Artesian vs West Coast Spas

[amityeric]

New forum member. New spa buyer.

I live in Vancouver, Washington, across the river from Portland, Oregon. I've narrowed down my spa search to two spas: the Artesian Captiva and the West Coast Spas Deschutes.

I have a bit of paralysis.

WCS has a lower price, a better warranty, 4 more jets, more LED lights . . . sounds like an easy win right?

The Artesian has a dealer that's in Vancouver. The dealer is much more established in the area. WCS doesn't get bad reviews, they're just in Portland and they have a much shorter history in the area. The Artesian is easier to find information on, as they're a much more established brand.

The Artesian spa uses two 5BHP pumps (2.5 continuous). Sounds kinda weak to me. I asked for the pump brand name and model #, but haven't been able to get it from the dealer yet. The WCS uses two 5.0HP Waterway pumps. But I can't figure out if that's BHP or continuous.

I don't know which has a better shell. I don't know which is insulated better. I don't know whether Artesian is REALLY any better or if just more well known.

Anyone have any sage advice for me? Thank you SO MUCH in advance.

[Hottubguy]

Never heard of west coast spas but just looked them up. 5HP pumps are the same as artesian they just measure in BHP. One thing I noticed is the insulation method they use. If done properly it’s decent but full foam is a much better insulator. They are clearly a small regional brand so unless you are from the Oregon area nobody on here has probably heard of them. I can’t tell judging by there website where they would fall from a quality standpoint. Artesian has been around for a long time so that tells you they have staying power. How long has west coast been around for?  Have you seen one in person?  If not look at it and pop a panel off side and check how they insulate. What’s cheaper now may not be cheaper over the next 5,q
10, 15 years of spa ownership.

[Tman122]

New forum member. New spa buyer.

I live in Vancouver, Washington, across the river from Portland, Oregon. I've narrowed down my spa search to two spas: the Artesian Captiva and the West Coast Spas Deschutes.

I have a bit of paralysis.

WCS has a lower price, a better warranty, 4 more jets, more LED lights . . . sounds like an easy win right?

The Artesian has a dealer that's in Vancouver. The dealer is much more established in the area. WCS doesn't get bad reviews, they're just in Portland and they have a much shorter history in the area. The Artesian is easier to find information on, as they're a much more established brand.

The Artesian spa uses two 5BHP pumps (2.5 continuous). Sounds kinda weak to me. I asked for the pump brand name and model #, but haven't been able to get it from the dealer yet. The WCS uses two 5.0HP Waterway pumps. But I can't figure out if that's BHP or continuous.

I don't know which has a better shell. I don't know which is insulated better. I don't know whether Artesian is REALLY any better or if just more well known.

Anyone have any sage advice for me? Thank you SO MUCH in advance.

Number of jets and lights means nothing. Pump HP means nothing, what feels good is what is important. Better warranty is good if it truly is better? Example of pump HP: pump water from a 2.5 hp pump 2 feet through a straight piece of pipe and feel the pressure. Pump water from a 3.5 hp pump 4 feet through a winding pipe and feel the pressure.

[amityeric]

Number of lights might add to the ambiance. So it might mean something to someone. Number of jets might matter to someone as well, otherwise there wouldn't be some spas with 30 jets and some with 100. Pump horsepower means something. It means the pump is more powerful. I would assume that most hot tubs are plumbed in a similar way (but maybe that's assuming way too much). I mean, why would one 7-foot spa be plumbed with significantly more pipe than another?

[Sam]

Number of lights might add to the ambiance. So it might mean something to someone. Number of jets might matter to someone as well, otherwise there wouldn't be some spas with 30 jets and some with 100. Pump horsepower means something. It means the pump is more powerful. I would assume that most hot tubs are plumbed in a similar way (but maybe that's assuming way too much). I mean, why would one 7-foot spa be plumbed with significantly more pipe than another?

Not so fast.  They type of jet, flow, and power are more important than the number of jets.  For instance, Bullfrog has a jetpak with 4 jets in it.  I'll take that seat over a whole lot of other seats with 4 times the jets. 

Horsepower is really not an accurate gauge of anything.  You can take a small motor but put a 5hp impeller on it and will perform differently than a different combination.  Also, the type of jet, plumbing diameter, plumbing efficiency, hard 90 degree or soft 90 degree elbows, etc.  There are so many other factors that affect the ultimate feel that horsepower really tells you nothing. Feel the jets and decide which feels better to you.  Don't worry about horsepower and number of jets if another spa feels better.

[amityeric]

That last post makes a lot of sense. Not knowing all the different variables that affect the ultimate feel helps me understand what I'm up against when just looking at raw numbers (HP, amps, # of jets, etc.)

[Tman122]

That last post makes a lot of sense. Not knowing all the different variables that affect the ultimate feel helps me understand what I'm up against when just looking at raw numbers (HP, amps, # of jets, etc.)

LOL yet you argued my post? Location of tub adds more to ambiance than lights. Lights, pump hp and number of jets should not enter into your decision. Things like fit and finish, reputation, feel and longevity are important to me.

