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Lazboy Limited Edition From Costco


Markman

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Has anyone bought the new instore costco spa (LaZboy limited series). They are made by Tatum mfg in florida, who happen to make spas for 6 or 7 other companies like: pilates, freestyle and many other. The exact same spa (freestyle sicilia) is selling for 9k at the local canada spa depot, and costco is selling for 5,7k. They seem to have all the right stuff, but I'm looking for someone that has actually wet tested the jets. I dry tested it and it seems fine for my stature, but I'm doubting the jets effectiveness and quality! They seem very well made and have a very good 24/7 support line, and also seem very well equiped for the price (2- 2 speed 5hp pumps, 1 circulating, 1 blower, ozonater, aromatherapy, leds, jets individually controllable, radio/cd with floating remote...

Are the jacuzzi jets worth putting 2 to 3 grand more for the same size tub?

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  • 3 weeks later...
IMO I wouldn t buy anything from Tatum. Just look around for reviews on gulfcoast. It was smart of them to get the license name from Lazyboy but thats where it ends, great marketing effort poor on quality.

Really? I am just looking at them too. I don't know much about these manufacturers, but, do you think that both LazBoy and CostCo would put their name behind crap?

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IMO I wouldn t buy anything from Tatum. Just look around for reviews on gulfcoast. It was smart of them to get the license name from Lazyboy but thats where it ends, great marketing effort poor on quality.

Really? I am just looking at them too. I don't know much about these manufacturers, but, do you think that both LazBoy and CostCo would put their name behind crap?

LazBoy simply sold their name. I'll sell mine too if they want to use it for the right price. That name has ZERO bearing on teh quality of the product.

Costco is looking for a price point spa. You're looking at this spa obviously because you like the price also but don't kid yourself, that's pretty much its only strongpoint. You're not paying much but you're not getting much back in the way of quality. It is what it is; priced appropriately for what you'll be getting, a budget spa.

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IMO I wouldn t buy anything from Tatum. Just look around for reviews on gulfcoast. It was smart of them to get the license name from Lazyboy but thats where it ends, great marketing effort poor on quality.

Really? I am just looking at them too. I don't know much about these manufacturers, but, do you think that both LazBoy and CostCo would put their name behind crap?

LazBoy simply sold their name. I'll sell mine too if they want to use it for the right price. That name has ZERO bearing on teh quality of the product.

Costco is looking for a price point spa. You're looking at this spa obviously because you like the price also but don't kid yourself, that's pretty much its only strongpoint. You're not paying much but you're not getting much back in the way of quality. It is what it is; priced appropriately for what you'll be getting, a budget spa.

After you sent me this response I phone their Toll Free Support Line and I received a very cold feeling when I demanded a list of service reps in my area (GTA). They were stating that the list was not up to date to which I replied, well if I was a customer requiring help I would require that your list be up to date. To make a long story short, Forget about CostCo. So I went to a local dealer and they actually have a brand new 3 year old Endeavour tub in their warehouse that has never seen water, it's basically too big for the show room and for many people. I know the owner through kids' hockey and he just wants to get rid of it to make room for new ones. It is the top of the line Endeavour UXLT with full 3 year warranty for $6500 tax in. What do you think about this?

I would appreciate your input.

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  • 2 months later...

I've looked for a while now and the La-Z Boy is actually a pretty darn good product. First, La-Z Boy has their own line. The one through Costco is La-Z Boy limited. So, they didn't just sell their name as some would have you believe.

Second, look at the offering. Who offers a steel frame? Who offers 76 Hydrotherapy Jets? Who offers dual high performance pumps with a silent air blower? The answer is company's selling their hot tubs for twice what the La-Z Boy Spa costs at Costco. Further the spa comes with barrier insulation and manifold plumbing rather than continious plumbing! Show me any spa under $10k with these features.....you can't because they all cost more than that!

So make sure you really compare before you buy! There is a reason Costco went with this line. And remember, Costco stands behind what they sell. In this economy, Costco will be here next year....can you say the same for the local overpriced spa dealer?

