If you have just finished the planning phase of your remodeling project that required a decision between sinks with one, two, or three basins, don't move on just yet because there are still a few factors to consider regarding the purchase of the best stainless steel sink for your kitchen. These factors include:

• Depth – With sinks, deeper is better up to a point. If you go too shallow, the lower total capacity may result in dirty pots and pans sitting on the counter until you get around to washing them. A basin that is too deep may be able to hold loads of cookware and dishes but may lead to back strain while washing dishes at the bottom of the sink. Keeping the depth of the sink around ten inches will deliver a happy medium of ample capacity and easy access.
• An outer layer of rubberized insulation – The application of a layer of hard rubber insulation on the outside of a stainless steel basin will deaden the noise of utensils, water, pots, and pans that go into the basin. If you've ever dropped a spoon in a stainless steel sink and were surprised at how much noise it made, you have experienced an untreated stainless steel sink.
• Lower numbers represent higher grades of stainless steel – It may sound counterintuitive but when it comes to stainless steel, the lower the grade, the better. Look for stainless steel rated at 304, which carries the highest level of durability. This grade is also referred by the ratio of 18/8, which represents the respective percentages of chromium and nickel in the stainless steel. Higher stainless steel grades, 403 for example, carry higher levels of ferrous metals, which can oxidize or rust when exposed to water, an undesirable outcome for a sink. For an easy test of quality, the higher the degree of attraction to a magnet, the lower the quality of the stainless steel.   
• Lower gauge numbers also represent thicker stainless steel – Thin stainless steel tends to     vibrate and shake more than thicker sheets due to a lower level of stability. The thickest stainless steel used in sinks carries a gauge rating of 18 while the low end will have gauges of 22 or 23. If you're wondering why you're getting such a great deal on a sink, it's probably because the grade and gauge numbers are at the high end of the range, which isn't a good thing.

Buying the best quality stainless steel sink for your remodeling project may not seem like a high priority during the planning stage, but it should be. Unfortunately, you may not realize the importance of this point until you hear the unusually loud clatter of a spoon hitting the bottom of the basin.