Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: CCC on January 11, 2016, 01:39:53 am
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Let me preface this by saying that the brands I am limited to due to dealer proximity and service are:
Hot Springs, Jaccuzzi, Marquis, Bullfrog and the local dealer who sells Maax/L.A. Spas.
I am 6'4" and I have a pretty long torso.
I was on the road to buying a Grandee but couldn't wet test one. I have since suffered a broken ankle and have been laid up so everything is on hold. I'd like to have one ready to go for my recovery, and obviously and in no condition to be driving 90 minutes and going wet testing. As soon as the Hot Springs dealer saw me he said I would fit best in a Pulse or a Grandee. I like the highlife series and got to try an Vanguard, which was very nice.
How would any Marquis, Bullfrog or Jacuzzi fit a tall and torso-y guy like me?
Also, I notice that not a lot of attention goes into the leg/foot jets in most of the higher end models I am looking at. I wet-tested a Marquis (Wish) and the foot jet was awesome but the leg jets on the lounger weren't that great. I have a lot of trouble with my calves and with achilles tendonitis. Would there be any models I am not seeing that pay especially good attention to the lower body, or do most people just move their legs to the back jets to get relief there? I've never owned a tub before so forgive me for asking such seemingly simple questions. The Grandee looks nice and BIG and I liked the moto-massage, but there are only two foot jets in that monster. The foot jets in the Vanguard (same as the Grandee?) didn't seem very impressive but perhaps I wasn't using the diverters or pump switches correctly.
Thanks for the information! This forum has been very helpful thus far.
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Are you married, or will be using the tub with someone else regularly? Don't forget them! What may work great for you may be a problem for another.
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Which ankle did you break? Right or left?
If left, seriously look at the Hot Spring Aria. I broke my left ankle a few years ago and the foot jets hit it perfectly from the middle seat. It provides amazing relief when I'm in the tub. Also, the corner seat (which I've dubbed the king chair!) would be very comfortable for a tall person. I'm very happy with the tub...
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I am married but my wife has told me to get whatever works for me best. She is normal sized... lol, so she figures that my tallness factor should be the most important consideration (bless her!). If I narrowed it down to a couple I would certainly solicit her feedback.
As to the Aria, I saw one of those but it looked pretty small overall. Interesting observation about the foot jets. It is indeed my left ankle. The guy at the Hot Spring store seemed pretty convinced that I was too big for that one. But I only sat in it dry and my recollection is vague. Looking at it now both it and the Envoy look like really nice configurations for just two people. If only I weren't so damn tall! (and long torso'd!)
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I have the marquis resort and the leg jets in the Adirondack chair are very good but I think you would probably fit better in the epic
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I am married but my wife has told me to get whatever works for me best. She is normal sized... lol, so she figures that my tallness factor should be the most important consideration (bless her!). If I narrowed it down to a couple I would certainly solicit her feedback.
As to the Aria, I saw one of those but it looked pretty small overall. Interesting observation about the foot jets. It is indeed my left ankle. The guy at the Hot Spring store seemed pretty convinced that I was too big for that one. But I only sat in it dry and my recollection is vague. Looking at it now both it and the Envoy look like really nice configurations for just two people. If only I weren't so damn tall! (and long torso'd!)
Go check out the Aria again.... I looked at every brand and this was by far the best option for me with my reconstructed left ankle. Granted, I'm only 5'10 but I'm a big boy and was very particular about seat comfort (I hate most molded seat options that trap you in one position). The strong jets hitting my ankle at a relaxed angle put this tub over the top for me. Even at your height, I think that corner seat could be perfect. There is plenty of room to stretch out across the tub (especially if your wife is in the lounger). It is a perfect size for 2 people. 4 would feel very cramped. One other benefit about this tub that most people overlook is that you can sit either way on the lounger. The calf and foot jets easily become thigh and lower back jet when you face the other way. I'm not sure how that would work for you with your height though. I couldn't imagine you not being comfortable in the corner seat! Good luck!!
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When you get back on your feet, I would give the Epic a wet test. We typically have it filled up in the Beaverton location. Just call to make sure in advance.
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When your tall you really need to wet test as many as possible and dry test a bunch to. Most of those your looking at are quality brands.
I would avoid Maxx and don't know a lot about LA spas. Marquis, Jaccuzzi and HS are top notch. Don't fall for the hype of BF but a bunch of folks like them so they deserve a spin also.
