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Caldera Vs. Hot Springs Vs. Sundance And Tub Recommendations Please


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My 13 year old Coast Spa blew it's pumps last winter and we are looking to replace it with something more efficient. I'm 6' tall and my hubby is 6'9", so size does matter and we we're looking to get a 6/7 person spa (the Coast Spa was 92" x 92" x 39"). We'd like open seating with different jet options in each seat (including foot jets), but a lounge, lights and stereo are not important to us.

So far, we've looked at the D1 Meridian which we liked because of its opening seating and large footwell, but with no option to wet test the Meridian, we tested the Latitude and weren't impressed at all. That takes D1 off the list.

Still in the running is the Hot Springs Pulse (scheduled to wet test later this week, quoted cost $8,600), the Cladera Niagara (also hoping to wet test this week, quoted cost $9,900), and maybe the Sundance Optima (I just found this one mentioned in a few other posts and decided to look into it, but I have no idea of cost). We've tried and liked the Hot Spring Grandee, but it is a bit larger than we wanted, it lacked foot jets, I found myself floating all over the place, and with its $10,500 price tag, it is more than we were looking to spend.

Given these parameters, any other ideas on quality spas we should check out?

Another question, I know that Watkins owns both Hot Springs and Caldera, but is one superior to the other? The Hot Springs rep said that the mid-tier Pulse is superior to the top-tier Caldera Niagara. This sounds fishy to me. Anyone have thoughts on this? These two tubs are very similar in look (and even the rep said they were similar), though I found the Pulse's seating to be a bit more open which I lean towards.

Also, the dealers don't seem willing to negotiate price. How do their prices seem to you educated masses? Any ideas on how to negotiate?

As far as dealers, I think the Caldera and Hot Springs are similar (though the Caldera dealer says it doesn't charge a trip fee while the spa is under warranty while the Hot Springs dealer charges $50 after the first year). The Sundance is only available at a big box outdoor retailer (Great Escape), so I'm not sure how good service would be after the sale (which is a valid point of concern). As I said, we haven't made a trip to check out the Sundance tubs yet, but will if given some recommendations.

Looking forward to your responses.

PS: We did check out the Marquis too, but didn't see one in the showroom that we liked dry, the dealer seemed suspect and the prices thrown around were $10K plus.

PPS: We live in the NW burbs of Chicago.

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Of course the rep is going to say his x is superior to their y. I would say the Pulse and Niagara are comparable quality. Different features. Different seating. I would go by comfort and trust of the dealer. Once you get it home, marginal difference in price will be forgotten. Pulse price is pretty darn cheap.

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