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First Time Purchaser Help


aug0211

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Hi everyone,

First time poster here. Have read through existing threads (including the beating the dead horse portion) and would like to arm myself with a bit more information before I get out there into the show rooms. I've also done reading on other forums and am cross-posting in hopes of gathering as much info as possible.

Grew up with a Hot Spring at my parents’ place (they still have it - going strong for 15 years now). My wife and I are thinking it’s time to add one at our place. We don’t want to spend money just to spend it, though I am normally one to pay a bit more to have more potential/features/quality/reliability in a product. The main source of buyers’ remorse that I am susceptible to is “I wish I had added that feature!” With that said, our budget is in the $10-15k range (and if there is something mind blowing that is a “must have,” we can go up from there.

Our daughter has cerebral palsy and we are hopeful for potential use down the road to help her relax her muscles (high muscle tone). There will also be some assistive devices in the tub (daughter is deaf with cochlear implants, so waterproof cochlear implants will be in the tub - people use these in pools all the time, but I’d like to consider harshness of water in the decision of chlorine vs salt). We are a four person family and entertain often, so a larger tub would be preferred.

We’re located in Central Ohio and year-round use is a must-have for us.

Before going in to see the dealers, I’d like to arm myself with some info so that I am not eaten alive :-) The research I’ve done so far indicates that hot tub purchasing is not too different from car purchasing, in that there are many factors that can influence pricing (product, inventory, dealer location/shipping cost, demand, etc), negotiation is to be expected, and test drives (wet tests) are a must. I generally like to have my info together ahead of time, to avoid long, drawn-out trips where dealers are selling me on whatever they have on the floor and are trying to move. Of course, on-site experience is critical but prep ahead of time is important to me.

Questions I can think of (please add your own questions and answers that I should be asking but don’t even know to ask yet):

  • Brands/Models - what all should we consider/what is trusted and quality? So far we've gotten excited about Hot Spring NXT (Grandee, Envoy), Jacuzzi (J-575), and Dimension One Sarena Bay & Amore Bay - but I honestly don’t know much, these are just names that seem to be popular/trusted on the higher end of things
    • The full atmosphere does matter to us; so things like lights and water features count
  • Chlorine vs. salt water?
  • Dealers - any recommendations (or warnings) about dealers in the Central OH area? So far, I’m aware of Scioto Valley, Leisure Spa Backyard Living, Recreations Outlet
    • Looks like the nearest D1 dealer is a ways away... :-/
  • What else am I not asking that I should be asking?


Thanks to everyone for the help!

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Well, we wet tested four tubs today:

 

1. Hot Spring Grandee with ACE salt system - we both floated a ton, and fought to stay in the seats. Also realized we really want a central hub for feet if it’s an open layout. We do love the exterior styling and the remote control of the NXT line, but the rest was not workable. This seemed like a no go, unfortunately. *Note: we will consider the Envoy, but cannot find one to wet test which is a must for us.

 

2. Bullfrog A8 - the quality was noticeably lower than the Hot Spring and tub felt small. Jet strength was not consistent across the jet packs and the control panel was all but unresponsive. Miserable to work with. This was a no go for the entire brand, unfortunately.

 

3. Jacuzzi 470 - this started to get better. No remote control which was a bummer, but we did not float nearly as much as in the Hot Spring. Jets did well and the speakers (option) were surprisingly a nice touch. The dual waterfalls were nice and we enjoyed the waterfall more than water spout options in the Hot Spring. Enjoyed the high-back styling. We noticed more “divides” between each seat which helped us stay put. We also liked the individual jet-level of customization for water power - big win there (and in Sundance). 

 

4. Sundance Optima 880 - possibly the top pick from what we tested, maybe a tie with the Jacuzzi 470. The cabinet looks like it’s from the 80s, which I could not get over. The no high-back styling like the Jacuzzi offers. The jets seemed better than the Jacuzzi. We did not have float issues, and again enjoyed the waterfall, though it was only a single and not double like the Jacuzzi. We did like the built in grab bars as well (potential focus for us as a family where accessibility is a concern). Excited about the scent option and bubbles as nice touches. As listed on Jacuzzi, enjoyed individual jet power customization.

 

 

Next steps:

 

1. We would love a Hot Spring NXT, as the exterior styling and remote control are top notch. It would probably have to be the Envoy, which we cannot wet test, so we have to wait on that most likely and see what 2019 might bring to our dealer’s floor.

 

2. Jacuzzi 500 series is a strong contender - dealer does not have any to see, which is a concern, but after testing the 400 series, we are thinking we should have a good feel for it (does this make sense?) and just want the styling touches.

 

3. We are really interested in the 900 series of the Sundance spas. Specifically the 980 Kingston and Claremont. Dealer is supposed to get a 980 in next week, so we’ll check it out.

 

 

Key Learnings:

 

1. Wet test is critical, we learned that we float. We did a full 180 on the foot hubs and now they are very attractive to us.

 

2. Control panel - using it while in the tub was important to test. We learned which ones were usable and which ones freak out.

 

3. Cool down seat - must have for us!

 

4. Salt water was a bit different but not massively.

 

 

Questions:

 

1. Any chance the salt system in the Hot Spring caused our float issues? Or is the salt level too low to impact buoyancy that much?

 

2. Thoughts on Sundance? Sounds like they are a step up from Jacuzzi? Are they reputable/top tier/going to last a long time/good customer service/etc?

 

3. Dealer mentioned that darker shells would show dirt quickly/easily and was recommending a lighter shell. We were nervous about sun glare but don’t want to be fighting with water marks on a darker shell non-stop. Is the dealer right? Or full of it?

