Yet another - looking for my first hot tub post...

[unixfairy]

Hello everyone:

First thank you for creating and maintaining this board.  With many choices and not always clear comparisons, this board is an invaluable source of information.  So thank you for your time and responses.  Definitely already used the board to help and appreciate the honesty and feedback here.

Husband and I (armed with knowledge from here) went and dry tested several hot tubs this past weekend.  Our goal is to see what is out there, meet with dealers, narrow down our options prior to wet testing 3 tubs prior to making our final decision.

We visited Marquis, Sundance, Bullfrog, Hot Springs and Caldera dealers so far.  We now know we want a 6-7 person hot tub (we went in thinking smaller) with open seating (started out looking at loungers), a circulation pump where the waterfall can run quietly while we soak (we did not think waterfall mattered when we started) and have three tubs identified that were comfortable dry (we have a 5' tall user so height is a consideration)

Caldera Florence ($11,800 w/o delivery)
Hot Springs Pulse ($13,400 accessories, tax and delivery included) 
Sundance Chelsee ($10,995)

Our favorite tub was not at our favorite dealer.  Pricing we have received is initial without negotiation and only included so you know I am aware and comfortable with the investment.

My questions are as follows:

1.  Any feedback on these three tubs?
2.  Any other brands and/or tubs you would recommend dry testing in this range, we live in the SF Bay area so we have a wide selection of dealers?
3.  Salt water or chemical systems - pros and cons of each?
4. We were told on a square tub the cover could be located to open on any side (other than where steps are of course) - any thoughts on this - if we position the tub where/how we want, the sunset view will be blocked if it opens opposite.  Also what is the clearance recommended for cover and maintenance - we got some varying answers?

[bud16415]

We have a Caldera Geneva and have been very happy with it for 5 years now. Hot Springs has the same parent company and was our second choice. I think all the premium tubs you are looking at will give you great service for many years to come.

Loungers are something you love or you don’t it seems. I hardly ever get to sit in ours because it is her go to seat. I would say most of our guests are also positive about the lounger. You won’t know by dry testing as without water all our seats are uncomfortable as they are angled deep to keep you seated against the jet force and the buoyancy of the water. Our captains seat my favorite is the same way, without water it feels strange and with water you barely sit on the seat as I use it almost as a lounger moving to the edge of the seat     and getting my head on the head rest. After you have your tub a while you will find each seat has a few way you will like to use it.

It is nice to have a cool down seat that is higher and on our tub that is the best place to enter as the seat is higher and flat. It is also the seat that gets used the least so it’s a good place to have the steps so no one has to move.

View is important and I like the lifter end where the cover goes when open to be away from the view. But I also like it on the end opposite where the equipment is housed. I don’t like the idea of having to remove the lifter mechanism in order to work on the tub. with most cover lifters you need a couple feet between the tub and a wall on that end. And I like the equipment side to not be blocked. The sides where the lifter attaches needs a little room 8”-12” from anything. It would be rare to have to get to the sides or back for service work.

We have 6 seats so they all can’t have the best view so we set the tub so the 3 main therapeutic seats would have the best view. We call the other two social seats they have nice jets but not as many and then the cool down seat.

Think about filling and draining also. I have a setup where I drain directly into our waste water system so I’m not flooding the yard. I also plumbed hot and cold water right next to the tub. when the tub needs topped off I use hot water if we are getting right in. also hot water is great for cleaning filters cold just makes the gunk stick more.

When you buy a tub most people are clueless on maintaining it. Everyone learns what works for them. Salt systems are nice. I have a friend that uses salt. You still need to keep an eye on the levels even with salt, it is no way fully automatic. I actually add salt to my water for the feel even though I don’t have a salt to chlorine generator. I had planned on buying an aftermarket one and still might doe that. The built in ones are fairly pricey IMO to buy and also maintain. If cost is an issue.

Lastly welcome to the forum and you are going to love your time in your new tub.   

[silversun]

I loved the Chelsee and think it's an excellent value. I ultimately decided on an 880 optima, but could have easily gone w/ the chelsee.

[bradleyabell]

You should definitely wet test your top 3...I bet your mind will be made up after doing that.

[wmccall]

Hello everyone:

First thank you for creating and maintaining this board.  With many choices and not always clear comparisons, this board is an invaluable source of information.  So thank you for your time and responses.  Definitely already used the board to help and appreciate the honesty and feedback here.

(we have a 5' tall user so height is a consideration)

Welcome to the forum.   The last line is a good reason to wet test. Many patios or decks might have a slight slope to them over 6-10 ft causing one side of the tub to be lower and the short person will feel that most. Its hard to judge water level in a dry tub. 

Good luck with your shopping and let us know how it goes.

[Sam]

Just an fyi, a saltwater hot tub is still a chemical hot tub.  Saltwater spas use an electrode to create chlorine from the salt, which is sodium chloride.  The chloride ions become active chlorine.  You still need to balance the water and perform all the normal hot tub maintenance.  You also have the added work of cleaning and replacing the salt cell which can be pretty expensive.  Salt systems simply generate the chlorine so you don't have to manually add it.  Though many people find that they still need to add supplemental granular chlorine with a salt system.  I'm personally not a fan and have seen many corroded components replaced prematurely in saltwater spas.

As for your spa choices, they are all top notch, well made hot tubs.  Let the wet test make your final decision, assuming that you are comfortable with the dealer.

[Ralith]

We liked the HS pulse, but decided we wanted a lounger and didn't care for the HS ones (Prism was way too much $$$). Correctly purchasing Artesian island Margarita Elite.

[Spatech_tuo]

We liked the HS pulse, but decided we wanted a lounger and didn't care for the HS ones (Prism was way too much $$$). Correctly purchasing Artesian island Margarita Elite.

Wet testing is always wise no matter what you decide on but if you're considering a lounge spa its is even more important, much more so in fact.

[Ralith]

Yep, we got to wet test the Prism and several Artesian ones. HS seems like a good brand, but prices are more expensive than comparable tubs.

[swilly1000]

If jet performance is high on your list you may want to keep Marquis on your short list.  They have really good jetting.

The proof will be in the pudding (uhhhb....not so great imagery there lol) once you wet test.

[unixfairy]

Thank you so much for your replies ...

Quick update: What a difference a wet test makes :/

So we found a nearby dealer that had both Caldera and Hot Springs and we did a wet test yesterday and now we are scratching our heads.

We could not wet test the exact model we were looking at in either line and for the Hot Springs we could not even wet test that line but we learned lots.

For relaxation and aesthetics - we liked the Caldera better but we were testing a larger/deeper tub and we did not like that - the jets were not that exciting though.

For the Hot Springs we ended up testing the Aria (so we did try the lounger) and we liked the size of the tub and the jets were amazing but the lighting and waterfall were clunky, we would go with the Vanguard but it was $2500 more than the Caldera Florence and not sure we liked the jets enough to overcome the things we did not like.

So now I am guessing all we can do is wet test more tubs.  It is a completely different experience.