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

[Josh]

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.

I have only seen a couple of Calderas in person, they were all smaller than I wanted. That Geneva looks a lot like the Hot Springs one, except....does it have waterfalls or some sort of Water feature?  I like those...they don't seem to serve any purpose except to sound and look cool (but that still is interesting).

[AstaLaVista]

I have only seen a couple of Calderas in person, they were all smaller than I wanted. That Geneva looks a lot like the Hot Springs one, except....does it have waterfalls or some sort of Water feature?  I like those...they don't seem to serve any purpose except to sound and look cool (but that still is interesting).

The Caldera Geneva does have a waterfall... and plenty of room I think it is 7'5"x7'5"x38". 450 gallons. It is almost as big as the Vista.

[Vanguard]

Don't let the side control panel  on the Hot Spring dissuade you from their spas.  They have a remote control that operates all the functions of the spa.  It actually does more because you can control the speed of the color loop on the lights from the remote and you can't do that on the main control.  Plus, you can keep the remote inside the house and check the temperature setting, run the jets if you just feel like it, etc.

All the brands being mentioned here are great spas.  D1, Jacuzzi, Marquis, Hot Spring, Sundance, Caldera, etc.

Jacuzzi and Sundance are made by the same company as are Hot Spring and Caldera.  Not that matters, but just FYI.

I have a Vanguard.  I also looked at the Sovereign and the Envoy.  I am a floater so I went with the Vanguard.  The loungers didn't suit me.  Plus, my wife is on the short side, so she didn't want a lounger.  I really love my Vanguard.  I have the remote, SpAudio, Cover Cradle, Everwood Steps.  I loaded mine up.  It is great.

[anne]

I can tell you that I love my Arctic, and came very close to buying a HS, and both of those tubs are probably better quality than Phoenix (from my limited education, mostly done right here.)

Its has been said, but wet test. then wet test again.

Arctic is a smaller company, and there have been a few warranty issues posted here, but I think that with quality *local* dealer support, you'd be fine. I bought my tub as a year old floor model, so the price was excellent, and that made all the difference. I do think that Arctic's "MSRPs" are high, but I think they also bargain a lot.

[Brewman]

What is the financial condition of Phoenix?  There was some chatter here a week or two ago that they were closing up shop.

[AstaLaVista]

Don't let the side control panel  on the Hot Spring dissuade you from their spas.  They have a remote control that operates all the functions of the spa.  It actually does more because you can control the speed of the color loop on the lights from the remote and you can't do that on the main control.  Plus, you can keep the remote inside the house and check the temperature setting, run the jets if you just feel like it, etc.

Does the remote give a digital reading of actual spa water temp ( unlike the control panel ) That alone would make it worth while for me... I am crazy like that.. lol... It also sounds great that you can control the speed of the color wheel... I think I will have to stop by the dealership and look into it.  I wonder if there is someplace that sells them online?? :-/

[Tom]

I can tell you that I love my Arctic

Thank you, Anne, that's good to hear.

Arctic is a smaller company,

The Little Company That Could!  From nowhere to a leading brand in 12 years.  Yes, there are a couple of companies who make more spas in a month than we make in a year, but of the 130-odd manufacturers in North America, we figure we rank somewhere between #9 and #12 by volume (precise data is hard to come by).   8-)

and there have been a few warranty issues posted here

I do my best to ensure that every last one of them is dealt with.

I do think that Arctic's "MSRPs" are high, but I think they also bargain a lot.

As they say in the car ads, "Dealer may sell for less".

[Josh]

What is the financial condition of Phoenix?  There was some chatter here a week or two ago that they were closing up shop.

Really? That's not good because they had several of my favorites there. Was this something that was an actual news story or just whispers in the wind?

Don't let the side control panel  on the Hot Spring dissuade you from their spas.  They have a remote control that operates all the functions of the spa.  It actually does more because you can control the speed of the color loop on the lights from the remote and you can't do that on the main control.  Plus, you can keep the remote inside the house and check the temperature setting, run the jets if you just feel like it, etc.

So...if you have that remote, is there any reason you'd need to access the side panel at all? I wonder why the salesguy didn't tell me about that. He did show me the jet controls and stuff that were mounted on the top of the tub, but told me that you needed to get to the main panel and suggested an opening in my deck (it's not an impossibility, it's just not a preference).

[East_TX_Spa]

Really? That's not good because they had several of my favorites there. Was this something that was an actual news story or just whispers in the wind?

As far as I know, they are still in business:






Looks like you can buy the spas factory direct.

