UK Arctic Dealer

Hi there, my advice would be that if you have narrowed it down to these two tubs then maybe a wet test of both tubs should be the decider. If as you say both dealers are good then you shouldnt have any problems with either. One dealer may be more knowledgeable than the other (after 17 years you would expect this) but as long as you feel comfortable with them both you should go with your favourite tub. Good luck with your search and happy tubbin.

Hi all, i would be grateful if users both in the trade and customers could try out a new 3d build a spa feature please and give me your thoughts. Is it easy to use, do you like it, is it helpful to buyers etc? http://www.arcticspasonline.com/Applets/ Thanks in advance.

Hi Raptorc5, black metallic is my best seller so she is not alone and i am sure it will look great. Can you (and other users) take a look at the new Arctic Spas 3d build a spa tool below and give me your thoughts please as to whether you think its good, easy to use etc? All suggestions would be really appreciated. http://www.arcticspasonline.com/Applets/

Hi Paul, firstly i just want you to know that you got a fantastic deal on your tub because the price for a Kodiak LSE was £12,645 back in 2008 for the tub alone not including delivery, steps coverlifter etc. so you did really well to save over £2500. On the subject of warranty the pillows are covered under warranty so not sure why you had to pay for these. If you message me your details i can look into this for you if you want. Unfortunatley customers do need to pay a call out fee if they want an engineer to come out and carry out repairs away from the workshop or showroom and this is clearly stated in the warranty. I think this is the same throughout the industry it isnt just an Arctic Spas charge. Apart from this I hope you are having a great time with your tub.

Hi Trixie, Freestyle spas where made by Gulf Coast Spas / Tatum Manufacturing before they went out of business. There will be still some tubs out there for sale but my advice would be to run a mile. When they where still in business they where looked at as mid range tubs but with big questions regarding customer support if things went wrong. Hope this helps.

Hi Cyberspa, i am not sure where you are in Belgium but there is an Arctic Spas dealer in Melen, Belgium. Is this within reasonable travelling distance? Arctic Spas are a leading manufacturer of hot tubs and all their tubs are made in Alberta, Canada and they are designed to work efficiently in extremely cold climates. You can follow the link below to view the dealers website: http://www.acquae.be/index.php?option=com_...5&Itemid=60 Hope this helps. ps the Hotsprings dealer is stretching the truth shall we say! There are other well insulated tubs out there that cost 1 euro or less to run a day (Arctic Spas for instance) although some poor quality tubs will indeed cost lots more to run.

Hi Jeffinwhitby, i just wanted to put my opinion into the mix and i would love it to be not biased but i love Arctics, thats why i sell them! I am not saying one tub is better than another i am just going to cover the questions you have asked. 1. Coast Spas: I cant comment on Coast so sorry i cant help with that one. 2. Forever floor: I think the forever floor is a fantastic idea. A watertight, insulated, sealed fibreglass base to your hot tub which prevents insects etc from getting into your tub. It also acts as a base and as such you dont need a concrete pad. We have installed Arctics with Forever floor on grass and this does not invalidate your lifetime shell warranty.As long as it is a level surface thats all you need. It also looks great too adding on average 6" of height to your spa. 3. see above. 4. Sinking your tub: If you sink your Arctic in decking we have access doors all around so as long as their is room for an engineer to crawl under the decking then thats no problem (sorry to engineers reading this). Partially sinking is fine too as long as the access doors can be opened (the opening screw is situated halfway up the door so this would neeed to be accessible). 5. Heatlock: The Heatlock system was developed by the owners of Arctic when they had problems with tubs breaking in freezing conditions in Canada. I think it works great and just for the record I can run a tub at 40 degrees in my showroom with the heater UNPLUGGED. Also it has other obvious benefits like getting inside the cabinet to upgrade the spa, add lights/stereo/jets at a later time or to carry out repairs to leaks that can happen and anyone who says they dont just do a search on here for threads regarding leaks on full foam spas and the problems they have had first locating them and then trying to fix them. Anyway just wanted to give my opinion and good luck with your search.

Chlorine Tabs, non chlorine shock once a week and ph adjustment. Works great for me.

Hi Poolman18, as far as i know Arctic are providing 1 or 2 Apollo models exclusively to Costco. These tubs have been designed solely for Costco at Costco's pricepoint and are not available through dealers. The Apollo dealer line up remains unchanged.

Hi Spa Party, i have been using Aquafinesse myself and am happy with the product. Trying to find the ingredients though is like looking for the holy grail i think it is a guarded secret. Dirty, congrats on your new purchase.

My favourite is black but saying that Moonscape is growing on me!

Black metallic with cedar cabinet does it for me.

