Cantabria Vs Optima Vs J470 Vs Grandee

[Lantern88]

Hello,

This is my first post in this board.   First, let me I apologize for the long post ahead.

I  was hoping I coulde get some feedback on these spas:  Caldera Cantabria, Sundance Optima, J470 and HS Grandee

My wife and I have wet tested the Sundance Cameo (dealer didn't have the Optima) , Jacuzzi J470 and Hotspring Aria (dealer didn't have the Grandee filled)

Wet Test Results:

Sundance Cameo:

My wife liked the lounger but found difficult to stay on the other seats ... they pushed her out so she was in akward position trying to anchor her in place.

Jets were nice but one area where the jet is weak is for the lower back.  Found the spa quite noisy compared to the others.

The Clearray water system doesn't seem to reduce the chemical smells as much as we had hoped (perhaps water was not properly balanced???)

* Since we would preffer the Optima for extra seating ... our concern is the foot jets will be a lot weaker than on the cameo ... is this true?

Jacuzzi J470:

We loved the lower back massage, and a couple other seats but found the foot jets a little underpowered .... and when the diverter was in neutral ... the performance in general was tamed.  This unit was a 2011 with no clearray installed and the chemical odour was pretty strong.

- Tub looks nice, controller is modern,

Hotspring Aria:

My wife found the seats unconfortable and couldnt really 'stay put' ... not footwell to anchor herself (just like it would be on the grandee.

She wasn't impressed by the motto massage ... (I kinda of liked it a little but wasn't blown away by it)... other jets were just ok

The unit didnt have the ACE system but the water was nice .... if we buy hotspring we would definitely get ACE since we both are sensitive to chem odours.

- On the plus side... water system

- Didn't like that you couldnt manually turn off jets like on sundance and jacuzzi by twisting them.

As far as the Dealers go: 

Sundance/Jacuzzi  ... same dealer whose been in business here for over 30 years

Hotsprings...   a long time business who is new to hotspring but has great reputation locally

Here is my problem,  from all the tubs I have looked or wet tested,  the one that both my wife and I agree would be the perfect layout and size for us is the Caldera Cantabria.   Problem is there is no Caldera Dealer in town .... but the Hotspring dealer says he could bring one in if we comitt to buy it.  obviously this means no wet test.

The Sundance dealer says he can bring an Optima in but we have to pay for it upfront and if we don't like it we can get the jacuzzy J470 or Cameo but no refund.

What do you guys know about the Caldera Cantabria ... how does its water filtration system and energy efficiency compare to the the others?

ACE VS Clearray?  Any experience out there?

What to do?

-  By the way their prices are about the same:  $11000 - $11500  canadian (cover, lift, etc...  no stereo)

-  Yes, a lounger would be nice but not at the cost of space (cameo) ... would like to seat 7 or 8

Any Advice would help.

[wmccall]

Let me just say welcome to the forum and you never have to apologize for the length of your message, unless its way, way off topic.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

you must have tested a pre 2012 Hot Spring, because 2012 and forward you can turn off all jets via the bezel.

women are the hardest because they tend to float in way more spas than men...for your sake I wouldn't purchase a spa where she doesn't have at least 1 or 2 seats she loves, otherwise she could wear the ever so fashionable "weight belt" to keep her in place   

Clearray is a uv sanitizing system...replaceable bulb every year @ around $100...still need to use chlorine/shock depending upon usage, your other option could be to just opt for a corona discharge ozonator...no replaceable parts but they do have a "lifespan"

ACE is a saltwater chlorine generator, uses 99.9% sodium chloride to continuously generate your sanitizer for you...little less maintenance than some other systems but still not maintenance free..nothing is

If you don't opt for the ACE you can just run the ozonator which is standard from the factory

[Lantern88]

Thanks guys for all your advice.

Update:

I have an offer on the table for a Jacuzzi J495 (BIG Tub) that is not too much more than the Optima.
My wife really enjoyed the jets on J470 and we want as big a tub as we can afford.

I'm a little concerned about not having tested a J495 but the dealer will only bring it in if we buy it.

By the way,  I asked him if I could have Ozone installed as well as the Clearray cause I have read in these boards that it can be done.  He says that he'll look into it but has never heard ... says the manufacturer advises them to just have Clearray.
Can anyone explain to me what ozone does that the clearray doesnt do?

Last question:
These are the options I'm asking to be included:  (do you guys think its asking for too much?) how much do these cost the dealer?

Ozone
2lb density cover
Cover lifter
Smartseal Insulation from factory
Prolites (1 kit with 2 led lights for the front corners)


The Hotsprings dealer said he cannot get a caldera for us so that idea is dead!
The Sundance Aspen is a lot more money than the J495 .... and we prefer the layout of the J495


Thanks again everyone,

[Flyonthewall]

i would hope that any spa of the size you are considering would come with a 2 lb cover.  i believe all hss spas from envoy up have the 2 lb standard.  too bad about the cantabria.  i would still consider searching for dealers a little farther away to include it as an option.  i just looked at ours and it has a great variety or contours that would enable floaters to brace themselves in many seats.  you might consider the vista as opposed to the grandee.  same great filtering and ace option, plus the lounger might create more spots to brace the feet against.  it has the nice arm chair with wrist jets that fits many people comfortably.