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We are entering the home stretch and have our two final wet tests tonight and tomorrow. In the Jacuzzi corner we have the Jacuzzi J-365 weighing in at 91 x 84, fully foamed, 32 jets, priced at $8550.00 including the cover, lifter, steps, delivery and set up with starter chemicals. No hard negotiation yet but likely to see a 300-500 reduction in that price. In the Hot Spring corner we have the Vanguard, weighing in at 87 x 87, also fully foamed, also with 32 jets, priced at $9500.00 including the cover, lifter, steps, delivery and set up with starter chemicals. She dropped the price to 9500.00 last night but I got the feeling there was no more to be given. Both dealers are equally reputable, both are BBB Accredited, neither have any complaints, one is in business 20 years, the other for 31. I don't think there is a bad choice here but give me some input, any owners out there to tell me what they think? anyone with pricing info to share? Is it possible that the Hot Spring is actually worth 1000-1500 more than the Jacuzzi? The only time I had any type of bad taste during this process was when the Hot Spring dealer said "oh yes, Jacuzzi is a great name but they don't compare to Hot Spring, come over here and see this Hot Spot Relay if you want to compare to Jacuzzi" Is that true? My thinking is that she either drank the Kool Aid and truly believes that this is the case, or she was engaging in some passive aggressive competitor bashing, thoughts? Give me some feedback guys and gals, ladies and gents. My money is burning a hole in my pocket and this search has gone on long enough. Thanks, Roger

I have posted in a few threads but not gotten any specific feedback on this. The question is how do you like or dislike your foot domes? What are the pros and cons? If you like it, how tall are you? Do you have any issues with being cramped when you put your feet on it? Do you need to use it to brace yourself in your seat when the jets are on? Looking at SD Optima, Jacuzzi J-365, maybe others. Thanks in advance

Hi All, (sorry for the long post ) My wife and I are about to get our first hot tub. We are located in Edmonton, Canada. I am quite diligent in doing my research and have been reading up a lot in this forum; you guys have been a TON of help! First off, we have wet tested an Arctic Spa Norwegian (stroke that one off the list VERY quickly, real bad experience, tub was over chlorinated and stung our eyes, too many motors, retarded volcano foot jet), a Beachcomber 580 (stroke that one off after testing the Jacuzzi and Sundance, didn't feel as good..... great sales guy, but too pricey for not as good of a tub IMO), a Jacuzzi J-365 , and a Sundance Optima (these two we will be discussing). **WET TEST IS EVERYTHING!!** Note that there is a Hot Springs seller in Edmonton, but they aren't a dedicated hot tub place... their core business is Plumbing and Lighting and they change hot tub brands like I change my socks; so we didn't even look. Polar Spas was a joke (ozone and don't need any chemicals at all... WTF? ?), and we didn't get around to KoKo Beach (Coast spas). Catalina had a great sales guy, but felt the tubs weren't as good quality as the Jacuzzi and Sundance (but they were quite a bit cheaper). I will assume if you are reading this, you know the difference between a Jacuzzi J-365 and a Sundance Optima, so I will condense what I have determined are the key differences, and key similarities that I find important. Note that what is important to me is i) good for -40C Canadian winters (-45 in Newfoundland ), ii) construction & quality, iii) insulation, iv) efficiency, v) bang for your buck (don't need no fancy stereo and lights and TVs and waterfalls), vi) hydrotherapy / relaxation / hot water / strong jets SUNDANCE OPTIMA (dealers "Floor Model Special", grey colour) has 15 more jets (different type of jets when compared to the jacuzzi... i think?) has stereo (don't even want it, it'll probably just break anyway) better filtration with the MicroClean Ultra Filter (is it better?? is it really necessary?) better waterfall (but who cares, would be ok if it didn't have one) bigger foot dome /w more jets ISO 9001 certified company (but doesn't Jacuzzi own Sundance, and aren't Jacuzzi tubs made in Sundance manufacturing facility?) Status Indicator Light (i kinda like this... don't want to have to go out and open the Jacuzzi tub to see if there is a problem at -40C. Slipstream Floating Skimmer (is this better then what the Jacuzzi J-365 has???) SilentAir Injection System (SunScents Aromatherapy Delivery system) i-touch controls (better then Jacuzzi?) 30% deposit ($3900), and only until noon Aug 7th to decide $3500 more than the Jacuzzi JACUZZI (dealers "Truckload Sale") is the shell color we prefer more (white) $500 deposit, have until Aug 17th to decide. $3500 less than Sundance BOTH same UV Clear Ray system same size and # of motors both tubs have one circ pump about the same size of tub same warranty same cover both good company's (maybe Sundance a bit better) both titanium heating element, energy efficient full foam insulation wet-tested both, liked both (maybe Sundance a bit better) Jacuzzi has the "Tri-Fusion System Shell" while Sundance has the "Rigid Bond System Shell". After reading up on both of these I have determined that these are the exact same (same manufacturing facility?) PRICE BREAKDOWN (in CDN $, Edmonton, Canada location) Jacuzzi J-365 9999, regular 13,599.00 ("truckload event") Cover Lifter 199, regular 299 Stainless Steel Jets 0, regular 519 Chlorine / Spa Foundation 0, regular 249 Two extra filters 0, regular 150 Clear Ray 0, regular 899 SUBTOTAL 10198.00 TAX (5%) 509.90 GRAND TOTAL 10707.90 $ Less then Sundance 3,504.90 Sundance Optima 12,998.00 ("floor model") Covermate III 385, regular 500 Extra MicroClean Ultra Filter set 153.00 SUBTOTAL 13,536.00 TAX (5%) 676.80 GRAND TOTAL 14,212.80 $ More then Jacuzzi 3,504.90 SO, what do you think? Any comments from any of you? How does Jacuzzi compare with Sundance for quality of tubs? Is the Sundance really worth the extra $3500? Will these survive the -40C winters? Can anyone comment on if these prices are overpriced? Any negotiating tips? The Jacuzzi dealer through in two extra filters, and gave the lifter for a discount. My initial price negotiation with the Sundance dealer failed; was quite firm not to reduce.... I may have not been very convincing thou. Spa foundation will be 6" - 8" of compacted crush rock with a pressure treated wood frame (see link, This good for the tub?) ).Would apprechiate your input. Sorry for the essay

Hello everyone, I am a fairly new user who has been reading many articles on here for a few years. I am just about to make a purchase on a hot tub and can use some advice. I have been considering a Limelight Pulse and a Jacuzzi J-365. We wet tested the jacuzzi and liked the feel a lot, and liked the appearance moderately. All dealers in our area are unable to let us wet test a Pulse as they either dont have any, or the ones they have are sold and cant be filled. To get the Pulse we would have to order without a wet test. We like the Pulse looks better, but are not sure about the feel. The dealer who we would purchase from has told us Jacuzzi jets have less pressure and therefore for my wife who is sensitive to the feel, would like the Jacuzzi better. Would everyone agree with that? What are everyones thoughts in regards to quality J365 vs Pulse? The deal we have on the J365 is: $9100 + tax, includes: delivery (we are 1.5 hrs away), hook up and filling with water, orientation, spa lifter, steps, and chemicals. Thoughts? Thanks in advance everyone!