Ella Flow 28x48 vs Petite 28x52: which 28 inch tub is better?

Neither 28 inch tub is better outright, because the Ella Flow and the Ella Petite solve different problems. The Flow is the shorter tub, 28 by 48 inches with an acrylic inward swing door and a 20 inch seat, and it is the one to choose when the bathroom or the doorway is the limiting factor. The Petite is 52 inches long with a stainless steel and frosted glass inward door, a 19 inch seat and the lower 35 inch platform, and it is the choice when you want the stainless door family in the narrowest footprint that still fills a 60 inch alcove. The three-way view that adds the 30 inch Elite is in Ella Petite vs Elite vs Flow: which compact walk-in tub fits you?.

Flow and Petite Side by Side

Both tubs are sold as 28 inches wide, and both are actually a little narrower than that. The figures below come from the current Flow spec sheet and the published Petite dimensions. A cell says not listed where the documents behind this comparison do not print the value, so please confirm those items with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before you order.

Read the table in two directions. Across the room, the Flow is the tub for a space where 48 inches is all you can give up, while the Petite needs 52 inches and rewards you with a longer interior. Across the bather, the two seats are within an inch of each other in width, so the difference you will feel is length: the Petite offers over 42 inches inside, the Flow a little over 39 inches on its drawing. The door is the other real difference. Both swing inward, so neither needs floor space in front of the tub, but the Petite's door is brushed stainless steel with frosted glass and the Flow's is the acrylic S-shape door.

Same Nominal Width, Different Actual Width

The 28 inch name on both tubs is a nominal size. Ella's choosing video, embedded on this page, makes the point with the Petite: it is listed as 28 inches wide when the actual exterior width is 27 1/2 inches, and it tells you to click the download tab for the model you are considering and plan around the specific dimensions there. The Flow's spec sheet prints an actual width of 28 inches, and its dimension drawing shows the shell at 27 3/4 inches, which is the figure that has to clear a door jamb.

• The Flow is built to pass a 28 inch doorway, because its shell measures 27 3/4 inches wide. The comparison in Ella Mobile 26x45 vs Flow 28x48: which fits through a narrow doorway? covers what to do when the opening is narrower than that.
• For the Petite, a 30 inch door is no problem, while a 28 inch opening leaves very little margin.
• The Flow's crate is wider than the door it fits, so it is opened outside the room. The Petite's crate is 31 inches wide, so plan on the same approach.
• Measure every doorway, hallway and turn along the path, not just the bathroom door, and count the corners.

If clearance is tight, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your measurements before ordering, so the team can confirm the path for the tub you want.

Fit for the Bather, Not the Name

Ella's measuring routine never asks how tall you are. You sit in a chair facing a wall, relaxed, and take three measurements: your hips while seated, your shoulder width while seated, and your length from head to feet while seated. The seat must be wider than your seated hip figure, the tub must give proper shoulder room, and the head-to-feet figure tells you which length fits. What size walk-in tub fits a five foot or six foot person? walks through the routine and lines up the whole range by size.

• Seat width: 19 inches on the Petite, shared only with the Transfer26, against 20 inches on the Flow. If your seated hips measure comfortably under 19 inches, either seat holds you in place. If they do not, the 20 inch Flow seat or a wider model is the safer choice.
• Seat length: 13 inches on the Flow, the shortest seat length listed, against a 13 1/2 inch seat on the Petite.
• Legroom: the Petite offers over 42 inches of interior length, and bathers over about 5 ft 10 may find its legroom tighter than in longer models. The Flow's inner length is 39 3/8 inches on its drawing, so it suits smaller bathers.
• Height: the Petite sits on the lower 35 inch platform that shorter bathers often prefer. The Flow stands 36.5 inches tall.

Bigger is not automatically better, and neither is smaller. The compact tubs are built for smaller bathers and small rooms, and a tub sized for one body can be uncomfortable for another. Be exact with the three measurements and compare them with the drawings for each model.

Fit for the Room

Both tubs include an extension panel for a standard 60 inch three-wall alcove: a filler panel on the Flow and a 7 inch panel on the Petite. That is why the Petite, at an actual 27.5 inches wide, is named as the narrowest stainless-door tub that still finishes a 60 inch alcove, as Can a walk-in tub fit in a small bathroom, and which models work? explains. The Flow is the answer when someone asks for a 48 inch walk-in tub: it is the shortest inward-door tub Ella makes, and only the outward-door Mobile 26x45 is shorter. In an opening of 57 or 58 inches, the Petite drops in with the panel possibly not needed, and your installer decides how to finish any small gap. The rest of the short-opening questions are answered in Common Fit Questions.

What the Flow Spec Sheet Adds

Because the Flow is the smaller tub, its spec sheet carries a few details worth knowing before you compare it with the Petite.

• Electrical: one dedicated 110/120V 60Hz line with a 15 amp GFCI three-prong outlet, where most other Ella tubs specify 20 amps. Your electrician still needs a dedicated GFCI protected circuit.
• Hydro massage: a 16 jet system with an 8.1 amp 900W pump, an intensity dial air control, push control and a 6 amp 650W in-line water heater. The heater maintains the bath temperature while the pump runs.
• Faucet: the 2-piece fast-fill set, rated up to 18 GPM at 60 PSI under ideal in-home plumbing, with a pull-out chrome hand shower on a 5 foot braided hose and two 3/4 inch by 5 foot supply lines.
• Drain: one 2 inch PVC drain with one overflow and an emergency pull-up chain, on a T-type four-port body that installs in either direction with caps on the unused ports.
• Included panels: a removable front apron, a removable end panel covering the faucet end, and the extension panel. No grab bar or towel bar is listed for the Flow, and a heated seat and backrest at 4 amps is optional.

The Petite's stainless steel and frosted glass door is the feature the Flow cannot match, and the Flow's 48 inch length is the one the Petite cannot match. Choose by the doorway and the room first, then by your seated measurements, and let your Ella dealer or the team confirm any figure marked not listed above.

Watch: How to Choose Your Walk-In Tub | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Ella Flow 28x48: The Tub That Fits a 28 Inch Doorway
• Ella Petite 28x52: The Narrowest Stainless-Door Tub

Related Videos

Common Questions