Opinions wanted: Narrowed it down to Hotsprings Sovereign, Envoy, and Flair.

[mzinga]

No it is being ordered.  I would have preferred the floor model as it was exactly what we were looking at.

We wet tested the Vanguard/Flair.

My wife and I really loved the Flair, and we changed to the Sovereign at the last minute.  We don't need a ton of jet, and really like the Moto jets in the lounger.  Are hoping we don't float out of the lounger, as we didn't have that issue in the Flair.  The angle is a bit different, but seem to be sitting fairly upright in it, so we thought it wasn't an issue.

I looked at the Bullfrog (R6/R6L) and it just seemed like a cheaper spa than the hotsprings.  I loved the idea of the jetpacks, but the price of that line @ $6500 sure seemed expensive.  When we were looking at bullfrogs we were comparing against the Flair (Which we were looking at just over $7k).

[av8r]

  Depends on the promo we are running, I often use a cover lift or ozone at no charge for closing the deal.    Shell which ever color they offer, as far as the packs (acrylic upgrade) that's up to the dealer, we have it priced in on ours.   Circ pump would be extra 350 I think.

What is an "acrylic upgrade"?  Even the Bullfrog people couldn't tell me.

[ski bum]

Any dealers on the forum that can chime in?  Anybody have a price list for either brand?

  Depends on the promo we are running, I often use a cover lift or ozone at no charge for closing the deal.    Shell which ever color they offer, as far as the packs (acrylic upgrade) that's up to the dealer, we have it priced in on ours.   Circ pump would be extra 350 I think.

What is an "acrylic upgrade"?  Even the Bullfrog people couldn't tell me.

Isn't that just painted/colored jet packs?  As opposed to the black ones.

[Racenut]

What is an "acrylic upgrade"?  Even the Bullfrog people couldn't tell me.

That's color matched jet packs. I think it's $250 or so.  I think it's somewhere between silly and underhanded for them to charge extra for this, but I guess that's the way they do it. I guess I compare it to buying a car and getting charged extra if you want the doors to match.

That said, I ordered mine with plain black jet packs.  The shell is the dark sapphire blue and I think it will look kinda cool.

[av8r]

What is an "acrylic upgrade"?  Even the Bullfrog people couldn't tell me.

That's color matched jet packs. I think it's $250 or so.  I think it's somewhere between silly and underhanded for them to charge extra for this, but I guess that's the way they do it. I guess I compare it to buying a car and getting charged extra if you want the doors to match.

That said, I ordered mine with plain black jet packs.  The shell is the dark sapphire blue and I think it will look kinda cool.

Huh....neither dealer I spoke with mentioned this.  I'll have to call the one we ordered from and see what he ordered.

Thanks

[hottubdan]

Just purchased a Soverign yesterday for $7900.  Included steps/delivery/cover/lifter etc.. Didn't do the ACE, seems that people either love or hate it, plus the $800 replacement seems steep in the long run.

You got a screaming deal.  Hope you are not setting unrealistic expectations.

[mzinga]

We both got a pretty good deal though right?  If mine was at 7.9 and his was just over 9 and he got ACE, we got about the same deal correct?

[Sam]

What is an "acrylic upgrade"?  Even the Bullfrog people couldn't tell me.

That's color matched jet packs. I think it's $250 or so.  I think it's somewhere between silly and underhanded for them to charge extra for this, but I guess that's the way they do it. I guess I compare it to buying a car and getting charged extra if you want the doors to match.

That said, I ordered mine with plain black jet packs.  The shell is the dark sapphire blue and I think it will look kinda cool.

Huh....neither dealer I spoke with mentioned this.  I'll have to call the one we ordered from and see what he ordered.

Thanks

A lot dealers don't even mention this, myself included.  The reason being that you can only get the neck masseuse jetpak if you go with the acrylic color match and the neck masseuse is the most popular jetpak.  The black ones are made from ABS, not acrylic. 

[ski bum]

What is an "acrylic upgrade"?  Even the Bullfrog people couldn't tell me.

That's color matched jet packs. I think it's $250 or so.  I think it's somewhere between silly and underhanded for them to charge extra for this, but I guess that's the way they do it. I guess I compare it to buying a car and getting charged extra if you want the doors to match.

