A 30" sink will fit in a 30" cabinet if the sink is strapped, not clipped, in place no matter what the sink manufacturer or top fabricator tells you.

16 or 18 gauge steel is fine for a kitchen sink.

The squareness of corners is personal preference.

Thank you @Joseph Corlett, LLC as always.

When you say A 30" sink will fit in a 30" cabinet if the sink is strapped, not clipped, in place no matter what the sink manufacturer or top fabricator tells you.-- What is the customary way to do it? Are sinks usually strapped or clipped?

I chose to go with rounded corners after I pretended to clean the showroom sinks with the sharp angles. I didn't like the way it felt squeezing into the corners. So, I stuck with rounded even though they are falling out of popularity (according to salesperson).

Sinks come with clips usually; I don't recommend their use. Your stone fabricator will probably have a preferred clip method.

@cd7733 I think I prefer the rounded corners as well.

I have a Kraus khu100 32 inch. The corners are not sharp. They are slightly rounded and no problem with cleaning. The zero radius sinks may be more difficult to clean.

I have a large stainless single sink with slightly rounded corners and a center drain--love it. I did buy a generic stainless grate (with center drain hole) from Amazon to protect the sink bottom--I didn't want the whole bottom covered by the fitted grate "accessory". Some people prefer a sink with a corner drain--not sure why? but hopefully they will chime in to let you know :)

The straight corners are simply a fashion - they look more "modern". I prefer rounded.

I prefer an off center drain for 2 reasons: mostly because it make having pullouts with trash, recycling and so forth under the sink easier - more room in the front half of the cabinet. Also because I like having more working area in the sink without the drain in the center.

16 vs 18 -- probably only makes a difference if you plan to drop sledgehammers into the sink - but maybe not, in that event! Some people complain about their steel sink sounding "tinny"; perhaps the thinner gauge affects that? I don't know. They will scratch just the same.

No issues with our zero-radius Julien sink. Easy to clean, and no bunk build up in the corners.

Really enjoying our new Elkay Crosstown sink! It does not have sharp right angles (which produce corners too tight to clean easily), but it's not very rounded either. Instead, it is a wonderful middle ground between those two that looks updated/modern, but still easy to clean. Highly recommend it to you! Here are the Crosstown sinks that would fit a 30" base: https://www.elkay.com/products/catalogsearch/result/index/?minimum_cabinet_size_range=1786&q=crosstown&search-type=products

The Crosstown's drain hole is set towards the back of the sink, providing two advantages:

1. More flat space towards the front of the sink to set dishes down in.

2. More space inside the base cabinet for storage, as the plumbing from the drain is closer the the back wall of the cabinet than if the drain was in the center of the sink bowl.

The Elkay Crosstown is a "universal" sink, which means it can be either under-mounted OR dropped-in. Over the objections of our kitchen designer, we had ours installed as a drop-in, and we LOVE it!! No more cleaning under the rim with a Q-tip, nor any worries about clips/straps failing and causing the sink to fall into the cabinet base. (Which actually happened to a friend of mine when her undermounted sink attachments failed.) Also, for a smaller sized sink, installing it as a drop-in helps it to look larger: https://i.pinimg.com/474x/e5/b9/66/e5b966717cd60a11e226e5587dbd796e.jpg

Be sure your installer uses the straps, and not just adhesive!

When you are looking at different sinks, there is usually a link to the "specs" that includes a drawing with the dimensions marked. This is what you need to look at to tell if the sink will fit in your 30" base. Most manufacturers will tell you to use a 25-ish incher, but mine is 28 and fits fine.

If you strap a sink, you can ignore the manufacturer's instructions. A 30" sink will fit in a 30" cabinet; I do it all the time.

Returning here because it's getting real and I am re-reading everything in anticipation of the WORK. I know many fabricators offer a sink with the counter tops but I want to have a good idea of what I like before hand.

Also- not looking to break the bank on this. Looking for a fine quality single bowl stainless sink, design to be determined as I really don't have a preference for rounded, not rounded, offcenter drain (although it sounds like it would be wise)....etc etc.

Look for a 16 gauge or 18 gauge stainless (16 gauge is slightly thicker), and make sure it has sound dampening pads underneath. We ordered ours through our fabricator 5 years ago. It has held up beautifully--but if you are concerned, ask your fabricator about the sink warranty. Also confirm with your fabricator that sink chosen will fit your cabinet, and ask about installation method. Know which faucet you want, make sure it will fit the way you are expecting. Everything else--corners, drain location, positive or negative reveal, etc.--is personal preference.

The zero radius (or tiny radius) sinks have more of a flat bottom. I recently had a client complain that her sink didn't drain properly. That is one of the cons of the flat bottomed sinks...even though they have slight drain grooves, they won't drain as well as the old style curved sinks. You will get some minor pooling. It's the nature of their design. There are pros/cons to any design. I like the flat bottoms for soaking and setting things in to the sink. Things don't tip over.

" I know many fabricators offer a sink with the counter tops,,,"

Yes, they bought 100 Chinese sinks on a pallet for $19.99 each. They are junk. How else can you give away a "free" sink? Please don't fall for it.

Pick out the sink you please and tell them what it is. Have them strap, not clip, it in place please.

Thanks Joseph, I kind of thought that anyway. Even if it's not junk, the few I have seen are very limited in what they are offering so I figured I would look for my own. I am pretty sure I did that last time around in my old home as well. I couldn't remember the sequence though of if the sink is needed prior to countertop install but I guess it is.:) I just remember that we had to wait a day or two to actually use the sink once counters were in place.

Well, just browsing now and think I found 2 possibilities. Can anyone share their thoughts? Both are Kraus sinks slightly different dimensions, both 16 gauge and one seems to not have the flat bottom.

Any opinions? Or keep looking?

This one is not flat bottom- any experience with this type so water doesn't sit?

And then this one similar but a tad smaller. Just curious.

Am I on the right track?

This is the sink model that my clients complained about. It has drain grooves too, just like the pics you posted. This type of sink will still have some water pooling. Just make sure your faucet has a sprayer so you can rinse things down the drain.

Wow thank you @The Kitchen Place. I will definitely getting a faucet with a sprayer (pull down one handle) ...it looks like the first one I linked which is simlar to the one you show has the drain offcenter and possibly a bit more drain grooves. I am so confused as I thought THAT woudl be preferable to the totally flat bottom one ( the 2nd one I shared, that is a smidgeon smaller). Oh confusion

Oh the price we pay for beauty! They look nice...I have one myself. No regrets. But everyone is different. :-)

I am also doing a kitchen remodel. I would like a sink that is good quality and not made in China. I was considering the Franke Pescara sink because of the grate insert but now if that’s super angular and modern I am back at square one. This has been the hardest decision for me so far! I don’t know anything about stainless steel sinks we have a double bowl composite sink and are going to a single bowl.