Ok so I did my research, narrowed my choices down to Jacuzzi, Arctic and Coast, heavily leaning toward the J-375 ..... Went and wet tested the Jacuzzi today, and hopped into a Elite 8000 by Maax just for kicks.....turns out I loooooooooved the Elite, and ended up purchasing the ES model (the best they make) with all the bells and whistles; stereo, LED, lounger, 70+ jets, 3 motors, etc....I'm pretty small, and the Elite is 35" deep instead of 38" like the Jacuzzi, so I don't float out of the seats or have to hold on to stay put.
BUT Elite is essentially a dressed up Coleman, which is a solid spa, but I originally planned for a more top of the line brand and have not heard much about Elite. I will say, I spent over an hour playing in both and I feel soooooo much better for it (my knees are trashed from Lyme and snowboarding). Does anyone have one? What has your experience been? Any reliability or quality issues I should know about? I'm NJ so super cold winters aren't usually a problem here. Any impartial info wld be greatly appreciated! Thanks!