We went with fireclay bc it's supposed to be really easy to maintain. It's been a long time, but I believe that the sink in the kitchen of my childhood home was a Kohler cast iron sink and it scratched super easily. If you didn't have a rubber mat in place, it would get these grey metallic looking scratches. I hope that's not true with the fireclay. Good luck. We agonized over this too. We used to alway pick SS bc of the ease of maintenance; so, this is a little bit of a leap of faith for us.

If you wash dishes in a short top, your navel will get really cold! Cast iron is tough stuff with a long history of use and abuse. Use a mat or plastic dishpan when you handwash your good crystal becuase it's hard, and enjoy a beautiful sink.

I was able to see one at my local plumb supply shop. They have a showroom with many products in displays so people can get a feel for them. You also might find one at a kitchen and bath store with displays. Call your plumber to see if such a showroom exist in your area. The short apron allows for regular sized doors underneath. It is installed on a standard sink base cabinet and so is often used in a remodel / refresh in which the cabinets are not being changed. This is why I used the short apron style - I was able to use my old sink base. (Pics of my kitchen in my "my pics" idea book.) I have heard that a new laminate counter can be made to have an undermount sink. I have never seen it and haven't heard anything either positive or negative about how it works out. I do not think that an older laminate counter could be changed to handle an undermount - but I don't know for sure - maybe Joe will stop by with some advice on that. (http://www.houzz.com/pro/joseph-corlett/joseph-corlett-llc) There are some granites out now that are not much more than a laminate, so look into some other options. There are some decent quartz sold through Menards and Home Depot - LG and others. You might find that waiting a few months and saving a little extra will get you more of what you want - especially if you have a functioning kitchen. I was putting away $200-$300 away a month for my kitchen. I got my countertops on a 6mo same as cash deal and also on sale at Menard'sand with a rebate - paid for half and made payments for 6 mo without interest so was able to order and get started. I rarely do that, but knew the $ would be there. Wood is also often used with undermount sinks - probably takes some care, but another option. The only overmount farm sink that I know of is the Ikea which is fireclay.

Elkay Quartz Luxe in Ricotta; color goes all the way through, unlike cast iron. Buy the grate for the bottom.