Water Boy

That's good that you are doing your research on the dealers in you area. Buying from a good reputable dealer is almost as important if not more important than the brand of spa that you buy. You are looking at all good brands, so I would start with the dealer that you know is good and see if you can find something that you like with them. If you buy a good spa, but get horrible service from that dealer, you will have a bad experience from the beginning and never feel comfortable with your purchase. I would be surprised if a manufacture would let a independent tech do the warranty work if there is a local dealer there that can do the repairs. If you like the spas more at the other dealers that have bad reviews, go in and approach them about those reviews and see how they handle your questions, and what they have done to resolve those reviews. Good luck.

Wow! What a idiot dealer/salesman that guy is. He must not like making money. I bet he won't be in the biz long!

You can get the Arctic with a low amp circ pump that will inject ozone 24/7 as well so there is no difference betweeen the two there. Also, if you get one without the circ pump, it will run for more than four hours a day fwiw.....

1HP= 750 Watts and Watts = Amps x Volts On the Arctic motors, the max amps reads 12.9 amps. So, at its max performance, the HP would be 3.956 HP. I just put a meter on one of the spas here in the store, and it was reading between 12.2 and 12.3 amps. That would put it right at 3.77 HP or so, which is very close to the 4 HP. Most customers seem to be very happy with the power per jet. Sometimes they will even sit in there on low speed, or use the diverters to decrease power.

Those spas are similar, but have lots of differences too. The jetting configuration is very different between the two. I would tell the dealer that you want to wet test the one you are looking at. If they want your business bad enough, they will make it happen. Forgot to mention one other thing, the Arctic Cub jets all spin and rotate which really do feel quite nice. The Sundance model has a few spinning jets, but the majority of them are straight shooting bullet jets. Some say those can come itchy or irritating after a few minutes, and dont feel as good as the spinning jets. I think you will notice this difference when wet testing. Also, be sure to try out the diverter valves on the spas to increase and decrease the power, play with the jets turning them on and off, and enjoy yourself. The wet test will probably give you your answer.

As you already know, two very good brands that you are looking at. Good to see that you are wet testing. One thing I notice right off the bat is that the Sundance 680 line comes with a three year warranty, where as the Arctic Cub has a five year warranty. With both spas being very close in price, the extra warranty is well worth it. Also, that is a steal on the price you were quoted on Arctic Cub.

You want to make sure you allow the brackets to cure for a while before attaching the transducers to the brackets. See what it says on the Metal Welder for proper cure time. I haven't installed too many, but I remember the directions say you can use duct tape to help hold the brackets in place while they are curing to the fiberglass. There really isn't a specific place to install them. The most important thing is to space them out equally if you can from one side to the other. Look for a good flat area in the shell if you can as that usually works good and the brackets will adhere better to the shell. I would do it on your own if it will save you $100. Your dealer may even have the directions to install it.

Chris, They are actually quite easy to install if you want to try on your own. We use Metal Welder from Devcon. That seems to really work well, and I have never had one come unglued before. It will adhere better to the fiberglass than most glues will.

Congrats Drylandfarmer. The Summit is a great spa. Hope you enjoy it for years to come!

It is not the same. The Arctic does not use any pillar supports of any kind. It truly is a self supporting shell.

That is not accurate in regards to Clearwater spas. They do not have a self supporting shell like the Arctic Spas. It says right on their website that they use a method called Clearwater Spas pvc pillar support. This is directly from their website: Pillar Supports PVC pillar supports won't rot or let you down. Clearwater Spas uses a PVC pillar support system which cannot rot, mold or otherwise breakdown like others that use wooden supports. Many other manufacturers fill the entire skirt interior with low density foam which can deteriorate and attract unwanted rodents to its warm and moist environment. Clearwater Spas PVC pillar support system combined with the RTB insulation and Dura Floor will give you a lifetime of structural support unmatched by any other. See the link attached here and scroll down near the bottom and you can see pictures of the pillar supports underneath the shell. http://www.clearwaterspas.com/index.cfm/category/21/ecospray.cfm Don't mean to get off track here for the OP(drylandfarmer), but just wanted the facts out there in regards to Clearwater Spas shell, and how it is built differently than an Arctic Spa. Similar, but different.

