What to buy?

[Sam]

Wet tested the Bullfrog and was very impressed by the performance, quiet operation and overall comfort.
They also carry Dimension 1 and other brands in the facility which made things easier for me, for comparison reasons.

I'm still open to other brands but I am leaning towards the Bullfrog A8L or the R8L
So, the next question I guess would be.... what price would be a fair price for either model since they always start at the MSRP and then the hassle begins.

Fyi, Bullfrog does not set an MSRP for their dealers.  Also, not all dealers start with an artificially inflated price. 

Depending on what options you want, delivery location and access, etc, you should be somewhere near the $11k range for the R8L and around $13k range for the A8L.  That should be enough to cover the important stuff like cover, steps, etc, at most places.  Maybe a few hundred more or less.  Though, I've seen people post some ridiculously low prices here so who knows, where you live you may have one of those dealers.  I would imagine most would be close to what I listed though.

What jet packs did you like when you wet tested?  My personal new favorite is the Versa.  I also like the deep relief and think the rainshower is pretty cool and unique feeling.

[OldSchoolSwap]

Wet tested the Bullfrog and was very impressed by the performance, quiet operation and overall comfort.
They also carry Dimension 1 and other brands in the facility which made things easier for me, for comparison reasons.

I'm still open to other brands but I am leaning towards the Bullfrog A8L or the R8L
So, the next question I guess would be.... what price would be a fair price for either model since they always start at the MSRP and then the hassle begins.

Fyi, Bullfrog does not set an MSRP for their dealers.  Also, not all dealers start with an artificially inflated price. 

Depending on what options you want, delivery location and access, etc, you should be somewhere near the $11k range for the R8L and around $13k range for the A8L.  That should be enough to cover the important stuff like cover, steps, etc, at most places.  Maybe a few hundred more or less.  Though, I've seen people post some ridiculously low prices here so who knows, where you live you may have one of those dealers.  I would imagine most would be close to what I listed though.

What jet packs did you like when you wet tested?  My personal new favorite is the Versa.  I also like the deep relief and think the rainshower is pretty cool and unique feeling.

Oscillator
RainShower
NeckMasseuse

Were by far my favorite ones. Didn't get a chance to test all of them but these past the test!
Must try the rest to make sure I'm happy with my selection.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Were at 11,600 for an R8L with lift and ozone.   13,000 for a A8L

[BullFrogSpasMN]

Were at 11,600 for an R8L with lift and ozone.   13,000 for a A8L

I'm slightly higher but 70% of our tubs get salt which adds to the cost of course....hope all is well Jim!

[Jacuzzi Jim]

Were at 11,600 for an R8L with lift and ozone.   13,000 for a A8L

I'm slightly higher but 70% of our tubs get salt which adds to the cost of course....hope all is well Jim!

   Been doing great, hope all is well with you!    Light Winter for you back there?  We got some good snow this year so it's been nice.   

[Sam]

Wet tested the Bullfrog and was very impressed by the performance, quiet operation and overall comfort.
They also carry Dimension 1 and other brands in the facility which made things easier for me, for comparison reasons.

I'm still open to other brands but I am leaning towards the Bullfrog A8L or the R8L
So, the next question I guess would be.... what price would be a fair price for either model since they always start at the MSRP and then the hassle begins.

Fyi, Bullfrog does not set an MSRP for their dealers.  Also, not all dealers start with an artificially inflated price. 

Depending on what options you want, delivery location and access, etc, you should be somewhere near the $11k range for the R8L and around $13k range for the A8L.  That should be enough to cover the important stuff like cover, steps, etc, at most places.  Maybe a few hundred more or less.  Though, I've seen people post some ridiculously low prices here so who knows, where you live you may have one of those dealers.  I would imagine most would be close to what I listed though.

What jet packs did you like when you wet tested?  My personal new favorite is the Versa.  I also like the deep relief and think the rainshower is pretty cool and unique feeling.

Oscillator
RainShower
NeckMasseuse

Were by far my favorite ones. Didn't get a chance to test all of them but these past the test!
Must try the rest to make sure I'm happy with my selection.

Those are all great and the 3 most popular.  I absolutely love the oscillator.  No other hot tub has something that compares to it.  The versa is pretty good too.  It has a couple of the oscillator jets in it.

[d00nut]

Oscillator, Rainshower, Deep Relief... almost every Bullfrog goes out with these three for us.  The last one is normally NeckMasseuse or Versa.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

  I have had the same run with those, Wellness has come on strong also lately. 

