Rate Top 5 Brands In Terms Of Quality

[Dubberdom]

Just curious to get a rating of the Top 5 Spa brands in terms of Quality/Reliability/Thermal efficiency etc...

[Stuart A]

I have been looking for a website or forum which can give an unbiased opinion. I have not found one yet. I have been told that most spa rating sites charge for the ratings.

I think all you will get here are opinions. I could of brought a spa which is really cheap to run, but I did not want to compromise on power. To us hydropherapy is important, to others they are happy to sit in a tub with minimal power. Its like most things its down to personal preferance.

I could most probably guess the top 5 which will be printed in answer to your question, you will not get an unbiased answer on here. It might be a good idea for owners and not dealers to reply with their experience and to state how long they have had their spas, so that you could see how reliable they are.

Whatever spa you buy I am sure you will be happy with it, just try out as many as you can.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

Just curious to get a rating of the Top 5 Spa brands in terms of Quality/Reliability/Thermal efficiency etc...

There is no definitive Top 5, 10 or ... but you probably know that and are really asking for people's opinions of what they like best. This would be my short list of bransd to check out:

http://www.arcticspas.com

http://www.calderaspas.com/Locator/index.html

http://www.dimensiononespas.com/findadealer.asp

http://www.hotspring.com/index_spas_hot_spring.html

http://www.jacuzzi.com/products/

http://www.marquisspas.com/locator.asp

http://retailer.sundancespas.com/Retailers/index.php

[ps558]

Just curious to get a rating of the Top 5 Spa brands in terms of Quality/Reliability/Thermal efficiency etc...

http://www.colemanspas.com/content/show/home/

I like these tubs been selling them for 7 years now and they keep making them better. I used to sell Caldera and from being upset with the buisness side from them. They cost more to buy, still using less efficent 48 frame pumps. Panels crack very easy and are thin and all the heat from the pumps are exhausted the the outside air, more waste.

Just don't buy one from a home center or surplus store. Service is always a problem

[ps558]

Just curious to get a rating of the Top 5 Spa brands in terms of Quality/Reliability/Thermal efficiency etc...

http://www.colemanspas.com/content/show/home/

I like these tubs been selling them for 7 years now and they keep making them better. I used to sell Caldera and from being upset with the buisness side from them. They cost more to buy, still using less efficent 48 frame pumps. Panels crack very easy and are thin and all the heat from the pumps are exhausted the the outside air, more waste.

Just don't buy one from a home center or surplus store. Service is always a problem

Also Caldera and Hotsprings are made by Watkins

Jacuzzi and Sundance are in the same factory also

Maax spas has 4 lines which includes Coleman.

[Dubberdom]

Just curious to get a rating of the Top 5 Spa brands in terms of Quality/Reliability/Thermal efficiency etc...

There is no definitive Top 5, 10 or ... but you probably know that and are really asking for people's opinions of what they like best. This would be my short list of brands to check out:

http://www.arcticspas.com

http://www.calderaspas.com/Locator/index.html

http://www.dimensiononespas.com/findadealer.asp

http://www.hotspring.com/index_spas_hot_spring.html

http://www.jacuzzi.com/products/

http://www.marquisspas.com/locator.asp

http://retailer.sundancespas.com/Retailers/index.php

Thanks for the feedback. Do you think Artesian Spas also fall into this category?

The problem I'm having is there is no real objective data out there to compare one against the other; instead I have to rely on dealers to tell me why 'their's is the best'.

My short list is as follows:

Arctic Yukon Signature Series

Jacuzzi J-365

Artesian Cypress Point

Since I live in Canada, thermal efficiency will also be a huge factor

[Dave G]

Just curious to get a rating of the Top 5 Spa brands in terms of Quality/Reliability/Thermal efficiency etc...

There is no definitive Top 5, 10 or ... but you probably know that and are really asking for people's opinions of what they like best. This would be my short list of brands to check out:

http://www.arcticspas.com

http://www.calderaspas.com/Locator/index.html

http://www.dimensiononespas.com/findadealer.asp

http://www.hotspring.com/index_spas_hot_spring.html

http://www.jacuzzi.com/products/

http://www.marquisspas.com/locator.asp

http://retailer.sundancespas.com/Retailers/index.php

Thanks for the feedback. Do you think Artesian Spas also fall into this category?

The problem I'm having is there is no real objective data out there to compare one against the other; instead I have to rely on dealers to tell me why 'their's is the best'.

