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Sundance Or Beachcomber


jeff70hem

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Hi all, I have been reading reviews and opinions on many hot tubs and have found this forum to be very informative.

I would now like to ask for specific help with our purchasing decision.

We have narrowed down our choice to either a Beachcomber 380 or a Sundance Chelsee.

We feel both dealers are very good, pricing is almost the same and we find both tubs comfortable, this is what is making the decision very difficult!

Any opinions or feedback on these tubs would be appreciated! Curious to hear experiences with either tub or mfg.

This will be our first hot tub purchase

Thanks!

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Thought I would bump this to the top, any feedback is appreciated!

Hi all, I have been reading reviews and opinions on many hot tubs and have found this forum to be very informative.

I would now like to ask for specific help with our purchasing decision.

We have narrowed down our choice to either a Beachcomber 380 or a Sundance Chelsee.

We feel both dealers are very good, pricing is almost the same and we find both tubs comfortable, this is what is making the decision very difficult!

Any opinions or feedback on these tubs would be appreciated! Curious to hear experiences with either tub or mfg.

This will be our first hot tub purchase

Thanks!

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Hi all, I have been reading reviews and opinions on many hot tubs and have found this forum to be very informative.

I would now like to ask for specific help with our purchasing decision.

We have narrowed down our choice to either a Beachcomber 380 or a Sundance Chelsee.

We feel both dealers are very good, pricing is almost the same and we find both tubs comfortable, this is what is making the decision very difficult!

Any opinions or feedback on these tubs would be appreciated! Curious to hear experiences with either tub or mfg.

This will be our first hot tub purchase

Thanks!

I think you have chosen 2 popular brands,both have long track records for being a quality product.Once you have tried them both I think you will find the raised dome in the floor of the Sundance model a little awkward. I personally am not a fan of pillows, they look great when new but wait a couple years.I like the entry into the Beachcomber 380 but would probably upgrade the pump if possible. The dealer part of it is very important make sure you feel comfortable and confident they can meet your exspectations.

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Still haven't made it to Beachcomber yet - these places close too early for me LOL

Went to Jacuzzi - super nice guys there (young) honest, friendly, seem to know their stuff

Tubs are just too pricey and don't look as well made as Sundance/Arctic

Sounds crazy I know

But just didn't feel good about the tubs, and then the price (buying the Jacuzzi name I guess) was just out of line in my opinion.

Will let you know when I've been to Beachcomber :)

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Well - made it to Beachcomber

Very nice guy - knowledgable and wasn't as hard sell as the rest

Came down on price and threw some things in to get it much closer to Sundance price

Anyone have thoughts on this UV light system???

Now I'm stuck between Sundance and Beachcomber too lol

Wet tests this weekend.

Jeff70hem

Where'd you net out?

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I'm not much further ahead but I'm leaning towards the Beachcomber. Something about it makes me keep thinking that it's the best way to go. Not as "fancy" as the Sundance but I like their models a little better and I tend to think it will be more energy efficient and reliable but who knows.

I did check out Jacuzzi and wish I didn't as they have a great tub too!

Might be easier to buy a sauna instead!

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I'm not much further ahead but I'm leaning towards the Beachcomber. Something about it makes me keep thinking that it's the best way to go. Not as "fancy" as the Sundance but I like their models a little better and I tend to think it will be more energy efficient and reliable but who knows.

I did check out Jacuzzi and wish I didn't as they have a great tub too!

Might be easier to buy a sauna instead!

Hard to argue with you - I really liked the Beachcomber sales guy

I think at this point Beachcomber/Sundance both are probably largely equal quality etc...

Pricing is pretty close in the end

It's just service and feel for your needs that make the diff.

I'm gonna try and find out more about this UV thing that BC says they have - I thought most tubs had it but sounds like no.

Watch for posts :)

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Wet tested 2 BeachCombers and the Sundance

Hands down Sundance spa blew it away.

We really liked the guy at BC, but he's not gonna be in our backyard - the tub is and one was clearly superior in feel to us.

