Infinity Laguna (photos & First Impressions)

[Anthony]

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:

[sandi]

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.)

We bought an Infinity Sun Peak from Costco in July of 2007 for $3000. It is IDENTICAL to your Infinity Laguna - same color shell, skirting, and cover, same topside controls, same seat & jet configuration, same pump set-up (no circ. pump, just 2 pumps - 1 with 2 speeds that operates on low when the spa filters and the other with 1 speed), not the same cat! I wonder why Infinity changed the name?? We have enjoyed it and do not regret our decision to buy a budget spa - no major problems during the first year. We live in southern DE and added extra insulation - glad we did, our winter electric bills were OK. Ken Gorman posted some great directions, with pics, for adding insulation. If he doesn't chime in with the link, search the forum. Enjoy!

Sandi

[Deus66]

Deck / Tub look great I love my costco spa too (I have the OC they sold "in store")......

Just a thought after looking at the great pics....Do you have a way to get into the equipment compartment (repairs), or add extra insulation behind the side panels without removing deck boards? I couldn't tell from the photo's. I ask because I was thinking of moving my tub and sinking it into a deck also, and I have played with the idea of removable decking panels etc...to allow access to the spa's equipment.. I was wondering how you decided to handle that...thanks

[Anthony]

Deck / Tub look great I love my costco spa too (I have the OC they sold "in store")......

Just a thought after looking at the great pics....Do you have a way to get into the equipment compartment (repairs), or add extra insulation behind the side panels without removing deck boards? I couldn't tell from the photo's. I ask because I was thinking of moving my tub and sinking it into a deck also, and I have played with the idea of removable decking panels etc...to allow access to the spa's equipment.. I was wondering how you decided to handle that...thanks

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.

[Brian_GP1200R]

We bought an Infinity Sun Peak from Costco in July of 2007 for $3000. It is IDENTICAL to your Infinity Laguna - same color shell, skirting, and cover, same topside controls, same seat & jet configuration, same pump set-up (no circ. pump, just 2 pumps - 1 with 2 speeds that operates on low when the spa filters and the other with 1 speed), not the same cat! I wonder why Infinity changed the name?? We have enjoyed it and do not regret our decision to buy a budget spa - no major problems during the first year. We live in southern DE and added extra insulation - glad we did, our winter electric bills were OK. Ken Gorman posted some great directions, with pics, for adding insulation. If he doesn't chime in with the link, search the forum. Enjoy!

Sandi

The only difference I have found is that tha Laguna has an air blower that bubbles up air through the seats and the Sun Peak has two water (jet) pumps. Otherwise I believe they are identical.

[Shaamus]

Congrats on your spa purchase. It's hard to find a spa in that price point and from what I've seen personally (Costco member) it's not horrible for $3000. Like you said, it's not on par with the high-end lines but that's not what everyone is looking to spend their money on. I will say that the only way to buy a spa like this is from Costco and that no-fault return policy they have. Buying something in that price point from an online/eBay retailer who is probably working out of his house is not the kind of fallback I would want for a spa like this.

[Nic in Ric]

FYI, here is another thread about the same spa. Nice pictures by the way. Also, I didn't remove the stickers as I think you're supposed to leave them there.

Enjoy!

[Hillbilly Hot Tub]

FYI, here is another thread about the same spa. Nice pictures by the way. Also, I didn't remove the stickers as I think you're supposed to leave them there.

Enjoy!

You do not need to leave the stickers there, it will start making a mess in the water as the chemicals eat away at them.

On your next drain try goo be gone to take the stickers off. it is made from a orange extract and works well.

[Anthony]

On your next drain try goo be gone to take the stickers off. it is made from a orange extract and works well.

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.