. I also have a cutting board and other things. The cutting board and drying rack also work as additional counter space for cookie sheets, hot pans, etc. which makes the sink very versatile.

Even Ikea has got in on the workstation sink game, with a number of handy accessories, and some chopping boards, that work with their sinks. All for a reasonable price, of course!

https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/cat/sink-accessories-24262/

We've had a Rachiele workstation sink as the only sink since the 2017 remodel. It's great, wouldn't have anything else. Counter stays clean because all the mess is in the sink. Saves time and frustration. Note that some workstation sinks are more practical than others. Some have the bowls way too small, or the accessories look fairly flimsy.

I agree with everybody else in this thread that Dino Rachiele's workstation sinks are amazing. We love ours:

And if you were planning on buying one of these sinks, then no better time than the present. A couple of pretty heavily discounted sinks just went on sale on his site: https://www.rachiele.com/clearance-sale-sinks.aspx

It's not as if I needed another sink. But if I did...

If you only have room for a 30" sink, I'd say go for a regular deep sink.

I have a workstation style sink from Havens Metal and I love it for my specific kitchen configuration.

Unlike others I have a small kitchen with limited counter space. With the workstation style, I was able to install a 36" sink because the grid accessory effectively acts as a very functional extension of my counter. I can use it to dry any hand washed stuff or veggies or just keep stuff on it as a regular counter.

The ability to prep stuff OVER the sink is really functional since debris and water and other crap goes right into the sink.

I opted for a left rear drain which means that my garbage disposal doesn't bisect the sink cabinet. I can therefore fit a large pull out garbage container under the sink. With a smaller sink I would not have been able to do that and there would have been no place for a garbage can in my kitchen except one that blocked a cabinet in my narrow galley kitchen and was unattractive to boot.

If you haven't firmed up your cabinet plans, why not opt for a 36" sink with larger sink cabinet. You aren't losing functional space to a larger sink - you are gaining functionality. I can't speak to all sinks but the 36" Havens sink I got (copper apron front) fits inside a 36" cabinet. When I was researching sinks I read that most sinks need to be smaller than the actual cabinet but that might not be true of the 30" sink you are considering.

I agree with cpartist. All the photos look like sinks much larger than 30 inches.
You'll likely be disappointed in the functionality vs $$$ with a smaller workstation.
At the very least, try to find a local showroom with a workstation demo that size, and see what you really think.

@cpartist, If you only have room for a 30" sink, I'd say go for a regular deep sink.

Funny you would say that. It's been about two years since I made virtually the same statement, only to have to eat crow: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/4647411/am-i-crazy-to-want-a-24-sink#20252060

@Rachiele Custom Sinks pointed out that even at a mere 24", his workstation design is a lot more functional than much bigger traditional sinks. Read that threat for some useful discussions.

We love our huge ~50" workstation sink. But after having used a workstation sink for a while now, I would tend to believe Dino's claim. It's an awesome appliance at any size. I would not want to go back to more traditional single-bowl designs.

Of course we got the Cadillac of sinks, as Dino 100% custom-designed our sink for our kitchen. The photos don't really show all the fancy trickery. But there actually is a full height trash compactor right under the 15" drain board. It's pure magic.

I have to disagree with CPArtist ... even at just 30" wide I find my workstation sink incredibly useful. A single bowl sink without the levels means everything is at the max depth all the time. If you like to wash some dishes by hand, you wind up working with your hands reaching farther down (to the bottom of your sink) than if your sink has a ledge to keep the dish up higher. If you want to set a pot in the sink to fill, with a ledge you don't have to pull it back up as much before you carry it to the stove or elsewhere.

Maybe my back is weird, but I can wash pots without back pain now and that wasn't possible with a single deep sink. I like having the ability to use it like a regular deep sink but 95% of the time I use mine with something on a ledge (or on both ledges). Being able to change the depth of your sink is useful no matter what size, and 30" is plenty wide enough to use the different accessories.

For those with workstation sinks +36 inches, how were your cabinets modified to accommodate the bowl length? We’re looking at space theory cabinets, but their standard base cabinets max out at 42 inches and we’re looking at a 44” Kohler, or 45” creategoodsinks or krauss. I saw some mention of people using with ikea cabinets which has max 36”. Thanks!

