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old bones

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  1. In searching the web, saw a No Cal local OEM, Turbo Spa and put in the wrong spelling for them and got Premium Leisure out of Florida. Anybody have experience with either? Just curious. Thanks OB
  2. Hey Dawill, Chad has been more than helpful with any questions I've thrown at him, but like you, I don't want to buy something I can't see or sit in. I took the advice of others on this forum and went and wet tested 5 tubs this week and glad I did. What looked very inviting on paper turned out to be horrible to sit in. And these were high end spas. Of all, I liked Sundance the best. The Strong Esprit is very close to the Sundance Dover, but after sitting lots of "loungers" and regulars seats, I found that they are NOT all created equal. Some actually pushed you up and out of the seat and lounger and you won't know that unless you wet test. Chad, if you could get Costco to let you guys do a "road show" and let us all know when and where, it would probably yield Strong alot of sales. See if you can talk management into it, or add some dealers, especially in the West Coast! Thanks Old Bones
  3. Hey Spa Guy We wet tested their larger spa because the Triad was dry. Did NOT like the lounger or seats in the larger D1. Kept pushing us up and out of the seat even with jets on low. Not good. Wet tested Maax and Cooperage and then Sundance. Really liked the Sundance spas and thinking of getting the Dover. Liked the way the jets hit the back and neck more than the Capri model. Got a price of $6500 before taxes so checking to see if that's a good deal or not. Would liked to have checked out other OEM's but not that many spa dealers in the San Jose, Ca market. Sundance person was also extremely knowledgeable and nice. They have a lot of the same features as the D1 and same warranty. I'll let you know. Thanks OB
  4. I'm glad everything is proceeding as planned. I was in sales for 12 years. I understand negotiations, I'm still not sure that I agree with haggling through a retail distribution channel. (then again I do so at Best Buy.) Oh well, sounds like it worked for you. I like your question about the jets. The one place where it's a little awkward in my opinion is the jets that hit my hamstrings. They do protrude a bit. So I personally have those jets closed and unconsiously just move my legs on either side of those jets. I've never noticed it on the back or anywhere else. You'll have to post some pictures when you get the Esprit installed, I don't think we've seen one of those yet. DK117 Hey DK Just went and looked at a D1 Triad. BIG MISTAKE. It would be perfect for the wife and me and I get get the floor model, never used, for $7000. I know it's a great deal but it's also a great deal more than I wanted to spend. We're going to wet test teh Aurora Tuesday and some others at the advice of those on this blog and others. Makes sense to at least dry test if not wet test, and with the Strong (Evo) spas, there are no dealers, at least in my area. That may kill the deal. My partner at work used to sell Hot Springs, and he says the quickest way to sell one is to get the customer in the spa, turn on music and leave them alone. They come out with check in hand. I really like the "hand" jet feature on the Triad for my wife's arthritis. Don't know of any other hot tub that has that. Not sure if the "sequencer" is worth it but it comes standard on it. I'll let you know, and thanks for continuing the thread. OB
  5. Need another input, and that is the "lounger". A lot of people say to stay away from the lounger and just get "seats". Why is that? It sure looks like it would be theraputic and relaxing. Any opinions? Thanks OB
  6. Just curious if anyone has ever purchased a spa on Ebay or known of anyone who has. When it's too good to be true, it usually is, and some of those "made in USA" tubs look too good to be true. After reading about "UK hot tubs" on here and the people that got ripped off, just wondering if those ebay sellers are doing the same. Thanks Old Bones
  7. I think we've got a pretty good thread going here. I'm certainly looking forward to additional responses. But let's see what we can do for Old Bones. Certainly the most important part of his search is his budget. I know I didn't do enough research about a year ago, though I'm happy with my purchase. I'm pretty sure $4K budget eliminates the well regarded brands on this forum, Hot Springs, D1, Jacuzzi. Unless he goes used. If you said $6K plus I think the story would be much different. Also to consider, do you have a slab and electrical? My experience is with Costco so I'll just put this out there, the price for Costco, add tax, movers ($300 in my case) electrical and a slab. The price of the tub isn't the total budget, not even close. So even with a $4k budget for the tub, I think we need to be honest here and say the options are limited. DK117 Hey DK, I have a slab and electrical so that's done. Again, the Evo Esprit on Costco at $3999 including shipping looks like the ticket. I'm writing them to see if they'll come down to the OC price range since there's enough similarity between the two. Who knows, they might. I'll let you know. And I asked if they'll have any special deals with Costco coming up as well. I like some of the attributes of the OC (full foam, 6hp motor and such) but Evo just looks like all around better build. Any inputs? thanks again, OB Are we talking about the Costo deal of the day? OC Hot Tubs 36 Jet - 3 person lounger spa? $2999.99? I just don't see how that compares to the Mediterranean ... why Esprit? The extra grand will go a long way. I have zero experience with OC. I've gotta say, price was my number one factor. But it wasn't the ONLY factor. I don't think it's fair to ask Strong to attempt to reprice Costo's offerings to meet your needs. It's pretty black and white at this point. Regardless of what others might say, you're choice is down to OC and Strong. Budget is a huge factor. I'd look at Strong, but I totally understand that even a grand is a major issue in today's economy. DK117 Hi DK OC is actually Cal Spa, and after reading all the negatives about them, I'm definitely shying away from them. Got a quote from Clearwater and although looks like they make a great spa, price was $6k delivered. I've been in sales all my life and my customers always want to negotiate especially if my competition is selling something very similar (apples and apples) for less. In this case I did ask Strong what they could do and let's just say the answer was very favorable for me, so I will be ordering the Esprit from Evolution (Strong). I wish I could get two motors instead of one, but no complaints for my price range. Now, this is going to seem like a really dumb question, but for a "newbie", I need to ask. The jets protrude out from the acrylic but do they rub on your back, legs or any part of your body to the point where there is discomfort if they are not in use? Hey, this is my first one, so be kind. LOL Thanks OB
