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Hi everyone. This is my first post, but I have spent hours reading this forum as well as a lot of other hot tub/spa information online. I'll tell you; my head is spinning! We have been overwhelmed with the different spas and options out there. Why I asked for help asap is because we looked at a used hot tub this evening & we need to let the guy know tomorrow whether or not we want to take it. First though, I'll give you some background information. Sorry, but this post will be long. We are new to hot tubs, so we are coming at selection from a newbie perspective. The main reason we want/need a hot tub is for my husband. He is 6'5, 40 years old and has early osteoarthritis. He is in a lot of pain after work if he walks or stands alot. He does residential and commercial construction - all aspects. So the hydrotherapy aspect is what we need it for. Money is tight - I'm forgoing getting a car and taking the bus because he needs a hot tub more. Doctor recommended it years ago, but we've never gotten around to getting one. We also have a small yard, but decided we can put it on the side of the house. The tub would probably be used every day by my husband and occasional use from myself and my 11 & 17 year old sons. We live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and have very cold winters. It's not too humid here since we're in the prairies. I have psoriasis and occasional bacterial skin infections, so I would want a system that doesn't make it worse. We don't travel, so looking after it regularly would be no problem. We know we want a lounger and a cool down seat. Because my husband is so tall - 6'5, & my 17 yr old is 6'6, a tub with a long lounger is best. We've sat in all these tubs I'll list below, but he has only wet tested the used Down East spa so far. Warranty is very important to my husband, so we're looking for a comprehensive package, & my husband is more partial to insulation that is easy to get to - not the sprayed in full foam. UPDATED: We've decided not to go with #1 -the used tub. Moving it would be a hassle & we'd prefer to have a warranty. Also a no for #2 - the Sundance Peyton. 7 feet isn't large enough for my tall family. A few inches extra definitely makes a difference. NO for #3 the Ciara - instead possibly the Olympus - I'll type over the Ciara specs in #3. Same with #6 - the Bullfrog spa. The price was just too high. Question though, is 2 - 2 hp pumps enough? That's what the Makena has, and for the price, we thought it would have higher hp. (Prices are before tax) 3) http://www.jetsensationhottubs.com/#!olympus/cpyc http://alpsspas.com/models/olympus/ Alps spa Olympus model: 1st link is to the actual Winnipeg distributor and the 2nd link is to the Alps line. The warranty on it is pretty good. This tub larger and deeper, has ozone and 2 6hp pumps. The price for $7250 is a great deal. It has 3 pumps, ozone, full lighting package including cup holders and a stereo system. Comes with a breaker panel & she would give us a deal on cover lifter and steps. This one has 2 loungers though, so I don't know if we'll like it. We can sit in it, but not wet test it. We have only seen the pics on the web. The problem is these are in her back yard ,(new & packaged though) and she hasn't opened an actual store or warehouse yet, so we're concerned about warranty in the future. She said Alps would still take care of us if she stopped selling them. 4) http://vitaspa.com/2011/05/envie/ Vitaspa (by Maax) at Crown Spas store: The Crown store has a great reputation & great warranty. We spent time talking with the guy and sat in the tub. It's really nice. Its on sale for $7300 but that doesn't include ozone or any extras. We're waiting to hear tomorrow on what he can do with the price. My husband likes that its not spray foam insulation. We've heard that Maax is a good brand as well. After looking at this last week, we thought it was too expensive but after deciding warranty and a better tub is important to us, we're willing to finance a higher price. They will also give 3 years warranty from their store on things that are usually 2 years. They said they could fill the tub for us to wet test it this week. We're leaning towards this one if they can bring down the price even more. Their quote today includes ozone, clearzone II uv, steps, & cover lifter but total is $8900. 5) http://www.calderaspas.com/en/shop/paradise/makena/#tech-specs The Caldera Makena from Hot Springs/Oasis dealer: We saw it tonight, but didn't have time to wet test it. It's a really nice looking tub. The price is on sale for $8800, but he would give us the floor model, taxes included for $8200. It comes with the spafrog bromine system. The lighting package is great and we love that their is actual handles that light up too. There are speakers installed, but no stereo. The price for ozone is kind of expensive, but I wanted to ask about whether we should just buy an ozone kit online and install it ourselves. Is it worth getting ozone? Guess that's kind of another topic. The dealer would include cover lifter and stairs, and give us a deal on railing and anything else we want. The no tax or free salt system ended last week, but he's willing to honor it, so it's a pretty great deal. This tub also has the best warranty out of all of them. 5 years on most things as opposed to only 2 or 3 years for the rest of the tubs we looked at. I think I may bus it down there and wet test it later. We've heard great things about the hotsprings brand - our friend has one. We originally wanted the flair, but the lounger was too short. 6) New addition to list: http://www.northwindhottubs.com/freedom.html Northwind Freedom: It's the largest out of all of them at 92x92 and 40 inches deep. The other tubs were either 36 or 38. They said for $7800 we could get the floor model with ozone, upgraded insulation, a lighting package, steps & free delivery. Warranty wasn't that great, but it could be upgraded. The thing is, this one has NO LOUNGER, and we think we want one. The guy says most people don't like loungers & if they had one on their first tub, they get no lounger on their 2nd. I'm going to make a new post to see what people think about loungers. Does anyone here own the Freedom or a Northwind tub. I have no idea what the quality or reputation is. I also am not sure on what the best & easiest sanitation system for problem skin to use is - enzymes (we were told enzymes are the newest and greatest thing to use), bromine, chlorine, salt etc, and I'm not sure if we should let ozone included or not be a deciding factor. If ozone makes a big difference, would you recommend paying a lot more for the dealer to install it, or ordering one online. My husband is extremely handy, so it would be no problem for him to install himself. His (new, but small) construction company also has plumbers or electricians we can call on, (though my husband used to work with an electrician). Anyway, thanks again for your time & answers. I can't wait to read what you all have to say & I hope you're all enjoying your hot tubs! I'm so happy to have found this forum. Trish

