Another New Guy From Long Island Looking For Spa Advice

[DjPiLL]

Ok I got the wife's approval to blow some savings on a new hot tub.

I have been reading these forums for the past week trying to learn the best I can. I am hoping people can help me out with some following points/questions:

- I am from Long Island so I guess it would help if someone can point me in the right direction as to where to start looking (what stores/showrooms). Everything in general seems to be more money in Long Island and after hearing on here that buying a hot tub requires as much haggling as buying a new car, I am a little turned off by the process.

- I could probably find some recommendations as to WHAT to buy here, but I guess it wouldn't hurt if people wanted to chime in on some suggestions. I would love to keep this purchase under $8000 out the door after tax if possible. Would also like to keep haggling to a minimum.

- We are actually in the middle of redoing our backyard patio. We already found a contractor and he is installing 300sq/ft of concrete patio in our backyard. I am debating if I should have him concrete out a section in advance for the hot tub and where the hot tub would sit. He is charging me $5.25 a square foot for concrete. I already went to one hot tub dealer and they said if I didn't have a solid surface to sit the hot tub on, a 10' pad would run me $500. Not sure what the deal with that is.

- How much of an electric hit are people in Long Island (with LIPA) seeing with their hot tubs? I am curious how much extra per month this hot tub would cost. I had Central Air installed in November so I am already preparing for that hit this summer. Central Air + Hot Tub may floor me after seeing that first June electric bill. If people outside of Long Island can fill me in on how many extra KWh they are using with the hot tub, I can figure out the cost for myself.

- A lot of people suggest buying a used hot tub. Being in a major metropolitian area, there are a decent amount of people selling used hot tubs by me. I guess the two questions I would have with this is, how the hell do I move a used hot tub? And are warranties typically transferrable (if I buy one thats only 2-3 years old?)

- Are there any options I should definitely look for? I heard there is a certain type of insulation that really helps with electric costs. Any other things I should definitely look for?

- And finally what are people doing for entertainment while soaking? I know this is probably a silly question. I see you can get stereo options with these spas. Some even have TVs. TV is probably overkill, but I think I would really enjoy watching TV while soaking. Does anyone bring a laptop out with them? I was thinking just setting up a laptop next to my spa and watch TV off that (I have slingbox).

Thanks in advance. Looking forward to learning a lot.

[DjPiLL]

I figured I would post a small update. I took the wife with me shopping. I didn't wet test any (yet) but I did some intial model and pricing checks. Maybe people can comment.

Hot Springs Dealer - Wanted 10,200 for a Vista and 9,300 for an Envoy. Said I could get 3% back if I paid cash. Might be able to get the price lower if I looked more serious but I'm not sure.

Master Spa Dealer - Wanted 9,499 for an LSX. Wanted 6,999 for a Portsmouth SE. 5,999 for a Portsmouth DE Floor model. 8,999 for a Windsor floor model (not sure if SE or not)

Artic Spa dealer - Said all spas were 10,500 if I wanted them in the Legend Extreme trim. They also had Jacuzzi models J-355 would be 8,400 after 8.5% tax.

I also saw a Tiger River Caspian for 8,000 and a Sundance Chelsea for 8,000.

My wife is leaning more towards the Hot Springs spas. But we are still looking. Maybe Jacuzzi?

[spatech (the unreal one)]

I figured I would post a small update. I took the wife with me shopping. I didn't wet test any (yet) but I did some intial model and pricing checks. Maybe people can comment.

Hot Springs Dealer - Wanted 10,200 for a Vista and 9,300 for an Envoy. Said I could get 3% back if I paid cash. Might be able to get the price lower if I looked more serious but I'm not sure.

Master Spa Dealer - Wanted 9,499 for an LSX. Wanted 6,999 for a Portsmouth SE. 5,999 for a Portsmouth DE Floor model. 8,999 for a Windsor floor model (not sure if SE or not)

Artic Spa dealer - Said all spas were 10,500 if I wanted them in the Legend Extreme trim. They also had Jacuzzi models J-355 would be 8,400 after 8.5% tax.