[Spatech_tuo]

The Artesian spa uses two 5BHP pumps (2.5 continuous). Sounds kinda weak to me. I asked for the pump brand name and model #, but haven't been able to get it from the dealer yet. The WCS uses two 5.0HP Waterway pumps. But I can't figure out if that's BHP or continuous.

1) Don't bother with horsepower ratings, its all about how the spa plumbing is designed and the subsequent jet feel as others have noted.
2) There is no doubt that the WCS is listing BHP (not continuous HP) so if you really can't get away from comparing numbers, they're really even. One is giving you the continuous HP rating while the other is giving you the Marketing/misleading BHP rating.

[amityeric]

That last post makes a lot of sense. Not knowing all the different variables that affect the ultimate feel helps me understand what I'm up against when just looking at raw numbers (HP, amps, # of jets, etc.)

LOL yet you argued my post? Location of tub adds more to ambiance than lights. Lights, pump hp and number of jets should not enter into your decision. Things like fit and finish, reputation, feel and longevity are important to me.

Well, it's not that I was arguing, just saying that # of LED lights does mean something. HP does mean something. It's just when I have started to realize just how many variables there are that I finally start to understand what you mean. It just took a while for me to accept the truth.  And that's why I have purchased the Artesian. Will be here in November.

[Spatech_tuo]

That last post makes a lot of sense. Not knowing all the different variables that affect the ultimate feel helps me understand what I'm up against when just looking at raw numbers (HP, amps, # of jets, etc.)

LOL yet you argued my post? Location of tub adds more to ambiance than lights. Lights, pump hp and number of jets should not enter into your decision. Things like fit and finish, reputation, feel and longevity are important to me.

Well, it's not that I was arguing, just saying that # of LED lights does mean something. HP does mean something. It's just when I have started to realize just how many variables there are that I finally start to understand what you mean. It just took a while for me to accept the truth.  And that's why I have purchased the Artesian. Will be here in November.

You just bought within the last couple days and they're quoting a November (2020) delivery?

Did they offer you a specific model/color, i.e. maybe someone else cancelled on an order already in place and you're getting it instead because that's an awfully quick delivery these days?

[amityeric]

You just bought within the last couple days and they're quoting a November (2020) delivery?

Did they offer you a specific model/color, i.e. maybe someone else cancelled on an order already in place and you're getting it instead because that's an awfully quick delivery these days?

When I went to the dealer, they had one Artesian Captiva 46 on the showroom floor. They were able to deliver it after December 1 because it was a floor model and they wanted it to stay on the floor for a while. We didn't buy it at that moment, and it sold the next day. However, the dealer called us back a day or two later and said they had another Captiva that they had ordered in May and that it was going to be here in October! It had different colors, and we liked it even better. The salesperson actually said we could get it in October. So we were like, "Heck yes!" We bought it and then about an hour later we were called and told it wouldn't be ready until after December 1. Apparently the owner called and told the salesperson that he wanted it on the floor for a while. But our sales receipt said "late October" for delivery. I called the owner and talked to him and he explained why he reversed the saleperson's decision. I let him know that it felt a little like a "bait and switch" to give us the delivery date, then to have me pay, then to call me an hour later to tell me it would be a 1.5 months later. I realize that Dec. 1 is still really fast in the current market, but it felt a little disappointing. Anyway, the owner said he would get it to me in mid-November unless there were any other complications. That's the story.

[Spatech_tuo]

You just bought within the last couple days and they're quoting a November (2020) delivery?

Did they offer you a specific model/color, i.e. maybe someone else cancelled on an order already in place and you're getting it instead because that's an awfully quick delivery these days?

When I went to the dealer, they had one Artesian Captiva 46 on the showroom floor. They were able to deliver it after December 1 because it was a floor model and they wanted it to stay on the floor for a while. We didn't buy it at that moment, and it sold the next day. However, the dealer called us back a day or two later and said they had another Captiva that they had ordered in May and that it was going to be here in October! It had different colors, and we liked it even better. The salesperson actually said we could get it in October. So we were like, "Heck yes!" We bought it and then about an hour later we were called and told it wouldn't be ready until after December 1. Apparently the owner called and told the salesperson that he wanted it on the floor for a while. But our sales receipt said "late October" for delivery. I called the owner and talked to him and he explained why he reversed the saleperson's decision. I let him know that it felt a little like a "bait and switch" to give us the delivery date, then to have me pay, then to call me an hour later to tell me it would be a 1.5 months later. I realize that Dec. 1 is still really fast in the current market, but it felt a little disappointing. Anyway, the owner said he would get it to me in mid-November unless there were any other complications. That's the story.

OK I figured there had to be a story behind that quick of a delivery, good for you overall!

[amityeric]

Got my hot tub everyone! Here's the video of the entire process I went through. Enjoy.

https://youtu.be/bKhnBD1zWxA

[Sam]

Got my hot tub everyone! Here's the video of the entire process I went through. Enjoy.

https://youtu.be/bKhnBD1zWxA

Great video.  Thanks for sharing.

[tduenas4520]

Would you mind sharing what you paid and what options you recieved? I'm just about to pull the trigger on a Captiva, want to know if the price in getting is fair...