1st wet test

[sstrahan7@msn.com]

Hi everyone.
I wanted to share a little about my 1st wet test experience. I had been looking forward to this for awhile and had planned to visit one dealer in the morning to test Hotspring and Limelight and another in the afternoon to test a Sundance Cameo (that was the only one they had filled). Took about 3 hours at the 1st dealer. I would say at least half of that was actually wet testing and the other was talking to the dealer and getting information. Well the water temp was 103 and I was enjoying the soaks but started to get a headache about half way through and generally not feel very well at all. By the time we were done, and sat down to talk to the dealer about pricing I was shakey, nauseated, pounding headache, and really just wanted to get out of there so I cut the converstion short  and headed for the door. I was still going to try to make the sundance dealer but within about 2 blocks I had thrown up all over myself and had to pull over. Luckily my sister was with me and was able to drive home. I was very ill, throwing up for most of the car ride home, and had the pounding headache for the next 8 hours. Needless to say this put a little "damper" on my hot tub experience and I am a little nervous to spend thousands on a hot tub if this sort of thing would ever happen again. I am guessing I must of just got overheated and dehydrated. Has anyone else ever had this type of thing happen?

Well, I still hope to be able to test the sundance to compare. I tested 6 models at the Hotspring dealer. I tested the Hotspot SX ($5500), Relay ($6395), Limelight Pulse ($9695), Hotspring Jetsetter, Prodigy ($7795), and Vangaurd($9995 sale). Prices are in the Seattle/Tacoma area, from a very good dealer, before negotation, and include most everything. The smaller tubs, which is all I really need for two people, just seemed to small and cramped with not enough jets. Then others just seemed to big and extravagant. The one that I did really like, I fit the lounger, loved the jets and especially the foot well massage jets, was the HOTspot Relay. I do want a very quality tub with good insulation, low operating cost, that will last a long time with minimal issues, so I am a little hesitant about the Relay. The dealer said it is not insulated near as well as the Hotspring and will cost more to run. It also only has 1 large filter (not 5 like the vangaurd), and does not have the 24hr circulation pump. The dealer really made it sound like not near as quality hottub. What do you guys think? Is the Hotspot Relay a lesser tub than the hotspring?  I'm willing to pay more to get quality, but did not "love" any of the Hotspring right off the bat. When the dealer heard we were going to Sundance next she made it sound like Sundance was a far inferior tub (I know she's trying to sell Hotspring and that is not what I have heard on this forum, but I am nervous to make the best choice.)
So anyway, sorry for the long post and please excuse my typo's. I'd be interested in hearing opinions regarding Hotspot vs Hotspring and Sundance vs Hotspring. I wish this forum had a spellchecker! 

[wmccall]

. I wish this forum had a spellchecker! 

Welcome to the forum. Try downloading the Google Chrome web browser, it has a built in spell checker and it works well in this forum.  I'm concerned about your illness during your test soak. How long were you in there?  Also, have you been to a doctor lately?  Perhaps it was a bad day anyway?   Usually for me, long soaks help get rid of headaches.

[Scoobmaster]

Hi there.

Like you, I just did my first wet test (see my posting HERE)  My experience was better than yours (sorry you felt so ill) but we tested some Nordic tubs.  My next testing will be some of the EXACT same ones you just tested - which is why I am so interested in your opinions.

I am looking at the Hotspot relay and the Hotspring Prodigy.  Like you, I like the layout of the Relay (looking at it - have not tried it myself yet) but have reservations about the lesser insulation and lack of a separate circulation pump.  How did it compare with the Prodigy (no lounger, but better insulation, filtration, and warranty)?  I will have a chance within a week to form my own observations when I test them both, but I would be very curious to hear your impressions of those two tubs.

Thanks for posting and good luck on your search for the "perfect hot tub" (I am on that same quest).  I hope that your next experience is much more enjoyable!

[Bonibelle]

I found when I first got my tub that I would get a headache if I was not drinking enough either before or after my soak.  I insist that everyone that goes into the tub have a cold glass of water in their hands when they go in.. I think that you may have already had something..maybe a stomach virus of something and the heat made things worse. I agree with Bill, maybe check with your doctor before you try again.
 Also, I can not tolerate 103!!  It is amazing that you (or I should say some people) can tell the difference in one degree in the tub...My husband would try to push the temp up to  102 and I could feel that and have to get to a cool down seat. I am fine at 101 in cold weather, but 102 is very uncomfortable to me.  So the temperature may have also contributed to your problem since you were probably already inside where the air temperature was warm.

Check with your doctor and try again.  Good luck

[wmccall]

It is amazing that you (or I should say some people) can tell the difference in one degree

When I worked at CompuServe, my friend Steve and I would go over and use the whirl pool there. (God, I miss those days)  It was a good whirlpool overall, but its temperature regulation was terrible. You would go over and hope for a good day temperature wise.  They had a thermometer floating in the pool and it would vary from 89 to 108 over the 10 years I worked there.  My friend Steve and I got so good, we could get in the tub and within a minute tell you the temp to within 1/2 degree everytime.

[Spatech_tuo]

I can feel for your  nausea issue, I've had this happen before more than a couple times. If I sit in a 103º or hotter spa for more than 10 minutes I get nauseated. Some people can tolerate the hot water longer, some of us can't. One time on vacation I sat in too long at a public spa and had the same stomach emptying result, it totally shuts you down too with a headache and dizziness. I keep my spa at 102º and usually am only in about 15 minutes and I'm fine, any hotter and there’s trouble to be had.

