I am in the process of remodeling a bathroom in my home and I have just replaced a hideous (mustard yellow) standard bath tub with a Hydro Systems The Lacey 66x32 (acrylic). The one I purchased is just a soaking tub with no jets and cost (including shipping) approximately $1800. I have not finished the bathroom, so the only use it has gotten is being filled for weight to help set the mortar base properly. Overall I love the look of The Lacey and the quality seems high to me. I had a plumber set the tub and he also remarked about the quality. I was deciding between it and the Kohler Archer due to size constraints, and chose the Lacey to meet time constraints (manufactured closer and could be delivered earlier). The only thing to note is that the slope of the tub is on the exterior (not made on the interior with a bottom that will be parallel to the floor) and requires additional mortar in the mortar bed. Here is a link that might be useful: Hydro Systems The Lacey

I've had my eye on a Toto Clayton tile-in airbath for a while. I can't say they are any better than a kohler or other brand; we just stumbled on it because we'd already bought a toto clayton toilet and thought we might stay in the same line as we redo the bath. As for the step depth, I remember reading about the design work of Shusaku Arakawa and Madeline Gins, who believe that we can defy death through architecture. They believe that houses that are physically challenging to live in are better, and their designs are frankly crazy by any standards we are accustomed to. I rolled my eyes when I first read about their work. One of their designs required crash helmets and hiking boots to tour, and some visitors broke bones. (I couldn't make this up if I tried!). But as bizarre as their designs are (you can check out their website at reversibledestiny.org), it did make me start to wonder, what if our houses required us to move and stretch a little more than they do now? So while I don't want to live in a house where visitors regularly fall and break bones, it seems to me that a navigating a deep step into tub is not asking for that much, especially if you have grab bars in the right places and a non-slip floor next to the tub. I suppose an indigenous hunter-gatherer would roll their eyes at our sedentary coddled lifestyle and think we're crazy to live in a way that allows diabetes and heart disease to become epidemic. So go ahead and get that airbath. Maybe you'll live a little bit longer :-) Here is a link that might be useful: toto clayton airbath.

The Jacuzzi Cetra 60x32 soaking tub is 16.3 inches to the overflow valve. The 17 7/8 is to the top of the inside of the tub. The Cetra is 20.5 inches high on the outside, only 1.5 inches taller to step over than the Archer. Jacuzzi has a lifetime warranty. The Kohler Archer is 15 inches to the overflow valve. It only has a one year warranty, plus I have read many reviews about the Archer cracking. Why gamble with a Kohler, when they only back their quality with a one year warranty?

Wow, thanks bumble doodle! Tt is great to know that the tub works well as a shower. We are tall too--at least most of us (two of my teenage daughters are twins and one is 5'2" and the other is 5'10", so maybe the short one complains a bit but that's ok, since she complains about everything!) We are getting the non-jetted version. Also, I am hoping that building the deck at the front will help with the water spray. I am pushing the tub back into an alcove under the window the long way (so we get into the tub at the 32" side rather than from the 48" side) and we are trying to go without shower doors in order to make the bath feel open. With a deck, we buy a few more inches of length to help avoid water on the floor. We may not succeed and will put a panel on if we have to. Any thoughts on this?