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We call them throw away tubs, same with all budget hot tub brands, i personally wouldn't trust such a huge purchase to a store who didn't have service people on staff, knowledgable staff (chemicals, troubleshooting, problems ect) you get what you pay for basically, not just including the product but the service (which imo is just as important)

edit: also you need to look at the other lines they carry, brands like aruba, you can't expect their other brands to be much better

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Have you sat inside the tub? It is the most uncomfortable tub I tried. All the seats have a strange drip with no upper back support. You basically can't lean back and rest your head on the pillows. Looks like they pulled the design together very quickly.

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Have you sat inside the tub? It is the most uncomfortable tub I tried. All the seats have a strange drip with no upper back support. You basically can't lean back and rest your head on the pillows. Looks like they pulled the design together very quickly.

It also looks like they put emphasis on making bigger foot wells but from my view its at the expense of the seat bottoms moving outward. I hope your butt is small if you're sitting in one of those seats because they sure look short.

It is designed to look good in a brochure or when you're standing outside it. Its a flashy looking product with the Marketing name of LazBoy that they hope will give people warm thoughts but in the end its still made by Tatum who have been responsible for the Gulf Coast spas.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Has anyone bought the new instore costco spa (LaZboy limited series). They are made by Tatum mfg in florida, who happen to make spas for 6 or 7 other companies like: pilates, freestyle and many other. The exact same spa (freestyle sicilia) is selling for 9k at the local canada spa depot, and costco is selling for 5,7k. They seem to have all the right stuff, but I'm looking for someone that has actually wet tested the jets. I dry tested it and it seems fine for my stature, but I'm doubting the jets effectiveness and quality! They seem very well made and have a very good 24/7 support line, and also seem very well equiped for the price (2- 2 speed 5hp pumps, 1 circulating, 1 blower, ozonater, aromatherapy, leds, jets individually controllable, radio/cd with floating remote...

Are the jacuzzi jets worth putting 2 to 3 grand more for the same size tub?

DOnt be too quick to judge this Tub as another of the old Gulf Coast Tubs. People seem to want to refer you to the fact they are made by Gulf Coast and the history of issues people have had with them. The simple fact is that the issues with Gluf Coast spas (whether product or warrantee etc) have been to do with tubs made prior to the end of 2007/early 2008 when Gulf Coast ended their partnership with Hydro Spa. (Hydro Spa was the actual manufactuere and any search on the you will find an abundance of issues and Gulf Coast problem stems from this). Tatum Manufacturing make custom lines, and Gulf COast is now being bought in-house and manufactuered and supported by them, with a name change in the works to get away from the old bad history ascociated with the Hydro Spa days.

So that said, the manufacturing quality should be much better. Look at any lines made by Tatum and there isnt much in the way of problems. Design issues on seating on the other hand are a hard one. The Lazboy doesnt look as comfortable as other tubs in my opinion when you look closely at the seat,.. but that said even the most expensive so called high end tubs I have found were not always that comfortable. SO the problem is really these need to be wet tested and with the COstco limited model at least, you have to buy before you try. ANyone whos bought one I'd be interested in the feeback. (If you look at the H2O series also made by Tatum and is very close to the Lazboy, people comment on the comfort and features. but im not sure how differnt the seat design is.)

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I've looked for a while now and the La-Z Boy is actually a pretty darn good product. First, La-Z Boy has their own line. The one through Costco is La-Z Boy limited. So, they didn't just sell their name as some would have you believe.

Second, look at the offering. Who offers a steel frame? Who offers 76 Hydrotherapy Jets? Who offers dual high performance pumps with a silent air blower? The answer is company's selling their hot tubs for twice what the La-Z Boy Spa costs at Costco. Further the spa comes with barrier insulation and manifold plumbing rather than continious plumbing! Show me any spa under $10k with these features.....you can't because they all cost more than that!

So make sure you really compare before you buy! There is a reason Costco went with this line. And remember, Costco stands behind what they sell. In this economy, Costco will be here next year....can you say the same for the local overpriced spa dealer?

Coleman spas offers a steel frame, manifold plumbing, Barrier insulation, quiet blower, Dual 56 frame 2.5 hp pumps, one piece abs pan, ozonator, color lights and waterfall. Not 76 jets but they don't use them small euro jets to run the count up. 5 year warranty, lifetime on frame,10 year on shell.