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"Dry" testing, the Grandee looks like the water line would be the highest. Perhaps I shouldn't make that the end all/be all of my decision but it seems important. I wet tested a Vanguard and it felt like a really nice high quality product. The Marquis I tested was also nice but it was a smaller model and felt cramped. I loved the foot jet in it, though. The local Bullfrog dealer seems sub-par and they have almost nothing going on for lower body jets, but if they could manage to get a tub full that didn't smell moldy I'd give it a whirl (no pun intended!). I haven't seen the Maxx yet, and they recently bough L.A. Spas, but even though the dealer seems really nice I wasn't impressed with the quality and they didn't seem much less expensive then the premium brands.
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Do yourself a favor and check out the Bullfrog A8 or R8. Little history, I lost a sale to HS about 10 years ago to this guy that's 6'7". He bought a Grandee over a Jacuzzi and had nothing but trouble with it over the years. The current BF was not available at that time. I am not dissing Hot Springs, it's what fit him the best at that time do to his height. He stuck out of the Jacuzzi like a sore thumb! He is a local business owner and money is not an object, and so he went with it. Fast forward to today, he built a new house this year and left the HS behind with it's woes. He and his wife came in today and wet tested a Bullfrog A8 he fit well in it and so did his 5'6 wife. They may even go down to the R7 which he fit in fine as well. They do not need the size of the A8, kids are gone and it's just he and the wife. Give it a shot and see what you think. Hopefully the dealer can get his tub not to smell moldy. I have no horse in this race, but you should try the Bullfrog out and see what you think.
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Do yourself a favor and check out the Bullfrog A8 or R8. Little history, I lost a sale to HS about 10 years ago to this guy that's 6'7". He bought a Grandee over a Jacuzzi and had nothing but trouble with it over the years. The current BF was not available at that time. I am not dissing Hot Springs, it's what fit him the best at that time do to his height. He stuck out of the Jacuzzi like a sore thumb! He is a local business owner and money is not an object, and so he went with it. Fast forward to today, he built a new house this year and left the HS behind with it's woes. He and his wife came in today and wet tested a Bullfrog A8 he fit well in it and so did his 5'6 wife. They may even go down to the R7 which he fit in fine as well. They do not need the size of the A8, kids are gone and it's just he and the wife. Give it a shot and see what you think. Hopefully the dealer can get his tub not to smell moldy. I have no horse in this race, but you should try the Bullfrog out and see what you think.
Jim is correct, typically at your height I would always recommend a 38" deep spa (A8, R8, X8 from Bullfrog) but even with the deeper corner seats and the footwell layout I would def. try and sit in a A7/R7/X7 because you just might fit, I sold one at the state fair to someone who who like 6'5" and he was completely happy with how he sat in it. Bullfrog builds a unique spa, I would def. give one a test, if you want the "sales pitch" before visiting the showroom you can check out their video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SjHrqYZSYY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SjHrqYZSYY)
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"Dry" testing, the Grandee looks like the water line would be the highest. Perhaps I shouldn't make that the end all/be all of my decision but it seems important. I wet tested a Vanguard and it felt like a really nice high quality product. The Marquis I tested was also nice but it was a smaller model and felt cramped. I loved the foot jet in it, though. The local Bullfrog dealer seems sub-par and they have almost nothing going on for lower body jets, but if they could manage to get a tub full that didn't smell moldy I'd give it a whirl (no pun intended!). I haven't seen the Maxx yet, and they recently bough L.A. Spas, but even though the dealer seems really nice I wasn't impressed with the quality and they didn't seem much less expensive then the premium brands.
You'll find proponents of Hot Spring, Jacuzzi, Marquis and Bullfrog here for the simple reason that they all make a good spa so consider them all even going in and then find the one that fits/feels best to you as well as a dealer you think is capable and will be there for you both before and after the sale. Dry testing is a good start but follow it up with a wet test and at 6'4" I would definitely stick with a 38" spa, maybe 36" but ONLY if a wet test proved it fit well but at your height I'd be skeptical.
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The overall height of the spa doesn't necessarily tell you it's going to be deeper than another spa with similar or less height. For example, the 38" tall Grandee has plumbing underneath the footwell for the drain, so that spa is going to have at least 1-2" less water depth than a spa that doesn't run plumbing underneath the footwell (for instance the Epic).
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The overall height of the spa doesn't necessarily tell you it's going to be deeper than another spa with similar or less height. For example, the 38" tall Grandee has plumbing underneath the footwell for the drain, so that spa is going to have at least 1-2" less water depth than a spa that doesn't run plumbing underneath the footwell (for instance the Epic).
