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'STEEL' YOURSELF SOME STAINLESS KNOWLEDGE

'STEEL' YOURSELF SOME STAINLESS KNOWLEDGE

🤜🤛 304 VS 301 Stainless Steel 🤜🤛

Did you know that stainless is still the most popular material for kitchen sinks? I'm sure you had an inkling, but what you may NOT know is that there are different grades of stainless.  And if you are in the market for sink, and are seeing a big range in prices between two sinks that look pretty similar, chances are they are made out of a different grade of stainless.  Today you will encounter 301 stainless and 304 stainless.  Let's break down the differences. 

To start, stainless steel is made of three major components; Chromium, Nickel and Carbon.

Chromium, one of the more expensive materials in making stainless steel, is known for it's capabilities to maintain a sink's luster. It keeps that new shine to your sink for years to come, combating oxidation and corrosion.

Nickel, the other expensive little ingredient in stainless steel guarantees the sinks strength and hardness.

Lastly, carbon, the inexpensive piece, insures the metal's performance, so it's flexible enough to be pressed and manipulated with ease of workability.

Now, the MEAT and POTATOES:

Type 301 stainless steel consists of less chromium and less nickel to save on costs, and has a higher percentage of carbon at .015% . With the carbon amount being almost double that found in 304, type 301 steel makes for a more malleable material, not to mention cheaper costs of fabrication. And with nickel percentages in type 301 being in the 6-8% range + lower percentages of chromium as well, this sink is more vulnerable to wear and tear including corrosion and sensitization.

Corroded 301 Stainless Sink

We'd recommend Type 301 stainless steel for low traffic and light-use products such as picture frames, cabinet hardware, and bathroom accessories like towel rings and bars.

Type 304 stainless steel has a minimum chromium content of 18% and Nickel content of 8 -10.5% making it the more expensive choice, and the quality choice. Being made with .08% carbon content, this stainless steel sink is right in range for good workability and performance, with less carbon-caused drawbacks. Type 304 is the industry grade steel for food and beverage processing, hospitals, clinics, laboratories and restaurants. This steel will not go through sensitization or corrosion like it's counterpart, and is immune to the acids found in milk, meats, fruits and veggies. 304 is also unaffected by sterilizing solutions, organic chemicals and a vast range of non organic chemicals.

Cost & Savings...

Though initially the cost of your 301 stainless steel sink will seem less, grade 304 will save you in the long run, eliminating many eminent cleaning-supply- induced head aches and ultimately replacement costs. [If you haven't decided yet, choose grade 304, Directsinks.com did and we haven't had a complaint about corrosion yet.]

 

 

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Next article Questions and Answers about BLANCO SILGRANIT

Frequently Asked Questions About Kraus


Kraus has been, and continues to be, one of our most recommended brands for several reasons. The Kraus product quality is consistently high. On par and often exceeding the finish, features, and styles of brands priced a lot higher. Speaking of which, the brand is priced extremely well. Kraus’ popularity has grown exponentially and demand for their sinks and faucets is not slowing down. This leads us here: Questions and Answers about Kraus that, we at DirectSinks, are asked quite often. If you have other questions not mentioned below, please call, email, or stop in!

Kraus was founded in 2007. They are headquartered in Port Washington, NY.

Really good actually! The majority of Kraus Kitchen Sinks are made of 16-gauge stainless steel, which is more than adequate regarding thickness of the metal. The sinks have a generous amount of undercoating and padding which results in a very quiet sink. The faucets are very well made and easy to install. We recommend their products to our own friends and family, and we also have their sinks, faucets, and accessories in our own homes.

Kraus' Full Warranty can be seen here

We Summarized the Kitchen Sink and Faucet Info Below

Faucet Warranty - Lifetime Limited Warranty

Kraus USA Plumbing, LLC (“Kraus”) extends this warranty to the original purchaser for personal household use of the Faucet when purchased from an authorized Kraus dealer and in the location of original installation. This warranty is non-transferable.

Kraus warrants the structure and finish of the Faucet to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal usage for as long as the original purchaser resides in the residence in which the Faucet was first installed.

