1. Ballpark pricing for the Grandee Highlife with cover, cover cradle, matching steps but without stereo, or ACE. I live in Indianapolis and paid approx $8000 for my Vanguard in 2006.
I've seen it anywhere between $12,500 to $15,000
2. ACE water system- approx cost and is it worth it. Honestly water care for me is super easy. I basically get chlorine to 3 parts per million, then adjust ph up or down using test strips. Also clean filters once a month by spraying with the hose and drain/refill the tub every six months. I haven't ever had issues with cloudy water.
ACE is awesome in my opinion, but if water care has been super easy for you so far and you have enjoyed your experience, might be best to skip for now.
3. Fake stone surround? Had anyone purchased this instead of the normal colors? Do you like it, does it look good? I'm going to be having a paver patio installed at my new house and I thought it might look cool to get the stone surround for the tub but I want to hear if anyone has regretted purchasing it.
Haven't got this personally, but I hear it holds up well. Hot Spring has offered it for a long time and it virtually remained unchanged when they came out with it again on the newer Highlife.
4. Any other major improvements or options that are of a huge benefit that I should consider?
They redesigned Highlife last year that changed the look and feel of all their spas. The biggest difference is the NXT line which the Grandee has a option on. It looks pretty darn cool!
5. Operational costs vs vanguard. I pay 8 cents per kw here in Indy so my Vanguard cost less than $15 per month to run. I assume the Grandee would cost slightly more. Is it an efficient tub?
Assuming you live in the same area, it cost maybe a few bucks more, since the grandee is about a hundred gallons larger. I've owned both and haven't seen a difference that was noticeable to me.
6. Can the Grandee heater keep up in winter temps? My Vanguard I could set to 104 and use it in subzero temps. Is this possible with the Grandee?
If you had a '06 Vanguard, you used a 6k heater. The Grandee and new Vanguard use a 4k heater, which allows you to use both jet pumps and the heater at the same time on the 50AMP circuit. That being said, it does absolutely keep up with subzero temps, but it might take a little longer to heat up in the first place. How much? Not quite sure... but not much longer... an hour?
7. When does Hotspring release new model year products? Are the 2015 Grandees on the sales floor already? When will the 2016's come out? Is there any discussion of major design changes or improvments that I should consider waiting until 2016 to purchase?
They just redesigned everything last year with BMW. From what I understand, no changes have been made to the new Grandees except for a new silver color shell. As far as 2016 is concerned. Hot Spring keeps everything tight lipped... so I doubt we'll hear anything before it comes out. I doubt it since they did the big change last year.
Hope this helps! And best of luck!