  8. I think we've got a pretty good thread going here. I'm certainly looking forward to additional responses. But let's see what we can do for Old Bones. Certainly the most important part of his search is his budget. I know I didn't do enough research about a year ago, though I'm happy with my purchase. I'm pretty sure $4K budget eliminates the well regarded brands on this forum, Hot Springs, D1, Jacuzzi. Unless he goes used. If you said $6K plus I think the story would be much different. Also to consider, do you have a slab and electrical? My experience is with Costco so I'll just put this out there, the price for Costco, add tax, movers ($300 in my case) electrical and a slab. The price of the tub isn't the total budget, not even close. So even with a $4k budget for the tub, I think we need to be honest here and say the options are limited. DK117 Hey DK, I have a slab and electrical so that's done. Again, the Evo Esprit on Costco at $3999 including shipping looks like the ticket. I'm writing them to see if they'll come down to the OC price range since there's enough similarity between the two. Who knows, they might. I'll let you know. And I asked if they'll have any special deals with Costco coming up as well. I like some of the attributes of the OC (full foam, 6hp motor and such) but Evo just looks like all around better build. Any inputs? thanks again, OB
  9. I'm not a big fan of Costco spas (their history has not been good) but the return policy obviously is the selling point and they're obviously better than your original Ebay idea. I'm also not a fan of Cal but the funny thing is in this case I'd buy the Cal through Costco before I'd buy through their dealers because Cal isn't known for taking care of their customers but in this case Costco insulates you. I'd look at what other spa makers have to offer as well as Costco because while they all have top of teh line spas most of the top spa makers also cater much more nowadays to the person who just can't/doesn't want to spend $8k. Yah, I've emailed D1, Clearwater and Strong to see if they'll come down on pricing at all. The Strong spa on Costco looks great but I figure if Cal (OC) can sell bascially the same spa for a grand less, so can Strong. I'm in sales and sometimes you just have to cut profit and make the sale to keep production going. I've always said 15% of something is better than 30% of nothing. I'll let you know what happens.
  10. This is a mistake a lot of people make, its totally untrue. Length of warranty is typically NOT a reflection on manufacturer confidence of product or quality of parts. Warranties are not free, they are included in (factored into) the price. One reason a spa may have a shorter warranty versus another from the same maker is to keep the price down. For instance, you'll see Jacuzzi, Hot Spring, Sundance have longer warranties on their top of the line models versus their mid-line models but it's because you're paying for the longer warranty on the top of the line models. When you see their entry line models with even less warranty its to make the price more affordable. Warranties have a direct cost to the manufacturer and those that truly honor their warranties have to account for that in their pricing. You see these e-bay spas with long warranties because they aren't going to honor them anyway so they can say whatever they want. They avoid making it too ridiculous (like saying 25 years) because you'll smell a rat if they do that so they make them equivalent to premium spa makers warranties (like the 10-5-5 in this thread) rather than 1 or 2 years which is fairly common for entry priced spas because its all the same in the end to them when they ignore your requests anyway. Hey Spatech, That sounds reasonable. Do they offer extended warranties? Probably I would guess. One advantage Costco though, it breaks, just take it back and get a refund. Did that with my grandson's 3 year old Thomas Train that you ride on. Battery wouldn't take a charge so took it back and got all my money back. Can't beat that. Odds are that won't happen with the spa since I guess most leaks and electronic issues will happen within the warranty period. Thanks again for the input, though. Looks like either a Strong (Evolution) or OC spa, 3 seater. Really like the Clearwater XS76R, but probably going to be out of my price range. Waiting for a quote. Oldbones
  11. LOL, more like the Yugo of spas. They know how to make it sound like the spas are good but buying a hot tub on e-bay is like playing Russian Roulette with 5 bullets in the chamber. They're typically very cheaply made (often from China, anywhere from poor to terrible quality) and that warranty is totally meaningless (unless that 10-5-5 is in days and then I might believe it, maybe). You'll probably just be ignored when the issues start and you try to call them for help and you can't exactly visit them to complain. Very bad idea IMO and if you search this site fore-bay buyers you'll see others who've regretted that they fell in love with the price tag (you can't compare these to well made spas) and talked themselves into thinking they were getting a decent product for a good price. If it seems too good to be true... Hey Spatech, Just saw what looks like a great deal at Costco on an OC (Cal spa?) 3 person tub. $3000 delivered. 36 jets, one 6hp pump, ozonator. I don't hear alot of nice things about Cal Spa so any input on your end? Warranty fair but not great.