[Thisismyname]

Were at 11,600 for an R8L with lift and ozone.   13,000 for a A8L

I'm slightly higher but 70% of our tubs get salt which adds to the cost of course....hope all is well Jim!

Salt in a Bullfrog?

[meriflower]

Were at 11,600 for an R8L with lift and ozone.   13,000 for a A8L

I'm slightly higher but 70% of our tubs get salt which adds to the cost of course....hope all is well Jim!

Salt in a Bullfrog?

It's an option that the dealer adds on to the spa, it's not an option from the manufacturer.  The system that BullFrogSpasMN sells is a bromine generator called Blu Fusion.  You add salt upon start up.  The salt is then converted to bromine which is the sanitizer.  There are also chlorine salt generators as well.

[bwspa]

Salt in a Bullfrog?
[/quote]

It's an option that the dealer adds on to the spa, it's not an option from the manufacturer.  The system that BullFrogSpasMN sells is a bromine generator called Blu Fusion.  You add salt upon start up.  The salt is then converted to bromine which is the sanitizer.  There are also chlorine salt generators as well.
[/quote]

With salt being converted to bromine or chlorine, what is the advantage of a salt system vs using bromine or chlorine from the get go?  I seem to be missing something.

[meriflower]

The pros are you use less chemical, less frequent water changes, the water is soft with no chemical smell.  It automatically creates bromine (when the spa is cycling) and you do not have to add it.  You also do not have to shock.  There is an informational YouTube video on it if you're interested.  Those are the pros.  There is also a concern about salt and its corrosiveness.  You will find all sorts of differing opinions on that from dealers to owners.

[Thisismyname]

Is the salt system something I can install after?  Haven't talked to the dealer it yet

[BullFrogSpasMN]

Salt in a Bullfrog?

It's an option that the dealer adds on to the spa, it's not an option from the manufacturer.  The system that BullFrogSpasMN sells is a bromine generator called Blu Fusion.  You add salt upon start up.  The salt is then converted to bromine which is the sanitizer.  There are also chlorine salt generators as well.
[/quote]

With salt being converted to bromine or chlorine, what is the advantage of a salt system vs using bromine or chlorine from the get go?  I seem to be missing something.
[/quote]

Here is my response to Chlorine vs Bromine from another thread a couple weeks back....

Correct, it does use Sodium Bromide which will run you approx. $10-$13 per pound (retail), thankfully we have a managed a way to save extra expense and pass it along by buying it in bulk 300-400 lbs at a time straight from the source, with that said our largest spa we sell still only requires approx. 7 lbs to "start-up" the system.  We send out a tech (with customers onsite) who installs the system internally, it does have a control panel we will install into the cabinet if the customer so chooses otherwise the system can essentially remain "hidden" within the cabinet, no cells dangling over the side, no power cords running across the deck, etc. just a nice clean hidden install.

I MUCH prefer a Bromine based system over competitors such as ACE, Bromine vs Chlorine is much more stable with a much lower dissipation rate in water temps over 97 degrees, Bromine based systems will also work much more reliably over a broader ph/Alk./Calcium Hardness range which essentially means the system itself is much less "finicky" Now I'm not saying we have that loose water-care approach with customers, we still educate and let them know the importance of maintaining proper water parameters but the system itself will produce sanitizer MUCH easier than a chlorine based system in adverse water conditions and it's not even close.  We fill the spa up, add a small amount of Phosphate Stabilizer to the water, balance pH/Alk then add the appropriate amount of salt and you are off and running.  As far as cleaning the cell the manufacturer pre-packages a "cell cleaner" which is essentially muriatic acid diluted to be more "customer friendly" we install the cell with unions so it can easily be removed for a yearly cleaning.  The Blu Fusion system we sell has a full 3 year warranty on the cell (full meaning if it fails in 2 yrs. 11 months it gets replaced in FULL) and replacements with 1 hr of technician time comes in just under $500.  The actual 'hours rating' on the cell puts it around 4 years of usage, vs the ACE cell which I believe is rated right around 16-20 months as far as 'hours rating' (going off memory, but I have all the #'s at the office).  Again just another option, I don't jump up on a hot tub and scream to the high heavens that everyone and their brother needs to buy a salt system or they are foolish, we simply educate/inform/give all the potential costs and let the customer make that decision for themselves.

probably more info than anyone cares to know, but once I start rambling...lol

Good Luck!

[Thisismyname]

Talked with the BF dealer and they do not touch salt systems...said they prefer the ozone system instead.  Not sure they understand the difference