How long did you look before you bought??

[henryk]

Too Tense, I can almost feel for you in your posting.  The dealer is important, unless you have time on your hands and the spa is your focal point in life.  I am not saying this is a bad thing...wish I had time to deal with all the issues in life with stressing.  I considered dealer fairly high on the list, simply because I am constantly pulled from all direction and if I (or the family) have an issue with the tub, I want dealer support.  Not trying to make you back track but our Artic Tundra model does have a seat that includes jets that concentrate on wrist and forearms.  If you have a good Artic dealer (this is important) it may just be the combination that provides a solution in that regard.

Cheers  

[newbiespaguy]

Good topic.  We thought about a tub in February.  Started searching in March, and ready to buy in April after several wet tests.  Then got cold feet with the price and some cost overruns on our backyard patio project so we took some time off with the hot Virginia summer heat firmly in place.  

We have found a preowned tub that is barely a year old and is exactly the same make and model that we had wanted so we finally bought it.  Now we just have to pick it up, hook it up, and fill it up!

[Hillbilly Hot Tub]

I have looked at every upper end spa out there over the past 4 weeks. I  even drove 540 miles one way to look at a specific line of spas because the local dealer only had a new 2 year old spa on display dry.

I have researched over and over again each and every manufactures spas slowly eliminating one at a time. Here are a few spas that I looked at more then once before carefully eliminating them. Sundance Maxxus, HotSpring Vista, Marquis Epic, Bullfrog 662, Artesian Dove Canyon, Jacuzz1 J-480, Dimension-1 Sarena Bay Arctic Kodiak Legend SE. All fantastic top of the line spas.

All spas listed above were missing the most important feature that I needed the most due to the severe pain from tendinitis and arthritis in my hands, wrist, and forearms. I've had joint replacement on one hand and waiting to do the other.

Out of all the spas that I have looked at only one had both wrist, and forearm jets in two places in there spa. This spa is the Clearwater Orlando Signature. It looks and feels and is equipped top of the line rock solid. I know this spa will give me many years of pain relief with little needed repairs.

Now my wife wants me to order this spa now, but here's the problem. This is the the local dealer with the 2 year old spa. This is the same spa that I drove 540 miles one way to look at. Now what should I do. Love this spa, but local dealer support is null.

Thanks
Dennis

I get so upset when I see this. Where are you located? Clearwater is a wonderful spa and the dealers we have in our area are great, although we do have a very large turf. Have you called the Clearwater company to see how they may help you out? Maybe there is someone in the area that is an autorized tech for them. I can try to help you, but I am limited to my area. You are not in the Kansas City area are you?

[Doobiewah]

Took us about 3 months from idea inception to soaking.  We wet tested several tubs three times to make sure we weren't missing anything, then got complete electrical bids, etc., so we knew what our true final cost would be....and what our dealer experience going forward would be.  As a bookkeeper/tax advisor, I like to know my bottom line and this was not a minor purchase.  I hate waking up in the middle of the night with regretful night thoughts over a purchase.  Car dealers hate me because I refuse to make an on-the-spot purchase....but in the end, I (and the wife) are always pleased with the decisions we make....and we knew we'd have this spa for years.

Ever since there have been no regrets and we are in spa-topia!

[starsky]

I started thinking about it a year ago when I moved into my apartment. Then when I found the house I wanted in May I knew I wanted a hot tub to go with the pool I would build. I researched a bit, finding the best hot tubs on the market in my city. I then wet test the ones I could, and crossed off the ones who didnt let me. Found the one I wanted and its being delivered next week. So probably 2 months.

[IL Parrothead]

My wife and I looked for 5 months or so.  Wet tested 5 or 6 different manufacturers before we bought.  To me -- wet testing was the key.  Of course, the research we did here helped immensely.

[Brothersean]

The process for my wife and I took about a full year.  This included lots of research on this great forum and other internet resources.

  Also lots of dry and wet testing.  We kept finding closet spa owners among our friends , family and co-workers.  We would wet test the spas that were still  filled with water. (Some "summerized" them or just stopped using the thing for various reasons.)

  We started looking for used spas but quickly changed our minds after seeing some of them.  Once we investigated a "free hottub" sign on the side of the road. The owner said that it was a 2 or 3 year old Home Cheepo hottub that was an absolute piece of crap..."Just take it"!!

  So.........we wet and dry tested about 25 spas and after a sometimes frustrating (so many great spas out there) search,  finally settled on a Sundance Cameo because it met our needs for therapy, quality, warantee, and so on AND the dealer was only about 7 miles away and is amazingly supportive!!

  Sean