Decision between Hot Spot or Solana Spa

[Scottie]

Dear All,

can anyone help me making a decision between the following spas:

- Solana SX
- Hot Spot Tempo
- Hot Spot Relay

My dealer in Germany said that those spas are no good choice in his opinion (whithin the complete Hot Spring range) and he would go for the smallest Limelight spa.

What do you think - is it a mistake to go for a cheaper Solana or Hot Spot now or continue saving money till we can afford a Limelight? Are the differences that huge especially as far as quality, insulation, filtration, etc is concerned?

We are four persons at home (2 little kids and my wife and me) and the spa will be placed on our roof terrace for all-season-fun (with chances of snow in winter and heat in summer).

Thank you very much for your help in advance!

Scottie

[Spatech_tuo]

Dear All,

can anyone help me making a decision between the following spas:

- Solana SX
- Hot Spot Tempo
- Hot Spot Relay

My dealer in Germany said that those spas are no good choice in his opinion (whithin the complete Hot Spring range) and he would go for the smallest Limelight spa.

What do you think - is it a mistake to go for a cheaper Solana or Hot Spot now or continue saving money till we can afford a Limelight? Are the differences that huge especially as far as quality, insulation, filtration, etc is concerned?

We are four persons at home (2 little kids and my wife and me) and the spa will be placed on our roof terrace for all-season-fun (with chances of snow in winter and heat in summer).

Thank you very much for your help in advance!

Scottie

Al the spas you mentioned are from the same manufacturer. The differences come in the features each have and the controls are different but not enough to discount the less expensive models. While the Limelights are a more premium option the overally quality should be similar. There's no reason to call the lower priced options a mistake compared to the more premium models other than maybe his desire to sell you the more expensive models. Insulation will be the same on all of them. Whatever you get will be your for the next decade and if you want/can afford the more premium model and want that one go for it, otherwise go with whichever seems right for you.

[hottubdan]

SX is too small for your family.

[Scottie]

Thanks for the replies so far. I found out in the forum yesterday, that the lifetime of a spa is said to be at about 5-8 years - and as far as the cover is concerned a little less. Both sounds quite short to me compared to the fact that hot tubs are still quite pricey in Germany. So what are your experiences?

[gadfly]

I think with good maintenance, and good water chemistry, spas should go much longer than what you have read.  My spa is 11 years old, and I expect to get another 11 years out of it.  I am sure that I will have to repair/replace a pump, or the heater somewhere along the way, but nothing at this point looks like it will need to be addressed soon.  The cover is a different issue.  No matter what manufacturer... 4 to 5 years seem to be the limit for a cover's life... even with upgraded materials and double wrapping cores.  My spa is covered under a deck, and only gets sun a couple of hours a day, but I will be ordering my fourth cover next fall.

[ejf The Spa Guy]

Scottie,
 I don't know were you found this info , but i would disagree with this,, myown personal tub is from 1992, my parents have an inground spa the bought in the early 80's still running, Yes during the life of the spa you will have to replace parts, like pump seals, pump, heater, jets,,,, just like you would have to replace parts on and old  vehicle....A lot will be determined on how you maintain the spa and the chemicals...

[Spatech_tuo]

Thanks for the replies so far. I found out in the forum yesterday, that the lifetime of a spa is said to be at about 5-8 years - and as far as the cover is concerned a little less. Both sounds quite short to me compared to the fact that hot tubs are still quite pricey in Germany. So what are your experiences?

On some spas the past decade lifetimes have been often in that 5-8 year range (including most of what has come out of Costco, Home Depot, etc.) but on well made spas (defined largely by who the manufacturer is) you should certainly expect 10+ and often 15+ years. My personal short list of favored spa makers is Caldera, D1, Hot Spring, marquis, Jacuzzi and Sundance but you can odd others like Arctic and Beachcomber and easily expect to beat that very modest 5-8 year range.