We bought one, and not what we thought we would..so yes, you were all right (me bowing down to you all), wet testing was worth it.
We tested the Arctic Klondike...nice tub, and looked impressive, but it was too big, and I floated away in almost every seat, the Arctic Fox...actually a nice small tub, we were impressed with the construction of Arctic, but the jets weren't high enough for my particular liking, I really wanted upper back/neck, and it just didn't seem to reach it...
Then we tested the Master Spa LS850, you may recall we originally had put a down payment on a MS Portsmouth. I was really hopeful for the shoulder jets, but actually didn't like how they felt in this model...we weren't looking to buy a LS850, but it was all they had in stock for us to try so we could get the feel of the jets...it was just ok.
Next we sat in a Reflections Malaga...the power just blew my mind. With the two diverter valves closed so just the lounge (which my husband likes) and the corner seat with the neck/back/shoulder jets on (which I like), the massage was almost painful....which is the type of massage we were looking for...rough
, but also adjustable, so when you were finished being kneeded, just turn the diverter valve for a gentle massage. It also had a great foot area with jets at the feet of several seats, a foot jet in the middle, and a really nice lounge with jets on the hamstrings, four jets on the calves (two on each), and two jets for each foot...and I didn't float out of the lounge, even on full power.
We also tested the Artesian Grand Bahama...which is a really nice tub, it had a nice lounge, which I also didn't float out of, all the seats were nice, the shoulder seat was AWESOME in my opinion, but we didn't find the jets as powerful as the Malaga, but the kicker was, that the lounge my husband likes, and the shoulder seat I like were on the same diverter valve...so we both couldn't sit in "our" seats at the same time and have it on full power...so while it was a toss up between the Artesian and the Reflections...the power, the foot action, and being able to both sit in "our" seats at the same time won us over.
We were going to try HS and Sundance, but really the Malaga was everything we were looking for, and at the price we wanted. It has 53 jets, is the right size for us, has the lounge and neck massage we were looking for, has tons of power, and gives a great massage, so we bought it. Ocean Blue with Redwood surround...should arrive in 4-6 weeks.
Thanks to everyone for your advice!
Heather and Dave
