Arctic vs HotSpring.. Finally Decided!!

[mxw128]

OK, I've been reading through the posts on this board and want to thak everyone for the info and opinions.  Very Helpful!!!  After dealer visits, wet tests and web research, we narrowed it down to Arctic and Hotspring and just wanted to share our experiences:

From what I read about Artic tubs, I liked the technical merits of some of their design and features.  A lot of it made sense to me.  So I was eager to check them out in person.  I called the dealer on Sat to confirm their Sunday hours (yes there were open fomr something like 10 to 5) and headed down the next day.  I arrived at 2 PM and the shop was closed!  I left a message (on a machine that didn't even identify itself as the spa dealer) and went on to the hotspring dealer.  (A bit of a bummer, it was a 40 minute drive from where I am).  The dealer called back on Tues. and apologized, saying something that the guy who was supposed to mind the shop had to go out of town.  (curious why they didn;t have someone else to fill in..) He gave me some pricing and seemed willing to work with me on accessories (cover lifter, ozone, steps etc) The price was comparable to other, (or better than the HS tubs) and in my range so I took the wife down for a wet test.  The salesman we got (the guy that was supposed to be there on Sunday) had the Cub set up inside for us to test and intially seemed like it was going to be a good visit.  The tub was comfortable and the lounge was one of the few we tested that we could relax in (and not float away).  The jets felt great, not the stabbing, "annoying after a couple minutes" types.  Not a bad soak from that perspective.  BUT...the headrests kept floating away and the jets fell out!!!    We would find a jet floating, replace it, only to find it floating again a couple minutes later.(salesman said the water level was too high... but it seemed OK from a depth and "coverage" standpoint)  He also wasn't too versed in operating his spa.  He couldn't seem to figure out which selectors controlled what jets and he always seemed to move the jets from the seat that my wife just sat in.    We moved to the other tub that we wanted to test, the Yukon, which was kept outside, and as soon as we got in and he started it up there was a strange odor coming from the water.  The salesman said it was because he had "shocked it pretty well yesterday" but the smell wasn't really a chemical smell, just something foul.  Again the jets felt fine, but the operation wasn't very "smooth".  We (including the saleperson) couldn't figure out how to get the shoulder jets running in one of the seats.  (I didn't fit too well under the shoulder jets anyway...).  I liked the look of the cedar cabinets at first, but dreaded the maintenance.  Now when it came down to pricing, the numbers this salesperson gave me were NOT even close to what I was told on the phone.  And as far as what they would include: nothing "extra" or packaged as the saleman over the phone said.  When I mentioned what I was told, this saleman told me that there is no way they other guy could sell a tub for that and that he shouldn't be giving out numbers like that AND that he wasn't really a salesperson , but a service tech.....  interesting!! He even wanted to copy my notes to "talk" to the other person...So I left and went to the Hotsping dealer for a back to back wet test (yeah I was STILL considering the Arctic, even after that!!)

After the wet test it was clear.  The HotSpring sales approach was (IMHO) more relaxed and much more accomodating.  They filled the tubs we wanted to test (several times) and pitched the virtues of their tubs instead of immediately launching into the "why the competitors tubs are inferior" approach. (A big sales point for us) But they did answer direct questions about the competitors and appeared to provide straightforward and honest answers. He also knew the operation of the spas and could answer the technical question I threw at him.  The HS tubs were very comfortable (although we didn't care for the lounge in the Sovereign), well built and appeared more of a "finished" product.  I liked the way that the equipment compartment appeared to be organized and "finished" when compared to the CalSpas and Arctic tubs.  Yeah there was a little bit of a price difference when compared to Arctic or Gulf Coast spas, but comparable pricing to CalSpas.  But all in all, we liked the HotSpring products. (we tested the Tiger River spas while we were there too and it really was a tough choice between the TR Caspian and the HS Vanguard)

So in the end we chose the HS Vanguard.  It supposed to be delivered the first week in August.. Can't wait for the first cool night.... cigar and beer are on standby!!

[Brewman]

Congrats on your purchase.
No need to put your cigar or beer on standby, though.
Start now.
Brewman

[drewstar]

Congrats mxw128!

My experience with the HS dealer was very similiar to yours. It was a pleasent experience.  My wife and I were also comparing the Vangaurd to the Caspain, both tubs were great, and I liked the Moto massage and filters in it over the Caspain, but with wet testing, the Caspian fit us much better.

Where are you located?

[JcDenton]

Congrats Mxw128!

I'm sure you'll be happy in your new spa. From your experience, I can see why you went with your choice. Just so you know, I am an Arctic owner myself, but I have always felt that dealer factor was just as important as the tub itself. Unfortunately, I don't think you got a proper run through the product at Arctic, but hey, their loss. Their employees should be well versed in all that the product has to offer. Doesn't appear that they were in your case, and it resulted in the loss of a potential sale.

For the record, my dealer has always provided strong support and we have been very happy in our tub. It's been terrific!!!  

Enjoy!!

Jc


....now where's that cigar your hiding....  

[drewstar]

....now where's that cigar your hiding....  

What,  Did Bill Clinton buy a tub?  

My sister's friends have an Artic and they are happy with it. I checked it out and although it looked ok, It didn't seem like the tub for me.

I was however shocked...ok  maybe just a bit surprised...that when mxw128 calls a dealer  to come and potentialy buy a tub, there is no one there    Most of the dealers here in this forum leave me with the impression that if there was even a remote possibillity of a sale, and the store was scheduled to be closed, they would have gotten off thier yacht, and gone in and opened the store just for the potential client.  

