Narrowing it down: Arctic, Phoenix, Hot Springs...

[IL Parrothead]

Gombo, it's weird you should say that.  I have no technical knowledge from the 2 Watkins companies, but HS jets felt significantly stronger to me than Caldera.  I didn't test them the same day, but that's the way it felt to me.  My wife and I, in fact, crossed Caldera off -- thinking it was too light of a therapy -- whereas we both liked HS.  Hmm.  :-?

[Gomboman]

Josh, do you have a Marquis dealer in your area?  I would give the Epic a try. It's one of the best Therapy spas out there. Maybe you will wet test every brand before you are done.  

Just remember, sometimes you can get Paralysis by Analysis. You'll find the right one. Good luck.

[Josh]

Just remember, sometimes you can get Paralysis by Analysis. You'll find the right one. Good luck.

Tell me about it.  After yesterday, I was really worn out by the end of the night. While I'm really glad I did a bunch in a row (helped me with my comparisons) I have to admit that  if I hadn't brought that digital recorder with me...I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have remembered all the different things I liked and disliked about each tub by the end of the night.  

Quite a few stood out, but several of the ones I didn't like as much really blended together.   Because I took really good notes, I was able to remember which of the "also-rans" were good and in exactly which way.    

Testing so many back to back also helped me eliminate other brands completely, because I started stack-ranking the choices during the day.  I'd use a generic scale for how good they felt to me, and then grade them all on the curve.  When I realized that I had 3 or 4 choices that were already standing out as better than one I had already tested....I could immediately cross it off. Ultimately, I want to narrow it down to my top 2 or 3, then do one more wet test and pick a winner.

As for Marquis, I did take a look at an Epic on Friday, but I wasn't inspired to go back and wet test there (and I definitely wouldn't want to become a customer of that place).  I mostly blame the dealership for that one. Without going in to grand detail, the experience there was lacking at best.  I'm pretty sure that was exclusive to the store in my area, but it is what it is.

[searchinginfl]

Parrothead, I'm surprised you thought that about Caldera. I'm wondering if someone had manually turned down some of the jets??? (That happened in my first wet test) because the jets were the strongest I felt in any tub. (i can't even use them today, I am sore!)

[Josh]

Parrothead, I'm surprised you thought that about Caldera. I'm wondering if someone had manually turned down some of the jets??? (That happened in my first wet test) because the jets were the strongest I felt in any tub. (i can't even use them today, I am sore!)

What different brands did you test?  Did you rank them in a thread somewhere?

[NumbersDontLie]

Sounds like you are really doing your homework, Josh.

Another thing that might help with your decision making might be what I call the “I can’t get wet because my hot tub doesn’t work” test.

At 9:05 am on a Monday morn, simply call each potential dealers service department and ask a few questions. I’d look for the following when calling:

Is the line busy?

Do you speak with a human or machine?

Are you put on hold?

Is the person you are speaking with genuinely concerned about your issues?

Are you asked to leave a massage and asked to wait for a call back?

If so, how long before you are called back?

How far out are you scheduled for a service call?

Are you given a specific service appointment time or asked to wait over a full day or half day range of time for an appointment?

Do the service techs carry a decent amount of parts with them or will this be a 2 part repair process? (1st part to diagnose and order parts, 2nd part to re-schedule & return to tub and complete repair)

The unfortunate nature of the spa industry is that when you mix water, heat, moving parts and human factor into a hot tub, its not a matter of IF you’ll need service but  WHEN you’ll need it.

For me, the ability and willingness of a dealer to provide timely service after the sale is just as important as the physical comfort of the spa and my confidence in the manufacturer that makes it.

A question Josh,

You mention that Dynasty is too far away to for testing and service but that you did wet test a Phoenix.

Isn’t Black Pine Spas the dealer for both brands in Seattle? (According to Black Pines web www.blackpinespas.com they are however, maybe that info is out dated)

The Phoenix web phoenixspas.com site does not show their dealers and asks you to call Redding, Ca to find out who your local dealer is. (I called and their showroom is closed on the weekends)

Are there multiple dealers for Phoenix in Seattle?