Terminator

[Josh]

Well that's good, I'd hate to end up picking up a tub and have the company go under all of a sudden.  That factory looks pretty huge, so I guess they're not two guys in a garage or anything.  

It's cool that so many of the companies I've been looking at (Sundance, Hot Springs, Phoenix, Arctic) have all been around for awhile.  The only brand I'd ever heard of before searching was Jacuzzi....so I was pretty surprised to learn about all these other big name brands that have been making hot tubs for 20 or 30 years now too.

Going to look at two more brands today after work.  Then I might still need to check out Marquis as recommended above and perhaps D1, which is about 20 minutes from home.

[East_TX_Spa]

Well that's good, I'd hate to end up picking up a tub and have the company go under all of a sudden.  That factory looks pretty huge, so I guess they're not two guys in a garage or anything.  

We don't offer factory direct or European Bleaching, though.

Terminator

[searchinginfl]

That Phoenix factory looked pretty scary to me! I don't think I'd want a spa from there.....do they sell those empty ones that were sitting in the sun with the panel off? Kind of looked like a junkyard to me.

Now, Watkins.......that's a factory I feel good about getting my spa from!

[Spatech_tuo]

Well that's good, I'd hate to end up picking up a tub and have the company go under all of a sudden.  That factory looks pretty huge, so I guess they're not two guys in a garage or anything.  

That factory does look good sized but so did the Munster's house.

I'd suggest you go to the websites of some of the major manufacturers and use their dealer locators to see where your nearest dealer is. These links will actually put you at the dealer locator sections of their websites:

http://www.arcticspas.com/index.php/en/custom_content/74/74/
http://artesianspas.com/main/dealer_locator.asp
http://www.calderaspas.com/Locator/index.html
http://www.dimensiononespas.com/findadealer.asp
http://www.hotspring.com/Dealers/index.html
http://www.marquisspas.com/locator.asp
http://retailer.sundancespas.com/

There are more certainly, this is just a quick list I culled from a larger list based on what I think are some of the best. Visit 3 or 4 or 5 of the closest and see what you like.

[Josh]

That Phoenix factory looked pretty scary to me! I don't think I'd want a spa from there.....do they sell those empty ones that were sitting in the sun with the panel off? Kind of looked like a junkyard to me.

Now, Watkins.......that's a factory I feel good about getting my spa from!

I personally don't shop for stuff based on what their factory photos look like. I seriously doubt you'd like to see pictures of many of the factories you buy products from every day.  Ever shop at Wal Mart?  The factory conditions at the places some of those products come from are pretty shocking. I know there are people that see that stuff and say "I'll never shop there again!"...but I've just never been one of those guys.

I don't particularly care if the factory my hot tub was made in looks like a barn, or like an office building...so long as the product they make is a good one.  I was concerned that someone said Phoenix was going out of business (I thought East_Spa_TX was trying to assure me that they weren't, I didn't immediately realize he was just trying to show me how much prettier the Hot Springs factory is than theirs).  I suppose I'll have to learn to read the usernames around here and realize who the salesmen are.  

Other than hot tub dealers interested in bashing their competition, I haven't read or heard any consumer reports saying anything terrible about any of the several brands I'm looking at.  They all have 5 star ratings at Pool and Spa...so that's a good sign, right?  It's not like I'm shopping at Costco here, I'm choosing from what are supposedly some good brands with long histories and visiting them at the dealers in my area.

So far I've visited Arctic, Caldera, Sundance, Phoenix, Jacuzzi and Hot Springs dealers (I feel like I left one out). I still have to go see Marquis and D1 thanks to some recommendations I've read from people here.  When I pick a few I like from that list...I'm going to wet test a bunch of them and buy the one that feels the best....also thanks to some advice I've read online.

Definitely looking for opinions from any owners of the aforementioned tubs. I've heard a few so far and those have been very helpful.

[searchinginfl]

I hope you don't think I'm a dealer! I started shopping for the first time 2-3 weeks ago for my first hot tub, and after wet testing Hot Springs, Tiger River, Sundance, Dynasty, d-1, Caldera, Leisure bay and Vita and looking at Jacuzzi, I decided on a Caldera, being delivered tomorrow.

After the thousands of posts I read on this forum and others, the same companies kept coming up as the best: Hot Springs, Sundance, Caldera, D-1, Marquis, Arctic, Jacuzzi, Artesian & Coleman. I had never heard of Pheonix until your post.

These Forums have helped in my decision so much, but the biggest help by far was WET TESTING!!!! In fact, I tested a few models several times to help with the decision.

Good luck in your search!!!!!