New Hot Springs Spa question

[Adam206]

Hello All looking at buying a new spa and have my eye on the HS Sovereign and the Aria. I have wet tested the Aria but not the Sovereign. Does 1 less pump make a big difference? Also salt or no salt?

 

[castletonia]

The Aria has more jets which is part of why the additional pump.  On the Aria you will be able to run more jets with maximum pressure vs on the Sovereign you will have to choose which jets can get maximum pressure.  See attached pics.  As for salt vs no salt, that is a preference.  I like the salt system and would choose it for myself.  Salt will be a higher cost water care option vs regular chlorine or bromine.  

[ratchett]

My 2019 Jetsetter has the Freshwater Salt compatibility.  It is definitely the best saltwater system on the market for hottubs.  However the replacement salt-cell cartridges are a proprietary part only available from your local dealer (usually $129 each or $350 for a 3-pack) - and since it's a newer product you can't find it online from an alternative vendor at a lower cost.  Also note while the cells are rated for four months, that's not a guarantee - improper usage (running output higher than needed, or out of range water chemistry) can kill a cell faster than normal.

I personally opted to go with my dealer's preferred care routine which is similar to @RDspaguy which utilizes a high output Ozonator and Silver Ion cartridge to reduce sanitizer needs.   With my care routine, I am dosing the tub with a bit of Dichlor to sanitize after each use. 

Overall I spend about $35 in chemicals (Dichlor56 and Baking Soda for pH adjustment) per year for my 200-gallon spa, and about $90 for Hotspring branded Nature2 Silver Ion cartridges - so about the price of a single saltwater replacement cell.

Maybe one day I'll test out saltwater in my tub, but for now I'm perfectly content with my ozonator setup