Cast is still king, for durabillity & longevity, followed by stainless.These
are good choices for "chefs" kitchen.You can go to various plastics for
light use or designer looks.

No one has mentioned Quartz composite sinks. These can be simple white or
colors or "designer" stone looks. 80% Quartz crystals and 20% acrylic resin.
These sinks look great and are hard as stone. They withstand any houshold
cleaner (including Comet & Ajax) and you won't stain it with tomato sauce or
red wine.

Quarts composite sinks are far superior to scratch resistance and stains than
any other composite surface (including the designer solid surface sinks built
into various makers solid surface counter tops).

These sinks have the thickness of a cast iron sink, excellent sound damping and
superior heat retention.

Quartz composite sinks should not be confused with solid surface composit
materials or acrylic sinks. They allow for the designer looks of solid surface
composites with the wear and performance of cast iron.

Simply, the best of both worlds.

J.P.