  12. LOL, more like the Yugo of spas. They know how to make it sound like the spas are good but buying a hot tub on e-bay is like playing Russian Roulette with 5 bullets in the chamber. They're typically very cheaply made (often from China, anywhere from poor to terrible quality) and that warranty is totally meaningless (unless that 10-5-5 is in days and then I might believe it, maybe). You'll probably just be ignored when the issues start and you try to call them for help and you can't exactly visit them to complain. Very bad idea IMO and if you search this site fore-bay buyers you'll see others who've regretted that they fell in love with the price tag (you can't compare these to well made spas) and talked themselves into thinking they were getting a decent product for a good price. If it seems too good to be true... FYI, on Ebay you'll find "Spaguyspas" and "arthog" as the call names for these spa dealers. Supposedly made in USA by "Major" manufacturer. Check them out. Arthog's spas are only listed for 1 day, then he loads them up again. His listing takes about 20 minutes to read. Tons of info that makes it sound like the best spa in the world. Feedback is 100% of course and all his buyers rave about him. Just wanted to get your take once you looked at the listing. Again, thanks for the help. Looked at a Clearwater X76R that is exactly what I'm looking for. No local dealer so had to write for a quote. Why is it that alot of these companies either don't put warranty info on the site or make it so hard to find? Wierd.
  13. LOL, more like the Yugo of spas. They know how to make it sound like the spas are good but buying a hot tub on e-bay is like playing Russian Roulette with 5 bullets in the chamber. They're typically very cheaply made (often from China, anywhere from poor to terrible quality) and that warranty is totally meaningless (unless that 10-5-5 is in days and then I might believe it, maybe). You'll probably just be ignored when the issues start and you try to call them for help and you can't exactly visit them to complain. Very bad idea IMO and if you search this site fore-bay buyers you'll see others who've regretted that they fell in love with the price tag (you can't compare these to well made spas) and talked themselves into thinking they were getting a decent product for a good price. If it seems too good to be true... I totally agree with Spatech. I'd add that Strong is made domestically and you always have the Costco return policy. To me that mitigates the eBAY effect. DK117 Let's see if this comment can just be accepted for face value vs starting another Costco bashing thread. Please do read up on those and form your own opinion. Thanks for the advice, and I buy a lot at Costco, once I've shopped around. Costco is a great place but they do get last years models quite often, or models that don't sell well that the manufacturer wants to offload. But still a great place to save. So, thanks for the heads up on ebay. I buy and sell a lot of stuff (electronics, golf clubs etc) but they're small ticket items. Even the feedback from these spa sellers reads like they're the best people on earth to deal with. Warranties tell me a lot about manufacturers too. If there's only a 1 or 2 year on parts, with no labor, that says they don't have much confidence in the materials they've used. 5 years says they do. I'll stop looking on ebay and check my local dealers ( I live in the San Jose, Ca. area). What do you think about dealers with refurbished spas? I don't have deep pockets and have about a $4k budget. Again, thanks to all who have replied. Really appreciate it.
  14. My wife and I are getting to the point where we need a hot tub for arthritis relief and I've been researching ad nauseum. It's just the two of us so a nice 5x7 2-3 person spa would be ideal, but want one with 30-40 jets to get all the needed areas. There's one on Ebay that sounds great with 10-5-5 warranty but the guy won't tell you the manufacturer until you buy. Made in So Cal but that's it. Reads like the Mercedes of spas. Looked at Strong and Durasport and Stonewood as well as others. Anyone have any recommendations or know anything about the above mentioned companies? Would appreciate any help.
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