Had a productive day today. I used my day off work to shop around and check out some spa's...
1. Arctic Spas - First impression, not that good. They all looked like they were 10 years old, very outdated looking. This company is lacking in looks and design. Very expensive, old technology control screens, no modern LED features and no attractive stereo options. Again, everything looked old.
2. Cal Spas - First impression, again not that good. The dealer looked like a fly-by-night operation. They only had 1 Cal Spa on the floor and it was 3 years old and beat to ****. Then the salesmen tried to sell me a Clearwater Spa, which I new nothing about. I left that place quick with bad vibes.
3. Sundance Spas - Not originally on my radar but I was driving by and thought what the hell. Very impressed. First impressions were very good, Sundance looked very modern, and appeared to be built extremely well. You can tell right away that these are very high-end, quality spas. The dealer was also fantastic, very helpful and trustworthy. The 980 and 880 spas have really nice features including a nice LED control panel, and an Ultraviolet water system.
4. Bullfrog Spas - First impression was just wow! Very modern styling, quality materials, and feature packed! I didn't get a look inside the maintenance panel but I trust it's guts are just as well built as the exterior. The A8 series had a beautiful LED control panel, premium LED lighting features, and a premium ozone water system. Obviously the biggest feature was the Jetpack system. I was also impressed with the dealer. A long time staple in my community.
So, I've narrowed it down to 2 choices. The Bullfrog A8 and the Sundance Optima. Here's my pro's and con's
Bullfrog A8
PRO's - Beautiful modern exterior design - Modern LED control display w/auxiliary control pad - Detailed premium LED lighting package - Stereo System is subtle and well designed - Jetpack System is a major selling feature - Minimal plumbing due to the Jetpack system - Simplified Maintenance by design - Cloud control system - Solid dealer and manufacturer support - Quality construction inside and out (No wood or metal) Did I mention the Jetpack system?
CON's - Price of course - honestly I got nothing else. This company and model checked all the boxes for me.
Sundance Optima
PRO's - Fairly nice exterior (not as nice as the A8 IMO) - Quality construction inside and out - Modern LED control display - Ultraviolet water system - High quality jets - Sunsmart Wifi technology - JBL Stereo is subtle and well designed - Solid dealer and manufacturer support
CON's - LED lighting is entry level and pretty lame, should be better for a high-end tub - No auxiliary control pad - Wood frame construction - No jetpack system
Right now I'm leaning towards the Bullfrog A8. Seriously pro's and con's aside, the Jetpack system is hands down one of the biggest features I've ever seen... I mean being able to switch a jetpack on the fly is YUGE! For example, if my wife (who is short and petite) wants to try the neck massager jetpack, but this jetpack is currently located in a deep seated chair, I can just swap it over to her shallow seat in seconds! Brilliant! Not to mention being able to try other jetpacks down the road, you can basically keep evolving your hot tub as you see fit... Seems like a game changer to me.
Now I just gotta see if I can beat my sales guy up a bit on price...