Sinks..any other options apart from stainless steel, butler style or silgranit?

[linspins]

I've chosen our new kitchen cabinets, but am in a dilemma about the sink. We've has a silgranit with sink for the last six years, and whilst it's ok, it does stain quite a bit, and I have to bleach it. I love the look of butler sinks in ceramic, but know I would smash stuff all the time from dropping in in by mistake. Stainless steel in what we always had as a kid and my parents swear by them, but not sure....
Are there any other options?
Our current Silgranit one looks a bit like this

butler sinks went out of fashion for a reason, they are an ergonomic disaster.

stainless steel looks best and is lowest maintenance. Not ideal to have to keep chucking bleach about.

We have a dark grey/black sink like the one above - I love it (didn't know it was called silgranit!)

if it's for using, there's nothing to beat brushed stainless steel.

For a showroom dispay, there are more options.

I would agree for practicality ss cannot be beaten. Depending on how much hand washing up you do and the worktop by the sink an undercounter mounted one looks quite smart with either no draining board or if you have granite groove cut into the worktop. This would only work if you largely use a dishwasher though. I've done the butler sink thing - never again. I have also watched my friend scrubbing her moulded corian one. .

Thanks all, I thought this might be the case. I hadn't considered a grey Silgranit sink, may ponder on that. Our one was cream. My kitchen is def for using, working, and not showroom. I might start a thread called ' have you got a smart brushed steel sink? ' for links! I do prefer a draining board rather than under mounted, and will be having oak surfaces. I guess the key will be to get a quality stainless steel one that is nice and thick and solid.

Anything on here ?

www.rangemaster.co.uk/products/sinks/stainless-steel-sinks

We have a schock sink. We have a beige colour which is a bit stain attracting but you can get black.

Astracast Bistro sink, fantastic.

It sits on the unit, and goes right back to the wall, so it sits flush with no dirt crevices and there is no worktop under it, making it very suitable for wooden worktops.

I'm voting for PigletJohn's Astrocast. I have a moulded ss sink in a ss worktop - but the principle is the same - no crevices between sink / wall / worktop.

This is unashamed displacement activity - I don't need a new sink (can you tell I am supposed to be spring cleaning.)

pim-kitchensystems.franke.com/pimimages_lr/img_2/PP001_122.0176.486.jpg

We are just having this undermounted in a quartz worktop. It has a really big sink that fits oven shelves etc and we use the smaller for the waste disposal unit.

Ours is a Schock Viola, I think. Just had a look at the Astracast ones - they do a nice ss Belfast-style one.

I've had 3 Belfast sinks over 15 years in 3 houses and I've honestly never had a problem with them! They're huge, so great for large pans, I've never smashed anything in them and they don't give me back ache. In fact, unless you don't have a dishwasher and wash everything by hand, I cant understand why 5 minutes at any sink would give you back ache

One and a half bowl stainless steel sinks are so useful in a working kitchen. I know they don't look glamourous but they're just so damn handy.

I liked our ceramic sink. Normal shape like a stainless steel one, with integral draining board, but made of ceramic (I think) like a butler's sink. Completely fine with bleach, didn't stain, shine-able, stayed looking cleaner than stainless steel.

I think stainless steel can look very tidy, they are not all the same as the old cheap ones. You can also get ceramic sinks in the shape of a modern sink with 1.5 bowls, drainer etc. We haven't (so far) smashed anything in ours, they are not as fragile as you might think. Both of these options can be neglected for weeks and brought up sparkling with a bit of Barkeepers friend. We've got the IKEA butler sink which is only as deep as a normal sink, but it doesn't fit very well on non -Ikea units.

I would not have any kind of "rok/granit" composite sink again. Stain attracting and horrible. Pale colours stain, dark colours lighten with tiny scratches and cleaning. What possessed people to think it was a suitable material for a sink with user instructions like "dry with a soft cloth after every use"?

Unless you have a dishwasher definitely get a sink with a proper draining board. "Drainage grooves" are decoration only.

Astracast Bistro here, I love it!
I intend to replace all the sinks in our rental properties with Astracast Bistro sinks.
Rangemaster do a similar style, - high quality "sit on" stainless steel sink made by Haefele.