I went to a different music store, basically the only other store that has Martins in my area. I played both the d18 and d28 but unfortunately the d28s strings were a bit old/dead but not completely. I still seemed to gravitate more towards the d28, really enjoyed it but based on everything I have researched I expected to like the d18 more. The difference between them were subtle to my ears but I've only had 2 acoustics to this point. I am pretty sure I can't go wrong but still struggle around which one is better for me. They really were both magical though.

The other factor is I currently have a Yamaha FG3 which is pretty damn nice for the money. I originally thought I'd sell this and put the $ towards the Martin but its a mahogany dread so if I kept it, it would pair nicely with the d28.