Narrowed Down: Grandee vs Aspen (Sundance)

[larryshomework]

So I'll be buying my first spa.  Based on available brands in my area I've narrowed it down to the HS Grandee vs the SD Aspen.  The ole wet test is next.

Any words of wisdom in choosing between these two?  Both are virtually identical in price - about $11K installed (pre-tax)

I assume the ozone thingy and the clear ray are competing ways to do basically the same thing?

Is the ACE system worth a grand? (FWIW - I never experienced skin issues with chlorine in pools)

Thanks for any advice

[Spatech_tuo]

So I'll be buying my first spa.  Based on available brands in my area I've narrowed it down to the HS Grandee vs the SD Aspen.  The ole wet test is next.

Any words of wisdom in choosing between these two?  Both are virtually identical in price - about $11K installed (pre-tax)

I assume the ozone thingy and the clear ray are competing ways to do basically the same thing?

Is the ACE system worth a grand? (FWIW - I never experienced skin issues with chlorine in pools)

Thanks for any advice

It really should come down to the wet test so my only words of wisdom would be to try to wet test both on the same day so you can truly compare them best rather than on different weekends or even just different days. The ozone and the clear ray definitely cancel each other out.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Sound advice spa wise, and you can buy a lot of chems with a 1000 bucks! 

[wmccall]

Larry,

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have made two good choices and are headed to the wet test which would be the best advice most of us would give you. However, if you ended up just buying one or the other without a wet test you would probably do well.  After the wet test, post your opinion here. Sometimes just writing it down and looking at it on the screen is good shopping therapy.  I'm sure it would benefit some other shopper as well.  I haven't seen the Aspen much yet, would love to hear what you say about it.   How many people in your family?

[larryshomework]

Thanks for the advice - will keep the forum updated.

The Aspen is the Maxxus without the lounge.  Basically I'm buying big so I can use it as a summer tub for friends (a pseudo-pool) then regular use the rest of the year with one or two people.  As I've read here, I may be over buying in size but I figured for a little extra I might as well go big 

[Jacuzzi Jim]

  I actually like the layout of the Jacuzzi J-495 better than the Aspen.  Not sure you have a dealer though..

[wmccall]

Thanks for the advice - will keep the forum updated.

The Aspen is the Maxxus without the lounge.  Basically I'm buying big so I can use it as a summer tub for friends (a pseudo-pool) then regular use the rest of the year with one or two people.  As I've read here, I may be over buying in size but I figured for a little extra I might as well go big 

Understood, while your not me, i thought I'd be entertaining more in my hot tub than we have.  Now that my daughter is grown and moved away its just the 2 of us 99.9% of the time. When I buy again, I'll probably go smaller.  (but not too small)

[Spatech_tuo]

Thanks for the advice - will keep the forum updated.

The Aspen is the Maxxus without the lounge.  Basically I'm buying big so I can use it as a summer tub for friends (a pseudo-pool) then regular use the rest of the year with one or two people.  As I've read here, I may be over buying in size but I figured for a little extra I might as well go big 

If you envision many enjoying this at once you want the spa to be open seated without a lounge but also without seat separations (barrier free). The Aspen may say its a 7-8 person spa in its literature but look at the layout, its more like 5. Go by the number of seats you see not by the number given in the spec sheet. Then again as Bill pointed out, how many people are you truly going to have in it?

[Hot Spring Ace]

Thanks for the advice - will keep the forum updated.

The Aspen is the Maxxus without the lounge.  Basically I'm buying big so I can use it as a summer tub for friends (a pseudo-pool) then regular use the rest of the year with one or two people.  As I've read here, I may be over buying in size but I figured for a little extra I might as well go big 

Both are good quality spas. The nice thing about the Grandee is that the seating is indeed very much open and barrier free which is important for those who are putting multiple people in it.  While we all hear people occasionally say they realized later they went bigger than they need its a lot better than the other story we sometimes hear of those who found out later they went smaller than you need so I’d err on the larger side if you're unsure. The Vanguard is the smaller version of the Grandee if you do decide you don't need that much space after all.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Considering the price is the same for either, I myself would be inclined to take the bigger spa.   

[wmccall]

While we all hear people occasionally say they realized later they went bigger than they need its a lot better than the other story we sometimes hear of those who found out later they went smaller than you need so I’d err on the larger side if you're unsure. The Vanguard is the smaller version of the Grandee if you do decide you don't need that much space after all.

There is merit to that statement.  While it mostly 2 people every night in our 6 person spa, its nice to have the room to move around.  Every seat in my tub, the way I have it set up provides therapy in different areas and I use the floor as an additional seat as I move around.

[Hot Spring Ace]

While we all hear people occasionally say they realized later they went bigger than they need its a lot better than the other story we sometimes hear of those who found out later they went smaller than you need so I’d err on the larger side if you're unsure. The Vanguard is the smaller version of the Grandee if you do decide you don't need that much space after all.

There is merit to that statement.  While it mostly 2 people every night in our 6 person spa, its nice to have the room to move around.  Every seat in my tub, the way I have it set up provides therapy in different areas and I use the floor as an additional seat as I move around.

Exactly, I move around from seat to seat almost as much as my kids when they were younger which is why I like a barrier free type spa where I can float around without a lounge or even arm rests. Since my kids are older now I might get a smaller spa if I were to trade in my Grandee some day but i wouldn't go too small even though its typically only my wife going in and sometimes just one of us.

[larryshomework]

Thanks for the input - the seating of the Grandee certainly looks the best for my intended use.

No Jacuzzi dealers within 100 miles so HS and SD are the best options.  There is a Bullfrog dealer but they didn't grab my attention they way the other two have.

The too big regret potential sounds less than the too small regret.

Will keep you posted.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

price, size, features aside I wouldn't be interested in the Aspen because of the weak "foot ticklers" it appears to have for foot jets...other than that make sure you wet test both and pick the one that works best for you and your family

[Jacuzzi Jim]

price, size, features aside I wouldn't be interested in the Aspen because of the weak "foot ticklers" it appears to have for foot jets...other than that make sure you wet test both and pick the one that works best for you and your family

  The grandee has 2 wow!   At least the Apsen has foot jets that an actual person can reach.  As far as being weak (doubtfull)  they probably feel pretty good.