Welcome to our forum.
Cal Spas has a really bad name on this forum, and some other places as well. As long as you have good dealer support, any product should work well for you. Cal Spas is a great tub, and there prices are very affordable for a good sized tub. Just wet test, wet test, wet test.
[As far as Cal being a "great" tub, we're all entitled to our own opinion. ]And I was just stating mine.[Of the two options mentioned I'd lean toward Artesian. ]And I just happened to go towards Cal.
"Many of the smaller companies that build spas now will be bankrupt in 5 years.(perhaps even 5 months)" wowis it really that bad?i do think the economy is going to get alot worseand i suppose tubs would be far down the priority list for working familiesdang, didn't know alot of tub makers were on the brink
Perhaps "many" is a bit alarming. But "some" will definetly go by the wayside. As an example here in So. California I can think of 15 spa stores that have gone under in the last 6 months.
By far, go with Artesian. Just do a search for Cal Spa on this forum and I think you'll get a good idea. There are happy Cal Spa owners - no doubt. But, if you have wet tested the Artesian and it works for you, go with that. You said you are looking at Watson's - that is too bad because many of them have less than stellar service after the sale. They might not even afford you an opportunity to wet test, but you must do that before buying.Artesian is a good brand with nice features. They have really come a long way in the past few years, so I think you can be happy with them.As to looking at Watson's, you might look for other dealerships in your local area with other brands. I have just heard too many bad stories about the service you don't get with Watson's.