All these filters do pretty much exactly the same thing, and none stand out as being far superior to the rest.
As long as you stick to a good brand, “a filter is a filter” – the differences are negligible, and many hot tub brands share the same filter manufacturer. Four filters won’t make your hot tub 4x cleaner – more filters only mean more hassle and more expenses. Filters with a larger surface do the same job as a smaller filter. The only difference is that if you have a tiny filter, you may have to clean it more often.
What matters more than brand or size, is how well the water is circulated (see 4-D: Engineering). Some hot tub models suck more gallons per minute through the filter chamber than others. Some brands are specifically designed to churn the water in such a way that it swirls and mixes things up better than others, minimizing dead zones on the hot tub floor. bottom where water and debris escape the intake/outflow current.
The surface skimmers are supposed to sip the “floaties” (dandruff, hair, body oil, etc.) from the water surface, into the filter chamber. A poorly designed tub has contours and water currents that create back-eddies that trap the floaties in the corners and seat contours, and can cause a “ring around the tub”. instead of being slurped into the filter. Well-planned water flow intentionally creates a current that sweeps the surface floaties into the surface skimmers to be slurped into the filter.
A good brand will pay attention to how the water flows, both at the surface and underneath, and will engineer the arterial systems in such a way that it cleans the water better. So, although good filtration is important as explained above, the cartridge style hardly matters.
Hot Tubs Galore
19238 96 Avenue, Unit 111
Surrey, BC V4N 4C1
Behind the Tim Hortons