Water falls, Filters and Lights

[vwbuff]

As you know.  Wife and I havce been looking at SD Optima and Artesian Emerald.  I was first sold on the water falls on any spa,but now might have a change of heart.  My guess is that most when sitting in the tub have the jets on.  Would you really hear the waterfall then??  For those of you that do have one do you use it much???
    As far as filters,  The artesian guy told me that the SD has the filter sitting sideways and the water flows right over the top.  The artesian has the filters sitting up and down and has two of them.  I still don't think I'm sold on the SD "no-clean"filter.  Opinions from all of you please.
    Secondly,  When I looked at the Piper glen I just loved all the lights.  The Emerald only has one light.  Just does only one light light uo the whole spa in the dark for that unique glow??  Personally i love the piper Glen, but my wife said we don't need anything that fancy.  So opinions on the lighting too, please
      I probly ask the dumbest questions on here so forgive me.  If it was the Sundance Optima or the Artesian Emerald, What would you buy?

[LtDan]

I rarely use the waterfall. If I have pump one on low speed it adds a nice touch, but with both pumps on full you can't really hear it over the jets.

My Jaccuzzi (J345) has one light, when I bought the tub I didn't get the LED option. It came with a white light and blue/green lens covers, it was kind of lame. Put in an aftermarket LED light that has like 5 different colors and 15 different patterns. It was about a hundred bucks, factory option was a lot more. The aftermarket light is great and well worth the money.

Good luck.

[Mendocino101]

get the one whose jets and seating best fits you.....both will filter fine....the water feature would should be the last of your concerns, as for the light you can get the bulbs that changes colors and for most it does a nice job....

[wmccall]

I rarely use the waterfall. If I have pump one on low speed it adds a nice touch, but with both pumps on full you can't really hear it over the jets.

Good luck.

Yea, what he said.  I will add on my tub with the pump on high, the waterfall is more like a water cannon.

[J._McD]

looking at SD Optima and Artesian Emerald.  I was first sold on the water falls on any spa,but now might have a change of heart.  My guess is that most when sitting in the tub have the jets on.  Would you really hear the waterfall then??  For those of you that do have one do you use it much???
     As far as filters,  The artesian guy told me that the SD has the filter sitting sideways and the water flows right over the top.  The artesian has the filters sitting up and down and has two of them.  I still don't think I'm sold on the SD "no-clean"filter.  Opinions from all of you please.
     Secondly,  When I looked at the Piper glen I just loved all the lights.  The Emerald only has one light.  Just does only one light light uo the whole spa in the dark for that unique glow??  Personally i love the piper Glen, but my wife said we don't need anything that fancy.  So opinions on the lighting too, please
       I probly ask the dumbest questions on here so forgive me.  If it was the Sundance Optima or the Artesian Emerald, What would you buy?

The waterfall, NO biggie, it ginger bread fluff, nice romantic touch though, every now and then.  My guess is when sitting in the tub you might like it, may even get lucky.

The Artesian guy, well he is trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill.   :-/  Common sense tells you the horizontal filter has more drawing area pulling water in and the vertical filters are drawing the water in primarily at the tops of the filter.  I would think the horizontal filter would be better.  

Don't like the "no-clean" have the dealer put in a "clean filter" instead that's simple.  OR, duh, change to it later, what do you think?  

Lights, come on now, this is not going to sway you one way or the other.  They all work the same on or off other than that, not a dimes worth of difference other than ambiance.  

You're gonna own it a long time, SD #1, AR #2, EM eliminate.  

[bosco0633]

I think that waterfall is great.  I love the sound of flowing water because it relaxes me.  The only thing is that when you are running a pump to utilize the waterfall, I believe the jets are also running so it becomes a little noisy.  

I would say other than telling people that you have a waterfall with your tub, it is not that big of a deal.

As for the lights, after seeing the pics posted this week with the lights glowing at night from a member of this forum, I would say that the lights are a must.

[Brewman]

It's all about what you like your spa to be, and everyone's got a different opinion.  I like the LED lights, don't have a waterfall, have a built in stereo.  
I don't want to watch TV in the spa, so I don't have that, but far be it from me to tell anyone else they shouldn't or can't.  Whatever you enjoy I say go for it.

Brewman

[hottubber]

The waterfall is a nice feature, doesn't really add any therapy though. It shows very well in the showroom. I don't think you'll use it for anything more than asthetics anyway. It's a nice touch. Some of the water features in spas are pretty cool. The Sundance water fall has a cool light with it. The Artesian waterfall pillow is actually very soothing when adjusted properly.
This is definately a personal choice thing.

hottubber...

[JcDenton]

My Jaccuzzi (J345) has one light, when I bought the tub I didn't get the LED option.

I have the same set-up.

The aftermarket light is great and well worth the money.

Now you've got my attention. We don't even use our light 99% of the time, but when we had some friends over the other night they were smitten with the blue light.

What and where can I find other lighting alternatives? Someone mentioned a unique bulb - would I have to purchase this directly from the dealer? Any thoughts would be great.

Jc

[BobRex]

Let's think about the SD filter.  The Artesian guy was absolutely correct, the water does flow over the top.  So what??  The water has to pass through the filter to get to the lines (the intake is inside the filter cylinder), so water going over the filter just passes through the filter on the back side.  No big deal.

The waterfall is a neat toy, and to me looks good with the waterfall light on.  No, I don't hear it, but I do see it.

As far as which tub should you buy, well I've got a Cameo, so I'm a little biased, but which dealer makes you feel more comfortable?  They are both great tubs; at this level, all things being equal ( you've WET TESTED both and are comfortable in either) then go with whichever dealer you feel better with.  Remember, the dealer can be just as important as the hardware.