> I called American Standard, and they said that the Cambridge isn't really deep; it's just wide

Well, actually it is pretty deep. I don't know who you were talking to about that, but I've seen the cambridge in person several times. It's not as deep as something like the Kohler bancroft, but it is much deeper than a standard builder alcove tub.

Honestly, whatever you decide I think that cheaping out on a tub is the very worst place in the whole bathroom to do it, because it's the most expensive thing there is to change again. Get cheap tile, a cheap sink, a cheap toilet, but choose a tub that will last. You can replace the others much more easily.

Believe me, I hear what you're saying. The only problem is, I have to cheap out on everything in the room. It's not a matter of saving a little here, to splurge there. The only way I get one of the around $600 tubs I like, is to get a miraculous bargain somehow. Otherwise, I have to choose in the less than $400-range.

We've had our Sterling tub for just over a year now. Love it! Also got the surround. Don't have the pics handy but they are posted here if you do a search. I find if we clean it weekly it cleans up very easy. We use a bathroom cleaner first and rinse it off, then typically take a shower to really rinse it well, then hit it with a magic eraser. No problem with the textured floor on that schedule.

Might sound like a lot, but it's just spray and let sit while brushing teeth, rinse, shower, and run the magic eraser over everything before getting out of the shower. Easy.