emerald or sundance?

[gbw]

been lurking and learning for months, and i enjoy this board.  good info, opinion, facts and fancy.  will be doing some wet testing this w/end.  any preferences on the emerald M570, or the sundance altamar?  thanks.

[East_TX_Spa]

I'd rather own a Sundance, but that is my personal opinion.  I believe it to be a better value.

Good luck with whichever you choose.

Terminator

[Veeper]

Emerald and Sundance are both good spas.  

However, IMO Emerald gives you more features for less money than Sundance. And Emerald builds a solid spa.

I'd rather own an Emerald.

[Bill_Stevenson]

You really need to wet test them both to find out which is the best choice for you.  Our opinions on the matter are really mostly meaningless.   Also, consider the dealer because if something goes wrong....

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Bill

[Tatooed_Lady]

opinions aside as much as possible.....are Emerald and Sundance pretty even quality-wise?

[East_TX_Spa]

opinions aside as much as possible.....are Emerald and Sundance pretty even quality-wise?

No ma'am. (Whoops)

Terminator

[Chris_H]

No ma'am. (Whoops)

Terminator

I agree.  Sundance would be considered by most as a higher end manufacturer.

[Veeper]

I agree.  Sundance would be considered by most as a higher end manufacturer.

I'm not quite sure how you've arrived at this, but I disagree.

Higher price maybe...but not higher end.

[drewstar]

I'm not  intamately familliar with either brand.  I know Sundance has a decent rep, and recently Viper Dude bought an Emerald,  and  I was blown away for the features/price he paid.

Rather than just disagreeing on these tubs, can anyone provide reaons why one might be better quality than the other?

[hymbaw]

In my decidedly biased opinion there is no comparison.

Make that decision on your own by paying attention, to fit and finish (is there a gap between the shell and cabinet?), have them pull a jet out of the tub so you can see which is more likely to last for 15 - 20 years, have each turn on their air blower (which is quieter?), look at the filters (which do you think will do a better job?), listen to how they insulate the tub (which story do you believe?), etc.

Emerald are Mfg. in my area so I've seen a lot of them. Not a bad tub, but.........

Good Luck

[Chris_H]

Can you tell me what the warranty is on the jets and the cabinet for the Emerald?  For some odd reason it is not mentioned on the warranty.  The major manufacturers do mention those items.  Sundance mentions it in their warranty.

Now, lets talk about the outside specifically the cabinet.  On the Emerald, go ahead and knock on it.  Tell me if you think it will last 10 years.  Also, tell me if it is going to be holding the heat in from the thermo-pane insulation.

Pressurized filtration system I guess Emerald really enjoys letting all the water hit the heater before it is filtered.  At least Sundance filters the water before it hits the heater.

Back to the heater, Sundance offers an unconditional warranty on the heater.  I didn’t see that mentioned on Emerald’s site.  Also, Sundance uses a Titanium heater that is impervious to corrosion.  Does Emerald use that type of heater as well?  

It appears Emerald uses hand rolled fiberglass on their shell.  Not really good for quality control if you ask me especially if you miss a spot.

Do you really want me to go on?

[r100rs]

Here is an idea, go back to the Emerald dealer and ask for the names of recent buyers and also ask for names of long term useres.  Also talk to their service manager and techs.  You will be amazed at the ton of information you can get.

Hope this helps

r100rs

[vlady]

Sorry, I don't know anything about the Emerald but since you are looking at the Sundance Altamar you must be interested in a lounger.  

When I was shopping, I too had narrowed my choices down to the Sundance Altamar and another brand.  I took my fiancee with me to test it out.  He is 6'1" and did not fit at all in the Altamar.  The pillow on the lounger hit him at his shoulderblades.  We ended up going with the Cameo since the lounger is larger and shaped differently.  

I'm not trying to persuade you either way, just wanted to be sure that you are aware that not all tubs will fit you the same especially if you are looking at one with a lounger.

[Veeper]

Here is an idea, go back to the Emerald dealer and ask for the names of recent buyers and also ask for names of long term useres.  Also talk to their service manager and techs.  You will be amazed at the ton of information you can get.

Hope this helps

r100rs

I agree, this will give you a good idea as to the quality of Emerald.  Also, see which dealer you feel will take care of you, even after the sale.

Enjoy the wet tests!!



I'm sorry I just had to respond to Chris' post:

Emerald's warranty is 5 years on the jets and cabinet.  The only cabinet warranty for Sundance, according to their website is that it will be "free from defects in workmanship or material at the time of delivery."

I would suggest more than just knocking on the Emerald cabinet, give it a good hit or kick.  I think that will answer the durability questions of the cabinet.

With Sundance's filtration system, you better keep your filters clean and hope nothing clogs them or you might restrict the waterflow to the pumps.  But that has been beaten to death...

Both have the same plumbing and equipment warranty. But Sundance only has a 10 year shell warranty, Emerald has a 25 year non prorated warranty

In regards to the "unconditional" warranty on the heater.  The only thing I read is that Sundance's limited warranty will be void if they determine that the spa has been neglected or abused, including the failure to maintain proper water chemistry.  That sounds like a conditional warranty to me !!!  If they use a "Titanium heater that is impervious to corrosion", why is there a conditional warranty??

And rolling out sprayed on fiberglass by hand to make sure the shell is solid with no air pockets is NOT good for quality control??  I think Emerald's shell warranty speaks for itself.

Shall I go on?

[bulmer4nc]

If you asked 100 people what the top 5 hot tub manufacturers are... how many would include Sundance in that list and how many would include Emerald?