Kraus warrants the Faucet's sprayhead assembly (including the engine, aerators, structure, restrictors, back flow preventers, sprayer hoses, braided supply line hoses which encompasses nylon, silicon and stainless steel) of the product to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal usage for a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase.

Kraus warrants the Faucet's cartridge to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal usage for a period of five (5) years from the date of purchase.

Any product reported to the authorized dealer or to Kraus as being defective within the warranty period will be repaired or replaced with a product of equal value at the option of Kraus.

Kitchen Sink Warranty - Lifetime Limited Warranty

Kraus USA Plumbing, LLC (“Kraus”) extends this warranty to the original purchaser for personal household use of the Kitchen Sink when purchased from a Kraus authorized dealer and in the location of original installation. This warranty is non-transferable.

Kraus warrants the structure and finish of the Kitchen Sink to be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal usage for as long as the original purchaser resides in the residence in which the sink was Kitchen Sink was first installed.

Any product reported to the authorized dealer or to Kraus as being defective within the warranty period will be repaired or replaced with a product of equal value at the option of Kraus.

Absolutely. If you call their offices, they actually pick up. If you write in, they respond.

Business Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am to 8:00pm (EST)
Address: 12 Harbor Park Drive Port Washington, NY 11050
Call: (Kraus Customer Service): 1-800-775-0703
Text Kraus At: (631) 212-0703 (Message and data rates may apply.)
Email Kraus Directly:Info@KrausUSA.com

Not normally. First, if you dig into the internet deep enough, you will find a complaint about every sink brand and rust.
Kraus is often mentioned simply because of the popularity of the brand.
Most frequently, something that looks like rust shows up in the first few weeks after the sink is installed.
Why? During the countertop fabrication process a very fine dust is created (like sawdust from wood, but very fine). If this dust is on the sink after installation and gets wet, it may show oxidation on the surface of the sink.We see this as the most common cause. Typically after the sink is thoroughly cleaned after installation, no stains will show up. Another situation that can cause a stain or mark is if something is left in the sink and it's wet, especially flatware, pots and pans, and steel wool. The composition of your water can also contribute to this. Water with high iron content will leave stains frequently.

Really great information about this can be found here, at Bar Keepers Friend

Kraus typically has the items shipped in 2-3 days. Most items will ship with UPS from their New Jersey warehouse. Some small items, such as faucets or accessories may ship out of their N.Y. location.

No, unfortunately our clients can not pick up from Kraus

DirectSinks will often have various faucets and sinks at our location. Generally, these items are stocked for our local clients such Kitchen and Bath Designers, Builders, and Countertop fabricators. If you are on Long Island and want to pick up something from us, please call first. We do not keep stock of everything. Please call and ask before making the trip!

Normally, you won't find Kraus on display. However, exceptions are out there. We have several Kraus faucets and sinks on display in our Cabinet Showroom. Some of our local Kitchen and Bath clients also show some various Kraus items.

Observations and Opinions

Kraus Ruvati Advantage
Overall Quality Excellent Excellent Both Great
Warranty Limited Lifetime Limited Lifetime Both Great
Availability
  • Low out of stock issues.
  • Pre-Order from inbound shipments available
  • Out of stock items shipped earlier than expected
  • Low out of stock issues
  • Pre-Order from inbound shipments not available
  • Out of stock items shipped when expected
✓ Kraus
Customer Service Consistently Excellent with Great Communication Inconsistent & lack communication ✓ Kraus
Style & Design Vast Selection of Kitchen Sinks and Faucets
Decent, but more common bathroom sink designs
Vast Selection of Kitchen Sinks, No Faucets
Large Varity of Bathroom Sink Options with many unique options, including stainless steel. No Bathroom Faucets
✓ Kraus if you need a Kitchen Sink & Faucet
✓ Ruvati if you are looking for a Bathroom Sink
Value and Price 30" Small Radius Undermount Sink
KHU100-30, Standard Online Price $329.95
Often has Sales. In this exact example, the Kraus sink has been on sale for less than the Ruvati
30" Small Radius Undermount Sink
RVH7300, Standard Online Price $299.00
Infrequently has Sales
Can go either way.
Kraus often has sales that bring this example to their advantage
Check the current pricing with the links below:
Kraus KHU100-30
Ruvati RVH7300