Install a 42" base cabinet with a 1 1/2" filler on each side. Any of those sinks will strap right in after the cabinet sides are scooped.

@wilson853 I like the idea very much of the multilevel prep sink for functionality, but I do not like the idea of losing 2-3" of depth in my sink for the various shelves. It looks like your sink only has 14" of usable depth, which seems really cramped compared to a normal 30" sink that would have 16" or more of depth.

You did mention it was a prep sink. I suppose if it was one of multiple sinks it would be nice to have, but for just one sink in the kitchen do you find losing that crucial depth is a limiting factor?

@Pam A Which undermount workstation sink do you have? I'm looking to maximize 30.25" of interior space in my cabinet, and I'm thinking I might be able to stretch to a 32" sink that has 30" of interior width, but it'll be a super tight fit.

In practice, I have never felt that there was a perceptible loss of depth. My only (very) minor nitpick is that I should have asked for maybe 1/4" extra depth (as is possible with all-custom-made sinks).

In that case, I could hang my Miele CSO steam trays directly into the sink. That would actually be useful. I think it's just a unit conversion problem, where the US uses 17.5" (44.5cm) and Europe uses centimeters (45cm). So, by default, the steam trays aren't compatible with my sink.

Having said that, Dino Rachiele anticipated your concern about loss of space and the newest generation of his sinks changes the ledge profile:

You don't actually lose the depth of the sink--at least my sink doesn't lose any depth.

I think when he says "depth", he actually means the back-to-front dimension. English can be a little ambiguous.

@Luke Hagenbach Real Estate, you are correct that my prep sink basin is 14" from front to back. Baking sheets and large sauce pots fit on the floor but if it was my only sink I would go bigger. Here is one with double ledges but is 16" from front to back on the basin floor.

https://www.nantucketsinksusa.com/product-page/ZR-PS-3220-16

@wilson853 Thank you for that recommendation. it's right at the upper price range of what I'm looking to spend. the only deal killer for that one for me is the zero radius. I need some sort of radius. Otherwise, I'll be kicking myself everytime I go to clean it. I'll keep an eye out.

I think Ruvati or Kraus has one with similar specs and a small radius. they get wonderful reviews, but I wonder what I'm missing in that they are so affordable.

I wish there was a middle ground in terms of the stainless steel market. it seems there are American and European made (assembled with Chinese steel) 16 gauge 304 sinks that all have similar quality and fabrication and range in price from $250-750, and then there are 316 US sourced steel sinks that are custom made and range from $2750-$4,000. I'm not sure what you gain in terms of material quality or craftsmanship in between.

Here it is with the small radius. It is available on several websites.

https://www.nantucketsinksusa.com/product-page/sr-ps-3220-16

@wilson853 That's a great find. Now, to see if I can fit it in a 30.25" wide cabinet following the strap method recently recommended on here in another thread. It might be a bit too wide to remove later and to fit the strap mounts (unless they can be screwed in front and behind the sink), and the 30" version is not long big enough front to back being only 14". The 32" version is 16", which is considerably bigger. I'm not sure why they differ.

@M thanks for mentioning the Miele CSO tray consideration. I just bought a 24" Miele CSO.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Do you know if the Nantucket sink that @wilson853 linked to would work strapped into a base cabinet that has 30.25" of width?

I suppose it would mean that the strap anchors would need to be screwed into the panel in front of and behind the 18" that the sink basin takes up front to back. I don't believe there's room for the anchors in-between the basin and the cabinet wall.

That sink will work in that cabinet. You can strap front to back as well as side to side.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Good to know. Now, just to figure out how it fits, given that if it had to be replaced I'm not sure how it would come out with the 1 inch flange and no extra wiggle room in the box left to right. I do not understand the ergonomics of how it can be removed later?

The strap will have to go side to side, because front to back will not be nearly as strong because it has an open back and doors on the front, so it's not continuous support to the floor of the cabinet like the sides have.

"I do not understand the ergonomics of how it can be removed later?"

If it is a framed cabinet, the cabinet front is tapped off. If it is frameless, the top front of the cabinet side is removed and replaced after the sink is pulled.