Models 351,461,470,471,472,480,481,482 and 1 pump and 3 year warranty 103 all for under 10K

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I've looked for a while now and the La-Z Boy is actually a pretty darn good product. First, La-Z Boy has their own line. The one through Costco is La-Z Boy limited. So, they didn't just sell their name as some would have you believe.

Second, look at the offering. Who offers a steel frame? Who offers 76 Hydrotherapy Jets? Who offers dual high performance pumps with a silent air blower? The answer is company's selling their hot tubs for twice what the La-Z Boy Spa costs at Costco. Further the spa comes with barrier insulation and manifold plumbing rather than continious plumbing! Show me any spa under $10k with these features.....you can't because they all cost more than that!

So make sure you really compare before you buy! There is a reason Costco went with this line. And remember, Costco stands behind what they sell. In this economy, Costco will be here next year....can you say the same for the local overpriced spa dealer?

Coleman spas offers a steel frame, manifold plumbing, Barrier insulation, quiet blower, Dual 56 frame 2.5 hp pumps, one piece abs pan, ozonator, color lights and waterfall. Not 76 jets but they don't use them small euro jets to run the count up. 5 year warranty, lifetime on frame,10 year on shell.

Models 351,461,470,471,472,480,481,482 and 1 pump and 3 year warranty 103 all for under 10K

Clearwater also has several that fall into that group, with bigger pumps and some with 3 or 4 pumps with a 5 year/20 year warranty, and we sell most under 10 grand.

Also, we are a service center for Gulf Coast and I have not seen where a whole lot has improved yet.

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The Lazboy doesnt look as comfortable as other tubs in my opinion when you look closely at the seat,.. but that said even the most expensive so called high end tubs I have found were not always that comfortable. SO the problem is really these need to be wet tested and with the COstco limited model at least, you have to buy before you try. ANyone whos bought one I'd be interested in the feeback. (If you look at the H2O series also made by Tatum and is very close to the Lazboy, people comment on the comfort and features. but im not sure how differnt the seat design is.)

Well made spas are designed so they fit the majority of people but everyone should wet test to be sure its right for you because no spa is right for everyone. The difference is the Laz-Boy looks uncomfortable by design BEFORE anyone even wet tests it.

They’re banking on eye appeal and as far as somehow separating it from Gulf Coast’s spotty reputation, if that makes you feel better that’s fine but I’m not buying into it. It’s the same as their pother products, it just has a catchy name that people know but it says NOTHING about their quality. I can license the name Rolls Royce or Vega as a spa brand but neither will have any bearing on its quality. People may try to justify its viability based on the fact they like the price of it but I wouldn't touch one if I were in the market for a spa. You spend less but you get a less than stellar product IMO from a manufacturer that I wouldn't have great faith in.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just bought this hottub from costco. After opening it up they had packaged the wrong filter....phoned tech support and they had one sent...arrived 5 days as promised. It worked very well for 5 days and then started to show RH HR error message. Phone tech support and they are sending me a heater. This tub is excellent quality and really not complicated. The seating is perfect...no compliments and the two motors each running half the tub works out great. The stero system sounds amazing..

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Just bought this hottub from costco. After opening it up they had packaged the wrong filter....phoned tech support and they had one sent...arrived 5 days as promised. It worked very well for 5 days and then started to show RH HR error message. Phone tech support and they are sending me a heater. This tub is excellent quality and really not complicated. ...

I'm curious, what is your defintion of "excellent quality?"

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Really? I am just looking at them too. I don't know much about these manufacturers, but, do you think that both LazBoy and CostCo would put their name behind crap?

Yes, they do it all the time to meet a price point and sell product.

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Just bought this hottub from costco. After opening it up they had packaged the wrong filter....phoned tech support and they had one sent...arrived 5 days as promised. It worked very well for 5 days and then started to show RH HR error message. Phone tech support and they are sending me a heater. This tub is excellent quality and really not complicated. The seating is perfect...no compliments and the two motors each running half the tub works out great. The stero system sounds amazing..

Wrong filter and a problem in the first 5 days and you consider it of excellent quality???? I guess some of us have higher standards.

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I'll repost once I have been running this tub for a month or two. The quality I like so far was the customer service from tech support, curb appeal plus the ability to service this yourself including winteriziation. It is sitting at the cottage 100km from any major service centre and would cost a fortune to pay a service tech for mileage. I'll keep you all posted on this one....