I also saw a Tiger River Caspian for 8,000 and a Sundance Chelsea for 8,000.

My wife is leaning more towards the Hot Springs spas. But we are still looking. Maybe Jacuzzi?

I'd personally skip Master but the other ones you were looking at are good choices IMO.

[DjPiLL]

I saw a few more today. Went to the Coleman dealer. Spas were "ok" but I don't know if I was that impressed.

They had a 471 for $7500 and a 481 for $7600. 5% discount if I paid cash.

I saw some Cal Spas that looked decent although I didn't get a chance to get pricing (they were very busy). They had a A857L and a A844L that both looked nice.

They also had a Sundance Maxxus which I think would be a little pricey.

They also had a vew Bahama Spas. Anyone heard of this brand? Saw a Nassau II ST and Freeport I spa. Didn't get pricing yet on those.

[In The Bubble]

Ok I got the wife's approval to blow some savings on a new hot tub.

- Are there any options I should definitely look for? I heard there is a certain type of insulation that really helps with electric costs. Any other things I should definitely look for?

- And finally what are people doing for entertainment while soaking? I know this is probably a silly question. I see you can get stereo options with these spas. Some even have TVs. TV is probably overkill, but I think I would really enjoy watching TV while soaking. Does anyone bring a laptop out with them? I was thinking just setting up a laptop next to my spa and watch TV off that (I have slingbox).

Thanks in advance. Looking forward to learning a lot.

I actually posted the following KWH results in another thread recently...here they are again. We purchased a Hot Springs Sovereign II last spring.....the following numbers represent what our KWH's were with and without that tub running all winter long at 101 degrees in Maine. It was a very long winter but the extra dollars spent in electric were very acceptable to us. NOTE: We used this tub at least 5 times per week for half to three quarters of an hour per soak in sometimes extreme fridgid conditions. A HUGE tribute to a well engineered and wonderfully insulated tub.

My kwh last December was 794 with no tub....this year it was 933 with a tub.

Don't seem to find my January Bill

February was a 724 last year with a 797 this year.

March was 721 last year and 844 this year.

April was 663 vs. 724 this year.

Secondly....if you've already got a guy doing a cement pour then just incorporate the spa area into this. You might want to make sure you rough out the electric or at least plan for it in case you want the electric to surface in the middle of the pad. The 10x10 pad the salesman was talking about is for people who can't or don't want to do anything as extensive as you already have planned.

Finally, when we first go the spa we were concerned with entertaining ourselves....we tried multiple ways to employ music....boom box, headphones. Turns out we just love laying back, relaxing and reflecting on our day. The jets make it hard to hear anyway....then when you turn the jets off the music is too loud. Way too much effort when you're just trying to relax.

But everyone is different, and you're asking the same questions we wanted to know when we first started this search.

Enjoy it, and don't be afraid to be open minded....and DON'T be afraid to spend a little bit more now to reap your rewards later....i.e. well made tub, solid base for it etc.

Happy tubbin'

[cplarsen]

I saw some Cal Spas that looked decent although I didn't get a chance to get pricing (they were very busy). They had a A857L and a A844L that both looked nice.

They were too busy to even give you a price? Think they just told you everything you need to know about their level of customer service.

Neighbor has a Cal Spa. Nice tub, but there are better out there.

You've gotten good advice so far. I'd check out every tub in the area before you decide.

Oh, on the entertainment. When you do the pad and put in the electrical, have them put in a 110v GFI in a convenient location. Then you can plug in all your toys. But remember to be safe with it. A TV capacitor dropping into a hot tub will still ruin your day.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

From what you've listed so far I'd look closely at Arctic, Hot Spring, Jacuzzi and Sundance.

I saw a few more today. Went to the Coleman dealer. Spas were "ok" but I don't know if I was that impressed.

