Welcome to our forum.
You have looked at some of the top brands in the industry. Some others would be Marquis, Dimension One, and Caldera.If you stick with one of these top brands, you will get what you are looking for. For sure, there is no one best brand out there. One thing you will need to do is wet test the spas. Figure out which ones you like then test them out. One thing you don't want to do is spend money on a spa without ever having tested it. Welcome to the forum and good luck. Have fun with your search.
I'd say that the dealer's reliablity is far more important than what brand to buy.
They are both important but I wouldn't call one "far more" important than the other. A good dealer can help make a so-so product work and a good manufacturer can help make up for a so-so dealer.
Perhaps I should have been clearer. I meant between the major brands listed, dealer support and capability is more important than brand. We're talking about all the "A-List" spas here- not the ones a bit down the ladder. And I'd hate to be stuck with a sub par dealer and have to rely on a company thousands of miles from here.So in that context I stand by my statement.
Dealers come and go. your dealer can be in buisness for 30 years and close its doors tomorrow.You need a company that has deales in alot of places , you need a spa thats reliable so you can use it.Hotsprings,Nordic Crown Xl,Jacuzzi & Sundance are all over the comtry and seem to have the least problems.John