Narrowing it down: Arctic, Phoenix, Hot Springs...

[Josh]

The hot tub that came with my house died last week during the Thanksgiving break and the repair cost is going to be really serious.  I've started to look at new tubs and I've found that there are an endless amount of choices in the Seattle area to choose from.

The brands I liked the most so far are:

Phoenix:  Seems to have the most bells, whistles, jets, lights and features for the buck. Value aside, I really like the layout of them....they're the ones I see at the fair each year and I'm always impressed. They offer things like TVs and stuff that are really cool for the "wow" factor.

Hot Springs: Sales pitch sounds like these are extremely clean running (they each have like 5 filters in them).  I liked their water features and iPod wireless stereo speakers (so you don't have to control a stereo in the cabinet). I really liked the marble finish and their lounge seats can't be beat.

Arctic Spas:  These things had by far the most jets of the tubs I saw, and supposedly are really efficient at heating because of the insulation they use.  They were also the most expensive, by quite a bit.

Other contenders included Sundance and Caldera, although they didn't have a Caldera spa locally that I liked (it was online only).  The Sundance spas I saw were really nice...but I didn't have a favorite model.

My questions:

Anyone have any experiences with any of these brands?  It seems that every store I went to could tell me horror stories about every other brand except the one they sell.
They all rate 5 stars on a pool and spa site I visited, so as far as I can tell...this is just sales people handing out dis-information in hopes of making the sale (doesn't work on me) .

Looking for some real world thoughts.

[Vanguard]

Sounds strange that Olympic would stoop to horror stories.  They have always been one of the best Hot Spring dealers in the country.

As to the brands, Hot Spring is arguably the largest brand.  I say arguably because the industry is very closed with their numbers.  Hot Spring is one of the premium brands out there.  

Arctic is also considered one of the premium brands out there.  They are a smaller company than some of the other brands, but from everything you hear, they build a quality spa.  

Phoenix is a brand I would stay away from.  They do not seem to have a good reputation in the industry.

As to which spa you should choose:  You need to take the time to wet test the spas.  You may look at a Hot Spring and fall in love with it.  Then, when you have it delivered and are sitting in it for the first time you find that you really don't fit and are not comfortable.  Or, you may love it.  Better to find this out before you buy the spa.  Pick from some of the top brands and then wet test to find out which best suits your needs and comfort level.

Everyone on this forum will advise you to wet test.  That is the number one thing you can do to make sure you will love your spa.

Some of the other top brands out there are:  Marquis, Jacuzzi, Sundance, Caldera, and Dimension One.  There are others out there, but these names seem to be the ones that come up the most - including Arctic and Hot Spring of course.

Good luck with your search.  Have fun with it.  Try not to put too much thought into the  small stuff out there.  As long as you are comfortable in the spa and are comfortable with your dealer, you'll be happy in your spa.

[Josh]

The guy at Olympic was actually really friendly (I got there near closing and he stayed after hours).  He wasn't the main offender in the "horror story" department, his pitch was more about why their spas are so much better than the rest....which was common at every dealer I went to.  The people at Phoenix were also very friendly, and were the only place that didn't have much to say about the competition at all. When I asked him, one guy even suggested a few other places I should look...which I thought was really cool.  Everywhere else, that question was met with "Don't look here, here or here" answers instead.

I heard the most horror stories at the Arctic dealership and the Caldera and Sundance places. Whether it was talking about which spas they did the most service on, or which brands they used to sell and didn't anymore....it was a lot of "You want to stay away from these guys because" stuff.  One place flat out told me that several members of their competition have a cruddy warranty and hate their customers, and that's why they excel by comparison.  I'll never understand why some sales people think that's a good idea....because all it does is make you leave there feeling like you've just been dealing with some used car salesman.

I haven't visited Dimension One yet, but there's a dealership about 20 miles away and their tubs definitely look cool on the internet. At the other dealerships, these were my favorites.  As you can see they all have a lounge seat (something I'm really interested in) and most of them have waterfalls and all that fancy stuff. Lots of jets was also a commonality.

If anyone has any of these, or has tested them...your input is highly encouraged.

Phoenix Sorrento


Hot Springs Vista



Sundance Cameo



Arctic Frontier



Aside from D1, which I want to go see....and Caldera which didn't really make my final cut so far, are there any glaring names I'm missing?

I also hadn't thought about wet testing before my shopping started, but I've read a lot about doing that around different websites and I'm definitely going to do it before I pick one.  

[The_real_Clown_Shoes]

Check out Marquis.

[AstaLaVista]

Josh,

I have the HS Vista... I love it! Over all a great tub... I am a little short for my lounge ( don't feel much on my feet from foot jets ) However I don't float, and its moto massager Dx is great!  The corner seats are as good as any lounger I have been in.  the depths are just different enough to give you a choice if getting hot.  They also concentrate on different areas of your back.  The only thing I found odd..was the fact that the control panel would not tell the actual temp of your water... only what it is set at.... You just know when it is ready by the green light that lights up.  The spa is very easy to operate... I love the no by-pass filtration!

Everyone has very different views as to what makes the "perfect" tub for them.  The only way you will know for sure is to wet test all the ones you have an interest in.  Good luck.. and happy shopping!

[orbitaljoe]

You'll kick yourself if you bypass Jacuzzi
I almost did and ended up buying one

Especially if you're into loungers!
The Jacuzzi has those RX "swirly" jets on your back that send you right into euphoria...

