Fellow Consumers: Arctic Is My Choice!

[wesj53]

To those fellow prospective spa owners (and to those industry who are interested), I have finally made a decision - after a month of research and wet testing - to purchase an Arctic Tundra! My decision was based on the following factors:

1) Their unique Heatlock system of insulating the unit. I weighed both sides of this hotly-debated issue and finally decided that this open method of production would be favored at the time which the tub would begin to leak. If there was one conscensus amongst everyone in the industry, it was that sooner or later a tub would leak. With that in mind and considering that this would probably occur after the warranty period, I did not want the additional expense of digging out foam to find and repair a leak in a FF system. The Arctic will lend itself to easy and less expensive repairs, which will save me $$ in the long run. Additionally, I did not find any conclusive information that FF will save on energy costs, even here in metro Chicago. In fact, the "Alberta" study commissioned by Arctic seems to be a credible one to me for a couple of reasons. Not all the Arctics were at the top of the most-efficient list, and to my knowledge, no other mfg has sued either Arctic or the testing company for any malfescience in the methodology of this study. So, if the study's results are valid, I will hope to save $$ on heating my spa, rather than spending more on a FF system. Since there seems to be continuing debate on this subject, however, I suppose only time will tell. The Heatlock method simply makes more sense to me, prospective LONG TERM owner of this spa.

2) As a prospective LONG TERM owner, the Arctic warranties are second to none: Lifetime on their shell (which is an acrylic/resin/pure fiberglass (no additives like chalk introduced)); 10 years on the surface; 10 years on equipment & plumbing; 10 years on all other components (even including items such as fuses, lights, pillows, filter covers, and many other smaller components); 5 years on their beautiful Canadian red cedar cabinets; and 3 years on their extra-heavy duty cover (Castcore). The Arctic appeared to be the best built product in the marketplace. I am hoping that will be the case with my unit.

3) I purchased the unit from an Arctic company-owned dealer. They sell no other brands and they will only go out of business if Arctic goes out of business. In addition, there is NO service call charge unlike others.

4) Their Forever Floor - another uniquie item which no other mfg offers - which allows an owner to place the unit on grass or stone without the need to build a deck, install paver bricks, or pour concrete. Just level the area and the spa is fully warranted against any cracks by Arctic since the dealer inspects the site first before final placement of the unit on the ground.

5) Brand new pump technology which utilizes a closed type of construction so that if a seal breaks, water cannot enter the unit; thereby protecting the inside. All one has to do is replace the seal; not the entire pump. This feature is new on the 2006 models.

6) Arctic is the only mfg to use reflex torsion hoses. These heavy duty hoses are proclaimed to be far superior in standing up to the pressure of the water flowing thru them, resulting in more reliable service and less leaks. The dealer allowed me to try and pull apart an UNGLUED hose from a fitting. I could not do so! 7) Their Tru-Guard heater; it is coated with teflon and titanium, protecting the elements against corrosion. Arctic gives an unconditional 10 year replacement warranty on this as well.

8) A top notch Peak ozone system, which hopefully reduce the amount of maintenance needed to maintain water quality.

9) Inexpensive disposable filters (one used per unit) which filter down to 1 micron and are 94% efficient vs. re-usables which will supposedly only filter after their first cleaning to 75-120 micron sizes.

10) The super duty Castcore top, which at a thickness of 5" should do a much better job of entrapping heat out the top vs the standards in the industry. Houses are the most heavily insulated in the roofs; why not on the tops of hot tubs. This makes total sense to me.

11) All the other features including the Northern Lights, a computer generated 5 color underwater lighting system; a therapy air and aromatherapy system; and a filtration system utilizing the low speed of a main pump (instead of the 24 circ pump) which in my opinion, may be more energy efficient and eliminate the need to replace the small circ pumps.

12) The unusual configuration of the Tundra - with an amazing 61 water jets and 14 air jets - which offer therapy to every part of the body including feet, hands and wrists, thighs, calves, neck, shoulders and back. EVERY seat is at a different level which helps to accomodate people of all size (I am 5"11"; my wife 4'11") and has full therapy seats as well as 3 cool down types. Finally, it has a directional super strong ORCA volcano-type jet which can really give you a pounding!

I thank all on this forum for all the information you have offered to me. I have used every bit to evaluate over 12 different brands with varying methods of mfg. I believe I have made a wise choice and hope to have many years of satisfaction and reliable service from my new Arctic Tundra Legend SE.

[Jim_The_Jim]

Arctic is a good choice.

[Stevie]

Enjoy it for many years in good health!

[Spa User Guy]

I think you made a wise choice that will give you years of enjoyment. You will be happy you chose the model with more jets, the signature series are a little light on jets in my opinion. Enjoy the hot water.

[Chas]

Shopping for a spa is by far the hardest part. Well, ok, waiting for delivery after making your choice might be harder.

