Caldera Vs Hot Springs

[Wades]

Hello ladies and gents,

let me start by sayings thank you for taking the time to read this and if you have any advice we would greatly appreciate it. The wife and I have wanted to buy a hot tub for two years now and we have been waiting until we could spend the amount of money needed to buy a top unit. I am hoping that you really get what you pay for. That would be my first question I guess. I am sure plenty of people have bought tubs and had issues and plenty have not, but do you really get that much of an improvement for buying a high cost unit, or is it just all mark up and dealer profit? (not that that is a bad thing, everyone has to make a living)

We are looking at Caldera and Hot Springs. There seems to be a lot of positive feedback on the Hot Spring, but they are both made by Watkins I believe. So the question is, does anyone have anything bad to say about the Caldera line, or anything they can think of would be important to note?

Probably a more important question revolves around the Ace and Frog systems. I like low maintenance so this is very attractive. I don't like overly high costs, but don't mind paying a bit extra for having it a bit easy. We have a person in the family that has very sensitive skin. Not sure if it dermatitis, eczema, or what, but chlorine and other chemicals can cause skin irritations and such. The purchase is not primarily for them, but hey if it allows them to enjoy it with us, why not?

Can you give me your thoughts on whether these systems are; (more so the salt water system then the frog)

Not that much more expensive that the regular methods?

or If they are more expensive are they worth the money?

Will it/they help with sensitive skin issues or is that just hype, and its really just the difference between a hard water shower and a soft water shower?

Again your time and opinion is appreciated.