What's the Best Hot Tub

Author Topic: Which one should I go for?  (Read 5915 times)

7empest

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Re: Which one should I go for?
« Reply #15 on: March 01, 2021, 07:48:13 pm »
It does seem that you are right about the historical bad reputation of Cal Spa. I even brought it up to the dealer I was speaking to. He acknowledged this fact but stated there was a change in ownership/management in the recent years that has helped in getting them to adhere to their warranties in particular. This dealer has been around as a business in my neighborhood for 64 years. He stated that he had to eat a lot of cost several years ago as he could not get Cal Spa to back up their product. A spa would go down theoretically under warranty, he would fix it, send the part in to Cal Spa and they would refuse to cover. He associated it with a cost to do business and uphold his own professional reputation. He stated over the past couple of years things have changed dramatically with Cal Spa and they are owning up to cover these issues that they didn't in the past.
This dealer also sells Artesian spas, but as everyone at least in this market, can't get one in until well into Sept/Oct. Maybe.
I appreciate all the info. Very helpful in making this major decision.

Hot Tub Forum

Re: Which one should I go for?
« Reply #15 on: March 01, 2021, 07:48:13 pm »

Red MC

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Re: Which one should I go for?
« Reply #16 on: March 02, 2021, 08:12:48 am »
The South Seas 860B is very similar to the Artesian Emerald we owned for ~17 years.  The Emerald is basically the predecessor of the Island Grand Cayman, which is the sister of the 860B.  Ours fit 6 adults no problem.  The foot dome gives you a place to anchor your feet so you're not crossing legs with your fellow bathers.  We liked it a lot and considered buying the same thing again, but wanted to go bigger this time.

Ours was relatively trouble free.  The heater needed replacing somewhere around 10 years in.  That was the only time we had to call for service.  We also replaced a few of the headrests/pillows after they became a little bit ratty looking.  Last summer, we decided to retire it due to frame rot.  It was located in a damp area and did not have a sealed bottom, and we weren't always diligent about clearing snow & ice from around the skirt.  Eventually the lumber got soft and started to attract carpenter ants.  Artesian has since addressed that issue with an ABS bottom.

One concern I mentioned earlier is that full foam is optional on both spas you're considering.  Unless you live in someplace warm like Florida or SoCal, I think it might be a mistake not to go with full foam.  It also helps reduce the running noise and supports the plumbing.

Hot Tub Forum

Re: Which one should I go for?
« Reply #16 on: March 02, 2021, 08:12:48 am »

 

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