How often will you use the tub? For example, I know we'll use ours at most a dozen times a year so I'm planning on getting one of the less expensive cast iron tubs. If you're going to use it a lot, then spend the money on a better brand.

What style is your bathroom? We just put in a simple contemporary tub from American Standard (Coastal model) and are quite pleased with it. We wanted to go with a name brand, but didn't want to spend a fortune. We looked at tubs costing up to $3K (and it's easy to spend much more). The one we got had a list price of about $2800, but we found it online for about $1600, including free home delivery.

I purchased a free-standing, composite soaking tub from Devon & Devon (D&D) (they have a clawfoot, but I chose a different style). Two advantages of composite over acrylic: it holds the heat, and scratches or stains can be easily "buffed out" with light sand paper. The D&D tub has a satin-like matte finish. I use Windex to clean it.

D&D is pricey, but after trying out tubs for months, it was my favorite, and I was willing to wait several more months for delivery. Other brands I considered: Wetstyle (from Canada), Bain Ultra, Toto, Kohler, Duravit, Blu Bathworks, Mti, Hydrosystems, Axor, and T&L. Zucchetti and V&A tubs were tempting - but I didn't like the look of the exposed drain pipe.

Kudzu what tub is that?

American Standard Coastal