Certainly it comes down to what space is within the inside of the actual vessel not simply what the outside measurements are but all anyone would have to do is measure from bar top to bottom of foot well to compare spas (and you can measure bar top to seat and seat to foot well separately so you know what you have for torso and for legs if your body proportion is not typical). The shopper in this case being 6'4" might consider taking a couple simple measurements for comparison sake beyond the recommended dry/wet testing.
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My customer at 6'7 maybe 6'6 sat in the 38" Jacuzzi and he stuck out of the water in the deepest back corner seat, the 36 J-345 was about the same. In the 38" A8 or the 36" R7 Bullfrog he didn't. It really has to do with how high or how low seat height is in any spa. Dry test/wet test is a must.
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I appreciate the insight. There are a lot of Bullfrog fans on here. With Jim's observation about Jacuzzi, I can cross that one off my list. The Marquis I tried was a Wish. Is the Epic any deeper? Bummer for me is that I cannot drive and am not going to be able to try anymore for awhile. I was hoping to have one up and running so I can use it to rehab my injury. So Jim, that customer with the Grandee that had problems, was this typical of that particular product or was his bad experience an anomaly? As you know, you can find unhappy customers of any brand so it's hard to sort out.
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He really didn't go into details, he just had quite a few problems with it. He mentioned a couple of topsids for one, and I believe a pump or two if I remember right and some other small stuff in 10 years. But that can be all it takes in not buying another. HS builds a nice spa for sure and any brand can have problems. It's how the dealer takes care of it which can make a world of difference. Also it's after the warranty that things can get expensive. Not sure you should axe out Jacuzzi until you sit in one. Every "body" is different.
As far as Bullfrog not everyone here likes them. Least I know of one. :wink: Tman. But they are really taking hold as a top quality spa in the last 2 years. They were hardly ever mentioned around here say 3 years ago. We let Jacuzzi and they let us go after 14 years of selling a few thousand+ of their spas. Heck they won't even let us order parts or a filter from them anymore. They are kind of butt-hurt as Bullfrog really hit a sore spot with them as well as Sundance. Pick what fits you but I would give Bullfrog a decent shot.
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Dry testing a spa is like test driving a car...without starting the engine.
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Dry testing a spa is like test driving a car...without starting the engine.
For how many people that buy a spa without wet testing though, there has got be a lot of cars out there without engines. But yes I agree with you!
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From what I can gather, the VAST majority of people don't wet test, right? The only dealer that I visited that didn't make wet testing seem like a pain in the ass was the Marquis factory store. They would cheerfully fill any tub I wanted if I was serious. The Hot Springs dealer (seems like a bigger operation to me, Oregon Hot Tub) cannot fill a Grandee for me. I don't understand why you wouldn't want your flagship product to be shown in all of its glory. They were happy to let me test the Vanguard that they had filled. I guess that's supposed to give you a good enough approximation. If I went to a Ford dealer and wanted to try out a Focus and they said "the only demo we have is a Fiesta but that should be close enough", I would think that would be ridiculous. The Jacuzzi dealer is the same company as Hot Spring, but just calling them on the phone turned me off with the high pressure buy it now attitude, and they were badmouthing the Hot Spring, and the Hot Spring guy was bashing the Jacuzzi, and they're the same company! Way back many years ago I sold cars for awhile. This hot tub business is just as bad if not worse than anything I saw in the car business 20 years ago. Makes me want to say f-- it and just buy one from Costco, but I know better.
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From what I can gather, the VAST majority of people don't wet test, right? The only dealer that I visited that didn't make wet testing seem like a pain in the ass was the Marquis factory store. They would cheerfully fill any tub I wanted if I was serious. The Hot Springs dealer (seems like a bigger operation to me, Oregon Hot Tub) cannot fill a Grandee for me. I don't understand why you wouldn't want your flagship product to be shown in all of its glory. They were happy to let me test the Vanguard that they had filled. I guess that's supposed to give you a good enough approximation. If I went to a Ford dealer and wanted to try out a Focus and they said "the only demo we have is a Fiesta but that should be close enough", I would think that would be ridiculous. The Jacuzzi dealer is the same company as Hot Spring, but just calling them on the phone turned me off with the high pressure buy it now attitude, and they were badmouthing the Hot Spring, and the Hot Spring guy was bashing the Jacuzzi, and they're the same company! Way back many years ago I sold cars for awhile. This hot tub business is just as bad if not worse than anything I saw in the car business 20 years ago. Makes me want to say f-- it and just buy one from Costco, but I know better.