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If you have a specific question, this forum (or any other) might be helpful. Many peole here are good technical resources. But unfortunately, asking a subjective question along the lines of "What do you all think about ( insert brand name) Spas?" won't get much information of value. Especially when the thing you're interested in is from Costco. Costco sells spas - and just about everything else - very inexpensively. Small businesses, many of whom are represented by posters here and on other forums, can't compete with the buying power of a store like Costco. So you will hear lots of fluff about "price point spas" and "low-end" spas versus "high-end" and other such flowery rubbish.

What you won't hear are the facts. Costco doesnt' make a lot of money off of spas. They make a lot of money off of toilet paper and 5 packs of Right Guard and 12 packs of socks - things that people buy lots of. In the Costco scale of things, they sell a few spas, mostly as a customer service because members want them. They negotiate great deals with the spa makers because even though, in Costco terms, they aren't talking about a huge number of spas, it IS a very significant number to a spa manufacturer. The result is that Costco gets a good price. And, significantly, the manufacturer has to agree to take back any member returns. Ouch, that's gotta hurt, but it is the price of getting your stuff in a Costco store. Works out pretty well for the members, though, and that is what Costco is trying to do.

You also won't hear from the Costco bashers that Costco NEVER marks anything up more than 14%. High buck items (like, uh, spas) are usually marked up much less than 14%. So between their buying power and the fact that they have tiny markups, that is a big part of the reason the Costco spa is less money than the local dealer's equivalent spa. Spa dealers have pretty showrooms, well dressed sales people on commission, and maybe better service, installation services, etc. But you have to PAY for all that. You can be deadly sure that the local spa dealer is charging a lot more than 14% markup. Nothing wrong with this by the way. I had a business in a past life (not spa related) and marked things up as high as I could. 100% was a nice number when I could get away with it. It's the American way. But I didn't compete with Costco (thank God!!) You just have to decide if you want to hassle with getting the thing home, set in the yard, find your own electrician, and all that. If you want to do these things, Costco is really good. If you want to write a check and have it all happen, maybe you need to make another choice.

All Costco spas aren't that cheap. I have a HydroSpa Legend, it cost $5000. That's just not all that cheap, but it's a few thousand less less than I would have paid for an equivalent Sundance or whatever. Sadly, the deal with Costco didn't work out well for HydroSpa, they went under. But you know what? My spa is absolutely great in every respect. It has GE 56-frame pump motors and Balboa spa pack and a nice thick acrylic shell and synthetic side panels and 78 (!) stainless jets and every other bell & whistle. What exactly is a high end spa? Well, I have to laugh at those posts because they are just silly. My Legend is essentially indistinguishable from my friend's Sundance and has the pretty much the same stuff under the hood. Most importantly, it works GREAT. The jets will push you out of the seat. Everything works every time (I've had it for 17 months). When HydroSpa went under, Costco stepped up and they are paying Infinity to handle warranty. I had a little issue with a little seepage on mine and called. The people at Infinity jumped on the problem and made it go away instantly. They're in Texas but the problem was handled as easily as if they were up the street. Now, yes, I did have a little leak in the spa. Read the forum..... ALL the spas have issues, irrespective of brand. Don't drink the Kool-Aid.

Before I bought, I did a ton of research. I live in Northern CA, and a LOT of the major manufacturers have dealers here. I visited them all - most, two or three times. Yes, I read these forums. Everyone has an opinion.... they generally don't agree, and they generally don't make a lot of objective sense. So, I had to look at the tubs based on their engineering and the real differences in materials, components and construction. I'm actually a mechanical engineer by profession and tend to think along those lines anyway. I ended up with the HydroSpa, and I'm very glad I did. I'm sure other spas work well too. But I'm very happy with mine and the price I paid for it.

