ᐅ Your experiences with sinks, countertops, and more?

Good morning,

I’m planning to install an IKEA kitchen :p so I need a new sink and countertop. I have the following questions:

1. What is the quality of stainless steel sinks?
Can you see every scratch? Dents?
Would you choose one again?
Maybe there is a clear no-buy recommendation for a specific model?

Currently, I have a kind of plastic sink (similar to IKEA’s), but unfortunately, it can’t be installed flush-mounted (the IKEA one apparently can’t either), only undermount... 🙄

2. Countertop
Originally, I was thinking about granite, but the quartz options from IKEA might also work.
Hmm... with acrylic, you can have the sink made as one seamless piece. Can anyone share experience with this material? According to the catalog, it’s not very scratch-resistant... And I want it to be moisture-resistant (also acid-resistant) 🙄

So, welcome are advice, tips, your everyday experiences, and the resulting outcomes such as chipping, scratches, repurchase (?), complaints, customer service in case of defects, and much more.

Wishing everyone a great Sunday,
Hochglanz