Pulled the trigger today - what we bought and some thoughts ...

[unixfairy]

After almost two months of research and testing today we happily bought a Caldera Niagara and are very comfortable that we bought the best hot tub for our needs.  Funny thing is that the Niagara was the first hot tub we ever wet tested (dealer told us it was the Geneva) and the one we doubted the jets were powerful enough.  We love that it is a fun tub, the waterfall feature is great and the lighting. I like the fact it has the controls in the back and the diverters really let you customize your spa experience.  We did take my daughter and her boyfriend wet testing yesterday to see how it felt with more than just my husband and I, which convinced us that a slightly bigger tub would be more enjoyable when we entertained.

Overall we went with the tub that was most comfortable for us and our family but I would highly recommend hot springs, jacuzzi, sundance and bullfrog as well.  The Marquis tubs were really nice looking but the circulation pump was important to us so we crossed them off early.

We are paying a cash price of $12,900 for the spa, taxes, steps, lifter, chemicals and standard delivery (we will have some additional delivery fees) - we are fortunate enough to live in the SF Bay area so we had several Caldera dealers to work with.  We wanted a fair price and a dealer we liked.  The original dealer we wet tested at had the highest price, was completely rude when we went back today to finalize wet testing and was $2k higher than the lowest price.  She kicked us out of the tub after 15 minutes so other people could try it (we called yesterday and were told to come in first thing which we did) and said she "refused to get in a bidding war" and would not email us a quote.  We literally drove to a parking lot 60 seconds away and called another dealer that had been working with us and patient (they just did not have the exact model on the floor) and happily gave them our money.  We had two other dealers we had worked with.  The lowest price is a very reputable dealer and also the closest to us but they did not have any of the Utopia series for us to wet test and we liked them, but felt that the other dealer had gone out of his way to earn our business and it was worth a bit more to work with them.  There was a fourth Caldera dealer that we wet tested the Florence in and he was almost the same price (less than $50 difference) but he was a bit difficult to work with and was very take it or leave it.  Every conversation started with "I have 40 years experience and I know everything" which we did not appreciate.  We may be new to hot tubs but we are not stupid either.

So some takeaways I learned from this experience:

1. Wet test, wet test, wet test.  Dry testing was an ok place to start but had the least value to me in the end.  The tubs feel and sit very differently filled.  Also if you are new to this kind of tub (which we were) it lets you decide what is important to you.  We also worked with our contractor and figured out what would fit in our location and that helped expand our choices.

2. Customer service really does matter.  This is an investment and not an easy thing to swap out if you don't like.  We feel like this is a 15 year commitment and wanted to make a thoughtful decision.  If the dealer just wants you to make your choice in a way that does not work with you, if something goes wrong later you probably will not enjoy working with them to get it right.

3.  Know your budget going into this - for us it was a bit easier we were willing to spend $15,000 and had wiggle room which we knew we could afford.  There are some great tubs out there for half that price but it will limit some of your choices and possibly features.

If everything goes perfectly with our contractor and electrician we should have the tub installed in mid to late August - I am realistic and if that does not happen by September I should be blissfully soaking in our Niagara and will post pictures.

Finally thank you to everyone that responded to my questions and who posts on here!

Linda

[bud16415]

Congrats we have had our Caldera Geneva now for close to 5 years and love it as much today as we did the day we got it. No major problems once we got used to the chemistry owning a tub.

I think you will be very happy. Enjoy 

[Tman122]

Overall we went with the tub that was most comfortable for us and our family but I would highly recommend hot springs, jacuzzi, sundance and bullfrog as well.  The Marquis tubs were really nice looking but the circulation pump was important to us so we crossed them off early.

Linda can you explain to us why the small circulation pump was important to you?

[unixfairy]

 

Overall we went with the tub that was most comfortable for us and our family but I would highly recommend hot springs, jacuzzi, sundance and bullfrog as well.  The Marquis tubs were really nice looking but the circulation pump was important to us so we crossed them off early.

Linda can you explain to us why the small circulation pump was important to you?

Quieter when you are in more of a soak mode and less wear and tear on the jet pumps. Also it seems cleaner to me, I used to have several fish tanks and would want the water moving for freshness and filtration.

[d00nut]

Overall we went with the tub that was most comfortable for us and our family but I would highly recommend hot springs, jacuzzi, sundance and bullfrog as well.  The Marquis tubs were really nice looking but the circulation pump was important to us so we crossed them off early.

Linda can you explain to us why the small circulation pump was important to you?

Quieter when you are in more of a soak mode and less wear and tear on the jet pumps. Also it seems cleaner to me, I used to have several fish tanks and would want the water moving for freshness and filtration.

What's funny... that's exactly the reason why I prefer circ pumps.  I use the jets for 5-10 minutes... then could soak for another 30.  I hate the sounds of the hum of a low speed jet pump if I just want to soak.  It actually has little to do with cleanliness for me

[bud16415]

Overall we went with the tub that was most comfortable for us and our family but I would highly recommend hot springs, jacuzzi, sundance and bullfrog as well.  The Marquis tubs were really nice looking but the circulation pump was important to us so we crossed them off early.

Linda can you explain to us why the small circulation pump was important to you?

Quieter when you are in more of a soak mode and less wear and tear on the jet pumps. Also it seems cleaner to me, I used to have several fish tanks and would want the water moving for freshness and filtration.

I agree a circulation pump is a nice feature. Not so much for us for soaking there isn’t enough water movement to make much difference.

We like to set out bypass valves to the whirlpool setting and run pump 2 on low. Everyone gets the feeling of water passing over them but nothing hard, and it is quiet enough to talk easily.

[Tman122]

Overall we went with the tub that was most comfortable for us and our family but I would highly recommend hot springs, jacuzzi, sundance and bullfrog as well.  The Marquis tubs were really nice looking but the circulation pump was important to us so we crossed them off early.

Linda can you explain to us why the small circulation pump was important to you?

Quieter when you are in more of a soak mode and less wear and tear on the jet pumps. Also it seems cleaner to me, I used to have several fish tanks and would want the water moving for freshness and filtration.

A couple good reasons. I think a jet pump for 4 hours a day moves more water across a filter than most circ pumps do in 24 hours though.

Another good reason would be 24/7 O3 introduction.

[unixfairy]

Site prep is just about done and we got the delivery date finally - September 9th.  Wanted it before Labor Day but at least it is close now...

[outdoorfan]

Hi, I'm looking myself for a hot tub in the SF Bay Area.  You mention some very detailed experiences with dealers.  Would you mind naming the one you had a good experience with?