The brands that you are considering are both enegy efficient but work in different ways. Foamed tubs try to prevent the loss of heat from the water. The therall design tubs like arctic attempt to prevent loss at the perimeter of the enclosure and use heat from pump operation to add heat of reuduce loss of heat from the water. If power goes out there will be no heat from the pumps so only the perimeter insulation will reduce heat loss. When power is out a fully foamed tub will hold heat much better than a tub that only has insulation at the perimeter, in my opinion. As for foam models and your concern about heat loss at the vented equipment bay there are tubs that are better at providing insulation at the equp bay than what you are considering, but it sounds like you have identified the best brands availalbe in your area and those are indeed two excellent brands. Both good brands that you are looking at, without a doubt. I can personally speak from experience that the Arctic Spas do a very good job when power is lost at retaining the heat. Two years ago here in Kansas, we had a very bad ice storm, and many of our rural customers were without power for long periods, and some as many as two weeks. One of my customers who owns an Arctic Spa said that her tub went from 104 degrees to 64 degrees after two weeks. That was with now power or generator, and with ice all over her cover. The temperatures were in the lower 30's during the day, and middle teens to lower 20's at night. So to me, the proof is in the pudding right there. I tell people to not drain their spas and don't open the cover when they lose power, and it can go for a very long time without having to worry about freezing. I do know that there were some other brands of spas that did freeze during that storm as we got calls to work on them. So not all spas can go that long without power. To the OP, the Summit is a very comfortable spa, even though it isnt technically barrier free seating. It is one of our top sellers here at our store. It has his and her captains chairs with upper and lower arm rests in the seats. The orca jet in the foot well is very powerful, and many people say that is their favorite jet for their feet and lower back. That jet is also in the Tundra if you see it. If you prefer a open seating spa, you might also check out the Yukon. It is a little smaller on the exterior than the two you mentioned, but it is still very roomy, and has a nice open design. Hope that helps, and let me know if you have any other questions.

... or they are new. New people often reply to old posts. I can understand that, but that doesn't appear to be the case in these instances.

Looks like someone has an agenda here huh!

Not that it is a big deal, but you are wrong on point three. Arctic Spas was founded in 1994, which is far greater than, "less than ten years." Arctic Spas is acknowledged by most as one of the top brands in the industry, as is Hot Springs. You cant really go wrong with either one imo. I would wet test both and do your research on both local dealers as well.

That's pretty shady right there. Keep up the good work Master!

In regards to the warranty, last I checked the HS warranty in non transferable once it is sold, so there would not be a warranty. Most spa companies except for a few do NOT transfer the warranty once the spa is sold.

Sort of true. Arctic Spas sells a salt water system as well called the Onzen. It is not the Ace, but all in all, very similar systems.

What a joke Master, LOL. Listing themselves #1 in every category??? That's funny. Reminds me of the kid that cheats and gets every question right on the test when he clearly is a little bit slower than the other kids. You have to miss at least one or two so it doesn't look suspicious!! LOL

I would say that "call out charge" is a dealer charge and not an Arctic charge. My dealer is an hour away and doesn't apply a charge to me. By the way I'm very happy with my Arctic Tundra and dealer. Had it since April 09. This is exactly correct and Stuart(spagod) knows that he is just piling on. Lots of dealers of all kinds of brands charge service charges. I do kind of agree with him that it seems excessive, but lots of dealers charge trip charges even under warranty. But, I for one do not, at least at this point.

Oh booooy. Looks like Robert "Stuart" is now posting on this forum too. I thought the posting style sounded familiar but the 20 odd years comment gave it away! LOL!

I really cant comment on the Caldera just because I don't know that much about them. I do know that they are well respected brand in the industry, but I have never dealt with them personally so I really don't have much info on that line of spas.

Welcome to the forum newbie!! You are looking at two well respected brands in the industry, so you cant really go wrong either way. I can tell you that don't be leery of the Arctic. The quality is every bit as good as the Caldera. Also, the couple that made the original purchase of the spa got a absolute steal on that spa. That other posted that said that the spas would normally sell for 7-7500 was more accurately correct. You can even see one other post where a guy bought a Prestige Arctic for $5800 which has less jets than the designer. I am not sure why that dealer sold that spa so cheap, but that's their choice. But, what that means to you is that you are getting a great deal as well. Since they offered a wet test, I would take them up on that. The Cub is a very comfortable spa, and even though it only has one pump, it also has the therapy air blower, so you get 14 air jets as well. I think maybe since that couple is getting a divorce you might be able to get that price down some more, but maybe not. But all in all, if you like it, that is a great price for you. Yes you would need 220v. I would say anywhere from 400-700 dollars to get that done. Most electricians will give you a free estimate if you want to know that before. About 500 would be about right for the move as well. Good luck in your search for the spa!

Those are two of the better ones out there. To get a good comparison I'd personally look at Caldera Kauai, D1, HotSpring Jetsetter, Jacuzzi 315, Marquis Spirit and Sundance Capri (there are others, thats simply my personal short list). I would also add the Arctic Fox by Arctic Spas to the list to check out. It has nice depth to if for a 2-3 person at 39". It is one of our top sellers at our store. Good luck in your search.

Hmmmm.... are you looking for a lounge or no lounge?? I'm 5'4 1/2 and I love my lounge but if I fill the water level to high then I float. Did you look into the Limelight Pulse? I just looked that up on the web and it looks like it has different heights for its seats and that might help a lot but it doesn't have a lounge. What dealers are close by? Sundance and Arctic are considered to be two of the better brands available today. I don't agree with the other posters that the Sundance is far better then the Arctic. You really cant go wrong with either one. To the OP, I can see your point about the Klondiker with the dual loungers. With you being shorted and your husband being taller, this really could be a good option to go with. There aren't many spas like the Klondiker out there. It is a very comfortable spa, but I would still recommend wet testing before you buy. But, either way, good luck in your search for the perfect spa!