After soak testing, in some cases up to three times, the verdict is in. I will go with a Caldera Geneva Utopia. The others I tried were the Hot Spings, Marquis, and Jacuzzi Premium. All were excellent and truthfully would have worked quite well. Within very tight specifications, the technology of all of the better spas is quite similar. Accordingly choosing a spa is a very subjective decision. I liked the comfort, packaging, and performance of the Caldera the best among this group by a wee bit. It is understandable why buying a spa is such a tough choice with some very good products to choose from. At least within this small group there are no bad choices.
All of the dealers for these spas are very professional. Not one bad word about the competition from any of them. On the Caldera web page there is a section on how to choose a spa that is very objective, neutral, and informative. In an uncanny way it set the tone for my buying experience. There are a lot of professional people in the spa business. This forum is a case in point.
Consider this: I sent away for the literature from Emerald which was sent promptly. But the nearest dealer is on the other side of the state. The Emerald people themselves recommended that I look elsewhere as that would be too far away to ensure proper service. That bespeaks integrity. It also guided me to narrow my range of options to only those with local dealers.
Thanks again to one and all for the help! This forum is great.
Regards,
Bill
