Usually my family does not buy "top of the line" and when we went looking in May and June for hot tubs, we looked at a lot of companies and products (Twin Cities area). I thought we were looking for a relatively small-medium product for 4 sitters, but as we looked we began to see the differences between the brands and each product began to look more unique. We didn't ever look at a Nordic, sorry to say.

I really wanted one with a lot of foot massage features, which some models lack entirely. When we did "wet tests" I began to realize that a lot of the brands had built-in seats that were quite low for me, an older woman whose body is shrinking in height. We also found that the "lounge" feature was a mixed blessing from the massage point of view for some models, that some lounges were so bed-like that you simply floated upward, and that the lounges were often positioned in a place that did not allow us to make good use of the view of the yard. Hubby and I did a lot of talking and studied the diagrams that showed where the deep seats were (not good for me) and the access panel, steps, etc. We had to rule out some models simply because of the layout.

Meanwhile, Hubby had begun to look at repair rates, energy efficiency, long-term satisfaction. He decided he wanted to consider the Bullfrog brand. This product is different from the others in that it doesn't have miles of pipes inside of the body because the piping is primarily built into the "jet packs" which can be moved between the seats. I was pleased that we could couple my fave jet combos with the short seats. Although there appears to be less foot massage and molded lumps for the feet to rub on, at least there is some foot action. I've agreed that the Bullfrog looks to be a good product.

We recently put in our order and will be installing it in about a month. Sure hope we like it. It will cost much more up front than we had budgeted but we think it will be cheaper in the long run and it's bigger than we thought we would be buying.

By the way look into your local code requirements before you blow your whole budget on the hot tub itself. Plan for materials costs for the patio or deck, plus electrical box and wiring, plus...this was a surprise for us...we have a local code that is worried that spilled water will conduct electricity over the patio concrete, so we have to build a 3' deck skirt around all exposed sides.

Some of the vendors have a "second installation" clause in their contracts that will allow you to have them come to move the tub to a different place in the same yard without charge. Sounds good to us...we might need this in future.

Have fun stormin' the castle!