My short list is as follows:

Arctic Yukon Signature Series

Jacuzzi J-365

Artesian Cypress Point

Since I live in Canada, thermal efficiency will also be a huge factor

We've also short listed those 3 tubs. We're in Southern Ontario and are leaning towards the Artesian. Mostly because we wet tested all 3 of them and found the Artesian to be the one we liked. Pricing is what I am unsure about, I know the Arctic with the same number of jets would probably be close to the Artesian but the Jacuzzi is a little lower based on the quotes we got.

[Roger]

Just curious to get a rating of the Top 5 Spa brands in terms of Quality/Reliability/Thermal efficiency etc...

There is no definitive Top 5, 10 or ... but you probably know that and are really asking for people's opinions of what they like best. This would be my short list of brands to check out:

http://www.arcticspas.com

http://www.calderaspas.com/Locator/index.html

http://www.dimensiononespas.com/findadealer.asp

http://www.hotspring.com/index_spas_hot_spring.html

http://www.jacuzzi.com/products/

http://www.marquisspas.com/locator.asp

http://retailer.sundancespas.com/Retailers/index.php

Thanks for the feedback. Do you think Artesian Spas also fall into this category?

The problem I'm having is there is no real objective data out there to compare one against the other; instead I have to rely on dealers to tell me why 'their's is the best'.

My short list is as follows:

Arctic Yukon Signature Series

Jacuzzi J-365

Artesian Cypress Point

Since I live in Canada, thermal efficiency will also be a huge factor

Don't forget to add Beachcomber to your list. So far you are on the right track. Skip the hype like the Coleman above.

[Dubberdom]

We've also short listed those 3 tubs. We're in Southern Ontario and are leaning towards the Artesian. Mostly because we wet tested all 3 of them and found the Artesian to be the one we liked. Pricing is what I am unsure about, I know the Arctic with the same number of jets would probably be close to the Artesian but the Jacuzzi is a little lower based on the quotes we got.

Correct, the Arctic Yukon and Artesian Cypress are within $400, the Jacuzzi is approx $1000 less.

[waterpen]

My short list is as follows:

Arctic Yukon Signature Series

Jacuzzi J-365

Artesian Cypress Point

Since I live in Canada, thermal efficiency will also be a huge factor

We looked at the Artic and Jacuzzi also, as well as Sundance. In the end we settled on a Beachcomber. Good thermal efficiency, interchangable jets (of the same size), good quality construction, no soft pillows that breakdown over time.

I think the Artic had the best overall construction, but it just didn't fit right - make sure you wet test.

As for the Sundance and Jacuzzi (same company), no dealers near us would let us look inside the tub at the control box, heater, pumps, plumbing, etc. That made me uneasy about buying one of their tubs. Kinda like buyng a car and being told not to look under the hood.

[Dubberdom]

I looked at the Beachcomber, and was not really impressed with the designs... I guess its personal in the end.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

I looked at the Beachcomber, and was not really impressed with the designs... I guess its personal in the end.

What is best for one person isn't necessarily the same for another. We can talk about what we think has the best reputation for quality, energy use, service etc. but you'll have to find out for yourself what fits/feels/looks best to you.

[Dubberdom]

What is best for one person isn't necessarily the same for another. We can talk about what we think has the best reputation for quality, energy use, service etc. but you'll have to find out for yourself what fits/feels/looks best to you.

I can decide what fits/feels/looks best to me I know that, but after spending $10k if I discover that my hydro bills are $100/month and the hoses are leaking in January because its a POS, then who cares how comfortable I am sitting in it.... it's not like I can decide to return it at that time...

This is why I posted my questions... what are the best Quality and Energy Efficient brands out there?

[ps558]

What is best for one person isn't necessarily the same for another. We can talk about what we think has the best reputation for quality, energy use, service etc. but you'll have to find out for yourself what fits/feels/looks best to you.

I can decide what fits/feels/looks best to me I know that, but after spending $10k if I discover that my hydro bills are $100/month and the hoses are leaking in January because its a POS, then who cares how comfortable I am sitting in it.... it's not like I can decide to return it at that time...

This is why I posted my questions... what are the best Quality and Energy Efficient brands out there?

Did you find this site. look at the bottom of page for some customer reviews

http://www.hottubsdirectory.com/

[Dubberdom]

Did you find this site. look at the bottom of page for some customer reviews

http://www.hottubsdirectory.com/

Thanks!

[Tom]

The problem I'm having is there is no real objective data out there to compare one against the other....Since I live in Canada, thermal efficiency will also be a huge factor

There is some limited objective comparative data on thermal efficiency here.

[Tom]

Did you find this site. look at the bottom of page for some customer reviews

http://www.hottubsdirectory.com/

I wouldn't place much credence in this site, at least as far as it relates to our products. Let me explain why.

