Sundance Maxxus vs. Artic Spas KodiakSE

[brianlocker]

I live in the suburbs of Chicago and I am trying to decide on a new tub.  I like the configuration of the Sundance Maxxus 880, but the guy at the Artic Spa dealer makes good points for the Kodiak SE.  He especially touts the Heatlock system vs. the full foam system as being more heat efficient, and with the full foam, it is very difficult to do maintenance  on them.  Does someone out there have an opinion about which spa is better?

[anne]

Did anyone else hear that sound? I think it was a can of worms being opened......

Just kidding. I dont mean to downplay your question whatsoever, and I know just how frustrating it can be shopping for a tub and trying to filter out all of the conflicting info that you hear. Let me summarize what I think the overall answer to your question will be, and I'm sure others will chime in with details and specifics:

-Neither spa is "better". You have listed two well regarded, well-made tubs. You asked if anyone had an opinion if one was better. I'm sure they do, but......

-You MUST wet test a tub to decide which one is better for *you*
 
-The Arctic guy will tout his heat-lock system till he's blue in the face, and Sundance will tout something else the same way. Each company has it's flag to wave.

-Do a search on FF vs TP in the "dead horse" section. That will give you a sampling of how much this topic has gone 'round and 'round. (Arctic's heatlock is a little different, but the debate is the same.)

-Most people here will say that if you have narrowed your selection down to well made, well represented tubs (and you have) then pick the one that fits you, from a dealer that you want to work with, for the price you can afford, and dont sweat the details of pump HP, insulation, jet count, etc.

Good luck, take your time, and may you be up to your neck in hot water as soon as possible!

[tileman]

Brian, Anne could not have put that any better. I really don't think anyone needs to chime in after those perfectly spoken words.  

 Chad

[SpaMorph]

brianlocker, have you wet tested the Maxxus yet?  If not, do so at your first opportunity.  I, too, had the Maxxus on my list of potential spas, but after a wet test I was able to quickly eliminate it.  

[pg_rider]

If you're looking for an amazing foot (and even leg) massage I will offer that you can't beat the foot dome in the Maxxus.  It's my favorite thing about our Optima (which has the same footdome) and I couldn't be without it.  Also, I found the seats in the Optima (again, very similar to the Maxxus) much more comfortable than the Arctic.  As far as overall quality though, I'm sure you can't go wrong with either.  It should come down to which one feels best to you...

[lagator43]

I agree with Anne, narrow it down to: comfort, price, and service.  Remember that the insulation question on two well made tubs may end up being 1 dollar (at the most)  difference per month off of your electricity bill.  That twelve dollars per year is peanuts compared to choosing a tub that fits you well.  

I bought the Frontier from Arctic last month and have been very pleased with it.

[Campsalot]

I own a Sundance Maxxus.  I absolutely LOVE the tub.  I feel it is very well made and pretty dang efficient.  In fact we did not notice a single difference in our utility cost after we went on-line.  Now regarding insulation I would have to go with the full foam.  Being from ND I can really relate to being well insulated.  Good Luck!

[tony]

Frankly, I wouldn't buy anything but full foam.  And to boot, if I were to buy again, the spas at the top of my list are all full foam and not because they are full foam.

If you are really concerned about maintenance, be sure to check out the electronics, because that is what is going to fail the most and cost the most money to repair.  99% of todays spas will never have a leak and if they do, it will be in the equipment compartment....unless they freeze....which would be caused by electronics (or power outage).

[bosco0633]

I could only wish, as an arctic spas owner that my tub choice was not surrounded by so much controversy.  With that said, it is impossible to ask about arctic without bringing up the inevitable FF vs. TP debate.

I would first of all like to welcome you to the board and second say that your question is like every other person that comes to this board.  Everyone comes to this board and asks whats the best, how much is a good price.  

If you mention arctic, heads turn.  

Anne is so right and she put it in perfect context.  