Hi ksand, Have a look at the Dreammaker Fantasy. It might be exactly what you are looking for, made by an established US spa maker at a decent price. http://www.dreammakerspas.com/x200.html

Hi JCE, I think if you wet test both tubs you will then find your answer. Both tubs are well made and as long as you like both dealers its got to be down to what feels right when you are sat in it. You will be stuck with your decision for many years so if you can afford either go with what feels the best to you.

Hi Muffley, just been on the Aqua Terra website i havent heard of this company before so cant make much of a comment. It does say on their website they are exclusive to Costco so thats probably why i havent heard of them. It looks to me a similar looking tub to the Strong Spas Antigua but with more jets on the Strong Spa. I have to admit the white plastic looks nice wasnt sure at first from the pictures if it was acrylic. How does the Strong Spa stack up pricewise over in the US, if its a similar price i would say go and have a look at a Strong Spa from a dealer.

Hi Spa Party, You need to remember this is a forum about hot tubs and a spa maker with 25 yrs behind them going into receivership is worthy of a mention. I just want to make clear i have read the court papers in full and i am only quoting from them word for word. The facts are Hydropool has lost $9 million dollars over the last 3 years, defaulted on their bank loans and where threatened with bankruptcy proceedings by the bank at the back end of 2009. They also owed suppliers including Balboa and Waterway hundreds of thousands of dollars each. The bank accepted that they could close down Hydropool and get no money back or let this buy out go ahead and save jobs. I noticed the $3.2million sale price was paid for by "a note". Does this mean no money was actually paid and its an I owe you? Anyway I wish both you and Hydropool all the very best for the future, as i said in my previous post its not nice to see the nice guys close down i just wish more of the bads ones would go bankrupt.

While i hope Hydropool doesnt close down because... it would be horrible for the employees to lose their jobs i dont like seeing any decent tub maker go under ...things do not look fine at all and the news release from Hydropool clearly contradicts the court papers. The court papers clearly state that the company was "insolvent" and was about to be served with a bankruptcy notice by the Bank of Nova Scotia. The Hydropool news release says "The receiver never took possession of the company and operations were not suspended in any manner whatsoever.The plant shutdown before Christmas was a planned normal seasonal shutdown and had nothing to do with the ownership change". However the official courts papers say "The respondent is without funds to continue to operate" and goes on to say "The only available alternative to the sale agreement is a liquidation of the respondant". Regarding the shutdown it goes on to say "In order to conserve liquidity the Company implemented a plant shutdown on December 10,2009". The future doesnt look bright.

I personally use mine 2-3 times a week but i have many customers who still go in every night after a few years of ownership.

I heard about this the other day. Allegedly they have walked away from over $10million of debt and left suppliers, dealers and customers very angry and out of pocket. If this is true how can it be fair for a company to do this and then open it's doors the next day like nothing happened with new owners and no debt? Obviously the fact that this has happened will never be told to new potential Hydropool customers who are looking to buy a new tub, just doesnt seem right to me.

Wet test, wet test , wet test

Hi, I think the main reason is that you may drown! I have always found that i get drunk twice as quick in a tub. I think this is because the hot water increases blood circulation anyone know any other reason please jump in and correct me. I dont think any hot tub manufacturer would ever recomend drinking in a tub but maybe other readers could give their opinion as to whether they do or dont.

Hi Ken, it sounds like this guy is simply selling his own product by bashing the competition. He is picking up on things his tub has and then telling you this is the only way it should be and any tub not like this is bad. I would prefer not to pick his arguement apart point by point because if i did then i would just sound like i was selling my product and this isnt what the board is for. My advice would be to visit different dealers, listen to what they all have to say and then make your own mind up as to what method of construction and what dealer you think is best. Also make sure you wet test anything before you buy it, remember you wouldnt buy a car without a test drive. Happy shopping. Andy

lol @ the Voice I wonder how many other dealers would agree how annoying customers are who spend 3 hours shopping at your store, the whole family wet tests, the kids wreck all your displays and the adults drink all your coffee and then buy from somewhere else but then come to you at the first sign of a problem? Of course the customer always comes first but you have to agree it can be a bit frustrating when it happens.

Trade Price Hot Tubs aka Spa Serve aka Insparations aka First Choice Hot Tubs are well known here in the UK amongst the industry and we have all heard horror stories from their customers. They do not have a showroom, their address stated on their website is a mailbox in an office block in London and they sell tubs advertised as made in the USA that are actually made in China at the Guangzhou J&J Sanitary Ware Co!! http://www.jnjspa.com/default.htm As Insparations they actually appeared on Watchdog (uk tv program for rogue traders). It has always amazed me that normally sensible, intelligent people will pay a company that they nothing about who has no showroom thousands of pounds for a product that they cannot even view or test? It just goes to show how gullible people are when they think they are getting something cheap.

Hi Kevin, yes what you have been told sounds true. I heard about this tub earlier this month and cant wait to stock it. Although nothing official has been announced i think the Alaskan will join the line up in early 2010.