Tub replacement - which brand?

[IndyColtsFan]

I'm having my bathroom completely ripped apart and remodeled in a few weeks. This is my office/guest bathroom and not our master bathroom, so while I want it to look nice, I'm not looking to go overboard with fancy options (we'll do that for the master bath when we remodel it). This all started a few months ago, when I noticed hairline cracks starting to form in the existing tub. It is a fiberglass/acrylic (not sure which) one piece tub/surround that is original to the house, which was built in 1998. Rather than just rip that out and replace it, I thought we might as well be take the opportunity to do it right and remodel the bathroom, as it was on our future agenda anyway.

The question I have is regarding the tub. I need a right drain tub and any other accessories that might be needed with it (for example, if overflow kits are extra, I'll need that too). I'm leaning towards acrylic due to the weight savings (this is on the second floor), as that is an 80-100 lb tub as opposed to a 300-400 lb tub. There will be a mortar bed under it. I'm looking at Kohler and American Standard. Any pros/cons I should know about? Which would YOU prefer? Let's say the tub budget is $700.

Thanks

 

[todpod]

The drain kits generally come as kit and cover both the overflow and drain

 

[Greenman]

Acrylic tubs are ok, but cast iron is without doubt the longest lasting and most durable tub made. I just did a $500k remodel on a house and we left the sixty five year old iron tub in place because it still looked great.

If weight is a big concern, look at the Amricast tubs from American standard. They look like cast iron, they feel like cast iron, they sound like cast iron when you tap on them, and they're magnetic, just like cast iron, but they are about half the weight of cast iron.