 

4. Pricing? I know everyone is hesitant to touch this, but I’d love to hear whatever input might be out there. What have people paid for Jacuzzi 500 series? Sundance 900 series?

 

5. Other brands/tubs/recommendations to check out?

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I live in Sunbury, OH just north of Columbus. I just bought a new CalSpa from Leisure Spa Backyard Living. I looked at Artesian down in Pataskala, Sundance and Jacuzzi at All Season Spas, the various brands at Scioto Valley and Rainbow Spas. I liked the priced and the layout of the CalSpa at Leisure Spa, but they do not give you the opportunity to wet test. In the past I have owned a Hot Springs and a Sundance Optima. I really wanted a lounge seat and that's what I got with the CalSpa 751L. My wife does float in the Hot Tub, but it fits me fine and I'm 5'8" inches tall and my wife is 5'3".

I like dealing with the people at All Season Spas much better than Scioto Valley. I have not had the CalSpa long enough to really say I recommend it over Hot Springs and/or Sundance, but so far I like it quite a bit and have not had any problems with it other than the Blue Tooth is cutting out. They are replacing the whole Blue Tooth unit before the end of the month. Mary is nice to deal with at Leisure Spa and she may setup a wet test if you told her you would not buy it without wet testing. I really like the people at Rainbow Spas too, but did not care for their line of Hot Tubs that much. 

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2 minutes ago, JimKW said:

I live in Sunbury, OH just north of Columbus. I just bought a new CalSpa from Leisure Spa Backyard Living. I looked at Artesian down in Pataskala, Sundance and Jacuzzi at All Season Spas, the various brands at Scioto Valley and Rainbow Spas. I liked the priced and the layout of the CalSpa at Leisure Spa, but they do not give you the opportunity to wet test. In the past I have owned a Hot Springs and a Sundance Optima. I really wanted a lounge seat and that's what I got with the CalSpa 751L. My wife does float in the Hot Tub, but it fits me fine and I'm 5'8" inches tall and my wife is 5'3".

I like dealing with the people at All Season Spas much better than Scioto Valley. I have not had the CalSpa long enough to really say I recommend it over Hot Springs and/or Sundance, but so far I like it quite a bit and have not had any problems with it other than the Blue Tooth is cutting out. They are replacing the whole Blue Tooth unit before the end of the month. Mary is nice to deal with at Leisure Spa and she may setup a wet test if you told her you would not buy it without wet testing. I really like the people at Rainbow Spas too, but did not care for their line of Hot Tubs that much. 

Thank you, that’s really helpful. Which brands did Rainbow have? We haven’t been there yet, I had honestly written them off based on their website looking like they only had one brand which was not on our list. Wondering if they may have some of the other tubs we’re considering that we haven’t been able to wet test.

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19 minutes ago, aug0211 said:

Thank you, that’s really helpful. Which brands did Rainbow have? We haven’t been there yet, I had honestly written them off based on their website looking like they only had one brand which was not on our list. Wondering if they may have some of the other tubs we’re considering that we haven’t been able to wet test.

I can't remember their brand, but it was a company recently bought by Jacuzzi. Have you looked at Artesian? That's another brand you can get close to Columbus. I wanted to look at Marquise, but not dealer in the area. 

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3 minutes ago, JimKW said:

I can't remember their brand, but it was a company recently bought by Jacuzzi. Have you looked at Artesian? That's another brand you can get close to Columbus. I wanted to look at Marquise, but not dealer in the area. 

Any chance it was Dimension One? I’ll  give them a call.

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The brand at Rainbow is Hydropool. I think I’m going to pass on them.

 

Going to wet test a Sundance Alpine and Sundance Kingston. Fingers crossed for the Kingston - we will also tell the Hot Spring dealer that he needs to get us into a wet test for an Envoy if we are going to have a chance of doing anything there. 

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It’s proving rather difficult to do wet tests.

Of the tubs on our list, literally only one has been available to do a wet test, and it was the Hot Spring Grandee, but not the NXT line.

Hot Spring dealer wants a $300 refundable deposit to do a wet test in the Hot Spring Envoy and lock in the price before a January price increase. Again, it’s not an NXT line.

Jacuzzi/Sundance dealer said he’d have a Kingston on the floor for us to test last week - planned ahead and got a baby sitter lined up for Saturday. Called in to confirm Saturday AM and they said no water in it, we could “look” at it but that is it. Very irritating. Needless to say, we did not go.

Jacuzzi/Sundance dealer also said no to getting a 575 or 585 available for us to wet test. Also no Claremont. Said the Aspen is close enough to compare.

Thoughts on all of this? Seems crazy to me.

We just want to wet test:
Kingston
Claremont
Envoy NXT
J-575
J-585

Will we end up having to make a decision and “buy blind” without doing a wet test? That seems crazy when you’re spending <$10,000...

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The only times I truly wet tested the actual hot tub I was buying is when I bought used. It's very hard to find the exact unit you want filled and running. At the Sundance/Jacuzzi dealer they had me wet testing tubs that were not even close to what I was thinking about buying. It was a waste of time. It's one of the reasons I ended up not buying there.

I did not wet test the CalSpa that I bought, just sat in it dry. I find that I float in it if I keep the water level high. When I keep the water level a little low, it's fine for me, but my wife still floats. She does not use it very much anyway so it's fine. She didn't use the two we had before either. I get in mine most every day. Only days I miss is when it's raining pretty hard. Can't wait to get in it when it's really snowing!

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