Here's my point. Go look at these spas. Look under the hood. Visit the Balboa and Gecko websites and learn. Look at the pumps and motors, and see if they are 56 frame or 48 frame. Also find out who makes good motors and who makes lesser quality motors. Look at the plumbing. Look a the serviceability. Oh, I know people will go ballistic but I think you have to be totally nuts to get a full foam spa. These things are tubs of water with 50 or 60 openings and probably about a hundred and fifty plumbing connections inside. It's all commercial grade plastic plumbing and is subject to huge vibration due to the pumps and all. Do you really think its unlikely that over the course of years it won't develop a leak or two? Do you want to pay someone to excavate through a full foam tub to fix it? Or should I say, do you want to write the check when they're done? Oops I digress.... the point is, make SURE the thing is easy to service, because you WILL service it before you replace it. Then, read the forums - BUT - take any of those opinions (including mine) with a huge grain of salt. Learn to recognize and separate out the nonsense.

My Legend is great, I wouldn't part with it. the interesting thing here is, I could. Costco will take it back. Now having said all that.... I haven't looked at the model you're asking about so I have no opinion at all!

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I have a HydroSpa Legend, it cost $5000. That's just not all that cheap, but it's a few thousand less less than I would have paid for an equivalent Sundance or whatever.

Some of your points are valid (others are not) but this statement above is the most common mistake made by big box purchasers. There wasn't a HydroSpa made that is comparable in quality to any spa on a Sundance showroom floor (unless of course the Sundance dealer happened to take in another Hydrospa in trade and actually resells it rather than scrap it).

You didn't save $, you just decided to spend less and if you're a DIYer then Costco can work out for you. Hydro going bankrupt didn't change much, your warranty wouldn't have been worth much even if they were around.

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Well, you are free to have your opinion, but I will stand by my comments. Vague words about one brand not being in the same league as another are exactly what I'm commenting on. I also stand by my advice, offered in good faith, that persons shopping for spas should do objective research and reach fact-based conclusions before they make their decision. Balboa VS controls, GE motors, 78 stainless jets, thick CCA acrylic/fiberglass shell, standard synthetic cabinet (I could go on) are all good things. Sundance doesn't do better than GE motors or Balboa controls. Their shell isn't any better, it's made of the same stuff. Sure some models may have the better Balboa unit. But if you look at the total package, my spa stacks up very well. You don't have to think so. I have to think so. I made an educated, fact-based decision, and so far I still think I made the right choice.

I agree that HydroSpa wasn't perfect. But neither is Sundance or HotSprings (which, along with any full-foam spa, I would NEVER buy). When you look at the total package, Costco Legend was a very nice spa, works great (kinda the bottom line), uses top notch parts, had features that I was looking for, and has a FULL LIFETIME SATISFACTION WARRANTY with a guaranteeed refund, no questions asked.

Apart from that, your definition of quality and value may be different than mine. I doubt we look at things the same way, and *that is fine*. Someone may decide that Sundance is better, some may like Hot Springs (ugh), some may like Dimension One (Lord knows why). Personally I really liked Sundance... great spa, very nicely finished. My friend has one, it's nice and I like it a lot. Also, I can afford it, and very well might have. However, I bought a HydroSpa, and I feel that it accomplished my objectives and happened to do so for less money. Hmmm... satisfying your objectives and spending less... on the planet I come from, we call that "saving money".

As it happens I am capable of doing my own work and electrical installation and in fact I did it. All to code, with permits. But that aside, I'm a little perplexed as to what the dealer actually does for the consumer after he delivers the spa to the yard. Around these parts, the proud new owner has to pay for the electrical installation. I can get my water tested for free at Leslie's Pool Supply and their chemicals are cheaper than at the spa dealer. Plus, Leslie's is closer. So unless the spa is broken, I don't actually see why I need anything from a dealer! Maybe to replace some pillows... oh never mind, I can get those online. I paid a spa mover $250 to meet me at Costco, load the spa up, use their special dollies to get it into the yard, set it up with the cover lift and all that. The dealer would do that for free. As I see it, that's about it in terms of what you really would get from a dealer. Now, as I said in my earlier post, if you would prefer to write one check and not make some phone calls (perfectly reasonable approach for many folks) then you don't want to go the Costco route.

As for your comments on warranty, I think you missed my point. I can't really comment on HydroSpa warranty because I never used them. But Costco is now backing up the warranty and they are right on it. In contrast, internet spa forums have lots of posts detailing horror stories from people who bought at dealers. So the premise that dealer service is better than Costco service doesn't seem to be a very good one. Oh, I do believe that there are great, responsive dealers out there. But we should be real, not all of them are. On the other hand, Costco may not be perfect, either. But -- my experience with them and Infinty Spas has been perfect and -- if you get unhappy AT ANY TIME, you can pay a spa mover $250 or thereabouts to take your spa back to Costco and they will give you your full price back. Will Sundance do that? How about Hot Springs? The Costco return policy is a HUGE plus. Period.

