Kohler K-1948-LA-0 Archer ExoCrylic 66 by 32-Inch Three-Side Integral Flange Bath with Apron and Left-Hand Drain, White, 60 Or More Gallons

If you only have a 66 inch alcove opening and want a good soaker tub that also works pretty well as a shower, this is a good choice. At 5'6" I can soak with my entire body up to my neck underwater, while it still being only an 18 inch step over with the tile floor installed. Put a vertical grab bar near the entrance and it's a breeze stepping in and out. Shower floor space is decent. This tub is definitely a compromise as anything trying to do everything in one bundle.Installation is rather complicated and the instructions are not for this bathtub. Nothing online either. Some good forum posts by plumbers were the only thing that kept me from giving up on this tub. Google "Kohler Archer tub installation problems forum" and you'll probably find them. Some conflicting advise out there. Shame on you Kohler.This is what worked for us.First off, the tub back(long) wall edge slopes toward the center.. A bad mold design because 1/4 cup of water will pool there after a shower and a uneven thicker grout/tub line in the middle if you install it as is. I've seen it in the 60 inch version as well; the 66 is worse because it's longer. This tub needs a ledger board bracing/pushing the center up from underneath (screws alone will not pull the center up and could crack the tub) and the tub should be set in a mortar bed to keep it solid. Instructions say mortar bed is optional, but this tub really does need it to keep it solid and avoid creaking. Also if you don't brace up the center edge on the back wall, someone could stand on the ledge while say cleaning or painting the ceiling and the tub would separate from the tile above it and possibly over stress the tub. Screws are only necessary for level setting the tub in the mortar. Use as few as possible because they have to go through the strange flange and there are no pre-drilled holes. Easy to crack the tub if you screw them in too far because there is space behind the flange.Secondly the flange on this tub is not flat., it has a edge like a hollow 1/4 round tile trim. The instructions show it as flat. If you look at the official Kohler Archer photo above, in the top right back corner you'll get an idea what I am talking about. It is even rounder than the rendered photo.On the side walls it is 3/8 rounded offset and on the back wall it's 5/8 of an inch. Your cement board/tile has to clear the flange so you have to shim out all the walls around the tub to clear this strange non flat flange. Keep this in mind if you are installing ADA grab bar backer boards. They will have a shim depth gap between cement board and backer board if you don't adjust. (longer screws perhaps?) The tile can protrude further than the cement board on the bottom, but if you don't clear the flange with the cement board, you might as well not have a flange. plus you'd have the ugly bottom of the flange showing and a mess when you try to tile against the tub.later. The plumbing rough ins also have to take into account the extra wall shim space. I had to have mine moved forward and an extension on the shower arm to compensate.So what's the tub like after you finally get it installed. I love having such a deep soaker in such a small bathroom. People complain about the mini inner arm ledge but it seems to be a water saving feature since the bottom part is smaller and takes less water to fill It's something to hook your elbows on if you sit up straight in a tub. I use it as the line to fill the tub before I get in and raise it to the overflow. The back has lumbar support as well if you sit up straight while bathing, which I don't do. Not a perfectly molded tub for body against the empty acrylic comfort, more a fairly deep tub for submerging your entire body and floating comfort. Water seems to stay hot for as long as I need it to (tub is well insulated underneath) and I like the softer forgiving feel of an acrylic tub over cast iron.The bottom surface is great for both non-slip showers and bathing butt comfort and looks good. A sort of wavy textured smooth shiny surface that seems durable so far. I got all the spots of construction mastic, grout, water proofing, plumber's grease, green board plaster off the tub with no apparent damage to the shiny finish. (Grrr, contractors) They rubbed right off sometimes with a nudge of a finger nail. Brushed, satin brass finish on drain and overflow are attractive and match my other non Kohler fixtures. Pop in drain seems to work fine. One less thing to clean around not having a drain lever on the tub.I installed a 24 inch grab bar horizontally about 8-9 inches above the tub and it comes in handy for getting up and down in the tub, holding on to something when you dunk your head, and makes a nice lean to seat while showering. It's just below the height of my palms when I stand in the tub. I highly recommend Moen grab bars for the look and price.No acrylic creaks so far and the bottom seems rock solid with the mortar base. I can only feel a tiny bit of movement if I stand right around the drain. I really like this tub and would buy it again, despite the misleading instructions Kohler provides and the rather unusual complications getting it installed right.

Very disappointed with this purchase. I would recommend staying away from purchasing large or fragile products from Amazon. I ordered a tub that arrived damaged. Returned the tub and asked for a replacement. OK, so I lost one week in shipping and exchange but Amazon upgraded the new tub at no cost. Second tub arrived, looked ok- a one inch chip off a corner but I decided it could be cosmetically covered. Otherwise tub looked fine. Installed the tub (mortar base, plumbing, tile work, etc.) and then noticed that the tub had hairline cracks develop in tub base. Amazon suggested I call manufacturer directly. Another week lost. Manufacturer rep comes out and says that the tub is not repairable. That it was most likely dropped in transit and the crack sprung from the base material and that it would continue to crack with use as the base was damaged. Called Amazon and they did refund the cost of the tub and added 300.00. Unfortunately, that only covered about half of the rip out and the installation of a new unit- and there goes another week. Lesson learned.

NIGHTMARE !!!!!!!!! ....4 TUBS ALL DEFECTIVE WOULDN'T EVEN GIVE IT A 1 STAR IF POSSIBLE

I bought this tub in the Left Hand Drain 66" Length configuration. You are forced to order the overflow drain cover and drain as an assembly as no other drain will fit like this style. I haven't installed this tub yet but I will leave an update when our project is complete.

This came damaged. Seems to be a very cheap product

Loved this tub for three years. And then out of no where a massive crack appeared at the bottom. This is no hairline crack, it's all the way through the tub. A bathtub should last longer than three years. Apparently this is not an unusual problem, based on other reviews on other websites. It's revolting that Kohler has continued to sell a product with such a major defect.