I run a sink replacement business. I'd install any of those fine quality sinks. The finish on the Blanco's is second to none, however, you're going to pay for it. And the brighter the finish, the more the scratches show.

If you want the stainless look in a composite sink, order the free Elkay Silvermist sample chip please.

Joseph Cortlett, thank you. This is a beautiful sink. I ordered some sample colors. Thought I had my heart set on stainless steel but looking at this one is making me think I need to go see one. Most reviews on this are excellent. I did see one reviewer on the Elkay website say hers cracked when she was draining boiling pasta into the sink. Elkay replied recommending to always run cold water when pouring boiling water into the sink. I can follow the rules but not sure family or friends cooking in my kitchen would know to do that if I wasn’t hovering. Always has to be one negative reviewer to get into your head, right? BTW, I like that positive reveal pictured above.

Joseph Cortlett, we visited the plumbing showroom today. Narrowed it down to three choices. All are single bowl sinks.

1. Stainless steel Elkay Crosstown (not the work station) with an offset drain. The girl in the showroom told us she has this sink. She said anytime she has scratched it it is buffed out easily and that it does not water spot like a Kohler does. True? The bottom grid is included.
2. Elkay Quartz Luxe in Silvermist like you previously recommended. The only downside to this one is that you cannot get this in an offset drain, only a center rear drain. I love the feel and the color of this sink so much. She tried to demonstrate how it wouldn’t scratch and got a little aggressive and I think she may have actually scratched it.
3. Elkay Quartz Classic in either dusky gray or black. This one has an offset drain. However if I bought a grid for this or the Luxe from the same manufacturer, the grid is ridiculously expensive. Would I need the grid?
   The stainless steel sink is least expensive and the difference between Luxe and Classic is negligible. Is it worth it to give up the offset drain to get the nicer Luxe? Other thoughts?

@TJ what sink did you get?

Gwen:

Sorry, I just saw your post. Oh well, better late than never:

"She said anytime she has scratched it it is buffed out easily and that it does not water spot like a Kohler does. True?"

False. All stainless spots the same. Spray some Stainless Steel Magic and you'll get no spots.

The Elkay Quartz Luxe will scratch, but you've really got to make an effort. Scratches can be removed, but matching the factory finish afterward is problematic.

You don't need the grid. I have custom basin racks fabricated for my custom sinks and charge $600.00 for them. That's ridiculously expensive.

The Classic is a fine sink, but the Luxe is the best composite sink I know of.

Susanna F…I went with Joseph’s favorite-Elkay Luxe in Silvermist! It’s currently sitting in my living room in its shipping box. We’ve been without a kitchen for 4+ weeks. Finally we are in the schedule for cabinet installation to begin next week.

@TJ Are you happy with the Elkay Luxe in Silvermist? Does the color resemble stainless? I saw a small sample in a showroom, and it looked very close to the charcoal color.

Lori, we love the silvermist! In my opinion it’s lighter than the charcoal. I love the feel of the Luxe finish as well. I think it looks good with the stainless appliances. Still deciding on backsplash.

@TJ thank you for the feedback! It does look nice!