pg_rider

I have a Sundance Optima and leave the waterfall on a constant trickle, not to avoid freezing here in Colorado but rather to make sure chlorinated water is always going through that line (don't want unclean water sitting in there for days/weeks)...

In my personal opinion it's not a hot tub unless it has the pearly white shell (or "Platinum" in Sundance vernacular).

Sundance Optima has a similar foot dome. Which, by the way, is one of my favorite features and a must-have in my opinion.

Soaking on a cool morning just as the sun is coming up is far and away the most enjoyable way to use a hot tub in my opinion -- the peacefulness and feeling of relaxation is something I can't easily put into words...

You could probably get the Optima for ~$500 cheaper. I paid $9300 for mine similarly equipped, before tax...

As mentioned above the Optima sells for around $10k out the door (tax included; at least thats what I paid for mine). The Cameo is essentially the same tub as the Optima except it has a lounger. I don't think its quite as popular of a seller as the Optima so you might be able to get it for a few hundred less, say $9600 OTD...

Centered? Not really. Soil? Not sure... wish me luck!

So am I completely screwed with my 4", non-reinforced pad? When we had our patio poured we didn't plan on putting a hot tub on it so we didn't reinforce. Plans changed and we now have 5000lbs of Optima sitting on it. So far after a year in Colorado it hasn't cracked; is it only a matter of time though?

The one thing I'm not crazy about in my Sundance Optima is the lack of "variety" in the jets. The main "captains" chair has jets that move the water side-to-side (with no moving parts -- BONUS!) and it feels great. However, that effect goes away when you turn the air on to those jets -- then they just shoot straight. Most of the other jets in the tub are just straight-shooters... I have to admit that as much as I like the idea of lots of fancy moving jets, I do NOT like the idea that they eventually fail due to the moving parts. Thats one nice thing about the Sundance jets I supppose -- no moving parts...

Interesting discussion about Optima prices. As another data point, last September here in Colorado I paid ~$9300 for my Optima which included steps, cover, lifter, CD ozone, delivery/setup, and starter chems. After tax I paid exactly $10k out the door. At the time, based on other forum posts, that seemed about average. There was one curve-buster who paid something like $8600 out the door for theirs, but they lived somewhere like North Dakota so that don't count...

We got down to deciding between the Optima and the Cameo. I wanted the Cameo because I liked the comfort of the lounge and the three big whirlpool jets in the footwell. Wife flat-out liked the Optima... guess who won! That said, one thing I do NOT like about the Cameo is that in the lounge it only uses four little air bubblers in the legs, not real jets. In my opinion they would be useless as having the air bubbler on in general makes too much noise and too many big bubbles in the tub... not to mention there's zero therapeautical value with those jets...

Here's a pic of my board configured for 60 amp service (its an Optima, but probably looks the same)...

Jim_The_Jim posted: Carefreespas.com They had the Sundance in Denver for over 20 years. Four stores now down to two. One would have not done a very well done market study to open a spa store now. FYI, Carefree Spas never sold Sundance here in Colorado Springs -- they only sold Vita. One could argue THAT'S the reason they closed their shop. If they'd been selling Sundance perhaps they'd still be in business here in town...

Perhaps this would help? http://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/cgi-bin...=1160507688/0#0

I would say you got a decent deal, but I haven't been around long enough to know what sort of discount is the norm for last-year's models. The reason I say you got a good deal is that I paid $10,000 for my 2006 Optima in September of last year; it included 7.4% tax, cover and lifter, CD ozonator, steps, and chems. It did NOT include the stereo. So yeah, sounds like you got a pretty good bargain... or else I paid WAY too much!

If you're able to get a Maxxus for less than $10k out the door I may just have to throw myself off the top of a tall building! That would be a great deal from what I've seen and read. We paid $10k OTD for our Optima last fall..

What site did you see that on? The Spa Palace website never showed Sundace on it, even back when I bought my Optima there in September of last year, so I'd be surprised to see such a thing. The fact that Spa Palace in Colorado Springs is no longer a Sundance dealer has to do (I hope) with the fact that they were a terrible dealership, not financial conditions. In fact, I wrote a long letter to Sundance corporate HQ outlining my frustrations and unhappiness with them; a few weeks later they were no longer selling the Sundance brand. I like to think I had a hand in that... That said, there is a dealership in town with a brand spanking new store that is now selling Sundance. And just down the road is another brand new dealership selling Caldera and Artesian. Things here can't be all that bad...

