Stainless proves its mettle for kitchen and bathroom sinks

Walk into most kitchens and you'll see a stainless-steel sink. No wonder. As Consumer Reports tests found, stainless steel is virtually indestructible. And you'll see more bathrooms with stainless-steel sinks too. The look is modern yet practical and stainless steel also aced our tests of bathroom sinks.

The sinks in your kitchen and bathrooms encounter different challenges, so our tests differ slightly for each type. But both tests included sinks from major manufacturers and found the manufacturer isn't as important as the material. That's why our sink Ratings are by material. In our tests of bathroom sinks, most withstood our barrage of stains and scratches well, but heat and impact from dropped objects separated the great from the good choices. Our Ratings of eight bathroom sink materials include glass, fireclay, porcelain and solid surfacing.

In the kitchen, our tests of six sink materials revealed little difference between a stainless-steel sink that costs $115 and one that's $420, and thicker gauge stainless didn't necessarily perform better than thinner. In addition to stainless steel, our Ratings include materials that add a dash of color to your kitchen--acrylic, fireclay, enameled cast iron, enameled steel, and solid surfacing--but each of these materials has a weak spot. Use our kitchen sink Ratings to find one that fit your lifestyle and budget.