Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: blairbrady on October 26, 2005, 08:17:28 pm
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We are comparing hot tubs for our new home in the mountains of Colorado (9000 ft) and are looking for opinions outside of local dealers. The ones we are considering include Hot Springs Vanguard, Sundance and D1. Any accolades, cautions or complaints on these? Thank You!
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Those are all very good spa makers and within each brand you may find the one that fits you best. I think most would agree that you are looking at very comparable makers, there are a couple of others you might want to consider but you will not being making a bad choice with one of those.
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Yes, HotSprings, Sundance, and D1 are good choices but certainly not the only "best" ones out there. Marquis IMO ranks in the top 10 and is a Pool & Spa Magazine best choice. I'm sure the ones you've mentioned are ranked high by consumer mags also.
All I'm saying is there are "other" top brands that get high marks also. Of course, if one of those you've mentioned is what fits you best, then that's what's best for you. Wet test, wet test.
Good luck. You can't go wrong with any of those.
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The answer to your question is NO!!
There is no "best" spa but there is a best spa for YOU!!!!!
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Vinny is right. All tubs are different, and you've really got to wet test to see what works for you. In all our wet testing, we found some great tubs but in the end it had to come down to the one that worked for both my husband and me - the one that felt right for us both.
We've had our HS Grandee since last Saturday, and we are quite pleased with our purchase!
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Blair,
I had to ask the same question 20 years ago - but there was quite a bit more on the line for my family and I. We were deciding who's product we were going to link our business to. As a sole proprietor, we always have everything we own on the line, and we wanted to rep a tub which we could believe in, and for us, it turned out to be HotSpring.
Years later Tiger River was added, and Solana. In the intervening years we have had other brands on the floor alongside - some major names and some off-brands. We have done warranty work for the biggies: Sundance and D1 included, we were literally there when Softub was born, and we were just asked to do warranty work for Beachcomber.
Why am I saying all of this? Because it is difficult to sit here and type that HotSpring is 'the best' and not get some folks who like other products upset. But I don't think many would try to argue the simple fact that I can offer my opinion in this manner:
For us HotSpring has been and continues to be the best. Our customers - numbering in the thousands - continue to love their tubs and send or even bring in friends and relatives. If you stick with your choice of HotSpring, you will love it, and if there are problems, you will be taken care of. And I would go out on a limb to say that you may even come back to the boards and brag on it a bit.
The company has always met or exceeded my expectations, supported us and helped us to help customers, been honorable to an amazing level, and poured money into my business in the form of national advertising, lead generation and other support such as training my technicians managers and so forth.
Doesn't that raise the price a bit? Yes. But in my thinking it adds value because no matter what you pay for a tub, you want to be able to count on the dealer and the manufacturer, and for 20 years now that has been the case for us with HotSpring. HotSpring is 29 years old, and I have met dealers who have been there from the beginning.
I am not in any way saying that other dealers haven't had the same type of experience with other brands - I am simply relating our experiences - HotSpring makes a fine product, it has wonderful features which end up being just what most people want. The things they don't put on their tubs are the very things which people commonly stop using shortly after their tubs show up anyway. They listen to their dealers, and their customers, and they tend to be a leader in the industry.
Sorry I'm a bit wordy today, but as you can imagine this would be a firestorm if I simply tried to say any brand is 'the best.'
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No...Hydropool is.
;D
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Are some hot tubs better than others? Yup.
The majority of the tubs discussed here though are of a high quality.
So the question should be "What makes a good hot tub" and what features are right for me. and then you'll find "the best hot tub".
Easier said than done. ;)
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Brand is important and so is dealer integrity. I'm told Colorado has some less than reputable dealers. ;D I'm not referring to Spaman or Stuart by the way. Its just something I heard.
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I think the question is like asking if Mercedes is the best car.
I think the answer depends a lot on what features you are looking for and what price you are willing to pay.
Hotspring certainly has some nice hottubs that I hear last a long time. I'll probably never really know though as I'm hoping my jacuzzi sticks around for a while.
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IHT is in CO - I have heard nothing but good about them. I sure see them accepting enough awards at the annual dealer meeting: they must be doing lots of things right.
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See Chas...no firestorm at all buddy! ;D
Steve
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;D ;D ;D ;D
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I heard that spas from Coloroda with DAIT insulation are the best. ;D
Especially their super custom models.
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I am not comfortable with your question. Is any product The Best in every way, and for every user, and for every requirement? I don't think so. Chas has made some valid points for why he likes HotSpring. That is fine.
You need to wet test the spas you are considering to find the one that is The Best for you. The fact that Chas likes being a dealer for the line is all well and good, but it has absolutely nothing to do with how well the HS seats fit you and yours, or how the jets feel on your body, and so on.
Your short list is a good place to start. Go try them out and see if you can't pick one that works best for you. If not come back here and we'll provide you with some more excellent options.
Regards,
Bill
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A very honest post from a Hotspring owner. Thanks!
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IHT is in CO - I have heard nothing but good about them. I sure see them accepting enough awards at the annual dealer meeting: they must be doing lots of things right.
No doubt that Hotspring is a great product and yes you can rely on IHT Colorado dealer, excellent service and customer satisfaction I know several employees that work there and they are all excellent at what they do.
I work for the local Cal Spa dealer and compete with Hotspring every day, (great group of guys), however Mr.
MCcall is correct in saying that there are some real flakes for dealers in Colorado, so be certain to do some research some of the top brands in the industry are represented by questionable dealers. Good Luck!!
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I've sold both D1 and Hotspring and I much prefer the water management system in a D1. If your shopping in Denver then I can say with all confidence that either the hotspring or D1 dealer will take care of you. The D1 dealer is run by 2 brothers that are just starting out and will go to just about any length to take care of you.
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All good answers so far. And yes, the 'best' is the one that's best for you. There have been a few threads in the last number of months that may help you decide. Both don't necessarily tell you which one IS the best, but rather how you can compare what you want, need, and get in various tubs.
One was the post.. sorry it's early and I can't remember the poster but the name Dave sticks in my mind... who evaluated a lot of spas and did a great job of documenting his analysis. The best part of his work wasn't his ratings of the tubs because that's subjective , but rather how he looked at tubs in a structured manner, having a rating of what things were important to him and then rating each tub against that.
The second was a recent thread where people ranked the top five factors that were important to them when looking at a tub.
We chose a Sundance Majesta because it was the best, for us. It was close with a few others including HS but in our particular case the difference in the dealers was a huge factor. There were other things that put it above the other contenders (wet test, fit, look) and some things were more or less even (warranty, manufacturer reputaton) but the clincher was the dealer.
Interestingly, cost was not a huge factor. They'll all cost more or less the same to run and a grand either way on the purchase price is maybe 10%. On a 10-20 year investment that's not much. The value you perceive of each tub and it's features is probably more important to me.
But I ramble. Make your value list, wet test, and then decide whether it will be wine or rusty nails at night under the stars and snow. Have fun and enjoy the search for YOUR best tub. paul
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Re: Is Hot Springs The Best?
For some, yes. For others, no.
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Re: Is Hot Springs The Best?
For some, yes. For others, no.
You said the exact same thing I said, but you sure used a lot fewer words!
:) :)
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You said the exact same thing I said, but you sure used a lot fewer words!
:) :)
I was in an "energy conservation" mode". ;) ;D
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;)