Here’s a buying guide you need if you’re looking for the best stainless steel sink you can find. Check out our recommendations and the factors to consider. Opting to go with the best stainless steel sink when you’re renovating your kitchen is a sensible choice these days. The price is right, it looks nice enough, and it’s very easy and quick to clean. They’re very durable too. All these reasons help explain why stainless steel is actually the most popular material to make kitchen sinks. So deciding to get a stainless steel sink for your kitchen is easy enough to do. What’s not so easy is deciding on which particular stainless steel kitchen sink to get. To help you out, here’s our list of excellent kitchen sinks made from stainless steel:
5 Best Stainless Steel Sink Reviews 2020
Ruvati 33-inch x 22-inch Drop-in Topmount 16 GaugeRVH8001 (Editor’s Choice)
The Ruvati is renowned in the kitchen accessories industry, and it’s a fixture in many kitchen showcases. This particular kitchen sink exemplifies just why the brand has earned so much recognition.
Features:
- The rim is an inch wide and ¼-inch high to give you that solid and modern aesthetic. The 1-inch rim allows for secure fastening.
- The bowl is 10 inches deep to provide lots of space.
- This uses 16-gauge steel.
- It’s pre-drilled with 4 holes for accessories, with plugs for 3 holes if you’re not using them.
- It uses premium T-304 stainless steel with 18% nickel and 10% chromium.
- You have an artisan-grade brushed satin finish, which actually hides scratches and goes well with the look of your other kitchen appliances.
- There’s heavy duty padding on the underside and all the sides for noise insulation and thermal insulation against condensation.
- The bottom is slanted with drain grooves to guide the water directly to the drain.
- The standard 3.5-inch drain opening will fit any garbage disposal unit
- The purchase comes with a bottom rinse grid, basket strainer drain assembly, cutout template, mounting clips, and an installation guide.
- You have a limited lifetime warranty.
- This looks great, and it will look nice for a long time as it hides inevitable scratches. You even protect the bottom from scratches with the use of the bottom rinse grid. It’s durable as well, and that’s supported by the lifetime warranty. It’s even easy to install.
- It’s not too noisy to use, and you’re also protected against insulation. The slanting bottom with grooves convenient directs the water towards the drain. The basket strainer drain also traps the food waste so it’s easy to empty this into the trash.
- You may want the slope of the bottom to be greater so food bits go more easily towards the drain. The sharp angles on the sides and bottom may also look nice, but these do make the sink a bit harder to clean.
Zuhne Prato 36 Farmhouse Apron Deep Single Bowl 16-gauge
Zuhne is another one of those brands that manage to combine kitchen sink efficiency and practicality with impressive aesthetics. This bow’s overall size is 36″L x 20.75″W x 10″H., with the size of the inner bowl at 33″L x 16″W x 10″H. This can be installed under mount or inbuilt with the top flush with the countertop.
Features:
- This uses industrial-grade 16-gauge T-304 stainless steel, which is thicker than most standard kitchen sinks. This means it’s less likely to dent, warp, or bow even under heavy cookware.
- The scratch-resistant satin finish offers corrosion resistance and long-lasting sheen, with a subtly elegant look and a natural pattern.
- It has a 3.5-inch drain that should match with your garbage disposal unit, and draining is easy with the sloped bottom.
- It has insulation and padding to provide noise absorption for quieter garbage disposal. The design prevents condensation that can damage your kitchen cabinets, and helps to maintain constant water temperature to minimize the waste of hot water.
- Your purchase comes with the 3-pc stainless steel basket strainer, bottom grid, mounting hardware, and cutout template.
- The quality of the sink has been verified by respected 3rd-party organizations to exceed various industry standards such as UPC, CUPC, ANSI, and IAPMO.
- It also comes with a limited lifetime warranty along with free returns with no questions asked.
- The stainless steel is certainly tough enough to handle the cookware.Its 10-inch depth means you don’t get splashed and you’re able to fit in lots of plates and pans. The corners are somewhat curved so it should be easier to clean with a scrub or a sponge.
- Its quality is undeniably high, as it exceeds all industry quality standards. The limited lifetime warranty and the ease in which you can return this attest to how confident Zuhne is about how hood their sinks are.
- It looks good and it works great, and these are more than enough. It’s even easy to clean.
- The installation may not be all that easy, especially for DIY newbies. So you may want a plumber to do the work for you.
Kraus KHF203-36 36 inch Farmhouse Apron 60/40 Double Bowl 16-gauge
You’ll need a minimum cabinet size of 36 inches for this, as it measures 35.87 inches L x 20.75 inches W x 10 inches D on the outside. This purchase includes a bottom grid, basket strainer, drain assembly, Kraus kitchen towel, and a cutout template. With its round “apron-front” design, you can install this beneath the counter so the sink transitions seamlessly to the countertop.
Features:
- This also uses 16-gauge T304 stainless steel, which means it is 1.5mm thick. It’s resistant to rust and corrosion and to dents as well.
- The 60/40 spilt basin gives you a lot of flexibility for kitchen tasks
- It comes with a 3.5-inch standard drain to suit your garbage disposal unit, with a sloped bottom to guide the water. The gentle angle of the slope is effective enough to drain the bottom quickly, but it’s not too extreme that your glasses will tip over on the sink bottom.
- You have gentle curves on the corners of the sink to make it easier to clean.
- This employs advanced “NoiseDefend” soundproofing technology. First you have extra-thick pads on at least 80% of the kitchen base to absorb the noise from the garbage disposal and the dishwashing. Then it incorporates sound barrier technology to deaden the sound. The protective undercoating also prevents the buildup of condensation that can ruin the kitchen cabinet.
