All the brands mentioned are top quality. Wet test as many as you can and pick the tub you like the best as well as the dealer who will support you the best
I agree...wet testing is very important to "feel" how therapeutic the jets are for you personally.
Having bought a tub that was good, we did regret a few things that were selling points originally. A large jet in the floor that shot upwards (volcano) was very impressive in the store and during the wet test, but today we're not swayed by that. We want a tub with an open footwell to move around freely. If we need thigh/calf massage move to a seat/lounger that has it. Also our old tub had just one light in the water, and our more recent tub had about 20 points of LED lights around the waterline which we thought was a selling point. But now we want a tub with just a couple of lights under the waterline to light up the tub for safety and fun much like our older tub (but with colours that change for fun), not in our face with too many lights. We will not buy a tub with waterline perimeter lights - we want to the tub to be relaxing, not "in our face" with lighting effects. Also we don't care for any water features like a waterfall, water spouts, etc. They look pretty in the store, but they don't really have any benefit, at least not for us.
Another feature is sound systems. We don't want one simply because we want to enjoy our backyard whether in the tub or not. So we're going to install a sound system with outdoor speakers near the tub that will be available if we're in the tub or not. And apparently tub sound systems typically will fail at some point, so why not have a sound system outside the tub that can be enjoyed all the time and can be changed/fixed or updated at your discretion?
You mentioned chemical balance. Personally I think once you get pH and calcium in line, the dichlor and bleach method is the easiest and cheapest way to maintain a hot tub. No need for all the overpriced fancy chemicals that a hot tub store sells (they're out to make money off the consumables). The process is actually pretty basic...using chlorine products to sanitize and shock is not difficult and is not costly. Just google the "dichlor & bleach" method.
As to budget, well that's harder to quantify as prices vary across the country for the same tub. Look at it this way, it's going to be a vital tool for your personal enjoyment for many years. You shouldn't exclude one particular tub simply because it costs $500 more than another. Not naming names here, just saying that price shouldn't be your main concern because usability is more important than price. I didn't want to spend more than $8000 on my last tub, but I did because I thought it was worth it. And let's face it, hot tubs are luxury items, not cars or homes or other items that we need to survive and thrive. If it costs a bit more to get what you want, do it because you want what you want and you won't be satisfied with a less than ideal hot tub.
Everyone is different though, so YMMV.