Features we noticed:

Footwells

BC footwell jets only point in one direction, Sundance had every direction (and despite being much smaller jets, they had just as much force)

We'd heard people didn't like the Sundance footwell (hump in the middle) didn't bother us - maybe the old 'dome' version was a problem - this one is flat on top and no worries.

Jets & seats

Sundance jets (some have more than one mode)

Sundance jets and diverters made even the same seat different

The 'swivel lounge' although kind of a neat idea with BC, made the seats feel imbalanced when not using them as loungers (only massaging one side of your body)

Power

Sundance power was remarkably higher than the Beachcombers too

Tested Optima 880 (Sundance)

Tested Beachcomber 750 and 720

Price

And in the end the Sundance is lower priced anyway! (thats the guy who wouldn't negotiate, but his starting price is still lower than everyone elses 'negotiated' prices, and includes small extras here and there (lights, waterfall etc...) in the price where they would be add ons with the other guys.

Waterfall

Sundance waterfall was much nicer than BComber too if that's something you care about (I do - sound of water is good for me)

Sundance waterfall works better, has lights and babbling brook mode too, and flows a TON more water.

Air jets/Aroma

Sundance comes with air/aromatherapy jets, which use or not, they're there if we want/need later.

Stereos

I'm passing on the stereo. (for $1300+ I can do something in the yard :))

Anyway that's where we are at - Sundance

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both are very good brands, a lot of the differences you speak of are a lot of personal preferances. i definately would buy from who you are comfortable with, did you know Jacuzzi and Sundance are the same company.... on the U.V that is the ultraviolet ozone, most spas use them some also use the corona discharge. helps with reducing the sanitation, the one thing to ask on the spas is the assumed cost of maintenance in a year, cost of the filters and the prefilters and how often you change, if they use the mineral cartridges and the cost of those, yoiu might be surprised on the tag on costs between the 2. But again if you use the spa all the time the cost should not be sigficant to the user but it is an add on cost of use....But nice to see your process here for your purchase. keep us posted

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Nice review jeffinwhitby, sounds like the Sundance made a good impression on you, might I add they are open on Sunday too!! We want to go have a look again tomorrow and I don't think Beachcomber is open, seems like most of the pool and spa shops have better hours than the banks!

Let us know if you go ahead with the Optima

Wet tested 2 BeachCombers and the Sundance

Hands down Sundance spa blew it away.

We really liked the guy at BC, but he's not gonna be in our backyard - the tub is and one was clearly superior in feel to us.

Features we noticed:

Footwells

BC footwell jets only point in one direction, Sundance had every direction (and despite being much smaller jets, they had just as much force)

We'd heard people didn't like the Sundance footwell (hump in the middle) didn't bother us - maybe the old 'dome' version was a problem - this one is flat on top and no worries.

Jets & seats

Sundance jets (some have more than one mode)

Sundance jets and diverters made even the same seat different

The 'swivel lounge' although kind of a neat idea with BC, made the seats feel imbalanced when not using them as loungers (only massaging one side of your body)

Power

Sundance power was remarkably higher than the Beachcombers too

Tested Optima 880 (Sundance)

Tested Beachcomber 750 and 720

Price

And in the end the Sundance is lower priced anyway! (thats the guy who wouldn't negotiate, but his starting price is still lower than everyone elses 'negotiated' prices, and includes small extras here and there (lights, waterfall etc...) in the price where they would be add ons with the other guys.

Waterfall

Sundance waterfall was much nicer than BComber too if that's something you care about (I do - sound of water is good for me)

Sundance waterfall works better, has lights and babbling brook mode too, and flows a TON more water.

Air jets/Aroma

Sundance comes with air/aromatherapy jets, which use or not, they're there if we want/need later.