- The satin finish for the sink is resistant to wear.
- This easily accommodates large dishes, while its overall look can fit into various types of kitchen interior designs. This will continue to look great as it is resistant to corrosion and rust and it’s easy enough to clean with just a damp cloth.
- Obviously, the most notable feature is its impressive soundproofing technology, as it employs various features to keep the ruckus down. It’s also certified to meet various industry standards. It also comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
- Admittedly, the front apron looks nice. But you need to be careful with metal belt buckles and trouser buttons that can scratch your sink.
Kraus Standart PRO KHU102-3333-inch 16 Gauge Undermount 50/50 Double Bowl
Some people prefer the 50/50 basin split configuration, so you don’t waste time figuring out which basin can accommodate which piece of cookware. The sink is actually quite spacious with the measurements on the outside at 32 3/4” L x 19” W x 10” D.
Features:
- It’s made with tough 1.5mm thick 16-gauge T304 stainless steel.
- It also comes in a commercial-grade satin finish that’s resistant to corrosion and rust, easy to clean, and complementary with most looks in the kitchen.
- The gentle slope drains the water quickly, but it won’t topple glasses.
- The rounded corners should make it easy to clean.
- It also comes with the NoiseDefend technology that uses thick pads and sound-deadening engineering. The protective undercoating also helps to quiet things down, and it also prevents the buildup of condensation to protect your kitchen cabinet.
- This is very convenient to use with the double bowl, and it certainly looks great. It’s designed to last and it comes with a limited lifetime warranty. Again its quiet nature is terrific, so you can have quiet conversations in the kitchen while you’re doing the dishes. It’s easy to clean too.
- Not everyone will find this very easy to install, however. You may need extra clips to support the weight of the clip. In fact, you may need a plumber to just install this for you.
Ruvati RVH8050 33″ x 22″ Drop-in Topmount 60/40 Double Bowl
When you buy this 60/4- double bowl kitchen sink, you also get 2 bottom rinse grids, 2 basket strainer assemblies, a cutout template, and mounting clips. Its measurements should suit most drop-in sink cutouts.
Features:
- This uses T304 stainless steel.
- The commercial-grade brushed finish hides scratches.
- It comes with thick rubber padding and heavy-duty “Soundguard” undercoating to minimize noise and condensation.
- The bottom is sloped with drain grooves along with a 3.5-inch drain.
- It has a limited lifetime warranty.
- This is convenient to use and it looks great too. What’s more, it’s not as noisy as many other kitchen sinks. You can expect this to last for a very long time as well.
- The sharp inside corners make the sink a bit harder to clean. Also, it only comes with a single predrilled hole for a faucet.
How to Choose the Best Stainless Steel Sink
Picking one stainless steel sink isn’t simply going for the cheapest. Nor is it about just getting the most expensive under the assumption that it will be best. Instead, you should read the product descriptions and customer reviews and focus on the following considerations.
Gauge
When it comes to stainless steel gauge, the lower number is actually better. The higher the gauge such as 22-gauge, the more prone the steel will be to dent and vibrate. It will be less able to deal with the garbage disposer. Many high-gauge sinks are also quite thin around the edges, so they’re not as able to support the weight of a high-quality faucet.
Bowl Configuration
A single bowl works best for small kitchens. You can go with a divider for double or triple sinks for discrete work areas, as long as you make sure the area of the sinks can actually accommodate your dishes and pans.
Bowl Depth
You may not want to go with 6-inch-deep basins, since they can’t really hold much plus there’s the tendency of splashing. A deeper sink is better, though it shouldn’t be too deep that you might strain your back when you use it. If you’re going with a deeper sink, make sure you have enough space underneath for your plumbing and disposers.
Bowl Shape
A round basin may look nice, but you get more volume with straight sides and square corners. You should have soft angles though to make cleaning a lot easier
Noise Reduction
Stainless steel sinks can be annoyingly noisy with all the clatter, so you may want to check if it has rubber under-coatings or pads. These deaden the noise, and they also reduce the condensation.
300 Series with a Satin Finish
The 300 series contains 8% nickel and 18% chromium. This formula offers peak resistance to corrosion and stains. So check the sink and if it holds a magnet, it’s not a 300 series.
Finally, go with a satin finish for the stainless steel if you can fit it into your kitchen interior design colors. The lustrous finish generally develops a better patina over time compared to stainless steel with matte finish.
Number of Holes for Accessories
It’s best if you have plenty of holes to accommodate the installation needs of your faucets and other accessories. If you only have a single hole, then you won’t be able to put in a 3-home faucet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s a good gauge for the stainless steel sink?
At the most it should be 18-gauge, which means it is 0.0500 inches thick. The 16-gauge is thicker at 0.0625 inches, but this is often more expensive.
What’s the most common size for a kitchen sink?
On average, the kitchen sink is about 24 inches deep, about 36 to 42 inches high, and about 24.25 to 26 inches wide.
Can you clean a stainless steel sink without leaving scratches?
You can, starting with a quick wash and rinse of the sink while you remove the dishes and any bits of food from the drain. Then sprinkle some baking soda over the whole sink. You can then use a soft sponge to scrub the basin using circular movements.
What if you have scratches on the sink?
You can always buy non-toxic cleaners that can get rid of minor scratches. For more serious scratches, you can use some sandpaper.
Conclusion
A stainless steel sink is a great choice for your kitchen, but it matters a lot which particular model you get. Pick the best stainless steel sink that fits your cabinet, and you will have an easier time washing dishes while your kitchen looks better as well.
