Hello all,
let me preface this by saying I'm not located in the USA; I live in Europe (Belgium, specifically) and am searching for a new spa. I hope somebody here can help me and give me some insights.
I have a few dealers pretty close to me, but the closest one is an Artesian Dealer. They carry the Garden, South Seas, Island and Platinum lines. My preference there goes to the Antigua or the Grand Bahama. I've read up on this forum about Artesian and my understanding is that Artesian is pretty good ? I am planning to do a wet test next week.
The other dealer I've been looking at is selling their own spas, well, as far as I can tell. The are called Sunspas and have 4 logos on their folders; Aristech Acrylics, Lucite International, SpaNet and Balboa. I understand the firs two are the acrylic manufacturers (and they're the 2 biggest ?), SpaNet is their (I think) controller soluton and Balboa are the controllers they use. Their price is not too bad but I do not like their dealers; they were very pushy the 2 times I went their and I don't even think I have the option to wet-test them.
The last one I'm looking at is called "Bo-Spa's" and they claim they manufacture their own spas as well. The only info I can find is that they use something called "SP1200 DAVEY", an Australian computer pack ? The tub itself is made from Aristech 4.8mm acrylic and they use "shureflex" hoses inside the spa. They are the most expensive option (all tubs are closed with cedar wood which is quite expensive here).
I have to take into account the cold Belgian weather, so electricity usage is an important factor. I need to be certain about the quality of the insulation, but I have no idea who has the best stuff out there.
So, I know this is not a lot of information, but I hope someone can help me a little bit here. Specifically, I'm hoping someone can tell me if I should be looking at some other manufacturers or/and if the one(s) I am looking at now are any good. Is the Artesian the best bet (because they're global), is the Sunspa the best bet (because they're cheapest) or do I go with a "homegrown" product (Bo-spa's) which is the most expensive but also claims to have the best insulation on the market ?