They had a 471 for $7500 and a 481 for $7600. 5% discount if I paid cash.

I saw some Cal Spas that looked decent although I didn't get a chance to get pricing (they were very busy). They had a A857L and a A844L that both looked nice.

They also had a Sundance Maxxus which I think would be a little pricey.

They also had a vew Bahama Spas. Anyone heard of this brand? Saw a Nassau II ST and Freeport I spa. Didn't get pricing yet on those.

[DjPiLL]

They were too busy to even give you a price? Think they just told you everything you need to know about their level of customer service.

They were dealing with other customers on sales. And when I walked in there were two other couples waiting to be helped. They seemed pretty busy. I was in this same store last week and they weren't as busy and I got helped immediately. But this was a week ago and I was simply browsing with my wife. I wasn't getting into details on price or models because I wanted to first check here and see what was good. I am more "educated" now. ;-)

Anyways I dunno... it seems like we will be deciding between the Hot Springs (Vista or Envoy), Sundance (Maxximus?), and Arctic (Kodiak). My wife really liked what she heard and read about the Hot Springs. But their tubs seem a little pricey. I have to find out what their bottom line price is. Guy wanted over 10k for a Vista and 9200 for an Envoy.

Have to wet test them too. My wife refuses to wet test, doesn't feel comfortable with it. I told my wife she may not like it but she claims she will like it regardless. Oh well, looks like this is my decision to make.

[Dennis B]

Have to wet test them too. My wife refuses to wet test, doesn't feel comfortable with it. I told my wife she may not like it but she claims she will like it regardless. Oh well, looks like this is my decision to make.

Wet test. It's essential in my opinion. Especially for this costly an item. Would you buy a car without a test drive? Plus dry testing doesn't really prove what's most comfortable because you won't sit in it dry... especially lounge seats, and captain's chairs because you'll float out on some tubs.

[DjPiLL]

QUOTE(Dennis B @ Apr 29 2008, 12:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have to wet test them too. My wife refuses to wet test, doesn't feel comfortable with it. I told my wife she may not like it but she claims she will like it regardless. Oh well, looks like this is my decision to make.

Wet test. It's essential in my opinion. Especially for this costly an item. Would you buy a car without a test drive? Plus dry testing doesn't really prove what's most comfortable because you won't sit in it dry... especially lounge seats, and captain's chairs because you'll float out on some tubs.

Well I will definitely be wet testing. My wife is unbelieveable. She actually claimed that if we got this hot tub she would be buying a raft and will sunbathe on the raft in the hot tub.

Hey whatever "floats" her boat I suppose.

[DjPiLL]

I decided to look for more Hot Spring dealers in my area and I noticed there was one in Yonkers. I was looking at their current specials online and saw this.

http://www.priscospas.com/news.html

They want over 13k for a Grandee... but isn't the Grandee a step down from the Vista? The dealer in Long Island wanted 10,200 for a Vista and that was before any negotiation.

Wondering if it's even worse to take a drive up to Yonkers.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

I decided to look for more Hot Spring dealers in my area and I noticed there was one in Yonkers. I was looking at their current specials online and saw this.

http://www.priscospas.com/news.html

They want over 13k for a Grandee... but isn't the Grandee a step down from the Vista? The dealer in Long Island wanted 10,200 for a Vista and that was before any negotiation.

Wondering if it's even worse to take a drive up to Yonkers.

Check the link you have above and you'll see the Grandee and Vista are the same size (one has a lounge and the other doesn't) so they should be priced about the same if they are comparably equipped. Stop by or call and ask for details.

[hottubdan]

I decided to look for more Hot Spring dealers in my area and I noticed there was one in Yonkers. I was looking at their current specials online and saw this.

http://www.priscospas.com/news.html

They want over 13k for a Grandee... but isn't the Grandee a step down from the Vista? The dealer in Long Island wanted 10,200 for a Vista and that was before any negotiation.