Stereos

I'm passing on the stereo. (for $1300+ I can do something in the yard :))

Anyway that's where we are at - Sundance

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After spending alot of time with the local sundance dealer I am leaning toward it. It's cheaper than beachcomber and in the end just has alot more going for it. I am comparing bc380 to sundance Hartford 680. Sundance has 42 jets vs 23, 2 motors vs one, akin to bc hush pump, it has a circ pump and ozinator where bc was uv ready but 500 more for the unit. Plus sundance warranty while somewhat less comprehensive is better on the big stuff (3 year vs 2). I'm not married to 2 pumps but hey, why not. Also a client walked in (sundance client) and I talked to him. He stated he has had nothing go wrong with his 6 yearold haRtford ( like) tub. Electricity average to $40 per mth but his operates the second pump to turn the water (no circ pimp) so I would think mine with circ would be cheaper to operate and with ozinator chemicals were 300 per year. Replacement filters and cartridges were a good bit more than bc but that's the whole sundance extreme water purification deal. Bu bc does have those awesome steps! Wet test is next. Acrylic process with sundance seems better (3 layers vs 2 with bc). One thing tho, sundance cabinet and wood structure is only 1 year vs bc 2 but may take a chance. Sales rep tells me the wood structure and cabinet on their next up line (780 chelsee model) is the same as 680 Hartford but 780 trim level carries 5 year on these items. We'll see what the wet test brings.

Nice review jeffinwhitby, sounds like the Sundance made a good impression on you, might I add they are open on Sunday too!! We want to go have a look again tomorrow and I don't think Beachcomber is open, seems like most of the pool and spa shops have better hours than the banks!

Let us know if you go ahead with the Optima

Wet tested 2 BeachCombers and the Sundance

Hands down Sundance spa blew it away.

We really liked the guy at BC, but he's not gonna be in our backyard - the tub is and one was clearly superior in feel to us.

Features we noticed:

Footwells

BC footwell jets only point in one direction, Sundance had every direction (and despite being much smaller jets, they had just as much force)

We'd heard people didn't like the Sundance footwell (hump in the middle) didn't bother us - maybe the old 'dome' version was a problem - this one is flat on top and no worries.

Jets & seats

Sundance jets (some have more than one mode)

Sundance jets and diverters made even the same seat different

The 'swivel lounge' although kind of a neat idea with BC, made the seats feel imbalanced when not using them as loungers (only massaging one side of your body)

Power

Sundance power was remarkably higher than the Beachcombers too

Tested Optima 880 (Sundance)

Tested Beachcomber 750 and 720

Price

And in the end the Sundance is lower priced anyway! (thats the guy who wouldn't negotiate, but his starting price is still lower than everyone elses 'negotiated' prices, and includes small extras here and there (lights, waterfall etc...) in the price where they would be add ons with the other guys.

Waterfall

Sundance waterfall was much nicer than BComber too if that's something you care about (I do - sound of water is good for me)

Sundance waterfall works better, has lights and babbling brook mode too, and flows a TON more water.

Air jets/Aroma

Sundance comes with air/aromatherapy jets, which use or not, they're there if we want/need later.

Stereos

I'm passing on the stereo. (for $1300+ I can do something in the yard :))

Anyway that's where we are at - Sundance

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We just recently purchased Beachcomber 360 Hybrid (we ended up going to Cobourg store instead of Whitby b/c they negotiated better with us). We are very happy with the tub and employees! The jets in the footwell do point in a couple different directions and you can change any of the jets to the style you like. The kids love the little cooling seat too. Haven't noticed big differences on the Hydro yet. They told us to expect about $9/month if it was used for 15 min. every other day. That's pretty close to how much we've been using it (slightly more on the weekends b/c the kids like to play). I find one cycle good and then I'm done! Efficiency was very important to us and also longevity. We spoke to a lot of people who had BC for 15 years and they were still running great. Overall, I'm very impressed!