 



 

[IL Parrothead]

All of the brands I tested were in my thread "Starting the Search" at the bottom of the first page.

[Josh]

A question Josh,

You mention that Dynasty is too far away to for testing and service but that you did wet test a Phoenix.

Isn’t Black Pine Spas the dealer for both brands in Seattle? (According to Black Pines web www.blackpinespas.com they are however, maybe that info is out dated)

I think Black Pine only sells Artesian and Phoenix now (I didn't like the Artesians btw).  Dynasty spas are sold south of me now, in Tacoma....which is pretty far away.  All of the dealers I hit were within 20 miles or so at the most.

I guess it's good living in Seattle....huge market with lots of competition all concentrated in a relatively small area.

[Josh]

All of the brands I tested were in my thread "Starting the Search" at the bottom of the first page.

I just read through every page of it....also noticed the choices searchinginfl was picking between.  It's good to see we had/have a bunch of common choices.

I hope to be setting my new tub up soon too.

[Tom]

Next stop was Arctic, where I tested out the Klondiker... it was the least comfortable of all the tubs I tested today. One of the bucket seats actually hurt my lower back to sit in it for some reason and it was too shallow in all but two of the other seats.  The air bubbler in this one was indeed nice, as were the foot jets. Problem was, they were only accessible from the most uncomfortable seat in the tub for me....the lounge just wasn't comfortable ... an easy one to cross off my list.

Sounds like you tested the Legend Extreme or Special Edition.  We try hard to have a seat for everyone, and we're sorry the Klondiker didn't quite fit you.  
Happy shopping.

[Josh]

Tom,

That was indeed the model I checked. As you can see by my original thread title (and the first post in this topic) the Arctic was on the top of my list when I started out. It's certainly one of the most uniquely laid out tubs I looked at. I think that and the huge number of jets it had were why I was so interested in it.  The problem was, it was just contoured a bit wrong for someone my height, but I can see why other people really like them.

[anne]

I think Arctic's contoured seats are a love it or hate it sort of thing. I am a huge fan, but I'm a pretty small person, so I dont feel cramped, and yet I also feel like I'm not just going to slide all over the place. I have a 6'4" friend who was really only comfy in one seat.

It just comes down to wet testing.....even though we all *hear* that here, if we do our research, we dont really GET how important it is until we try it.

[Doobiewah]

It just comes down to wet testing.....even though we all *hear* that here, if we do our research, we dont really GET how important it is until we try it.

AMEN!!!

The Doob

[Josh]

I think Arctic's contoured seats are a love it or hate it sort of thing. I am a huge fan, but I'm a pretty small person, so I dont feel cramped, and yet I also feel like I'm not just going to slide all over the place. I have a 6'4" friend who was really only comfy in one seat.

It just comes down to wet testing.....even though we all *hear* that here, if we do our research, we dont really GET how important it is until we try it.

Out of curiousity, which Arctic Model did you purchase?  I tried out the Klondiker and my other choice was the Frontier. I didn't have the opportunity to try that one because there wasn't one in the store, but they offered me that one at a much better price.   I recognized it as a real quality soak, but I am specifically shopping for myself (my wife isn't a huge hot tub fan) so I want the majority of seats to feel good for my height.

Tomorrow is what may be my last wet test (the Phoenix Sorrento) before I can pick one to purchase.  This particular tub was the only one from my original list that I haven't tried yet.....and although I know many people here hate the brand, I want to give them a fair shake (I'll admit, the bias around here has aroused my curiousity).

After that test, I can sort out everything I've tested and make my purchasing decision between the top few.

Someone here suggested I add Cal Spas to my list.....does anyone else here have one of those?  I saw one with a TV bigger than the one in my living room in it (an option I would probably leave off).  Haven't tried one though....

[Hot Tub Guru]

As an Arctic dealer I try to get everyone to wet test.  After a test between the Klondiker and Kodiak.  Most pick the Kodiak (one lounger) and much more comfortable.  I agree with you I'm not a fan of the Klondiker.  If you want to give Arctic another try, the Kodiak would work well.  Don't try the Frontier your too tall for that spa.