• The site has not been updated for two years
• We have had customers complain to us that their positive reviews have not been accepted on the site.
• internal evidence suggests that many of the reviews are spurious. For example: "Review By: Dave -- I live in Oakville and my wife and i got an Arctic Spa. The delivery crew was GREAT but the tub lacked appeal." This one is a dead giveaway as a phony post--if the spa lacked appeal, why would you buy it?
• Where first and last names are given, those names are not in our warranty database. As most readers of the forum know, part of my job is to help customers who have any problem with our product. When I can't find a person who claims to own our product, I start to wonder about the authenticity of the review.
• We have not been allowed to respond to posts we believe are spurious
• We have had no response to queries about why positive reviews of our product have been refused or why the site has not been updated

By all means check the reviews for products that interest you, but please read with a healthy cynicism.

Here's an interesting article on ratings sites.

[Dubberdom]

By all means check the reviews for products that interest you, but please read with a healthy cynicism.

For sure, I'm cynical by nature.

I just wish that there would be a real 'Consumer's Report' style review of popular spas brands, I like Arctic's approach, overall impressed with the tub design, but others have more 'Wow' factor.

If you read on every manufacturer site, they all claim to have the highest efficiency. I've only seen Arctic publish any documentation to this regard.

[homebody]

Actually, Consumer Report does have a review of spas, but you have to pay a fee; not much though-$5 a month or $26 a year. I have lots of home work!

[Dubberdom]

Actually, Consumer Report does have a review of spas, but you have to pay a fee; not much though-$5 a month or $26 a year. I have lots of home work!

I only found Whirlpool Tubs for your bathroom, not Hot Tubs

[IL Parrothead]

Yeah, Consumer Reports does NOT have reviews of hot tubs yet. Many of us have written them -- asking them to consider it.

Dubberdom, I do agree that many of these sites are populated with dealers and manufacturers reps, but there are many like myself that have read through all of the postings and weeded out the obviously biased ones. We wet tested all of the tubs that sounded like they were among the best for quality and efficiency. And we've bought tubs. I think the list spatech posted is pretty accurate for the tubs that are universally considered to be among the best. And, to give a nod to Stuart, that doesn't mean that another brand might not serve you well, but the tubs on that list are consistently among the best.

[Dubberdom]

Thanks Parrot

[Tom]

Actually, Consumer Report does have a review of spas...

You may be thinking of Consumers Digest; CR has not yet done hot tubs.

The difference between the two is that CR is not funded by advertising and purchases the product "off the shelf" for totally independent review (as was done by the Alberta Research Council). CD relies on information provided by the manufacturers and on physical inspection of the units at trade shows, and many suspect that the reviews may be influenced by advertising revenue.

Another rating system is Spasearch Certification, which relies on random customer surveys. Some industry professionals consider this approach flawed because the $5000 fee tends to favor larger companies over smaller regional manufacturers who may still provide an excellent product at a good price.

[Trigger]

I guess its personal in the end.

If you're talking on the whole, then yes, it's very personal in the end.

[Tom]

Here's another rating site, where the top 7 are Infinity, Hydropool, Caldera, Hot Springs, Raindance, Essential and PDC. Very interesting.

The site says, "We specialize in independent surveys. Unlike other websites, our ratings are not determined by how much money the hot tub manufacturers spend on advertising with us, our ratings are the result of our own extensive research by interviewing consumers, dealers, and taking compiled information from the better business bureaus."

However, none of our dealers had ever been contacted by this outfit, we wondered how they were getting in touch with our customers, and our BBB ratings are usually excellent, so why were one of the lower rated spas? Exactly how were they conducting their "extensive research"?

When we asked, a fellow named Jeff Reese replied, "...We did them on our own time, and...why are you wasting our time emailing us. Our ratings are to give consumers an accurate knowledge of which spa to buy. Artic [sic] spas just didnt [sic] measure up to some of the larger companies like Caldera and Jacuzzi. Maybe you should spend more time figuring out how to please your customers rather than emailing independent non-funded research websites."

Well, gee, we were just curious. Sorry we bothered you.

Still, our rating did go up above average after that exchange in Oct. 06. We still have no idea how the ratings were arrived at. The page hasn't changed since, so here's another one to look at with a cynical eye.

Speaking of pleasing customers, back in 2005 we had a special project where for one year we phoned each of our customers in North America who had a spa delivered that year (I think we reached over 80% of them). We asked them a standard questionnaire about the quality of the delivery, the dealer service, and the spa. Unfortunately, in labor-short Alberta, we lacked the staff to keep the project going, and it has been replaced with a less labor-intensive followup system. Oh, plus me on the forums.