Hot Tub Purchase Advice (Bullfrog, Hot Spring, Arctic, Artesian)

[td89]

Hello all,
I've got the house (mostly) set up for a hot tub to come at some point. I know COVID has created major delays in delivery, which is ok, I can be super patient! Although having it in time for winter would be great)! I live in Salt Lake City, which seems to have tons of hot tub dealers. Today I went to Bullfrog, Hot Spring and Arctic Spas. Some thoughts:

Bullfrog: Liked the vibe here and the custom jetpacks are appealing (and the different seat depths - is this common on other brands?). However, it seems they don't use salt water. I know there are varying opinions on salt water hot tubs, and the sales woman definitely made it sound like Bullfrogs use very little chlorine, but it was a bit disappointing to hear this. Is this an option but requires more customization? Pricing felt probably the most reasonable here, as the R6 and R7 were 8300 to 9650ish. And I felt like I was getting the most bang for the buck. Plus Bullfrog is located in Utah. Probably tied with Hot Spring for the most impressed. 

Arctic: I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of options. They actually had one March sale from their Core Series, a Grizzly (MSRP $14,000?) for sale at $9,900 that was somewhat appealing. But generally Arctics seems to appear somewhat cheap to me. But that may simply be about appearence, which actually doesn't matter to me. That said, I wasn't blown away by their pricing. Does anyone have any thoughts on the Core series (and the top of the line one, the grizzly) vs some of their Classic Series (The McKinley or Totem)? The McKinley was 10,995 and the Totem was 9,995.  Seemed like less bells and whistles than some other tubs, which is fine I think if the hot is actually really nice. But in general, of the 3 I looked at I was the least impressed.

Hot Spring: My mom has one of these and loves it (she has the flair, and I think the flash or flair is what i would go with). Luckily I think I'm only really looking at 2 models here (well, the same model, but one with a lounger and one without): The Flash and the Flair. They're big on the salt water system and I liked that too. They didn't actually have a Flash or Flair on the foor, so a wet test would be out of the question, but they have the envoy (obviously it's a few steps up)

Questions, condensed:
1. The Arctic McKinley vs. HotSpring Flash/Flair vs. Bullfrog R6/7. Thoughts in general? What makes each stand out, and is one drastically better than the other in your opinion?
2. Is salt water an option on a Bullfrog post purchase? Or generally not recommended?
3. Should I check out any other brands? Sundance or Thermo? Artesian (see below)?
4. I noticed Arctic's classic series only has a 3 year warranty, vs the HotSpring Flash/Flair has a 5 year warranty. Bullfrogs seems to vary by part but the important stuff is 5 years. How do folks feel about that/
5. I've had a few folks recommend Artesian spas (or at least the dealer for Artesian in Salt Lake) recommended to me. Does anyone have any thoughts on them?
6. Any thoughts on the pricing I received?

[Sammi]

Just my 2 cents here because I started off in the same boat as you both model wise and price wise last year. Was looking at the exact same Hot Springs and Bullfrog models as you at the same price point. What I ran into was I couldn't wet test the Bullfrog due to lack of inventory - so I can't offer an opinion on them. I was able to wet test a vast array of Hot Springs including your 3 mentioned models.

I apologize for any typos as I'm responding from my Hot Springs Envoy with salt system and the water fizz splashes on my phone occasionally. 😀 I also have an old 2005 Hot Springs Vanguard without salt at a vacation home. I'll admit it took 4 months and a complete tub drain to appreciate the salt system but now I wouldn't go without it. My Vanguard is super easy to maintain with a bottle of Spa Marvel on each complete tub drain/refill, but I'm loving the salt system. Shock once a week, keep ph and alkalinity in balance and its awesome.

Long story short I after wet testing I spent the extra few grand to get what we loved not what we liked or could live with. Its a long term purchase so at the end of the day get what suits you within your budget. Had Bullfrog been available to wet test I maybe would have gone with an R series as it was in my price point. In hindsight I would have gone with an A series and spent the money.  Now that I've owned a salt system I'd only consider a Bullfrog when an additive product such as Spa Marvel and I do prefer my salt system over that option.

