New to this board and seeking advice

[brewski]

  :-/ I'm new to this board and very glad to have found it. Is anyone here familiar with the Island series of Artesian Spas? My wife and I are considering purchasing one or possibly the Maverick II made by a company called Four Winds.  We are price sensative and these two spas along with a couple of others (Cal Spas, Hawkeye) seem to fit within our budget. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Mendocino101]

I think Artesian is a comapny on the rise....I have heard mixed things about them....seems like thier piper glen has its fans....I would ask what area are you in and what kind of dollars and what are you looking for in a spa.....there might be some here can suguest another option for you.....

[TubbinSoon, now we be tubbin]

A week or so ago Hawkeye had a blemish on the Better Business Bureau. Something about not responding to complaint in timely fashion. Might be cleared by now?

[brewski]

 

We live in East TN (only been here about 5 months) and would like to keep our purchase price (not including sales taxes which are a killer here) under $5,000 for our first spa purchase.

Local dealers in this area carry D1 (but nothing available to wet test...go figure) Marquis (same problem as the D1 dealer) , Jacuzzi, Hot Springs, Cal Spas, Four Winds, Hawkeye, and Artesian. There are a couple of dealers within 35--50 miles who carry Coleman and others but they flat out told us they would not provide service or deliver to our area for different reasons. We have eliminated them altogether for that reason.

Since the spa would be used only by me and my wife 99.9% of the time, we are not looking for a big spa. We had a concrete pad poured prior to moving into our house (10x10) and the electric is already run from the panel to the exterior wall (some work yet to be completed). We are not interested in a stereo unit or a lot of bells and whistles.  I do want a spa with a lounger and particularly one with jets that hit my hamstrings. We are simply looking for something that will be comfortable and relaxing for the two of us and once in a while maybe another couple.

Thanks again for your help.

[jenn]

Hi Brewski -

Too bad that the Marquis dealer won't let you wet test...although it sure seems strange since they advertise test soaks at marquisspas.com.  Anyway, my husband and I just purchased one of the tubs from the "Everyday" line (more economical).  It's the 530 model.  We're similar to you in that its mostly my husband and I using it.  This tub has 2 loungers, one shallower than the other.  The deeper one has the hamstring jets you desire.  Its nice for both of us to be able to lounge at the same time!  It will seat 5 people as well.  

We received a package deal that included stereo, ozone, spa frog and some other items.  I'm not sure what could be elimitated or considered bells and whistles on this model, but with all the add-ons, our price was less than $6,000.

We've had the tub about a month now and use it every day.  We really enjoy it, so if you can include this model in your search, it might be the right tub for you too (as long as you can wet test)!

Good luck!

[Mendocino101]

As Jenn mentioned that is a good option and also if you take away the z package.....and stereo....you should be able to get close to your price....

[Jordy]

Hi Brewman,
I can't figure out for the life of me how somebody can claim to be a dealer for any hot tub manufacturer and not be able to hookup and fill a tub for you to wet test. A test soak is critically important in determining which tub is most comfortable for you. Good Luck.

[cdenyer]

I just received my Artesian Island Spa Antigua 29 a week ago and I love it. It has all the jets in the right places and is very comfortable for us.

My wife gave me a $4000 budget for a hot tub and this model came in just under that. I spent $3600 and got steps, chemicals, cover and delivery. I think they were having a sale. I too am from East TN and purchased mine at the Pool Place. They have already called to check on me and the tub and seem to be really nice people.

Good Luck!
Chuck

[brewski]

Chuck,

The Pool Place.....would that be in Knoxville?

Brewski

[wmccall]

Tennesee is home to Dynasty spas.  I'm only familiar with thier larger tub, but they do have plenty of configuration options.

[cdenyer]

The Pool Place is in Knoxville and in Maryville. I caught them on some kind of season end sale.

The Dynasty Factory is about an hour away. I went there twice and they have some real nice tubs! There was only one that was in my price range and the Artesian had it beat hands down. There other thing was that I didn't want to drive an hour to look those guys in the face if I had a problem.

Chuck

[brewski]

 

We have decided to wet test the Artesian Island Spa 46 jet Antigua model and also the Four Winds Maverick II with 51 jets. Nothing else from the area dealers with the exception of Cal Spas was within our price range. We researched the Garden Leisure Spa but again they do not have any dealers in the area who are equipped for a wet test so we eliminated that model from our consideration.

Jenn, the only Marquis dealer in our area had very little inventory to look at, was located inside a mall (what a lousy location if you ask me) and not one tub was filled. In addition when we visited the dealer the woman who was helping us (I believe she was an owner or co-owner) constantly kept trying to get us to look at more expensive models that we were not interested in. Nedless to say we couldn't wait to get away from her!!

[jenn]

Brewski -

Wow, what a crappy experience looking at Marquis!  And that's one of the important factors in the decision...a dealer that feel comfortable with, so I don't blame you for your opinion!  I too think its weird that the store is in the mall.  Who would want to wet test at the mall?

Good luck with the brands you've decided on...I'm sure you'll find something that works perfectly for you!

[Gman]

Brewski,

Let me know what you get for a price on the Artesian Island Spa 46 jet Antigua model.  I'm also very interested in this model but have not been able to come close to it in your (and my ) price range...

Thanks!

Mike

[Winnsome]

We are also new to the site.  I have studied and read a lot of the reviews and discussions on this board.  Found it very helpful.

We purchased the Artesian Island Grand Bahama a couple of weeks ago.  We have absolutely fallen in love with it.  It's the 58 jet model with the lounge seat in it.  Our dealer let us wet test the spa, as long as we wanted.  We ordered the smaller spa first, but decided on the larger model.

We paid $6014 for the spa.  Included sales tax, delivery, set-up, chemicals, steps, cover and cover buddy.  Our dealer has been great.  Very interested in us.  Says his main goal is to have us as a repeat customer.

I recommend the Artesian spa to anyone looking.  Our's is the 2005 model with a synthetic durawood casing.  It's full insulated, 3 pumps etc.

Thanks to everyone on this forum who have answered our questions.  (We also liked the Hot Springs models, but the dealer was way to high in price and didn't seem to care about us.)