I think a sink grid that's made for the size of the sink is pretty and very useful. I purchased one with my Kohler Bakersfield sink, it also helps prevent scratches and helps prevent glass and dish breakage if they slip out of your hands while washing.

I have a Blanco super single sink with a stainless grid. I put most of my dishes in the DW to clean but still have the occasional item that I leave in the sink to dry. The grid is helpful for that. I like the fact that any items I add to the sink are not right on the bottom. My sink won't scratch easily but the grid will still provide some protection. Also, it's easy to spray underneath to clean any stray food particles. To thoroughly clean the sink I just take it out every few days and give the sink bottom a good scrub. Not an issue with me!

I like mine. I rarely have a drain rack on the counter anymore, so I use the grid in one sink as a drain - dishes out of sight while drying!

And I like the protection a grid gives to both the sink & the to dishes. For short people (that would be me) it raises the bottom of the sink a tad (minor, but useful).

Actually the only downside I've found is that that it's an extra surface to clean - the underside of the grids can get yucky if you don't keep up with it (I admit it - I am NOT an anal cleaner!)

I have one with my Silgranite sink, and love it for all the reasons mentioned above. No more dishes sitting in standing water, raises the bottom of a deep sink, protects dishes from crashing against the hard sink.

I have a Shaw's and asked the same question here several months ago. I've ended up deciding that I like mine. It is an informal drainboard (I hate drainboards on the counter). It also helps keep the sink clean insofar as cast iron can mark on a sink (I haven't seen this firsthand, but rather observed by a poster answering my question). My mom still has those rubber things on the bottom of her sink, and they get gross -- a sink grid is a classier alternative, IMO.

Thanks for all the great feedback! You guys are so awesome--there are several things here I hadn't even thought about.

I've never had a grid until now. I love mine. It helps the sink from getting all scratched up too soon. I wash my grid weekly when I scour the sink. It's easy to clean.

We have two sinks in our new house/kitchen, have grids in both of them, and find them invaluable. Our cleanup sink is 36", single bowl, and has its drain in the upper left corner. Its grid is actually two grids, which makes each a very manageable size & can go in our dishwasher. One can be removed while leaving the other, although we rarely do that. Besides keeping the sink from getting scratched, the grid keeps things up out of water while letting the water drain away.

We bought grids for our 2 Blanco Precision sinks. I used them for about a month and decided I didn't like them and put them away for a year. Then I gave them another try. The prep sink one lasted only for a few weeks before I decided I still didn't like it but I've kept the one in the main sink--it's stayed put for 2 1/2 years now. I like being able to have stuff sitting on the bottom of the sink and water/scraps being able to run freely underneath.

I can't imagine not having a sink grid. I grew up with those Rubbermaid ones - when they get yukky enough you can just toss them & get new ones, but if you do clean them every now and againl they stay OK.

They keep the dishes from covering the drain & then having the dirty water fill the sink - the dirty water just drains away below the dishes.

With my new sink I'm getting the stainless steel grids - they fit the shape of my sink, and they're much classier. But if they weren't available I'd still buy something to use.

Franke sink with franke grids - I originally got the large one to protect the sink bottom but also bought the right hand elevated grid at the same time. I wasn't sure about the purchase at the time, but was worried about stainless sink scratching. I love them. They are coated, so dishes sound quiet when you set them down. The grid on the right acts like a strainer. Nothing is on the drainboard. I am not able to put a hot pan onto the grid because the plastic melts - found that out right off. So now I either allow the pan to cool or set it on a dish cloth. I do have to lift the grid every other day to wipe the bottom of the sink, but it's easy - I don't even have to remove it from the sink. I'm really happy I bought the two of them, which is good because they were WAY OVERPRICED!!

I also have a Franke with the grids, although I have 3, left, right and bottom, and I also LOVE them. Very expensive but I did negotiate a deal from faucetdepot.com by ordering the sink and accessories all at once. I also got the strainer which lies over the top of the sink on the right and that allows me to place hot pans there since the strainer is flat and made of stainless but not coated. I got the sink at enough of a discount that it only came to about 100.00 more for the sink with all the accessories than I would have paid elsewhere for just the sink.

What if anything does Shaw offer for accessories? A grid would certainly be helpful but an extra drainer/colander or fitted cutting board is a nice place to place things that would be too hot or stain the counter top. I don't know if all grids are plastic coated or not. The plastic makes them even gentler to glasses and quieter, but a problem for hot pots. Find out if a Shaws grid is available and if it is coated or not. I expect if a colandar/drainer is not available to fit the sink a cutting board is or could be custom made to fit.

Sue

Why does everyone prefer the grind over the rinsing basket?

I have a Shaw's also, and I love it. I don't feel that I have to baby my sink to make sure I don't scratch it. I use my sprayer to scootch things into the drain, so I don't feel i have to lift it out to clean the sink that much. It is a bit of a pain to clean the grid, but better than worrying about scratches.
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Are the SS grids dishwasher safe? That'd be easy!

SS grids are dw safe. WHAT is a rinsing basket? Are you talking about a coated wire or plastic dish rack, or something else?

The grids cover the entire bottom of the sink, and are flat. You can place a bowl or other things on them and work on them because they are a flat surface, not the same thing as a dish rack at all. They raise the bottom of the sink, protect it and keep things slightly raised up so water and food particles can flow down down past them into the sink/GD. They stay in the sink almost all the time but don't take up space in the sink like a rack does. Also since they are flat, you don't need a large space to store them in when not in use. They can go in the dishwasher.

If a drainer "basket" is not the same thing as a dish rack, I am stumped.

Sue