Thanks for all the great info here! My wife and I are searching for our 1st hot tub and this forum has made it easier for sure.
We have narrowed down our search to the final two after wet testing over the last couple days. We are now deciding between:
1. Jacuzzi 435 - Quote is $10,100 with cover, step, and delivery included.
2. Hotspring Flair - Quote is $9800 with Ace system, cover, step, and delivery included.
From the wet tests we both felt that the Jacuzzi jets were the clear winners. The others were very good but the winner was clear (we also tested the Caldera Geneva and Bullfrog R Series). The Hotspring was the best looking inside and out but we still like the Jacuzzi. We liked the Jacuzzi and Hotspring dealers and both are close to us (we didn't like the Caldera/Bullfrog dealer as much and they were not as close).
Aside from that, I still have some questions before we make the final decision:
1. ACE System - We both felt like the water felt great. No smell, smooth skin, no irritation. Still a bit unclear about the maintenance involved. Are there additional costs other than the ACE cell replacement that differs from a non-salt system? The Jacuzzi didn't feel bad but we could tell the difference with the chlorine. This might be unusual but our cat loves bleach/chlorine and he gets crazy when he smells it and after the Jacuzzi test it was very apparent that he could smell it. Is it possible that the chlorine levels were higher in the store than they would be at home? Would the ozone system really help to reduce the chlorine level? Is Bromine an acceptable alternative (the Jacuzzi dealer mentioned this)?
2. Do these quotes seem fair or at least competitive (we are in the Southern California area)?
3. Am I missing anything obvious?
4. Thanks for the help!!