Create Good Sinks has workstations with radius corners, easier to clean. That’s what we are getting

@Julie F do you like the CGS sink you got? any issues? stainless holding up? do you like the accessories? was it one ledge or two?

The only drawback to a smaller sink would be that there is only room for one persons to be at the sink at a time. Is it more annoying to have to bump someone out of the way, or to have someone bumping you out of the way?

@hu-426144764 now that I’ve had the CSG for a few months, there are 2 things I don’t like about it. 1) it’s only one ledge, and I wish it were 2 (you can adjust the installation to create a second ledge, which we didn’t do) 2) it doesn’t have enough of a slope / grade, so food water gets stuck in the corners. I waste a lot of water trying to coax that stuff towards the drain. I have no idea if there’s a dimension you can check in the specifications but if there is, I’d go for a sink with more slope towards the drain.

From what I've read, many brands have the same issue of not enough slope to allow debris to drain easily. Has anyone found a sink that does not have this problem? I am considering the Create Good Sinks brand - has anyone successfully installed one with the 2nd tier?

If in doubt, buy a Rachiele sink. It's more expensive, but you can rest assured that Dino gets all of those pesky little details perfectly . That's really what he prides himself on. And if you have other specific requests, he can work with you, as all his sinks are built to order.

I am not sure why anyone is picking on work station sinks from any maker as having issues in terms of food "hiding" in the corners.

I have used many kitchen sinks over the years and I always take a sponge as one of the last things I do in terms of cleaning the kitchen. The sponge guides any kind of small debris into the drain from all parts of the sink. How else do you "clean" a sink.

FWIW I have a ledge style copper sink from Havens Metal. I don't know what it is official a work station and what is just a ledge style which has "accessories" that fit into the ledge like a grid for drying and a cutting board. Mine is only 36" because I have a small kitchen and 36" is bigger than I could otherwise get if it weren't a ledge sink because I can use the sink as a counter for both prepping; draining dishes and produce and just as an extension of my counter for loading groceries.

@Desiree Smock, we have a 45" Krauss workstation sink with a double ledge and offset right drain and don't have issues with food "stuck." Sure, if some salad pieces are 40 inches from the drain they won't just end up in the drain without a burst of water, but it always cleans and drains beautifully. As another person commented, our tiny old sink didn't clear food any better. We LOVE our sink.

Good doesn’t get stuck in the corners of my workstation. It gets stuck everywhere bc it lacks proper grading. It’s hard to clean it bc I use one of those wire/mesh grid things; trying to clean under that is a big pain and a waste of water (I’m a Californian) . If the sink had a better slope towards the drain this would not be a problem. (Gosh I think I’m convincing myself to take that thing out!)

@Julie F - Why are you keeping the grid in the sink🤷🏼‍♀️😂 I have something that is theoretically a grid - mine has holes instead of wires - but I never put it at the bottom of the sink. I mostly leave it on the side on the ledge so that I can drain stuff or use as a counter extension. Mine is a copper sink but I have never used a grid with any other sink either.

My sink drains pretty well but it certainly doesn't "magically" remove bits of food from the bottom without my using a sponge which is no big deal. I have never just relied on the spray in order to move stuff along in any sink either. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I appreciate all of the comments in response to my question. @M boy do I wish I could afford a Rachiele sink. They look amazing. Choosing a good sink is challenging! But so important I feel. After raising 5 kids, I think I've spent 20% of my life in front of a kitchen sink. :)

I can absolutely understand about not being able to buy a Rachiele sink. It's the gold standard.

That's why Haven is gaining popularity. They used to be the manufacturer that made the Rachiele designs. But the two companies had a rather ugly falling out when Haven decided to sell their own brand. But the upshot is that you can get similar designs from them.

Unfortunately, that still means lots of money. So, if you're looking in a different price range, you need to do more research by yourself. There absolutely are good options out there. I'd strongly recommend reading all the indepth information on the Rachiele website. Dino is extremely generous in explaining what makes a good design, and why. Lots of surprising details that have often been done wrong because of mainly historic reasons. If you read all the information, it'll make you a much better informed consumer.

For instance, a reason why some manufacturers ship grids with their sinks isn't because they necessarily work all that well, but because they are a work around for a sink that was designed too deep to be ergonomic, and the grid can help raise floor.

