Don't know about the bellwether, but I'm impressed with the Expanse, which helps take the constricted feel from a usual 5' inset tub... it really opens up space for a roomier soaking-tub experience whilst retaining the existing 5' x 32" enclave, expanding to a 38" width only at the center. It's also nice and deep. Good tub.

Hi mh_bath, I wasn't entirely sure you are asking me, but since mine is the only pic that shows the horizontal overflow, I'm going to guess yes, so here's the answer: The overall length is 6'3". I am not sure whether using the horozontal overflow (rather than some other design) increases the depth or not... but it's a really nice deep soak. You can check specs for water depth; I do recall that this tub had a deeper maximum fill than many others I looked at. We set ours in a mud bed for stability and insulated all around it and it's wonderful... very solid feeling and keeps the water warm a looooooong time :)

My acrylic Bain Ultra air tub was set in a bed of mud with a piece of think plastic between the mud and tub. This was done for the ease of removing the tub if ever the need arises. It's as solid feeling on the bottom as my husband's Kohler cast iron tub. As for cleaning, that's a different story. You're not supposed to use anything abrasive on acrylic. Believe it or not, Scrubbing Bubbles is considered abrasive :( That's been my go to tub cleaner for years. To clean my acrylic tub RIGHT, I use Gel Gloss. It's a pain (literally!). You spray it on, let it sit, buff it and let it dry and then wipe the residue. When I'm in a pinch for time or physically limited, I will use Scrubbing Bubbles. There are very few non abrasive cleaners out there. One Bain Ultra suggested was Lemon scent Lysol. NOTHING works better than Scrubbing Bubbles!

I renovated the bathroom in my condo last year, which included replacing the tub. The enamel on the old tub (installed in the 1970s) was very scratched. The new one is a a Bootz porcelain on steel tub. It's only been about 15 months since the renovation was completed but I have no problems so far. The non-slip bottom is not difficult to keep clean. I use Barkeeper's Friend cleaner (easily available in stores and not expensive) per the manufacturer's instructions. I went with porcelain on steel because I live on the second floor of an apartment building, and since the old one was not cast iron I didn't know if the weight of a new cast iron tub would be a problem. I went with Bootz on the recommendation of my contractor, who has installed a bunch of them with no complaints. A neighbor refinished their tub a few years back and the fumes were terrible.