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If service is important... call around to see who will service the Artesian. Are they reputable? I hate hate hate one aspect of this industry... and it's salespeople bashing other brands. I'm a Hot Spring guy, always been partial... but it's arrogant and ignorant for me to bash everything else... Artesians are hardly leakers. They are no more than a Bullfrog, Sundance, or even Hot Spring.Service is going to be important, figure out who does it. Proprietary parts vs no proprietary parts really don't matter... if you have no one reliable to actually service the product. Unless you are super handy yourself.That's what would determine my decision.