Q's: Warranty? J-LX? Seat shape?

[Sea Bean]

Hi,
This is a great forum, love that it stays positive.  Hopefully the dealers & other experienced tubbers here can provide some objective insight on these questions...

1.  The cost difference between a 2 year warranty tub and a 5 year warranty tub is about $1000 per year for the 3 year difference.  (Ex:  a 6K tub vs. a 9K tub). How often do hot tubs fail and at what cost?  Do the 2-year-warranty tubs fail to the tune of $1000/year in years 3-5?  After years 3 and 5 do they perform differently?  Is the warranty essentially very, very expensive insurance?     

2.  Anyone have the Jacuzzi J-LX or J-LXL yet?  How are they performing?  Do they feel deep enough?  Does the skinny lid do a good enough job in snowy climates?  Opinions on this model? 

3.  We plan to sit in the tub w/o the jets going all the time, just enjoying the hot and the quiet, often.  I've had a hard time finding a tub that has back support.  What's up with all the super-rounded seat shapes?  The one brand that feels pretty good dry has a reputation, apparently, for poor follow-up service.

Thanks for your comments!
 


     

 

[planetary]

I looked into the LX line, and seriously considered it before choosing the 470.  The LX looks absolutely fantastic.  I just wanted something a bit roomier and more fully featured.  The 470 is 7" longer and wider, and while I'm not sure how much of that is translated into the interior dimensions, you can really feel some additional space in the seats, IMHO.

Also, yes, you sit higher up in the LX.   Significantly so, it felt to me in a dry test.  So if you're going for something that feels immersive, you're better off with the 300 or 400 lines.  All the seats in the 470 feel immersive, but there's a particular corner seat in the 470 where you sit deeper than the others, and I'm starting to mentally call it the Altered States seat.  (I'm 5'10".)

I do like that the LX has calf jets in 3 of the seats.  OTOH, it doesn't have a foot volcano, which I wanted.  Nor does the LX feature the J-1000 controller (if that's important to you).  It also only has one waterfall, not two -- which isn't a big deal, but I like the look of the 400 waterfalls better. 

...What I was really hoping for was a real high-end LX model, with features to match the design.  (Though I think the look of the 400 series is also very nice.  I just prefer the minimalist/scandinavian exterior of the LX.)

Just my thoughts!

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

#1 regarding warranty, it may seem like an expensive insurance policy on paper but what you have to remember is that when you jump price points/warranty points your also jumping up in features...you may add a circulation pump, ozone as a standard option vs optional, bigger pump(s), more variety/more robust jetting, better insulation methods,etc. etc.

#2 not familiar with these tubs, I'm sure someone else will chime in

#3 gauging back support in a dry tub is not as important as one may think because the "feel" of a dry tub is completely different than when the tub is filled because 90% of your body weight becomes buoyant so therefore the feeling of "support" is much different when submerged in water + adding in the feeling of jets.....to make a long story short...wet-test, wet-test, wet-test