I bought a divided Americast kitchen sink a dozen years ago. A year or so later, it split open on the underside with a loud bang in the middle of the night. "Americast" is just adspeak for hard foam plastic. The company claimed bad installation. On top of that, the paint that they imply is as good as a glaze, ain't. Never again. >> Of course that is what my contractor wants to install due to the weight ...Tiling >> around will make it impossible to remove and replace. So the question >> is how to install it properly. Why is the GC calling the shots, especially on something that won't last long and is a major headache to replace? We all know the answer is that the GC is expecting it to last as long as the GC's warranty and after that it's a payable repair. And a boat payment.

We have on our wishlist the MTI. I haven't heard anything negative about them, but I haven't used one yet either. I'll attach a link to it, but also that site might be a good place to search through different brands. On the link page, note that you have to add the air bath option, so the first price you see isn't the air bath price. Might be able to get a better price elsewhere. Hope the link helps. Here is a link that might be useful: MTI

I couldn't get DH to sit in a tub in the showeroom :( This is his tub so it wouldn't matter how I liked it or didn't like it. I don't know what you're looking for but be sure and look for the measurements of the "bathing well". For example, a 30x60 tub might have a measurement of 42 to 50" long measured at the bottom of the tub and 23 (give or take) for the width. My Bain Ultra is 23 (front) and 26" (back) at the top but 18 (front) and 21" (back) where one's tush sits...didn't realize the difference 8 years ago. It's more narrow than I'd like. DH's current tub is 48" long and that's what he got in a Kohler cast iron (Bellwether). I think the width is the same too. He just said not to go any shorter than 48". I'm glad he at least went to the showroom and looked at the Americast Cambridge I almost bought. It was only 42" long due to the slope of the backrest.

You might post this in bathrooms, or building a house section. Most larger cities will have a few showrooms that have many models to look at -- any Ferguson showroom will have a lot to see (though I might not buy it there!). Most places will let you sit in the tubs, but it's hard to know what they will feel like filled with water. Some showrooms actually have the ability to add water to a few models -- but I think this is rare and only useful if it's the model you want (and you bring a swimsuit?).