HI. We need your opinions & advice please. First, I'll say that this is a much shorter version of my first more detailed post which explains why & who will be using our spa/hot tub. (see here:http://www.poolspaforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=45231 We had narrowed our large pool of spas down to 3, but were only able to wet test 2, which we did this past weekend. They were the Caldera Makena & the Vitaspa Envie. My husband wants the Caldera because he likes the lounger better & felt there was more control over each seat, & I want the Vitaspa because I was disappointed when I was in the Caldera Makena because it didn't give me a therapeutic massage. I was very impressed when I was in the Envie with how great and massage like the jets were (even my husband & son agreed) I also didn't float out of the lounger like I did with the Caldera Makena. They also felt the Envie was bigger, which it is, and with my family being 6'4 and 6'6, I'm not sure why they prefer the Makena. Both have excellent warranty & great service which is how we narrowed it down to these 2, so it's not really a factor. Both salesman have gone over & above in trying to please us with big discounts. Caldera Makena: http://www.calderaspas.com/en/shop/paradise/makena/ $8200 with tax ($10000 regular price). Dealer is throwing in their best cover & cover lifter, steps, ozone & 3 Hotsprings robes. Comes with spa frog bromine system & outdoor panel. Has 46 jets, & 3 pumps, including circ pump. Pumps are only 2 hp. Has lounger and volcano foot jet. Also colored lights and fountain & lighted handle. It has speakers but no stereo installed. Not much of a cool down seat. Even though smaller than the Vitaspa envie it did feel deep enough, but then again there was so much water in there it was overflowing on the floor. I am willing to wet test it again tomorrow to see if I can get the jets to have a better massage. I'm not a hot tub person because of the heat, but I was looking forward to using it for the massage aspect. Vitaspa Envie: http://vitaspa.com/2011/05/envie/ $8500 with tax ($8300 regular price) Owner also giving us steps & cover lifter & gave us a big discount on ozone & UV. Doesn't come with outdoor panel, so that would be extra, but gives cost on it & the wire. Crown has great warranty & service too. I just like the Envie better. It has steps & a cool down seat, & a very comfy lounger. It has only 2 pumps though, but they are 3 hp. It has 54 jets - 8 more than the Makena, & gave a great massage. We can also change out the jets if we like. Has colored cupholders & a fountain & the color & cabinet is more to our liking. The dealer suggests we use Enzymes with our spa. My husband says the control for strength of jets only controlled one side of the tub at a time, which is why he likes the Makena better. Sooo, I told my husband the spa is really for him & he should choose, but then he chose the Makena, & I guess I was disappointed because I didn't enjoy being in it. Which means I probably won't use it much. It's wrong for me to try & change his mind though since I told him it was his choice. Saturday after wet testing the Envie, he couldn't make up his mind, & I told him & still feel that we should try the Makena again. Maybe I'll change my mind, or it will solidify his decision. So, what does everyone think. Spafrog bromine & ozone & circ pump, vs UV & ozone. I have folliculitis, psoriasis, and sometimes get rashes to chemicals in hygiene products, so I liked the idea of the uv & ozone to kill bacteria and maybe help with skin conditions. Spa frog means always buying bromine & mineral cartridges, whereas uv means a $100 light once a year. Does the circ pump make a big difference? One last thing; a tiebreaker could be the Alps Olympus spa, but the dealer who is new & selling out of her home says we can't wet test it. We can sit in it though. Here's its info: Alps spa Olympus model: http://www.jetsensationhottubs.com/#!olympus/cpyc $8300 with tax, price on website $7995. The warranty on it is ok, but not as good as the others. This tub is larger and deeper, & has ozone included (their standard) and 2 6hp pumps (breakpower I'm guessing). It has 3 pumps (circ of course), full lighting package including cup holders. lighted hand rail (like the Makena) and even a stereo system. Comes with a cover lifter & breaker panel & she would give us a deal on ionizer & steps. This one has 2 loungers though, so I don't know if we'll like it, or if the lounger is long enough (looking at the pic, the end of the lounger looks short & part of the tub space looks unusable at end of first lounger. With 72 stainless steel jets, I would hope they would give a good massage. The problem is these are in her back yard, (new & packaged though) and she hasn't opened an actual store or warehouse yet, so we're concerned about warranty in the future. She said Alps would still take care of us if she stopped selling them. I'm hoping she changes her mind & lets us wet test it. Well, sorry it wasn't as short as I thought it would be. I've just lived and breathed this forum & anything to do with hot tubs & spas for the past few weeks. I have barely gotten any sleep & I just want it to be over & the decision made & the hot tub on its way. I should add, all of these hot tubs are available to get right away, since we're taking the floor model. Only the Caldera Makena has been on the floor with water in it. The dealer added water to the Envie just for us to test. (He also installed ozone & uv just for us, so I'd feel really bad if we don't choose it) Thanks for your help, advice, & opinions. Cheers.