The rustic charm of our copper sink has really won us over. We dealt with CopperSinksOnline.com and felt they had the most knowledgeable people, were safe to deal with (US company) and they were the only ones with the thicker 14 gauge copper which was really important to us for a kitchen sink. ...copper is a soft metal, so the thicker the better... We looked at another company which said they also sold on Ebay (I'm pretty sure they were Great Lakes) but they only had the thinner copper (you get what you pay for...). What I found back when I was researching these sinks was that there were a LOT of differences between the various sinks from Mexico. ....and we knew for sure we didn't want the sinks that were from other countries (read the article in the link). The sinks we got were pretty close to the pictures online but I can understand how they might all vary a bit since they are hand made. I highly recommend that you read the article I have attached as a link before you buy anything. The company also put a photo we sent them in their photo gallery. ...here is one of the farmhouse: And one of the bar sink: We chose the "dark smoke" and mixed it with some oil rubbed bronze faucets from the same company. We also use the wax they recommend and that works OK. The thickness of their sinks also meant we didn't need any sound deadening type material. There is some slight waviness in the apron front, but it has not been an issue and in fact only points out that these things are made one at a time by a real craftsperson. And with all the abuse we have put it through so far - no problems. We are really happy about our choice and our kitchen. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Buying Guide for Copper Sinks

SO much personal preference on sinks!! There is no "one right sink" that works for everyone. I didn't follow any of the "Oh you HAVE to have this and you MUST have this" crowd. I've had a double bowl sink for 20 years and had no intention or desire of going to a single bowl. Disposal on the right where I wash most dishes. Left (large) side is for drying or really large pieces. Very easy to keep my sink clean too - rounded corners - I do not like the zero radius sinks - never liked the look of them either. I don't notice any difference in 16 g or 18g - I never had any dents - cannot imagine what it would take to dent my sink - and I am not gentle. No tinny sound either. I ordered 2 or 3 18 gauge models (Krauss, Blanco, and one other I think) and sent them back as I hated the finish on them. I ended up with the 16g Koehler I had first seen and loved (way more money than I had wanted to spend but oh well) - it has a polished finish. My faucet, also a Koehler, is a polished finish too. I like a little shine in my kitchen. :-)

Beautiful job, and what an improvement!

Yes, silverlined, I don't want to spend the money that people put into the very high end sinks. But, I am definitely willing to spend more than the typical sink costs. This is a small, condo townhouse kitchen and not a huge family house. I know what the place can carry as far as investment into the kitchen. I appreciate all of the very diverse comments and am now at the point where I have decided some of the function over form advocates are perhaps correct. I will (probably) go with whatever material comes in the sink configuration I want--another huge dilemma because I don't just want a standard single basin sink and am instead looking for a drainboard or a work station configuration that is less than $1000. Thanks all.