That said, I ordered mine with plain black jet packs.  The shell is the dark sapphire blue and I think it will look kinda cool.

Huh....neither dealer I spoke with mentioned this.  I'll have to call the one we ordered from and see what he ordered.

Thanks

A lot dealers don't even mention this, myself included.  The reason being that you can only get the neck masseuse jetpak if you go with the acrylic color match and the neck masseuse is the most popular jetpak.  The black ones are made from ABS, not acrylic.

That's what my dealer said too...they eat the cost and always just provide the acrylic versions. 

Sam, what are the R6L's going for out the door with all the goodies these days?  Thanks!

[Racenut]

A lot dealers don't even mention this, myself included.  The reason being that you can only get the neck masseuse jetpak if you go with the acrylic color match and the neck masseuse is the most popular jetpak.  The black ones are made from ABS, not acrylic.

Could be interesting then... we ordered ours with two neck masseuse packs.  Guess we'll see what they do...

[Sam]

A lot dealers don't even mention this, myself included.  The reason being that you can only get the neck masseuse jetpak if you go with the acrylic color match and the neck masseuse is the most popular jetpak.  The black ones are made from ABS, not acrylic.

Could be interesting then... we ordered ours with two neck masseuse packs.  Guess we'll see what they do...

Then they have to be acrylic match color.  I think that this is what most dealers do.

To answer ski bum, not including tax or stereo or wi-fi, you should be around $7k.  I don't recommend the wifi or stereo options personally, but a lot of people like them.

[ski bum]

Dealer quoted me (without negotiation) $8700 for a Flair.  What should the out-the-door price on this including all the goodies delivered really cost?  Thanks.

[mzinga]

I think I was getting a screaming deal, and I eventually switched to a soverign, but I was quoted $7400.  That included steps/cover/delivery/chem startup and also an ozinator.

[av8r]

What is an "acrylic upgrade"?  Even the Bullfrog people couldn't tell me.

That's color matched jet packs. I think it's $250 or so.  I think it's somewhere between silly and underhanded for them to charge extra for this, but I guess that's the way they do it. I guess I compare it to buying a car and getting charged extra if you want the doors to match.

That said, I ordered mine with plain black jet packs.  The shell is the dark sapphire blue and I think it will look kinda cool.

Huh....neither dealer I spoke with mentioned this.  I'll have to call the one we ordered from and see what he ordered.

Thanks

A lot dealers don't even mention this, myself included.  The reason being that you can only get the neck masseuse jetpak if you go with the acrylic color match and the neck masseuse is the most popular jetpak.  The black ones are made from ABS, not acrylic.

Thanks.  Confirmed that we're getting acrylic (Mirage color) and yes...Neck Masseuse is one of our choices!

[ski bum]

Update: Wife and I wet tested the Hotsprings Jetsetter, Prodigy, Flair, and Vanguard this weekend.  Since we'd like to have friends and family join us occasionally, the mid-size 4-5 person tubs were the best fit.  Loungers in general were great, especially the ones that had the calf and foot jets.  Moto-Massage was nice, but only for a few minutes.  The Highlife tubs felt a lot more solid in the controls than the limelight tubs which were louder and made some strange rattling noises when changing the flow.

At the end of the day, we both really liked the size and layout of the Flair.  Lounger was amazing for me, but was too deep for the wife.  Deep seat had great lower back jets that I really enjoyed.  The no-bypass filtration system on the Highlife tubs was also a big benefit, especially with the prospect of children in the tub in the near future. 

So I'm really interested in finding a Flair-equivalent in the Highlife series....Dealer suggested the Sovereign, but I think the Aria is more what I'm looking for in terms of jet layout (has the calf and individual foot jets, as well as a deep seat with good lumbar jets).  Sovereign is only 1 pump vs the Aria's 2.  Next step is to find out when the dealer will get the Aria and/or Sovereign in stock to wet test.  I can't imagine buying something like this without a wet test first. 

QUESTION: Anyone know if the Aria lounger is shallower than the Flair?  Anybody regret paying the Highlife premium instead of just going with a Limelight?  I'm thinking this will be in our backyard for 15+ years, so trying to make the best decision possible.