As far as servicing the spa goes, yes, I can fix my own. But a lot of dealers (maybe not HotSpring or Sundance) will work on a Costco or Home Depot tub, no problem. Why wouldn't they, they will get paid just the same. If someone is trading off buying a dealer spa against a mass merchandiser spa, they can make a few phone calls and will find that getting service is not really a problem. Or, if it gets to be a problem, take the thing back to Costco and get a refund.

I guess in summary I just can't drink the Kool-Aid about how Costco spas are throw aways and cheap junk and all the other insinuations. To me it's all nonsense. I own one, it runs real well and contains high quality parts. Costco may sell some crummy spas, but that needs to be based on some facts about the specific spa, not just based on the fact that it comes from Costco. Sorry, but in my view, trashing an item because it comes from Costco is just plain silly.

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Well, you are free to have your opinion, but I will stand by my comments. Vague words about one brand not being in the same league as another are exactly what I'm commenting on. I also stand by my advice, offered in good faith, that persons shopping for spas should do objective research and reach fact-based conclusions before they make their decision. Balboa VS controls, GE motors, 78 stainless jets, thick CCA acrylic/fiberglass shell, standard synthetic cabinet (I could go on) are all good things. Sundance doesn't do better than GE motors or Balboa controls. Their shell isn't any better, it's made of the same stuff. Sure some models may have the better Balboa unit. But if you look at the total package, my spa stacks up very well. You don't have to think so. I have to think so. I made an educated, fact-based decision, and so far I still think I made the right choice.

I agree that HydroSpa wasn't perfect. But neither is Sundance or HotSprings (which, along with any full-foam spa, I would NEVER buy). When you look at the total package, Costco Legend was a very nice spa, works great (kinda the bottom line), uses top notch parts, had features that I was looking for, and has a FULL LIFETIME SATISFACTION WARRANTY with a guaranteeed refund, no questions asked.

Apart from that, your definition of quality and value may be different than mine. I doubt we look at things the same way, and *that is fine*. Someone may decide that Sundance is better, some may like Hot Springs (ugh), some may like Dimension One (Lord knows why). Personally I really liked Sundance... great spa, very nicely finished. My friend has one, it's nice and I like it a lot. Also, I can afford it, and very well might have. However, I bought a HydroSpa, and I feel that it accomplished my objectives and happened to do so for less money. Hmmm... satisfying your objectives and spending less... on the planet I come from, we call that "saving money".

As it happens I am capable of doing my own work and electrical installation and in fact I did it. All to code, with permits. But that aside, I'm a little perplexed as to what the dealer actually does for the consumer after he delivers the spa to the yard. Around these parts, the proud new owner has to pay for the electrical installation. I can get my water tested for free at Leslie's Pool Supply and their chemicals are cheaper than at the spa dealer. Plus, Leslie's is closer. So unless the spa is broken, I don't actually see why I need anything from a dealer! Maybe to replace some pillows... oh never mind, I can get those online. I paid a spa mover $250 to meet me at Costco, load the spa up, use their special dollies to get it into the yard, set it up with the cover lift and all that. The dealer would do that for free. As I see it, that's about it in terms of what you really would get from a dealer. Now, as I said in my earlier post, if you would prefer to write one check and not make some phone calls (perfectly reasonable approach for many folks) then you don't want to go the Costco route.

As for your comments on warranty, I think you missed my point. I can't really comment on HydroSpa warranty because I never used them. But Costco is now backing up the warranty and they are right on it. In contrast, internet spa forums have lots of posts detailing horror stories from people who bought at dealers. So the premise that dealer service is better than Costco service doesn't seem to be a very good one. Oh, I do believe that there are great, responsive dealers out there. But we should be real, not all of them are. On the other hand, Costco may not be perfect, either. But -- my experience with them and Infinty Spas has been perfect and -- if you get unhappy AT ANY TIME, you can pay a spa mover $250 or thereabouts to take your spa back to Costco and they will give you your full price back. Will Sundance do that? How about Hot Springs? The Costco return policy is a HUGE plus. Period.

