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wesj53

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  1. Been away for a while, but thought I'd chime in on your search which my wife and I started about a year ago. We're in west suburban Chicago and we wet tested almost every brand except Baja, Calspa, Marquis, LA, and Dynasty (most of which were either too far from our home or not available for wet testing). We ended up buying an Arctic Tundra due to it's quality, layout, and style of mfg but it does not have true reverse neck jets. It seems that neckk therapy is a hot button for you so I would suggest looking at the following brands and models. The Artesian Grand Bahama or Grand Cayman both have splash protected units (the Piper Glen's top row of neck jets sprays all over and in our opinion was pretty worthless) and are less expensive than the PG. We wet tested them and thought they were pretty effective, but the Artesians seem to lack a lot of variety in the types of jets on their units. LA and Dynasty both have reverse neck jets with splash guards built into their shells. They both look like nicely built products but I cannot vouch for their feel so it is best that you west test them before purchasing. LA has limited distribution in the area (Bensenville for certain) but Dynasty is sold thru the FIM chain with stores all over the Chicago area. I have a friend who has one and has had good luck with his. They seem to offer a lot of larger 6" jets which IMO make the message feel superior than the smaller standard 3" jets. They are also very reasonably priced so I would not overlook them. If you want more info from our experience, let me know. Good luck and happy hunting!
  2. I purchased a Tundra Legend SE about a year ago and paid $10500. It included everything you mentioned except the music system. I've lost track of current pricing, but I think you made out all right! I believe Arctic to be a well built product and thus far I have had NO problems with mine. And keeping the water clean and balanced is really simple. Just follow mfg instructions with their chems and you won't have any issues. I'm happy with the unit thus far, although I would like to see Arctic offer some new jet styles to change some of the seats' "feel".
  3. I am a one year owner of an Arctic Tundra SE Legend and find it to be a very reliable brand. Thus far, I have had NO problems with mine. I know it is a more expensive brand, but I think you get in hot tubs what you pay for them. I could have bought cheaper, but I may have had more problems. Who knows? One thing I do know and recommend, is that you wet test the model you wish to purchase. If the dealer will not fill one, then I would not buy it unless you are certain it's the one for you. Tell your dealer to fill it or lose the order!
  4. [Wow, what a headache! I think Tom the moderator would be a good person to respond to his own company's policy on this matter. I have had absolutely no problems with my Arctic or the company itself, so your story surprises me.
  5. I agree with pg, pl2001 having wet-tested an Optima myself. I am also from the Chicago area and know the dealer you are talking about. IMO, they are not very responsive or cooperative dealer in terms of satisfying requests from prospective clients. Case in point, I had written off the Sundances for my own reasons, but was interested in a CalSpa (another line they sell) Avalon series product. I was told bluntly they only sell 2 models for CalSpa and that they WOULD NOT even quote a price on any other model from them. I thought that attitude to be particularly odd and rigid, and thought that this was not the type of dealer I wanted to form a long term relationship with. So off I went and finally ended up purchasing an Arctic.
  6. Thanks Roger and water for your responses. The description of Arctic's Refresh is very generic. It simply states on the label that it "oxidizes contaminants" and is non-chlorine. "Refresh is designed to destroy foreign contaminates which reduce the effectiveness of Bromine and Chlorine as a disinfectant". Along with the Peak Ozone system, I only use 1 ounce per person per soak! Twice a week I add a 1/2 ounce of chlorine. My water thus far has been very clean and never has any smell of chlorine.
  7. The only warranty Costco could give and remain in the spa business is to offer THEIR customers the same warranty offered to Costco by Hydrospa. To think otherwise is sheer stupidity, especially in light of Costco's overall narrow margins of profitability on THEIR other line of products.
  8. I will be curious to read about your sales experience. I fortunately had a very good one with my Arctic dealer (Arctic of Libertyville, IL) and have had no complaints to date with them. In fact, I have personally replaced 14 jets in order to "re-design" it to my liking. The dealer provided them free of charge (on an exchange basis) and I now have a spa which IMO is greatly improved and provides considerably more jet effect in almost all of the seats! In terms of chemical, I was also suspicious of what Arctic would charge me, but I quickly found out that they appear to sell them at very reasonable prices when I priced them against a neighborhood Coleman dealer who sells Leisure Time products. For example, 6.6 lbs of Arctic Refresh (a non-chlorine shocking product) costs $25 vs 5lbs of the comparable LT Renew at $43! Wow, now that's a nice savings plus I know I am getting a chemical which the mfg puts it's full endorsement into.
  9. Responding to guys like paint and dnjsdad is simply an absolute waste of time. Their posts are pure absurdity and don't even deserve an answer. Gee, let's see, after 10 years I'm going to return my Grand Prix because it has some problems! Are these guys thinking adults or children in disguise?
  10. I agree with Roger, kit. Your cover obviously is defective in some way. IMO, you cannot buy a stronger, thicker, more durable cover than the Arctic 5" premium one. I have no leaks, no spills, and very little heat loss thru mine. Demand a new one from the dealer unless you bought the package "as is". Then, good luck.
  11. Bommel, I defer to Roger regarding his expertise and experience in repairing spas (and I don't want to start another debate) but I would only add that if a leak does occur around a jet head, you may consider which style of insulation will yield a less expensive and quicker repair to your unit, full foam or thermal pane (foam only around the perimeter of the cabinet).
  12. Holy crap! I didn't pay any attention to the early posts. Moderators, close this down.
  13. Wow, that sounds like a great price. Final question for you. What are your thoughts about the neck jets in the seat that you fit into? Is it really great on the neck and shoulders or is there more splashing than benefit?
  14. EARTH TO SCOTT. You made the statement that Masters and Caldera's are complicated. Both sti-rex and spatech asked in what way and your answers were illogical. Try to focus, stay on topic, and make some common sense. Things tend to work more effectively when those things happen.
  15. Hi h2o - IMO, the LA has a better layout of seating and greater variety of jet configurations. Also, LA offers both full foam AND a Thermal Pane system which iI think is the Antarctic wrap you referred to (ie, foam around the perimeter) thereby allowing easier access to fix leaks and also affording more heat protection for your pumps in case of power outage. There is another thread from an LA owner who raves about the "gatlin gun" type foot jets that really sound terrific. I believe the Oasis has 2 of those in the footwell. Finally, the LA has reverse neck jets (either 1 or 2 seats have them) which I have been told offer great therapy for the neck and tops of shoulders. I don't believe the Marquis have them. But in the end, you must wet test. Did you do that? If so, which one did you like better. Also to consider, which one offered more variety of feel per seat? Most people like moving from one to another with different sensations. I have not been in either so I can't advise on that. But I would go with the LA, especially if their warranty is better than Marquis. If you're going to keep the unit for a while, it will be worth it.
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