Sounds a lot like my dealer! Here's the letter I wrote to Sundance corporate HQ after I got my spa, outlining my concerns. It was about two months after writing this letter that I found out Spa Palace is no longer selling Sundance. Not sure if that's due to my letter alone, or if I was just the straw that broke the camel's back, but it's good to see Sundance dropped them -- they were really poor. -------- I'm writing to express my concerns and frustration with the dealership from which I bought my 2006 Sundance Optima - Spa Palace in Colorado Springs, CO. After an initial smooth and pleasant purchase with the regional sales rep I've had a slew of incidents that have left me with absolutely no confidence in Spa Palace. - Shortly after purchase I went back to the store to remind them that I needed my tub configured for 60 amps (it had not been noted that way on the contract). I watched the woman in the back office (Nita) put a yellow sticky on my paperwork saying "configure for 60 amp". In spite of that, when my tub was delivered it was set up for 50 amps. The delivery person had to change the jumper at my house, a process he was unfamiliar with but luckily did correctly. - Similarly, while waiting for my tub to arrive I went back into the store on two occasions to request chlorine instead of bromine in my chemical start-up kit. The second time the store manager even changed it in the computer system. However, at delivery I was still given bromine. This caused me the hassle of having to make an extra trip to the store to exchange the bromine for chlorine. - The tub took a very long time to be delivered from the factory to Spa Palace (apprx. 6 weeks), during which time I'd made several requests from Nita for an update - I received none. Finally, the tub apparently arrived at Spa Palace on Friday, Oct 13th, although the only reason I found out was because I happened to call on Monday the 16th to ask yet again for an update and was told "oh, it arrived here on Friday". A phone call on that Friday to let me know it had arrived and to schedule delivery would have been nice. Furthermore, after finding out that the tub had arrived after a full six weeks (contract stipulated 2-4 weeks by the way), I still couldn't get delivery for yet another week, on Oct. 23rd. Having made 50% of the purchase price as a down payment (i.e. $5000), I would have liked to have been kept in the loop and to have seen a greater effort to get me my tub in a reasonable amount of time. 7 weeks is a long time to have $5k tied up and have no idea what's happening. - At delivery the spa was not wrapped; I assume that was because the ozonator was installed at the shop which I have no issue with. However, the tub was extremely dirty when it arrived at my house requiring me to spend over an hour cleaning out the accumulated dirt and dirty stains prior to filling. Even worse, after completing the electrical hookup the next morning the tub was completely unresponsive. The electrician verified there was 240 volts at the spa panel so I called Spa Palace to request guidance. I was immediately and rudely told that I or the electrician "must have done something wrong". After finally convincing her that no we hadn't, she agreed to send a service tech out. As luck would have it, my electrician then looked around in the spa control panel and noticed a plastic connector that looked like it was loose. He plugged it tightly back in and the tub fired right up. I can only assume it was plugged in correctly at the Sundance factory for the final test, and therefore must have been disconnected at Spa Palace during the ozonator installation process, or perhaps when the delivery guy was trying to jumper my tub for 60 amps. - Finally, from day one after receiving my spa I noticed that the clock was running fast, gaining nearly an hour a day. By chance, I read about a Jacuzzi customer on an internet spa forum who was having the same issue. He was told that it was a known problem with Jacuzzi and Sundance controls, and his "EPROM chip" was promptly replaced under warranty. On Wednesday Nov. 8th I called Spa Palace and told them about this issue and was told by Connie that she'd "look into it and call me back". As of today, Nov. 11th (three days later) I've heard nothing back from Connie or Spa Palace. When taken individually these incidents may not seem like huge issues, but when looked at as a whole I'm left with a very dissatisfied feeling toward Spa Palace. This feeling was confirmed by another Sundance owner in town that bought from Spa Palace and was not impressed with them either. Specifically, he's had trouble getting them to respond to issues with his tub, much the same as I have. We love the tub and have heard nothing but good things about Sundance as a company. However, after spending $10,000 on your product I would like to think that I could expect better service from your dealer in my area. I have yet to see a more unprofessional place of business. I am truly worried about what will happen in the future if/when I require service, and I dread having to deal with the same people I've been dealing with to date. I certainly will not spend another dollar in that store, and will strongly recommend my friends to not purchase from Spa Palace as well. Unfortunately that means that they will most likely not be purchasing any Sundance products as Spa Palace is the only Sundance dealer in town. ----- There's more to the letter but I'll stop here! I basically asked for another dealer to provide me warranty service. Luckily Sundance dropped these guys shortly thereafter and are using another dealer in town...

Perhaps the air injection was turned on in the Bahia but off in the Cameo. The whirlpool jets in the Cameo should have a knob to adjust how much air is put into them -- find out which knob it is and make sure it's turned fully open. Also check that the diverter for the whirlpools is turned fully to them. The whirlpool jets in my Optima are very strong when set this way....

I hear ya but hey, just trying to be helpful. Before I bought my tub I was only researching on this forum. By luck I found the other one and, in truth, found it to be much more helpful. I only come here now for the comedic relief...

http://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/cgi-bin...oard=wtb-hottub

Why do you HAVE to make a decision today? This is not something you want to rush into -- take your time, do your research, and figure out which would be best for you.... That said, for such a big purchase I'd prefer new with full warranty. Used would be okay for me if it had no visible wear and tear and still had close to a full warranty, neither of which the Optima does in this case...

I frequent another, more active hot tub forum and have yet to see a single Costco tub owner over there...

If it were me I'd just use the generator to power a couple of shop lights placed in the equipment compartment. Of course you'd want to drain the spa first, but I would think the lights should keep the water in the lines and pumps from freezing...