As far as servicing the spa goes, yes, I can fix my own. But a lot of dealers (maybe not HotSpring or Sundance) will work on a Costco or Home Depot tub, no problem. Why wouldn't they, they will get paid just the same. If someone is trading off buying a dealer spa against a mass merchandiser spa, they can make a few phone calls and will find that getting service is not really a problem. Or, if it gets to be a problem, take the thing back to Costco and get a refund.

I guess in summary I just can't drink the Kool-Aid about how Costco spas are throw aways and cheap junk and all the other insinuations. To me it's all nonsense. I own one, it runs real well and contains high quality parts. Costco may sell some crummy spas, but that needs to be based on some facts about the specific spa, not just based on the fact that it comes from Costco. Sorry, but in my view, trashing an item because it comes from Costco is just plain silly.

Boy you sure used alot of words to state your opinion. Most of us use alot less to state our opinion. I'm not sure how you came to your conclusions regarding Hydrospa. Or any of the value tubs Costco chooses to date. Your statments regarding Balboa and GE are very very missleading as Balboa makes about 30 different controllers and even some specificly for a particular run from a manufacturer (Infinity/Costco) And to say that Sundance controls are the same as Hydro/Infinity/what ever flavor Costco is selling is dead wromg. Same with motor, shell thickness and everything your above states.

Unless of course you tell me you have been servicing these low end value brands for years and you actualy don't see the difference!! Because then I am going to tell you you are blind.

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I told you pretty much exactly how I arrived at my conclusions. I looked at how the spa was made, what components were in it and how well the features and design lined up with my needs. I never said it was the same as Sundance. I said the quality of the parts was as good, on the whole, and they are. No I don't repair spas for a living, I design things (not spas). In this case I have actual experience with ONE Costco spa. Have you even ever seen a HydroSpa Legend? What exactly about its design or manufacture is poor quality? Other than it came from Costco? What is it about the Balboa in that spa that works poorly compared to Sundance? My Balboa seems to work fine. I can buy parts for my spa for cheap if (when) they do fail, I don't have to get overpriced parts from the Sundance store. What is it about the 56 frame GE motors in my spa that is inferior to Sundance? Are they actually GE "econo-line low-end value" motors? Give us a break. Should I go check my spa shell for cracks or deterioration shell because you suggest, with no specifics, that it's not as good as Sundance? What's not as good about the CCA acrylic with fiberglass? Jeez, my low end value cheapie seems to be fine, no flexing, no staining, no blisters and no problems... if it ever does have a problem guess what... I get a full refund. Tomorrow. Or ten years from now. Does that clear up my reasoning?

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Well, you are free to have your opinion, but I will stand by my comments. Vague words about one brand not being in the same league as another are exactly what I'm commenting on. I also stand by my advice, offered in good faith, that persons shopping for spas should do objective research and reach fact-based conclusions before they make their decision.

You're entitled to your opinion but I love how what you say is objective research and fact based conclusion from your couple weeks of kicking some tires, listening to some sales pitches, reading some spec sheets and looking at some websites but my opinion based on 10 years in the industry amounts to just vague words.

I learned about spas in my first couple weeks in this industry and at that point might have felt comfortable that I had a feel for them regarding what makes a good spa, what are the pitfalls to avoid, etc. I look back now and realize that I knew very little at that point compared to what I know now. The one thing I do know is most spas are designed for curb appeal first but only the good ones are designed to stand the test of time. A spa customer is going to have trouble seeing the difference in a few weeks or a month of this researching (though they do eventually learn, ones backyard is not where you want to find out how well yours will hold up).

Are controls good because the simply say "Balboa" or are there varying degrees of quality within Balboa as Roger alluded to? Are GE motors good or do they just expect that people to have heard of GE and will assume they are good? Are Hydrospas or Infinity shells and fiberglass as good as what you see on premium models? Are their frames as sturdy? Are they as well insulated (or even fairly well insulated)? I just don't know how a customer can really understand those things by researching for a short time.

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....GE Motors...

I thought just about all manufacturers stopped using GE Motors several years ago due to quality issues? Isn't Cal spas and the low end makers the only ones using GE Motors? ?

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