Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Undermount Sink Quality

I am getting ready to remodel my kitchen and am wondering if there is a noticable difference in undermount sink quality among manufacturers. I can get an ElKay 3120 at Home Depot for $528 or an italian model (looks almost the same and is thicker at 16 gage) for $250. Is this a case of "you get what you pay for?" or brand-name mark-up?

Thanks!

-H-town

To some extent it is a case of you get what you pay for, and also there is the brand name markup factor to deal with as well. When we were looking for a sink there were numerous inexpensive sinks that I just knew to stay away from; the quality was just too suspect for me. I believe that Elkay uses a higher nickel content in their stainless than some of the cheaper priced off-brands which will benefit you in terms of long-term corrosion resistance and spot resistance. If you can research the italian model for this feature, you may have found a good deal. Obviously, the gage/thickness matters in terms of beefiness and feel. I spent one evening googling Elkay sinks and finally found a real low-price deal on one just the right size for a laundry sink we needed. Had to wait 3 weeks, but we had the time.