Wondering if it's even worse to take a drive up to Yonkers.

The $13K is for the Grandee with the Stone Skirt. That is a pricey option. The $10,200 for the Vista is right in line. How far is your closest dealer and how far to Yonkers?

[DjPiLL]

I decided to look for more Hot Spring dealers in my area and I noticed there was one in Yonkers. I was looking at their current specials online and saw this.

http://www.priscospas.com/news.html

They want over 13k for a Grandee... but isn't the Grandee a step down from the Vista? The dealer in Long Island wanted 10,200 for a Vista and that was before any negotiation.

Wondering if it's even worse to take a drive up to Yonkers.

The $13K is for the Grandee with the Stone Skirt. That is a pricey option. The $10,200 for the Vista is right in line. How far is your closest dealer and how far to Yonkers?

Well the dealer local to me is about 5 miles away. Yonkers isn't close but it's not like it's in another state. Maybe 35 miles away.

I guess it would depend on if they service my area. Maybe it could help if they have models I can wet test that my local dealer doesn't have set up with water?

Also my local dealer in Long Island is closed on Sundays but the Yonker's dealer is open on Sunday. Maybe I can we test the local dealer on Saturday and the Yonkers one on Sunday?

[waterboy]

From what you've listed so far I'd look closely at Arctic, Hot Spring, Jacuzzi and Sundance.

I saw a few more today. Went to the Coleman dealer. Spas were "ok" but I don't know if I was that impressed.

They had a 471 for $7500 and a 481 for $7600. 5% discount if I paid cash.

I saw some Cal Spas that looked decent although I didn't get a chance to get pricing (they were very busy). They had a A857L and a A844L that both looked nice.

They also had a Sundance Maxxus which I think would be a little pricey.

They also had a vew Bahama Spas. Anyone heard of this brand? Saw a Nassau II ST and Freeport I spa. Didn't get pricing yet on those.

I would agree that the Arctic, Hotspring, Jacuzzi and Sundance are good choices. Wth the Sundance if you want a lounger I would look at the Cameo. The Maxxus is a large tub. Wet test and see if you even want a lounger. I thought I wanted a lounger and after wet testing we decided against the lounger.

With the Cal spas upgrade to the Classic series as the lower level series have cheap jets.

As for wet testing if your wife wants privacy the dealers in our area offered to open privately for us before of after hours. We did not care so we just hopped in. Remember that you are spending around $8,000 plus for your spa so the dealer will try to accomodate you.

good luck

[Brothersean]

Hi DjPILL,

My Sundance dealer in Ct. is blowing out two 07 spas. They both are beautiful. An Optima and a Cameo. They both are right on the showroom. The Optima is full awaiting your wet test. There is also a BEAUTIUL Cameo nearby available for wet testing!

He is located right across the pond in Seymour Ct. He has been great to me. He is called "Spa dealer from Seymour" on this forum.

My wife and I have a Sundance Cameo and we couldn't be happier!

Good luck..........Sean

[DjPiLL]

Hi DjPILL,

My Sundance dealer in Ct. is blowing out two 07 spas. They both are beautiful. An Optima and a Cameo. They both are right on the showroom. The Optima is full awaiting your wet test. There is also a BEAUTIUL Cameo nearby available for wet testing!

He is located right across the pond in Seymour Ct. He has been great to me. He is called "Spa dealer from Seymour" on this forum.

My wife and I have a Sundance Cameo and we couldn't be happier!

Good luck..........Sean

Seymour CT is a little far for me. How am I going to get service on a spa from a dealer thats a good 80+ miles away from me? Do techs travel that far?

[hottubdan]

Hi DjPILL,

My Sundance dealer in Ct. is blowing out two 07 spas. They both are beautiful. An Optima and a Cameo. They both are right on the showroom. The Optima is full awaiting your wet test. There is also a BEAUTIUL Cameo nearby available for wet testing!

He is located right across the pond in Seymour Ct. He has been great to me. He is called "Spa dealer from Seymour" on this forum.

