Anthony

Goo-Be-Gone worked great! No more sticker residue. Thanks! (I know it was too soon for a drain, but I made a chemistry mistake! Ha!) One plus...I got to try out my new pump, and my homemade pre-filter! I certainly recommend getting a pump. I can drain my tub in about 10-15 min, and I don't have to take off my panel. The pre-filter was easy to make with a whole house filter and some pvc fittings. It costed a little more than a pre-filter designed for a spa, but it should last for a very long time and cartridges are cheap. You can also get all types, depending on what you want to do with the water. Also, my deck is now finished.

I left about 1 3/4" space around the edges. I can take the panels off with just a little finagling. (underneath you have to pull the pannel down. Then from the top you can lift it out easy.) There is enough room if you had to work on it. Enough to get a pump out. I didn't recess it all the way, because I didn't like the big step down. It makes it easier to get in and out of it. I have not put in any extra insulation. I anticipate that I will do that when it gets colder. 90's right now.

As I posted in another topic, I struggled with which spa to purchase for my first hot tub endeavor. Not getting a warm fuzzy feeling from my local spa dealers, (Felt Like I was shopping for a used car.) I decided to take a risk and purchase a Infinity Laguna Spa from Costco. It was under $3,000.00 so it really was/is a "budget" spa. (Interesting to note, that Costco does not have any Infinity spas on their site right now.) Pros: * Price At $3,000.00 to $3,500.00 I feel it is a good value for a starter spa. I looked at some spas at the spa dealer for around $4,500.00 that seemed to have less features with similar build quality. But.... It is not a $6,000.00-$9,000.00 for $3,000.00. There certainly were better quality spas at the dealers in that price range. * Air pump This is purely a personal preference, but I really like the air pump. I like the effect and it is very relaxing. While I had read in another post that the pump was loud, mine is not. (Although having it recessed in my deck might help a little.) * Shell Also a personal preference, but I really like the color and the quality looks good. * Jets a lot of jets, and a lot of options with those jets. The jets also look good with their chrome/stainless look. * LED Mood Light Fun, lots of variations can be had. Cons: * Stickers There were three stickers on the inside of the spa. Two warning stickers, and a packing slip pouch. One of the stickers came off easy and cleanly. The other came off with easy, but not cleanly. The pouch is/was a nightmare. I will have sticker residue for quite some time. * Missing Accessories Two pillows did not ship with it. I took all the panels off looking for them. They were not to be found. Called Infinity and they were very friendly and helpful. They said they will call me Back on Monday to arrange replacements. Also there were no screws for the cover strap clip brackets. (I bought some stainless steel screws at Lowes) * Weak Stitching on One strap One strap's stitching came loose during Tropical Storm Hanna. I know, I know.... But really if it can stand 50 to 65MPH Winds I still think it was weak. I will sew it back sometime soon. Possible Issues (Things I don't care a lot about now, but I might in the future...and...or someone else might.): * Odd Insulation Very little insulation in the side. Sprayed on expanding foam all over the shell and the tubes/pipes. Don't know how good this will be. I am in NC and I wear a coat/jacket about 5-10 days a year. * No Circulation Pump Uses the main pump on low for the filter cycles. * One water Pump If I turn off some of the jets that I don't use, it has more than enough power to satisfy my wife and I. If I had three folks in there it would be okay. More than that, I would have to turn on more jets and I don't think I would be happy with the force. Over all Impressions on a 1 to 10 Scale: Price: 8 Perceived Quality: 6 Fit and Finish: 6.5 Hot Tub Experience: 9 Tech Support: 9 (May change if they don't fulfill their promises.) Satisfaction with purchase: 10 Someone said that hot tubs like these are Kia's and brands like HS were BMW's. I don't think they are that far off..but... I think the Infinity Laguna is more like a Buick. Okay.... now the photos: How it was shipped: Deck 90% Done: Con! More Pics: Controls: Air Control for Jets: Funny Waterfall (What is the big deal with these?) If the cat had given his rating:

I received my spa last week. It came way earlier than I thought it would. I am not ready for it. I have some construction going on and won't be able to get it setup for a few weeks. I did look inside it and it looks like it has been water tested. (Water left behind) Now was it fully water tested? Don't know. When I get it going I will take pictures and let folks know of my experience. Any one get a good one? Looks like like right now on this forum we have 1 that needed some TLC. Question on the blower. Can you just have the blower on? My wife likes the champagne effect sometimes.

Roger, Your explanation/info makes perfect sense! While I hope I don't regret my decision, I will look at my new tub as getting my feet wet, so to speak, in the world to hot tubs. I think I now have the right expectations. Thanks again.

I thought about it and read every post I could...well I pulled the trigger and ordered it. We will see. I will try to keep folks informed of my experience on this board. I know I could have spent $8,000.00 and most likely have a great experience and a long lasting spa. I will test the fates.... I just didn't get enough of a warm fuzzy from the spa dealers in my area. There is great advice on this forum. Thanks. Anthony

It's up to you, If you want a 3000 dollar spa Costco is the best way to go with there return policy. But if you want a 6000 dollar spa which will last longer and give you less trouble than the 3000 dollar spa, the Hot Springs model at Costco or everal other brands are available out there. But The Infinity at Costco is NOT a 6000 dollar spa for 3000 dollars. Its a 2500 dollar spa for 3000 dollars. Tell me more what to look for. The Infinity Laguna is so tempting. I have been looking at spas for over a month now. I was able to see a one year old Infinity sun peak at a neighbors, and it looked very nice. I have looked at a $6,000 river ridge and a $6,814.00 Tiger River, a $5864.00 Hot Spot, a $8,000.00 Hot Spring Sovereign. All had less features than the Infinity on paper.... The HS Sovereign was the only spa that looked like I might be getting some better guts.... It just looked inside to me...but I don't know exactly what I need to look for. Why should I spend $5,000.00 more for more insulation, a circulation pump, and 25 Less jets? This is not a challenge question, I just need help. This stuff is so confusing. When I visit the local spa dealers I feel like I am buying a car and should know how to haggle with them. As I was walking out of one where I has spent a while they came running after me and said they could drop the price of a spa I was looking at by $1,000.00 (It was would have been $7,000.00) They should have just gave me that price to start out. How much markup is there in these things? I have purchased big items from costco before and have only had one problem. Both Costco and the Manufacture took care of it...and went above and beyond. Costco's sale end tonight on this tub and I am so torn. Even if it costs twice as much in electricity it will still be cheaper even after many years. I will make up my mind in a few hours, but will check back her first. Thanks, Anthony