As far as the insulation thing goes, Hot Springs use denser foam against the shell and sides and then a final fill with half pound density foam. That is going to give a little better results as the dealer was saying than the Hot Spot which fills with half pound only but its not necessarily major and the method for the Hot Spot is what you'll find in all other full foam spas like Sundance, Jacuzzi, etc. that are filled with the half pound type only so its not like they don't insulate well.

[Jet Sitter]

We like to stay in the tub for 30 minutes and keep the temp at 102, otherwise we get too hot.

Drink lots of water.  Drink on the way to the dealer, while you are wet testing and on your way from the dealer.  When I say drink, I mean water, not cocktails.  We always take a full 1/2 liter bicycle bottle (no glass at the tub) with us when we go out to the tub and drink the entire contents.

Some would see the fact that the Relay has only one filter instead of five as an advantage.  Filters need to be maintained - rinsed, cleaned and eventually replaced.  Personally I would think that the Relay will provide adequate filtration.  In any case, I would not let number of filters be an important consideration in the tub purchase.

Energy efficiency is an important concern, especially in very cold weather climates.  In the Seattle - Tacoma area I doubt that you would see significant difference in energy use between the Relay and the Vanguard.  Significant in terms of energy bills is in the eye of the beholder but but most would agree that the difference in purchase cost of $3600, nearly 60% of the cost of the Relay, is significant.

Sundance in not inferior to Hot Springs, nor is Hot Springs inferior to Sundance.  They are both in the top teir of quality manufacturers.  Both brands have quality dealers in the Seattle area.  If you choose a comfortable tub, witihin your budget from either manufacturer, I doubt that you will have any regrets.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

  We have a few dealers around here that crank the spa to 103/104 for wet test, for the most part it turns customers off for that very reason of getting sick. 

  The price on the Limelight pulse is crazy at 9600.00 compared to the Vangaurd at 9995.00  my choice would be the Vangaurd.    Both seem a bit high though.   Both AquaQuip and Olympic are great companies to deal with!


  Where you at in Seattle, I am up in Bellingham and can sell South to a point.   We carry Jacuzzi and Cal-spa if interested?

[sstrahan7@msn.com]

Thanks all for the reply and your concern. I had been in the tubs close to 2 hours,had not drank anything until the very end, and as a side note I work nights so had been up since 10pm the previous night working so maybe that could have something to do with it. I will definately have to do the water thing as you suggest Bonnibelle!

Well, GREAT NEWS! Like I said for all the time I spent at the Olympic Hot Tub dealer and all the 6 tubs I tested, there wasn't one that I was really "sold" on or absolutely loved. Then yesterday I went to Aquaquip and tested a Sundance Cameo. I loved it Funny thing, they had it at only at 100 degrees and it felt plenty hot for me, stayed in 1/2 hour and no headache! I bought it!! Thought it would take several months before I bought a tub but I liked this one so figured I'd go for it. I am so excited. It will be delived next week and they send the electrician out the day after to hook it up. I bought the coastal/oyster.

Compared the the Hotsprings I tested I liked the seats better, the tub fit me well, and the jets were much more powerful. I hope the energy efficiency will be  comparable to a Hotsprings and the filtration will be as good also. Like I always hear on this forum, I just knew it was the right one for me when once I wet tested it! The warranty appears to be just as good as the Hotspring. I went with the sun-purity system and the salesperson steered me against the ozonator, which I was really surprised. He  said he really didn't think I needed it, it was just something extra companies tried to add on, and for $285 dosen't usually last very long. He said if I changed my mind he would personally come over and add it on for me. Like most new hot tub owners I am a little nervous about getting the set up right and chemicals right, but I guess we will wait and see.

I wanted to answer a couple of scoobmasters questions. The Hotspot relay compared to the Prodigy. I really did not like the Prodigy, It was very shallow and the seats weren't that comfortable. The Hotspot Relay had a great lounger and nice foot jets, but the insulation, filtration, and warranty just can't compare to the Hotspring. If you live somewhere cold I think it would cost you too much in the winter, and the filtration, at only 65sq feet and not a continous pump seems small for a tub that size.

Thanks all for your help in choosing the Sundance. I haven't posted much but have been lurking in the forum the last couple months and have learned a lot!

[NikiR]

congrats, and enjoy

[Bonibelle]

Wonderful..congrats!!

[Scoobmaster]

Thanks for the info.  Congrats and enjoy your new tub!

[Jet Sitter]

Good for you - enjoy your tub!

[NurseN2000]

I hope you are enjoying your new tub by now!!  I am also searching for my first tub, and (aside from the illness part) have had a very similar experience.  I first tested the Hotsprings/Limelight/Hotspot lines at one dealer, then tested both a Cameo and Optima from Sundance.  I wanted so badly to love the Hotsprings, I really like the looks of them, the water features, and the lighting is to die for imo...but when I next sat in the Sundance models, there was no comparison.  The Sundance just felt like so much better of a fit to me, the jets felt better, it didn't push me out of the lounger, there were places to hold on to while in the lounger...I just love it so much.  A week later I came back and tested the Optima, and boy I love that too!!  I love/like the foot jets on the Optima, I "love" how the jets feel, I "like" how many jets there are...but it kind of feels a little bit like the mound of jets in the footwell take up some foot room, and I'm not sure if I "like" that very much.  So while we build our patio, I am going back and forth between the Cameo with the lounger (which I also really "like") and the Optima with the footwell mound...It's a tough choice, but I do know that I prefer both of those to the Hotsprings line for overall comfort and fit.