goofysteves

A few additional thoughts: 1. Another reason not to get a new GFCI before you buy your tub is that some manufacturers (e.g., Hot Springs) include a GFCI as part of their package. 2. Do not assume that all loungers are equal. Just because you don't like a lounge seat in one model doesn't mean you won't like one in a different model. 3. Do not assume that 4-5 seats means that 4-5 people will fit comfortably. It just means there are places to put 4-5 butts. Check floor space. When you and your wife wet test tubs, see how much room your own feet have, Then imagine adding 4-6 more feet. On quite a few tubs, either those extra feet are little kids feet or you are comfortable with playing footsies with your friends. 4. The temps in central Florida are warm enough that the debate over Full Foam insulation versus heated air insulation is virtually moot for you. But having previously lived in Jacksonville for 3 years, I would be concerned over bugs nesting under my tub (not so much of a problem in northern Ohio). Make sure the tub you like is sealed pretty well from the ground up. If a manufactirer offers a plastic base (either standard or as an option), it might be worth considering depending on the cost. Have fun.

First off, I want to call out my dealer. I started down the same path of "your markup is how much!!" and proceeded to try to squeeze the price down as much as I could. And I think I did pretty good. But along the way, she decided to just lay it all out for me. She explained what a few dealers on this thread have stated about her reimbursement for any warranty work and why the profit is front-loaded. And while some other dealers charge a gas fee to do warranty work, she won't do that to her customers. She performs free water tests, so long as you bring in the water. I already had a lot of respect for her (which is why I chose to buy from her) but the openness made me feel alot better about the 'deal' I was getting. There is Coast spa dealer (I bought Hot Springs) just down the street from me that sells the exact same chemicals for the exact same price as she does, but I willingly drive 30 minutes to get my chemicals from her because of how she treats her customers (and I'm sure she still gets some profits from chem sales). Second, an unanswered question from the above dealer comments. What happens if I do move out of state? Would the closest HS dealer not do my warranty work? It is not my fault I didn't buy from them - I didn't live anywhere near them at the time of purchase. I know what my dealer's response would be but maybe she is unique in the industry.

Another vote for the Hot Springs Grandee, which my wife and I and friends and family have been using since last November. Besides the moto-massage and the price (given its size), the other thing we liked about the Grandee was the footwell. We wet-tested with 3 people in the tub and never had to share leg or foot space. To be fair, that is true for a few other spas like the Artic Tundra (which we also liked a lot but not for the price). As for the number of jets, I go around 200 pounds and with the jets on full, I get pushed out of my seat (folks call that 'floating') somewhat. I can't imagine why I would want even more jets! And like many spas, the jet configuration varies from seat-to-seat, so that different parts of you are massaged depending on where you sit.

I bought a Grandee last November and my family and I enjoy it a lot. I would certainly recommend that spa to you and your family. Another large spa we considered was the Artic Tundra. It is another great spa. If you look through various posts on either spa, you will find many positive comments on both. We didn't choose it because the Artic dealer's price was $1500 more for his comparably jetted Tundra (they have various jet options) than the Grandee. We didn't think the Tundra was worth an additional $1,500 but there are probably others than think it is. It is all in your own taste. But I would certainly suggest checking it out as another option. Good luck either way you go.

I think the Grandee price depends on how much you want the particular spa and how much the dealer wants/needs your business. I just purchased a Grandee for a whole lot less and more stuff thrown in (CoverCradle lifter, Everwood steps and store credit). But I was indifferent between the Grandee and the Arctic Tundra (a great spa but turned out to be a lot more expensive relative to the Grandee) and there are 3 Hot Springs dealers within 50 minutes of my home and only one Arctic dealer. I eliminated one of the HS dealers who I did not feel comfortable with and told the other two that I wanted their best deal. Even after their supposed 'best' deal, they were both still willing to drop their offers when I told them 'no thanks'. I ended up with a really good deal. It's the same with cable TV here in the states - areas with competing cable providers offer terrific deals compared to areas with only one provider. Good luck with your decision and if you can truly be indifferent between two comparably-equipped quality spas represented by reputable dealers, maybe you can at least get the dealers to compete for your business.

I am another hot tub newbie and I just wanted to thank all the posters on this site for their info and opinions on hot tubs. When my wife first said she was interested in a hot tub, I ran for my Consumers Reports books and found nothing. I came upon this site while doing some internet research. AWESOME. I never felt the need to ask any questions since somebody else always seemed to have already done so and they received great feedback. Thank You #1: We started off being awed by some of the lesser brands (we didn't know it at the time) but this forum quickly steered us to Hot Springs, Arctic and Sundance. Nothing against Marquis, D1, and any of the other fine tubs mentioned in the forum - we just wanted a dealer within 30-45 minutes of our home (southwest of Akron). Thank You #2: We also started off thinking we wanted a lounger or two in the tub. Sure felt good during the dry test. But if I read it once, I read it 100 times - YOU MUST WET TEST. Hey, we actually didn't like the loungers. We either floated up or away from the sides of the tub. And the sittting seats felt better, especially from a theraputic standpoint for my wife's bad back. Thank You #3: The dealer is as important as the tub choice. We liked the Sundance Hamilton and Cameo but the local Sundance dealer would not fill an empty tub to let us wet test. If that's how cooperative they are before the sale, how bad wil it be after they have our money!? Anyway, once we decided we didn't like loungers that eliminated those 2 models anyway. We also did a check with the Better Business Bureau to confirm there were no serious issues with any of our selected dealers. Thank You #4: The never-ending discussion on insulation was very helpful for us to understand the pros and cons of each method. We don't know which one is the 'best' but we are sure that the insulation on the Arctic and Hot Springs would both be very good (OK, maybe excellent). As for the decision, we narrowed it down to the Arctic Tundra Legend and the Hot Springs Grandee. We wanted a high quality cover, pneumatic lifter, CD ozonator, sturdy steps, multi-colored light(s), electric subpanel, chemicals and delivery/setup. All of the Hot Springs dealers were willing to guarantee, in writing, that there would be no service/gas charge for any work done under warranty. The lone Arctic dealer would not and in fact wanted $35 per trip. Just out of principle, I don't see why I should have to pay the dealer's repairman a fee to come out and fix a 'defect' in the tub sold to me by the dealer. And $35 seemed excessive, even at $4/gallon for gas. We had a slight preference for the Tundra because of the placement of jets for lower back therapy (my wife needed to sit on a booster seat to get the same benefit from the Grandee) and the cedar cabinets. On the other hand, the Hot Springs water seemed a lot cleaner (perhaps the Arctic dealer wasn't keeping up with cleaning his tubs) in the tubs we wet tested. It is kinda nice feeling you don't have to rinse off after getting out of the tub. The package price from 2 of the Hot Springs dealers and the Artic dealer were about the same - around $11,500US. But the third Hot Spring dealer must have been a little bit hungrier as they came in $1,500 lower and they didn't even have one on their lot. The dealer was very cooperative (as were all of the finalists) throughout our decision-making process and even stayed late so that we could wet test (several times) after hours. For us it was like choosing between a BMW and a Mercedes - 2 excellent options. But the lower price was the difference maker. We are placing an order for the Grandee tomorrow and look forward to may years of happy tubbing. We will be placing it on a 4" concrete pad inside a newly constructed screened room (with a removeable wall to insert/remove the tub), adjacent to our walk-out basement. Thanks again for everyone's help in our process. P.S. I was kinda bummed that I would not be getting Tom's excellent post-Arctic-sale service that I saw in may other posts. But there seemed to be some knowledgeable Hot Springs experts in here should I have any problems in the future.