My wife and I have a Sundance Cameo and we couldn't be happier!

Good luck..........Sean

Seymour CT is a little far for me. How am I going to get service on a spa from a dealer thats a good 80+ miles away from me? Do techs travel that far?

Not without charging travel fees. With gas @ $4.00/gallon...

[DjPiLL]

Ok I went around all the dealers with my wife today.

Jazuzzi is also unfortunately out as well because my dealer is Harrows and these guys are constantly declaring bankruptsy and I dont feel comfortable with buying from them. It's a shame because I liked the Jacuzzi tubs too.

The Sundance/CalSpa dealer i'm not sure about. His price for the Maxxus was over 11k. He had a Cameo but that was over 9k and I am not sure if that was worth the price. He was pushing the Cal Spa line. He had a A857L for 8075 and an A844L for 7500. Problem was neither had water and he said he cant set them up for a wet test. Duh.

Same goes with the Master Spa dealer who I didnt even bother seeing today (saw them last week). They only had one model that had water which was their top of the line model (the one with the flat surface to lay on). So Thats no good either.

The Arctic dealer was the only dealer who said they would set up any spa I wanted that they had on the floor there for a wet test. They had a 2007 Kodiak Legend Extreme for 9k floor model. Is this a good deal? He said he had somebody coming Monday for a wet test and they were filling it then so I could come back on monday and wet test that particular model. He said the 2008 models were coming in next week and would have a few including a Klondiker. But they said any of the legend extreme models were all over 10k. I am not sure if that was worth the price.

I actually was able to wet test two models at the Hot Springs dealer. I tried an Envoy and a Vanguard. I am kinda torn about the lounge. My wife wanted a lounge but she said she refuses to wet test. I found myself floating a bit with the Lounge on the Envoy. But I also found myself floating a little out of a lot of the other seats as well. Is this normal?

I tried the Vanguard and that didnt have a lounge. I don't think I floated as much out of the Vanguard but I felt the Vanguard was a little small. I want a larger tub.

The dealer has another location further away that has a wet Envoy and Grandee. So I could go to that location to compare the Envoy to something larger without a lounge (instead of the smaller Vanguard). I am calling another separate dealer tomorrow morning hoping to see what models he has for a wet test. I am hoping he has a Vista and Envoy because I really want to try the Vista and compare it to the Envoy. I wont know until tomorrow when I call them.

Oh and with this dealer, price right now Envoy for 8900 (he says thats a rock bottom price) and a Vista for 9900 which I think is a little high. He said typical package comes with the usual steps, cover, chemicals, delivery, etc. I was able to get him to throw in a cover lift to the package so far. But I would like more if I am going to spend over 9k on a tub.

What do you guys think? I am afraid of more floating. Is it mormal to float (or really rise) a little? It wasn't like my belly was out of the water. But I definitely wasn't sitting straight down.

The one thing I really liked on the Hot Springs in general were the headrests. Very comfortable. I really wished the Envoy had the third headrest though. They only have one for the lounge and one in another seat. The seat I probably would have sat in the most besides the lounge was the corner seat that didn't have the headrest (duh). This is why I am going to look at the vista... because of the extra headrest.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

Oh and with this dealer, price right now Envoy for 8900 (he says thats a rock bottom price) and a Vista for 9900 which I think is a little high. He said typical package comes with the usual steps, cover, chemicals, delivery, etc. I was able to get him to throw in a cover lift to the package so far. But I would like more if I am going to spend over 9k on a tub.

Continue your wet testing on the lounge vs no-lounge question but to your point above let me give you on piece of advice. If you get to the point where you feel you've gotten the dealer as low as you can but want a little more to make yourself feel you got the best offer you could, one idea is to then ask for some store credit to sweeten and finalize the deal. It is much more palatable for them to give you say $150 store credit toward chems, etc. than to lower the price $150 when you want to counter with your final offer. Its works well for both sides because the dealer may feel he can't afford to sell beyond a certain price point, it doesn't take $ off the table for him and with the store credit it assures you'll be back and for you its fine because you'll need chems and maybe some other items after the sale and you got a little extra in the deal at the last moment.