Walk right up to the sales person and tell them NOT to tell you whats wrong with the other guy but whats right with your product.
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The Jacuzzi dealer is the same company as Hot Spring, but just calling them on the phone turned me off with the high pressure buy it now attitude, and they were badmouthing the Hot Spring, and the Hot Spring guy was bashing the Jacuzzi, and they're the same company!
Interesting isn't it? reviews like yours make me very happy to go to the showroom my local store where he has several models of four companies and seems pretty darn honest about them for a sales person.
Hot springs has the little nozzles on the jets so they seem to feel a little stronger but Jacuzzi's foot basin is a different... Order to deliver time is a 3 weeks +on all hot springs but some jacuzzis are sooner... that sort of thing.
I try to keep in mind the motivation of a sales person that has a hard sell. MONEY, MONEY, and MONEY. Maybe you could ask the sales person to direct you to the person with the most 'repeat' sales. Hopefully they see your purchase as an investment and when you come back to upgrade in a few years, you'll come see them. Might be worth a shot.
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I appreciate the insight. There are a lot of Bullfrog fans on here. With Jim's observation about Jacuzzi, I can cross that one off my list. The Marquis I tried was a Wish. Is the Epic any deeper? Bummer for me is that I cannot drive and am not going to be able to try anymore for awhile. I was hoping to have one up and running so I can use it to rehab my injury. So Jim, that customer with the Grandee that had problems, was this typical of that particular product or was his bad experience an anomaly? As you know, you can find unhappy customers of any brand so it's hard to sort out.
Jim is a certainly a great source of insight and information but I'm not sure I'd summarily cross Jacuzzi off my list altogether, you may find different results. I also wouldn't cross an option off my list because of a report that someone had a problem with a certain model, these main brands build thousands of spas and any brand/model you mention someone with enough experience can give you a true story of a customer having issue with that particular one. As far as the Wish/Epic depth goes all you have to do is go to the manufacturer website and it'll list spa height for each model (they are both listed as 35" BTW) but again its the inside that matters though being from the same brand they're probably similar in that manner but just ask to sit in the one you're wondering.
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If it's not filled you can get an idea where the water will end up by sitting next to the water line and using that as a reference.
And 2 guys standing 6'5 will likely find 2 different tubs that feel good to them.
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Muddytyres: Yes, it would be nice to have a one-stop-shop.
Looking at the Jacuzzi J-480 online it says it has a 39-44 inch depth? It looks like a nice unit. Haven't seen any of those in person yet.
Anyone have any thoughts about whether lower body jets are worth worrying about too much? They seem like an afterthought on most. The Bullfrog, especially, seems to have nothing going on in that department.
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I wouldn't base my decision on which hot tub is going to sooth your broken foot. Your foot is going to be better in 6 months or so, right? Base your decision on overall comfort in the tub. I have a Jacuzzi J375 and our family loves it. The recliner seat has jets that hit your calves and feet, and to me they are about useless. I do love relaxing in that seat though, very comfortable. If I want a good blast of jets in one seat, just turn the diverter valve to that seat only.
It's -2 degrees out tonight, and my oldest son went in the tub. There's something about cold air and hot water. Love it.
Our second choice was a Marquis Epic. Loved the layout.
We bought ours used (about 6 months old I think) for half price. .
It will be 2 years this coming April, I believe, since we got ours. For some people, hot tubbing gets old. Not happening in my house! Get one, and you'll wonder why you waited so long.
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The Marquis Wish is definitely more of a cramped layout that would suit a smaller person better. The Epic seats are deeper and the spa is bigger and roomier on the interior.
The Jacuzzis have a raised lip on one side of some of their models, that's why it will say 39-44". Just keep in mind there is a cover that goes on top of that lip which will add 4-5", so you're going to have a 4 ft tall tub in your yard. We get some customers complaining about our 35" tubs being too tall, so that tub will he nearly 1 foot taller on one side, just keep that in mind.
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I was sitting in my tub all alone last night since it was 2F, but I thought about this thread. One thing a tall person can do in many tubs is sit on the floor and use the foot jets as back jets. That is hard to do with others in the tub.