After spending alot of time with the local sundance dealer I am leaning toward it. It's cheaper than beachcomber and in the end just has alot more going for it. I am comparing bc380 to sundance Hartford 680. Sundance has 42 jets vs 23, 2 motors vs one, akin to bc hush pump, it has a circ pump and ozinator where bc was uv ready but 500 more for the unit. Plus sundance warranty while somewhat less comprehensive is better on the big stuff (3 year vs 2). I'm not married to 2 pumps but hey, why not. Also a client walked in (sundance client) and I talked to him. He stated he has had nothing go wrong with his 6 yearold haRtford ( like) tub. Electricity average to $40 per mth but his operates the second pump to turn the water (no circ pimp) so I would think mine with circ would be cheaper to operate and with ozinator chemicals were 300 per year. Replacement filters and cartridges were a good bit more than bc but that's the whole sundance extreme water purification deal. Bu bc does have those awesome steps! Wet test is next. Acrylic process with sundance seems better (3 layers vs 2 with bc). One thing tho, sundance cabinet and wood structure is only 1 year vs bc 2 but may take a chance. Sales rep tells me the wood structure and cabinet on their next up line (780 chelsee model) is the same as 680 Hartford but 780 trim level carries 5 year on these items. We'll see what the wet test brings.

Nice review jeffinwhitby, sounds like the Sundance made a good impression on you, might I add they are open on Sunday too!! We want to go have a look again tomorrow and I don't think Beachcomber is open, seems like most of the pool and spa shops have better hours than the banks!

Let us know if you go ahead with the Optima

Wet tested 2 BeachCombers and the Sundance

Hands down Sundance spa blew it away.

We really liked the guy at BC, but he's not gonna be in our backyard - the tub is and one was clearly superior in feel to us.

Features we noticed:

Footwells

BC footwell jets only point in one direction, Sundance had every direction (and despite being much smaller jets, they had just as much force)

We'd heard people didn't like the Sundance footwell (hump in the middle) didn't bother us - maybe the old 'dome' version was a problem - this one is flat on top and no worries.

Jets & seats

Sundance jets (some have more than one mode)

Sundance jets and diverters made even the same seat different

The 'swivel lounge' although kind of a neat idea with BC, made the seats feel imbalanced when not using them as loungers (only massaging one side of your body)

Power

Sundance power was remarkably higher than the Beachcombers too

Tested Optima 880 (Sundance)

Tested Beachcomber 750 and 720

Price

And in the end the Sundance is lower priced anyway! (thats the guy who wouldn't negotiate, but his starting price is still lower than everyone elses 'negotiated' prices, and includes small extras here and there (lights, waterfall etc...) in the price where they would be add ons with the other guys.

Waterfall

Sundance waterfall was much nicer than BComber too if that's something you care about (I do - sound of water is good for me)

Sundance waterfall works better, has lights and babbling brook mode too, and flows a TON more water.

Air jets/Aroma

Sundance comes with air/aromatherapy jets, which use or not, they're there if we want/need later.

Stereos

I'm passing on the stereo. (for $1300+ I can do something in the yard :))

Anyway that's where we are at - Sundance

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Went with Sundance Optima.

Will let you know how it goes in 4 weeks :)

In the end

- it was the lower priced supplier (despite not negotiating much)

- and by far the nicer tub (power jets etc...see review above) when we did the wet test for our needs

#1 piece of advice is WET TEST - I know everyone says it on here, but it made the difference more than anything else.

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Funny. Agree with the wet test. We did the sundance

Hartford and beachcomber 380. I ended up with the beachcomber. Wet test confirmed it for me. I upgraded the motor on the 380 to 4.5 ( although I found the 3.5 fine) and did their 5 year guarantee. Sundance was way more powerful but bc entry steps, guarantee, power use claims, foot massager, uv lite, over all seating capacity and I interior size and dealer staff won me over. I did pay more for the bc but not too much for what I got. Just ordered it today. I found the sundAnce just too powerful , my back was numb in minutes. That plus cruddy foot jets, cheapee pillows, more expensive op costs with all the filters (that take up an entire seat) plus no stairs/cooling steps, limited warranty and no option to upgrade the warranty unless I paid 1k more for the chelsea model - turned me off.

Each to their own. Optima was a looker tho too rich for my blood.

Went with Sundance Optima.

Will let you know how it goes in 4 weeks :)

In the end

- it was the lower priced supplier (despite not negotiating much)

- and by far the nicer tub (power jets etc...see review above) when we did the wet test for our needs

#1 piece of advice is WET TEST - I know everyone says it on here, but it made the difference more than anything else.

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