[DjPiLL]

I know it's just difficult to try to figure out what is best. Lounger? No Lounger? Big Tub? Smaller Tub?

My wife said that I will definitely float more if I lay in the tub stiff. She said I need to "learn to relax" and it won't be an issue. This is coming from the woman who refuses to wet test. LOL But she has sat in Hot Tubs before when she was younger and living out of state. So she does have some experience with them. I think this is one of the reasons why she really doesn't care what I pick.

She is more concerned about the look of the tub and its warranty as well as it's overall quality on the structure. She said she would be happy with more or less anything (she is a very simple person). She knows I am the picky annoying one.

I guess after I wet test a Grandee and/or hopefully a Vista tomorrow i'll have a better idea. I'll also get an idea when I can test that Arctic Kodiak on Monday.

[DjPiLL]

OK the other dealer thats about 35 miles from me has a Prodigy and a Vista filled. So i'll be testing the Vista today. I wish he had a Vista and Envoy instead so I could easily compare but i'll take it. I'll wet test whatever else he has filled (other manufacturers).

Then the other Hot Spring dealer thats about 35 miles in the opposite direction has a Grandee and an Envoy. So I should be able to wet test all of Hot Springs major models.

[DjPiLL]

Ok so I was able to wet test a few more models yesterday.

I went up to Yonkers (35mi away) and I wet tested the Vista. I liked the Vista better than the Envoy. I liked the "roominess" of the Vista. Also I found that on the Vista there were more seats I liked. The lounge seemed ok... didn't float too much. But I also liked the corner seats as well. It seemed like the headrest fit me well on all three seats, getting me right above the neck. Was a good fit. I only wished there were more foot jets on the Vista. I had trouble reaching the foot jets on the lounge. From one corner seat I could reach the foot jets in the center and I could also reach them from the center seat. I also thought the "adirondack seat" on the Vista was much better than the Envoy. I had all kinds of trouble with that seat on the Envoy.

While I was there they had a Caldera filled. I have the model number written at work (it was a Tahitian). The Caldera was ok. I liked the lounge better than the Vista since it had better calf and feet jets. But the rest of the seats were just ok. I noticed the jets seemed stronger on the Caldera and I prefer much easier jets.

This dealer also had two Limelights on display. They had a Pulse filled but wasn't at temperature. They also had a Flair downstairs that wasn't filled. Both tubs looked nice, but they were both rather small.

Then I went to a different dealer. I was able to wet test the Grandee. Surprisingly I didn't like it. I had trouble with a lot of the seats. The seat on the Grandee located where the lounge is on the Vista I didn't like. I had major trouble with the Grandee headrests. They seemed to be located too high on my head so I wasn't entirely comfortable. Very strange since I didn't have this problem with the Vista.

While I was there I also sat in the Envoy that they had filled as well. Again wasn't that impressed with the Envoy.

So still looking. hrmmmgh.

The Vista might be an option but I have to see what price I can get it at since its not cheap.

[DjPiLL]

Actually the other manufacturer I wet tested yesterday with the strong jets was a Caldera Tahitian.... (I originally said it was a Caspian).

[Stuart A]

While I was there they had a Caldera filled. I have the model number written at work (it was a Tahitian). The Caldera was ok. I liked the lounge better than the Vista since it had better calf and feet jets. But the rest of the seats were just ok. I noticed the jets seemed stronger on the Caldera and I prefer much easier jets.

I think on all good spas you can adjust the power of the jets, so if you find one you like which is a bit too powerful I would not worry too much about that.

I know not everybody likes a lounger but if you find one that suits you then go for it, even better if it has jets for the feet, calfs and thighs.

Carry on wet testing and enjoy the experience.