[dax]

 I purchased a Sundance Cameo back in June.  Wife, kids, and I absolutely love it.  I wanted a lounge seat and from my wet testing, this was the best one for me.  The lounge features decent neck jets, very nice pulsating jets on the back and feet, along with wrist jets and bubble action for the legs.  There's also a great therapy seat, which really gives your back a deep massage.  Features five whirlpool jets, three of which are at foot level to really soothe your feet.  Cameo features the waterfall and mostly all of the other bells & whistles as well.  If I had to do it all over again, I'd select the same spa.

However, as others have stated, wet test the models that interest you.  What I or anyone else likes may be totally different than what you like.  As much as I love the Cameo lounge, my wife is a few inches shorter than me and doesn't get the benefit of both the back jets and foot jets at the same time because she doesn't reach that far.  But she didn't mind because she loved the therapy seat.

There are a lot of quality hot tubs out there.  Enjoy your search!

[Jacuzzi Jim]

I would check out Jacuzzi also if you haven't yet,  those Aqua Quip boys can be kinda cheesy sometimes, depends on you get.  Overall they are a good company, as is Olympic.    

 You should drive up to Bellingham and buy a spa from me instead.    Just don't tell Aqua Quip.  

[AstaLaVista]

I would check out Jacuzzi also if you haven't yet,  those Aqua Quip boys can be kinda cheesy sometimes, depends on you get.  Overall they are a good company, as is Olympic.    

 You should drive up to Bellingham and buy a spa from me instead.    Just don't tell Aqua Quip.  

I don't know much about salesmen..and their edicate... but is that poaching???  

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 You could call it that.  They do it to us all the time,were separated by 100 miles if that, but I get quite a few calls to go work on there spas in our territory.   There is one area between us thats kinda a no mans land.

  They usually beat us in price because of the volume they buy.  Thats why there is price matching.     Its a dog eat dog world,  Aqua Quip sells both Jacuzzi and Sundance out of separate stores.

[MarKee]

Josh:  You should check out Marquis.  A dealer called Aqua Rec carries the line in the Seattle area and they have 4 or 5 locations.  

http://www.marquisspas.com/locator.asp

[Josh]

Wow...so many replies here. This place is certainly hopping compared to the other forums I've visited.

Josh,

I have the HS Vista... I love it! Over all a great tub... I am a little short for my lounge ( don't feel much on my feet from foot jets ) However I don't float, and its moto massager Dx is great!  The corner seats are as good as any lounger I have been in.  the depths are just different enough to give you a choice if getting hot.  They also concentrate on different areas of your back.  The only thing I found odd..was the fact that the control panel would not tell the actual temp of your water... only what it is set at.... You just know when it is ready by the green light that lights up.  The spa is very easy to operate... I love the no by-pass filtration!

Everyone has very different views as to what makes the "perfect" tub for them.  The only way you will know for sure is to wet test all the ones you have an interest in.  Good luck.. and happy shopping!
 

Wow...you're the first person I've seen who actually owns something I'm considering buying (outside the sales people that is).  

I really liked sitting in the Vista last night (granted, there was no water in it). My Dad has had a Hot Springs tub for the last 15 years or so and the thing almost never needs maintenance. He and my stepmom are in there all the time and it's mounted into a deck sort of the same way mine is. It's definitely the first brand name I was aware of....besides Jacuzzi.  The only drawback for me is the controls are on the side, so I'd need to chop a hole in my deck to access it easily.  That was a ding for Hot Springs for me.  I loved the finish and the lounge in that one was the perfect size for me (I'm 6'4" so they can't be too tall for my tastes).

I purchased a Sundance Cameo back in June.  Wife, kids, and I absolutely love it.  I wanted a lounge seat and from my wet testing, this was the best one for me.

I will definitely be trying it out. It was really the only Sundance model available in the store I checked out that worked for me (the others were all too small) so...it's really the only choice for that brand that I've seen.  If I really loved it, I might think about a larger model that they sell online....assuming that all the tubs in one line are generally similar in a lot of ways.  All the ones I like seem to have a very similar layout to the Cameo though.  That Lounge was really comfy (while dry).

I would check out Jacuzzi also if you haven't yet,  those Aqua Quip boys can be kinda cheesy sometimes, depends on you get.  Overall they are a good company, as is Olympic.    

 You should drive up to Bellingham and buy a spa from me instead.    Just don't tell Aqua Quip.  

There are two Aqua Quips within 15 minutes of my home and job....so I will definitely have to hit them.  I think service calls from Bellingham might be a little pricey anyway.  

[rphman]

I've had a Caldera Moorea and love it. Didn't want the lounge but the wife did and I'm glad we got it. I has a pump problem with it shutting dowan after a hour or so but it hasn't happened lately and my dealer assured me he'd correct it if it continued.

[AstaLaVista]

If you really need to nix Hot Springs because of the front control panel... one word for you... Caldera.  My sister has one... when I am not in my Vista I am in her Caldera Geneva... what mine doesn't has.. hers does... between the two tubs they cover it all! The Caldera has the air bubbles... and a Volcano Jet in the Bottom... that is the one thing I wish mine had... however I find it hard to talk over....and I do like conversation in the tub... Lets face it... when you have a tub full.. most of the time the jets are turned off or down... in cycles anyway...  

With your size you will definately want to wet test... you are on the other end from me.. I needed to because I am only 5'2... so some of the seats didn't sit right... for you I suggest you make sure you get a deep tub... 38" height... that way you will have more room in the foot well.  

[searchinginfl]

WET TEST!!!!! I wanted a lounge so much when I started, but ended up after wet testing with no lounge.

Don't buy until you try!!!!

Have you looked at the Caldera geneva? Same company as Hot Springs but the control panel is in front.