white water spas, have you heard of them?

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Generally, anything a dealer says about a competing product, you should ignore. Have you ever heard of a salesperson saying a competing product is better and you should go elsewhere to buy it?

Personally, the more a salesman bad mouths the competition, the more I tend to think he simply has no positive selling points for his own product and is intimidated by the competition.

[flyinbyu20]

Haha exactly why I am on here talking to all the members in the forum for advice 

[Tman122]

Hot Springs uses the same power as any other tub. A 220V circuit with a 50 amp supply will be fine. 220-230-240 its all the same and we call it a 220V circuit here in Minnesota. You will have to do some things a little different with a HS but it uses the same power supply.

To touch on the wood versus metal thing. Nothing but a lousy sales pitch that the metal frame sales people are throwing. There is no structural advantage to a thin sheet metal frame over a solid 2x4 wood frame or even a 2x2 wood frame except the fire rating is higher on steel. There is no cost advantage no support advantage and no longevity advantage. If you live in a very wet area and have not properly prepared your site, maybe the drainage isn't done correctly. I'm not sure if wood would rot faster or steel would rust quicker. I like to say "I have had 3 BBQ grills rust on the same wooden deck" But that's really not fair as the BBQ grill is subjected to extreme temps. But if I was selling wood framed tub and talking about steel framed tubs, how many people would be fooled?

[flyinbyu20]

Once again, Thank you all for these messages.  Just as an update, today I tried out the hotspring highlife models and actually fell in love with the moto massager for the back.  I have yet to feel that on any other of the tubs I have tried.  The envoy is going to cost me an extra 2k, but I think in the long term I will be happier not settling for a lower end tub.  Thanks again!

[Tman122]

I'm not a hot springs fan but can tell you that it is 2000 more tub. Not just 2000 more expensive but 2000 more product. My reasons for not liking HS have nothing to do with reliability. longevity, quality (fit and finish), support, energy efficiency or the manufacturer. Good choice.

[flyinbyu20]

I appreciate everyone's advice and knowledge.  I ended up putting the down payment tonight on the Envoy.  Thanks again!!!