If you can wet test them all pick the option that feels the best regarding seating, jet placement, etc. At the end of the day water care should be the bottom of the check list as you can balance water in all of them. Betweem my two spas i prefer one method (salt water) over the other but its not enough to sway me and say one way is the only way to go vs the other. I prefer my Envoy layout over my Vanguard layout but appreciate them both.

[cranbiz]

Artesian also makes a solid tub and has been doing it for a long time. I also had a similar list to yours for dealers.

In short, I was impressed with the Bullfrog but not the price or the dealer. I never did get a chance to see any Hot Springs as the dealer blew me off when I showed up for my appointment. In the end, I felt most comfortable with the Artesian dealer and in the choice of tubs they had on the floor.

Artesians are made in Las Vegas, depending on the Hot Springs series, either California or Mexico and as you already mentioned, Bullfrog in Utah.

You really can't go wrong with Bullfrog, Hot Springs or Artesian. You do want to try to at least sit in the model you are interested in, I understand that wet testing can be hard these days but if you can, do that before making your choice. You are also buying into a relationship with your dealer. Make sure you are comfortable with the dealer you buy from.

At least check out the Artesian lines. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Edit: I forgot to add that if you really want to go with a salt water system, you can add that on easily to the Bullfrog or Artesian's with an add on salt water generator like a Saltron Mini ($250). It's a drop in system that gets great reviews for ease of use and longevity.

[td89]

Yeah, you mentioned having a good relationship with the dealer. The bullfrog dealer basically said "no salt" vs the other dealers at least gave me the option. I basically would be concerned about getting the tub serviced if the dealer didn't approve of my chemicals or is gonna be disagreeable about it.

Also unfortunately Hot Spring only has the Envoy to wet test at $16k. She said I wouldn't notice a ton of difference except on the lounger but that sounds a little shakey to me?

No mention of Arctic in the replies though from anyone? Guess I should take that as a bad thing?

[Sammi]

No Artic dealers in my area hence I couldn't comment. They could be great but I have no idea. My dealer had Envoy's stickered at $24k, with a buy it now price at $21k. It turned me off big time because a year ago when I asked what the best price was they pointed at the sign. Mid-covid when nobody had inventory I paid $11 grand less than the sticker price. I think my salesman got sick of me asking..... 🤣 but kudos to them I feel like I paid a fair price and they've treated me well and fair. 

[Tman122]

Yeah, you mentioned having a good relationship with the dealer. The bullfrog dealer basically said "no salt" vs the other dealers at least gave me the option. I basically would be concerned about getting the tub serviced if the dealer didn't approve of my chemicals or is gonna be disagreeable about it.

Also unfortunately Hot Spring only has the Envoy to wet test at $16k. She said I wouldn't notice a ton of difference except on the lounger but that sounds a little shakey to me?

No mention of Arctic in the replies though from anyone? Guess I should take that as a bad thing?

Arctic makes as good a tub as all those you mentioned.

[Gibson00]

.....
No mention of Arctic in the replies though from anyone? Guess I should take that as a bad thing?

IMHO Arctic Spas are great.  That said, when we were shopping, due to our location, we could only look at:
Arctic
Bullfrog
Beachcomber
Freestyle
Various cheaper spas at Home Depot (Canadaspas or something like that).

Out of that list, Arctic to me seemed to be by far the highest quality.  The real wood surround is way nicer than the plastic from every other brand IMHO.  We ended up buying the Arctic Summit.  Super comfy captains chairs, powerful jets, lots of room (93" x 93" I think).
I'd definitely try to sit in them, even if not filled.  We sat in a few of the other Arctic models, and the seat shapes in each model differ a lot, and some we found quite uncomfortable.  Aside from the Summit, we found the 'Totem' comfortable as well, and it is good if you have less room, think it is about 7" shorter in length/width, but holds about the same amount of water as the Summit as it is deeper - actually a little too deep for my ten year old.
Just get the Arctic Summit..........   
Oh - pricing - yeah the Summit is pricey, though I'm assuming no worse, or not much worse than other top name brands.  Get what you pay for!