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I'm sorta in the same boat so to speak. We've looked at so many tubs it's mind boggling. I'm 6'1" and wear pants with a 30" inseam so my upper body is pretty dang long. I wet tested 3 tubs last Fall, the biggest Dreammaker(decent looking tub, very short and very low on jet power), next was a Jacuzzi but can't remember which model, shoulders still weren't underwater and I thought it was a tad underpowered and last was a Bullfrog I think it was an A6L, it was deep enough and I thought the jet power was a bit better than the rest but can't stand the dealer, high pressure, makes you feel bad if you walk out without buying something, been in there about 4 times only because they carry 6 brands. Right now we're leaning real hard towards a Nordic Warrior XL or Crown XL. I like the whirlpool action and the depth. Dealer says he'll be glad to fill one and let us wet test it. Trying to stay under $6K and we can do that with the Nordic's. This dealer, just south of Charlotte, has been selling Nordic for 19 years and been in the business for I believe he said for 30 years. He's been the lowest pressure sales person we've dealt with yet. He also sells Sundance. They service what they sell and they rebuild tubs to sell. The only really close dealer we have will not even service what they sell.
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I'm sorta in the same boat so to speak. We've looked at so many tubs it's mind boggling. I'm 6'1" and wear pants with a 30" inseam so my upper body is pretty dang long. I wet tested 3 tubs last Fall, the biggest Dreammaker(decent looking tub, very short and very low on jet power), next was a Jacuzzi but can't remember which model, shoulders still weren't underwater and I thought it was a tad underpowered and last was a Bullfrog I think it was an A6L, it was deep enough and I thought the jet power was a bit better than the rest but can't stand the dealer, high pressure, makes you feel bad if you walk out without buying something, been in there about 4 times only because they carry 6 brands. Right now we're leaning real hard towards a Nordic Warrior XL or Crown XL. I like the whirlpool action and the depth. Dealer says he'll be glad to fill one and let us wet test it. Trying to stay under $6K and we can do that with the Nordic's. This dealer, just south of Charlotte, has been selling Nordic for 19 years and been in the business for I believe he said for 30 years. He's been the lowest pressure sales person we've dealt with yet. He also sells Sundance. They service what they sell and they rebuild tubs to sell. The only really close dealer we have will not even service what they sell.
I sold Nordic for a couple years and they are not a bad spa for the money, no question I'd buy a Crown XL over any of similarly priced roto-molded spas on the market, its got a 2.5hp pump, nice and deep, cool down seat/entry step, and any of the parts on a Nordic are easily available after the warranty period and if you are "handy" at all they are super easy to work on imo.
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I'm sorta in the same boat so to speak. We've looked at so many tubs it's mind boggling. I'm 6'1" and wear pants with a 30" inseam so my upper body is pretty dang long.
Wow, I am 6'2" and my inseam is 36"
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I'm sorta in the same boat so to speak. We've looked at so many tubs it's mind boggling. I'm 6'1" and wear pants with a 30" inseam so my upper body is pretty dang long.
Wow, I am 6'2" and my inseam is 36"
We sure do come in lots of shapes and sizes!!
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Indeed! I'm 6'4" with a 34" inseam. One size doesn't fit all.
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From what I can gather, the VAST majority of people don't wet test, right? The only dealer that I visited that didn't make wet testing seem like a pain in the ass was the Marquis factory store. They would cheerfully fill any tub I wanted if I was serious. The Hot Springs dealer (seems like a bigger operation to me, Oregon Hot Tub) cannot fill a Grandee for me. I don't understand why you wouldn't want your flagship product to be shown in all of its glory. They were happy to let me test the Vanguard that they had filled. I guess that's supposed to give you a good enough approximation. If I went to a Ford dealer and wanted to try out a Focus and they said "the only demo we have is a Fiesta but that should be close enough", I would think that would be ridiculous. The Jacuzzi dealer is the same company as Hot Spring, but just calling them on the phone turned me off with the high pressure buy it now attitude, and they were badmouthing the Hot Spring, and the Hot Spring guy was bashing the Jacuzzi, and they're the same company! Way back many years ago I sold cars for awhile. This hot tub business is just as bad if not worse than anything I saw in the car business 20 years ago. Makes me want to say f-- it and just buy one from Costco, but I know better.
:-[ I'm so sorry you had a bad experience with our sales team at Oregon Hot Tub and Jacuzzi Portland! You are NOT a pain in the ass - I promise. Any time you'd like to wet test, we'll get you in any one of our models. Please shoot us an email and we'll make this right. info@oregonhottub.com
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Deleted this post.