Similarly, putting the drain into an off center position can dramatically improve utility, as you're not constantly blocking the drain, thus - again - reducing the need for a grid.

A well designed sink would avoid these types of pitfalls. And now that you know, you can avoid them too.

If Rachiele is priced out, I would definitely consider the Krauss. It is proving to be a really amazing sink and is holding up to the beating my family of 5 (with little kids that drop dishes into the sink) is giving it. It came (no extra charge) with all the inserts I wanted -- the roll-up silicone-coated drying rack/ledge is amazing. We tried the grids but my husband complained it was just washing 2 more dishes every night! We have the double ledge and an offset drain. We got it on sale for $800-ish. Came fast and beautifully packaged. We also opted for the Krauss faucet recommended with the sink and it's fabulous.

Old thread but I had the 4' workstation when it first came out. It looks fantastic. It is very very very unsanitary. Say you are cleaning cutting boards and knives with raw chicken, or need to dump and rinse a bowl with raw shrimp or chicken, it goes all the way down the sink. IF you have the rack or cutting boards there, then they get splashed. SO you need to remove everything, and wash the entire sink and sanitize and if you are doing dishes at the same time at the other end or are straining veggies, it's a pain to be quite honest. My personal experience! To clarify I had the Galley Sink. But same principle.

@F L The cutting board present in the sink while you are washing dishes is a bit cumbersome for most kitchen sinks. I've never had the luxury of having a 4 ft wide sink like you, so it's not even possible in my setup. It sounds like it is in yours.

My use case is that I always wash, dry, and then put away the cutting boards right when I'm done with them, and then put them away before things have a chance to dry on them and make cleanup much more work than it needs to be. It also helps to have some of the bulk out of the way to make room for the pots/pans that are soaking while we are eating.

Did you keep your cutting boards in your sink before you had a workstation sink? Or is this a new practice for you because there is nowhere else to keep your cutting board when it is not being used?

Signorino Designs -- If you have a non-coated copper sink santiation is not an issue. The copper kills germs and virus within a few hours. A workstation sink is designed to be used with a dishwasher, so the only things you wash in the sink are those too large to fit in the dishwasher. Of course, items such as cutting boards should be sanitized after using them for animal products.

@Luke Hagenbach Real Estate I have a sink with a ledge which enables me to use a cutting board over it. It is highiy functional since it extends the amount of counter space I have in my small kitchen and also reduces the need to clean the counter since debris from the cutting board goes directly into the sink

You are over thinking the functionality as the cutting board is just a cutting board which fits securely over the sink. Mine looks just like a normal wood heavy duty cutting board.

When not in use as a cutting board it is kept where people ordinarily kept their cutting boards I never kept a wood cutting board in the sink although I did have a soft plastic one which I used specifically for chicken and other meat products which went in the dishwasher

@Helen My comment was addressing the concerns with this type of workstation sink cutting board setup that was shared by @Signorino Designs.

@Helen- would you mind sharing the brand of your ledge sink? Did it come with the cutting board, or did you buy a seperate one? As previously stated in this thread, its a shame there are no medium price range, NOT made in China, options for sinks.

heinrichec -- The issue with no medium priced copper sinks is that there is no medium priced copper, and the workmanship is either top quality or bottom quality. The top companies do have occasional sales, so if you can wait for them, you can save a bit.

@heinrichec Mine is a copper sink from Havens Metal.

All of the accessories are purchased separately. Prior to my remodel, I had a regular sink but bought an inexpensive wood cutting board which had little extensions that enabled it to sit over the sink. Since I had limited counter space, this expanded my prep area significantly. It wasn't as stable as the set up I have now so I didn't prep "hard" stuff like winter squash but it was great for almost all other prep for softer produce.

When I researched copper sinks there were actually some quality copper sinks - i.e. not fake patina. They still aren't cheap because copper is more expensive and also because they are a niche item versus stainless which can be made in mass production quantities by brands.

However I don't think the cost of copper is really a major factor in the cost of Havens sinks or Rachiele sinks. Havens makes stainless sinks which are also very expensive - less than their copper counterparts but more expensive than mass brands.