Welcome to our forum.
Hot Springs and Caldera use closed cell foam. The problem with closed cell foam is it gets hard over time and can become a bear to get thru if a leak occurs. I believe (but I honestly I'm not sure of this) that Bullfrog uses an open cell foam. Both types work for insulation but a tub with open cell foam is easier to work on and in the event of a leak, the leak is easier to find.
Quote from: cranbiz on March 05, 2021, 10:50:45 amHot Springs and Caldera use closed cell foam. The problem with closed cell foam is it gets hard over time and can become a bear to get thru if a leak occurs. I believe (but I honestly I'm not sure of this) that Bullfrog uses an open cell foam. Both types work for insulation but a tub with open cell foam is easier to work on and in the event of a leak, the leak is easier to find.All of Caldera and Hot Spring Hot Spot and Limelight use FiberCor, which is not a foam. Only the Highlife Collection uses foam insulation.
Quote from: castletonia on March 05, 2021, 12:38:18 pmQuote from: cranbiz on March 05, 2021, 10:50:45 amHot Springs and Caldera use closed cell foam. The problem with closed cell foam is it gets hard over time and can become a bear to get thru if a leak occurs. I believe (but I honestly I'm not sure of this) that Bullfrog uses an open cell foam. Both types work for insulation but a tub with open cell foam is easier to work on and in the event of a leak, the leak is easier to find.All of Caldera and Hot Spring Hot Spot and Limelight use FiberCor, which is not a foam. Only the Highlife Collection uses foam insulation.So I would assume foam is the better option if they only use it in the highlife collection which I believe is their top tier?
Thanks for all the comments. They were helpful. We looked at American Whirlpool, Hot Spring, Caldera, and Bullfrog. I went to the dealer today with the intention of putting a deposit down on a Bullfrog A7L but I wanted to see some in person and this dealer also sells Hot Spring so I wanted to take a quick look at those even though I didn't think it was what I would want. Long story short I actually ended up putting a deposit on the Hot Spring Envoy. I liked the lighting and overall look of the tub better than the Bullfrog and my wife wasn't a fan of the jetpacks. She wanted something more traditional. My initial draw to the Bullfrog was it's construction but I didn't realize the Hot Spring Highlife collection is all composite frame and full insulation. Seems like a well made tub and we think it'll fit our family well. Now just need to get through the likely many months long wait.
Not at all an attempt to derail or otherwise inject unhelpful snark to the thread so please take this next bit in good faith:Insulation is only as good as the cover, and how well the tub is sealed between the cabinet / frame / acrylic. So much time is spent dissecting the subtlest of nuances in insulation but it always was strange that nobody talks of (example) how dense is the foam is on the cover, is there a full pillow down the seam, is there a full seal around the lip that keeps the heat in and the cold out?
I was in the same boat as you last fall. I golf with a Bullfrog dealer who used to work for a Hot Springs dealer. He was selling me hard on Bullfrog. He didn't have one for me for at least 7 months and didn't have anything to wet test. To be fair the Bullfrog could have been great - I wouldn't know as we didn't went test - but looking at them dry and sitting in them it didn't look or feel really comfy. Not a fair assessment but it is what it is. We were able to wet test an Envoy. Looked comfy, felt comfy, and we were able to get exact specs we wanted in 3 weeks. We use it daily and have zero regrets. Its a fantastic spa. We live where it gets cold - really cold - like -30F for days cold. Still used the spa even then with no issues. You won''t regret your decision. If you are at all a music lover spend the extra grand on the speaker system. So many people say to pass on it but I can't imagine the spa without it. My wife and I absolutely love it. Sound is amazing and is a huge upgrade from competitor spas systems.