I recently met with a customer in Southern Indiana who had begun to order our Cygnet 16 gauge Infinity Sinks after a period of not ordering. I thanked her for her orders and said, “Glad to have you back. Can I ask why you came back to the Infinity sinks after using the less expensive sink you were using?”
“I had three of the cheap sinks,” she said,” where the customers put in new high-power garbage disposals, and the vibration pulled the sink off the underside of the countertop.”
At a trade show in Nashville a few months ago, a gentleman came up to our booth and asked if he could install a garbage disposal in our sinks. We told him that they were all rated for at least 1.5 horsepower disposal and we asked him why he asked. He pointed to a granite fabricator an aisle over and said, “That is my countertop contractor, and he told me I could not install a garbage disposal in the free sink that came with my top.”
Twenty years ago, most garbage disposals were ½ horsepower. Today in 2019, ¾ horsepower is the minimum, and they can be as high as 1 ½ horsepower.
One big box store we visited recently had just sold a pallet of 1 ¼ horsepower disposals.
Another big box store had sinks marked, “Rated for 1/2 horsepower garbage disposals.”
Inexpensive sinks, even those sold as 16 gauge, are often thinner than the 16 gauge Cygnet sinks, which are made from heavier South Korean steel and are welded sinks. For information on why welded sink are better, watch the video here; https://cygnetsinksandfaucets.com/product-knowledge-videos/
Sinks are a small investment when compared to a new countertop, but it seems that many fabricators and consumers choose to install a cheaper sink to save money on their very expensive Granite, Quartz, or other hard-surface countertop project.
Here is a checklist of the minimum that a Consumer should look for in a sink.
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304 Stainless Steel so it will match stainless steel appliances, the shine will last and will not age like other grades of steel
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UPC certification so it meets building code
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Welded 16 gauge sink that is heavier so it will be quieter and work with heavier garbage disposals.
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Check for sound pads; the more sound pads, the cheaper the sink. Infinity sinks have a condensation pad on the bottom. Cheap sinks have sound pads on the bottom and the sides made of recycled tires with the odor of rubber.