Welcome to spaopia. If you need help with water care, be sure to let us know.

Enjoy!

[Altazi]

1) Their unique Heatlock system of insulating the unit. I weighed both sides of this hotly-debated issue and finally decided that this open method of production would be favored at the time which the tub would begin to leak.

ROFL!!!! - "hotly-debated issue". . .Pun intended ???

Great choice - congratulations! I have not made a decision yet as to which spa I will purchase - I am presently bogged down in location, positioning, and deck stuff - but Arctic Spas are definitely on my short list.

Pardon my boldness, but if I may, I'd like to ask what was the MSRP on the Tundra, and if that's what you paid, or did you negotiate a better deal? What accessories / goodies were included? If you don't want to bruit this about in the open forum, please PM me. Of course, if you wish to keep this information private, that is your right! Thanks!

Enjoy!

Regards,

Altazi

[SugarBear]

You made a great choice! I have been soaking in my Tundra Legend SE since May, and we love every minute of it. Now that the cooler weather is upon us in the Catskill Mountains of NY, I'm sure we will love it even more. Good Luck!

[jfish]

You made a great choice! I have been soaking in my Tundra Legend SE since May, and we love every minute of it. Now that the cooler weather is upon us in the Catskill Mountains of NY, I'm sure we will love it even more. Good Luck!

I am in basically the same area. Are you happy with the dealer? If I may about what did the tundra cost? I have yet to wet test one but may travel to the dealer this weekend.

[SugarBear]

Unfortunately, the closest Arctic dealer is in New Milford, CT, about 2 hours away. That was the downside of purchasing the Arctic. I must say that the dealer has been great. I have had two minor problems, so far, and the dealer sent someone out to fix the same week, and on one occasion, I spoke to the dealer on Saturday and the repairman showed up on Sunday afternoon. He had installed the tub and loved the area and decided to take a ride with his girlfriend to fix it. I was shocked when I saw him pull up the driveway. This is a Country Home for us and we are only here on weekends. We did a lot of research and the Arctic seemed to fit into our plan. The house is in Ski Country, so it gets pretty cold in the winter, and being that we are not there during the week, we felt that the Arctic would hold up well. I'll let you know as this will be our first winter with the Tundra. Looking forward to it. The Tundra is loaded with everything except the stereo and it was in the low teens. Good Luck!

[jfish]

Unfortunately, the closest Arctic dealer is in New Milford, CT, about 2 hours away. That was the downside of purchasing the Arctic. I must say that the dealer has been great. I have had two minor problems, so far, and the dealer sent someone out to fix the same week, and on one occasion, I spoke to the dealer on Saturday and the repairman showed up on Sunday afternoon. He had installed the tub and loved the area and decided to take a ride with his girlfriend to fix it. I was shocked when I saw him pull up the driveway. This is a Country Home for us and we are only here on weekends. We did a lot of research and the Arctic seemed to fit into our plan. The house is in Ski Country, so it gets pretty cold in the winter, and being that we are not there during the week, we felt that the Arctic would hold up well. I'll let you know as this will be our first winter with the Tundra. Looking forward to it. The Tundra is loaded with everything except the stereo and it was in the low teens. Good Luck!

i found a dealer in Poughkeepsie NY but they don't have any wet tubs set up yet.

[SugarBear]

They are new Arctic dealers...just make sure that you feel comfortable with them. Remember that you will be dealing with them for a long time. That would save about 30 miles from CT. I live in Westchester County, NY during the week, and both are about the same distance for me. Good Luck!

[wesj53]

I am happy to hear from other satisfied Arctic owners. I know it's too early for us to judge the reliability of the product, but it is satisfying to hear of other intelligent consumers who weighed the evidence of the various choices in the marketplace and chose Arctic. The question was raised by Altazi of pricing which Sugarbear touched on. We both bought the very top of the line product, the Legend SE series which includes as standard equipment, the Forever Floor, Therapy Air, Aroma Therapy, Northern Lights (a 5 digital light system), and Peak Ozone in addition to all the standard features which all Arctic products are built with (see my first post in this thread). I also added the the deluxe Northern Light package (which adds computer generated special effects to the water, both above and under the surface), stainless steel jets, and their deluxe cover lifter. The total cost was $16850, but with 2 current special promotional programs offered by both the dealer and Arctic, my final price was $12550. Yes, this is not a spa for those on limited budgets, but I feel that the features and the level of construction offered by Arctic justified the price point. This spa is completely loaded !!! (except for a stereo and TV which most here would consider to be poor options to add.)In comparison, a local Hot Springs dealer for example, was selling the Grandee at $13,000 but IMHO with many less features than the Tundra. So, different strokes for different folks. And it's a good thing, for the world would be a boring place if we all thought the same way!