I too believe that we cant tell you what is better without being bias.  I own an arctic, so I would say arctic is the best.  Others own Sundance and swear buy it.  The common thread is that I bought Arctic because it fit my needs and comfort the best.  Others buy Sundance, hotsprings etc etc etc. because they loved the feel of the tub, dealer support, and overall research that they did.

So what tub is the best? It is so simple, the best tub is the tub you pick.

Now take FF and TP debate..........  Who cares!!!!!!! Honest to god.  Both are respectable and energy efficient products.  Both have pros and cons.  Some will compare house construction to hot tubs.  The bottom line is that when you spend 10k for a tub, you are getting something that will be good quality.  

I pay 8.50 (canadian) extra a month during the heavy winter season.  That is peanuts.  My best friend has a full foam tub and he is exactly the same with his hydro bill.  So is there a difference, no they are all well built tubs.

Dont fall victim of the hype.  If you like the arctic and it feels right buy it and if the maxxus feels right and you like that buy it.  Either way you are looking at great quality high end tubs.

The end!

[anne]

Oh, and by the way, I do own an Arctic, but I did not want that to be part of my original statement...... I have not noticed a difference in my electric bill, though mine does tend to fluctuate a lot anyway, so it is hard to have a real trend to follow. I was not able to even wet test Sundance while shopping, so I cannot give you my opinion of them.....but there are lots of happy owners here!

[wesj53]

How about those Bears brian?

I have been involved in some "friendly"debates about FF vs Heatlock, jet leak repair costs, etc so at the risk of being attacked as another Arctic owner, I will only suggest that I agree with most of the posters already, but would only add that IMO the use of the enormous footprint of the Maxxus is not very efficient. There are only 4 active seats with one cooldown vs. the smaller Kodiak with 5 actives with a cooldown.

If you want more details on the Arctic line or the dealer in Libertyville (where I bought mine), you can PM me so we don't  bore or aggravate the people on this site who don't care to read about Arctic owner "KoolAid" comments.

[Campsalot]

I think there are 2 cool down seats in the Maxxus.  I say I think because I am not sure what the definition of a "cool down seat" is. However, if it is a seat without jets; my maxxus has two.  One by the waterfall and one by the entry step.

[anne]

Campsalot! I love your avatar! I'm a fan of Hobbes.

Brian- any luck wet testing yet? Any other brands caught your eye?

[Tman122]

How about those Bears brian?
I have been involved in some "friendly"debates about FF vs Heatlock, jet leak repair costs, etc so at the risk of being attacked as another Arctic owner, I will only suggest that I agree with most of the posters already, but would only add that IMO the use of the enormous footprint of the Maxxus is not very efficient. There are only 4 active seats with one cooldown vs. the smaller Kodiak with 5 actives with a cooldown.
If you want more details on the Arctic line or the dealer in Libertyville (where I bought mine), you can PM me so we don't  bore or aggravate the people on this site who don't care to read about Arctic owner "KoolAid" comments.

Whats funny is, and it has been a while now so this is all kind of moot, but, Arctic owners call it being attached when they make some outrages claim of superiority over another brand and someone calls BS on them.

Next thing you know those who claimed the BS are the ones being called attachers, funny how that works. As an Arctic owner you are allowed your opinion of there fine product, but us, anyone else is not allowed our opinion of there mediocracy? Huh?

Sundance and Arctic make fine products. See what dealer you are most comfortable with and which tub you are most comfortable sitting in. They will both run about the same per month to operate, and Sundance has a proven track record for longevity and customer support. I also think Arctic may last a while but it hasn't been around long enough in it's current design to know.

[lagator43]

Can I ask a silly question?  Why do I get the feeling that there is a hate on for Arctic Spas?  :-?  I have only been reading these boards for the last month but Arctic seems to get more bullets than any other brand listed.  

The majority of Arctic owners seem down to earth about their brand ( example: Anne).  It is human nature that all brands will have certain owners who want to shove their opinion down other peoples throat and irritate the heck out of people.  

What have they done to get so many people angry?