What was more amazing, is once they do arrange a wet test, the person in the store doens't know what they are talking about....

[mxw128]

Drewstar:  We are in South Riding, VA. (Norhtern Virginia, near Dulles Airport).  Yeah, we really liked both tubs, and we loved the jets in the footwell of the Caspian.  The filtration, different heater (although still a 5 yr warranty), and Motomassage pushed us over to the vanguard...  (although I still am going over it in my mind!! ;-)  )

It really blew my mind that they told me they would be there and then not have someone in the store.  It looked like a "real" showroom, (not someone's garage etc) so I'm surprised that they didn't have someone to cover. (like other businesses would).

I agree I probably didn't get a true test of the Arctic spa, It's a bummer that the dealers seem so spread out (geographically).  I think the Arctic has some good ideas...  It's interesting that several makers are putting those shoulder jets in......  I'm not very tall, but I seem to have problems fitting underneath them.

-Mike
 

[drewstar]

I asked where you where located because it sounded very simillar to the attitude of the HS dealer here in MA.I thought you might have been to the same dealer as I. They were  very comfortable and very big on the Vanguard, and if not that, then they recomended the Caspain, which fit me and my tiny wife very well.

The Vanguard had arm rests molded in and made me feel "lost" in the seat.   I ended up with the Caspain (the foot pod is my wife's favorite) and so far we are very happy with it.

I do have to admit though, every time someone talks about the Vanguard, with the moto massage and the filters, I wished to hell the Vanguard  it fit me better.  

Kinda like seeing a great suit  and finind out they don't carry your size. ...Yea, the wet test made that much of a dif to me.

[mxw128]

I definately agree about the wet test.  We had assumed that we would like the lounger in the Sovereign (my brother has that one) and were pretty much fixated on it, until we tried it out.  Interesting, though, the dealer here leaned more toward the Caspian.  But hey, its a great tub.. enjoy it!!!  How long have you had it?

[fletch49]

Interesting regarding the head rests floating out. My dealer approached me a few months ago on a trade in on my AS Cub. The blemished tubs had just been released from the factory, and he wanted to know if I was interested in trading in my Cub Signature for a fully loaded 8' Tundra with an MSRP at something like 16k CAD for $12K.

The catch on this tub was that the part of the shell that held the head rests in were out of dimension, and the head rests would float out.  The head rests should not float out.

Good call on the HS Tub...sounds like the Arctic Spa dealer you encountered may need some more experience.

[Lori]

I love my Vanguard!  Almost 2 years now, and it is still a love story!!!

You won't regret it!  Congratulations!  

Although, you couldn't have gone wrong either way, but this just proves, once again, the importance of the wet test!

[fatman]

Interesting regarding the head rests floating out. My dealer approached me a few months ago on a trade in on my AS Cub. The blemished tubs had just been released from the factory, and he wanted to know if I was interested in trading in my Cub Signature for a fully loaded 8' Tundra with an MSRP at something like 16k CAD for $12K.

The catch on this tub was that the part of the shell that held the head rests in were out of dimension, and the head rests would float out.  The head rests should not float out.

Good call on the HS Tub...sounds like the Arctic Spa dealer you encountered may need some more experience.

 Glad you spoke up about the head rests, fletch. It sounds like Arctic has let at least one tub out of their factory that is slightly out of spec........  The problem with the jets popping out seems to be an ongoing issue too. I wonder if that is a problem with the jets themselves or with the mold used to make the tub?......

[mxw128]

Interestin to hear about the "out of spec" tubs...I'm only a newbie to this but I thought it had to be something "wrong" with the AS tub I tested and the floating headrests....  glad to hear it's not a probelm accross the board.  The sales guy kept saying the water level must be too high...  By his guidelines, I can imagine if we had had 4 people in there...we would have had to start with the tub less than 1/2 full!!!!

[fletch49]

I gotta say, I really wanted the 'blemished' tub. For the price I could have lived with the headrests. I mentioned this great deal to my wife, and she said something about making sure I was able to drain it nightly, cause that were I would be sleeping...

[spahappy]

I was however shocked...ok  maybe just a bit surprised...that when mxw128 calls a dealer  to come and potentialy buy a tub, there is no one there    Most of the dealers here in this forum leave me with the impression that if there was even a remote possibillity of a sale, and the store was scheduled to be closed, they would have gotten off thier yacht, and gone in and opened the store just for the potential client.




About the only thing that gets me off my yacht is when the alarm clock rings and I have to wake up.

I agree that was not very professional of the store and the dealer involved in the wet test. Perhaps the service tech who quoted you pricing would have been able to show you the features on the spa.

I'm not buying the story about the smell in the other spa comming from shocking the spa. I've never had that happen to me after shocking. I'm guessing the smell you smelled was from the under side of the cover. It's a very unpleasent musty smell and that dealer would have certainly noticed it if he'd been checking the water chemistry in his spas

[mxw128]

I'm not buying the story about the smell in the other spa comming from shocking the spa. I've never had that happen to me after shocking. I'm guessing the smell you smelled was from the under side of the cover. It's a very unpleasent musty smell and that dealer would have certainly noticed it if he'd been checking the water chemistry in his spas

I didn't buy it either, it wasn't a chemical smell at all.  He said somehting about the cops using that tub in the off hours (it was outside, in front of the store, not inside the showroom) The odor seemed to start when he started up the jets, so I was thinking it was somehting sitting in the lines or somehting weird with the air system....  Anyway, my wife was kind of "distracted" by it and wasn't really concentrating on the tub.  So I think she pretty much ruled out that one from the get go.....