Island Escape

[ksand]

Just looked at an Island Escape, love triangle, looks really neat, $2999.00, which is less than half price of sundance spa and it will be free shipping and no tax. I am scared of online ordering, but I really want a hot tub and hubby will probably go for this one anyone know anything about it? scares me cause I believe you get what you pay for!

[Fatlip]

To me, as far as spas go, you always get what you pay for. Be very careful when you buy outside of the big names. Never, ever buy online, I researched for 1 year before I finally bought a Hotsprings spa.

[ksand]

To me, as far as spas go, you always get what you pay for. Be very careful when you buy outside of the big names. Never, ever buy online, I researched for 1 year before I finally bought a Hotsprings spa.

you know, I looked at the small spa online a few minutes ago from Hot springs, and Jacuzzi and Sundance, I love them, the salespeople always try to talk me out of them, they do not have them in the store, but say they are tiny, I don't believe that, I think they just want to sell the bigger more expensive ones., I am not gonna be able to get the more expensive one, so I am gonna get a 2-3 person one, either hot springs, jacuzzi or sundance, (all local stores with local repair) if hubby doesn't want to get in it with me, then I will be in it alone, but free of this horrible fibromyalgia pain, a smaller spa will be cheaper to operate also, my mind is made up, thanks so much!! I will be able to get a spa, and a deck to put it on for less than the cost of the larger spa. (I didn't want a large spa anyway, the salespeople wanted me to buy the larger spa)

[bart6453]

To me, as far as spas go, you always get what you pay for. Be very careful when you buy outside of the big names. Never, ever buy online, I researched for 1 year before I finally bought a Hotsprings spa.

you know, I looked at the small spa online a few minutes ago from Hot springs, and Jacuzzi and Sundance, I love them, the salespeople always try to talk me out of them, they do not have them in the store, but say they are tiny, I don't believe that, I think they just want to sell the bigger more expensive ones., I am not gonna be able to get the more expensive one, so I am gonna get a 2-3 person one, either hot springs, jacuzzi or sundance, (all local stores with local repair) if hubby doesn't want to get in it with me, then I will be in it alone, but free of this horrible fibromyalgia pain, a smaller spa will be cheaper to operate also, my mind is made up, thanks so much!! I will be able to get a spa, and a deck to put it on for less than the cost of the larger spa. (I didn't want a large spa anyway, the salespeople wanted me to buy the larger spa)

You may be right about them wanting to sell you something bigger or in stock.

Another angle you may want to think about is this:

They don't want to deal with your trade in when you realize it's too small in about a year.

We have this problem all the time with motorcycles, people find a bike that fits their budget but not their lifestyle. In the end most buy the one that fits their budget, against our advice. They love biking but their purchase needs to be replaced with a bigger model. Needless to say, they are never happy with the trade number and we are stuck with a turd that was hard to sell when new, let alone when it's been used for a year.

So....they may just be looking out for your best interests too.

Your mileage may vary.

[Coastside Spas]

Just looked at an Island Escape, love triangle, looks really neat, $2999.00, which is less than half price of sundance spa and it will be free shipping and no tax. I am scared of online ordering, but I really want a hot tub and hubby will probably go for this one anyone know anything about it? scares me cause I believe you get what you pay for!

BE WARNED! DO NOT BUY A SPA FROM THIS COMPANY. THESE SPAS ARE NOT APPROVED FOR SALE IN THE US OR CANADA AND ARE SHIPPED FROM CHINA. THEY HOLD NO UL OR ETL CERTIFICATIONS AND ARE NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH ANY CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY LAWS.

YOU CAN SEE THE COMPLAINTS ONLINE BY SIMPLY SEARCHING CHOOSEDIRECT COMPLAINTS

[backyardlover]

-->Just looked at an Island Escape, love triangle, looks really neat, $2999.00, which is less than half price of sundance spa and it will be free shipping and no tax. I am scared of online ordering, but I really want a hot tub and hubby will probably go for this one anyone know anything about it? scares me cause I believe you get what you pay for!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Our family bought an Island Escape Spa for our Home in Austin, Texas. We got it for half price, just like you said, and it has worked fine every since we got it. We always check the certifications, etc., and the spa is legal in all respects, and our electrician said it had no issues in installation. I think these online guys just have an advantage on price. We must have saved over $3,000 as compared to a store! Of course we don't know how they are going to be if we ever need service, but we definitely saved on the front end.

Ann

[spawn]

I think that you are wise to buy from a dealer. Some people don't need to but unless you are pretty handy and willing to figure out the chemical issues dealer support and installation will be valuable.

Tell your dealer that you really just want a small spa. Tell them that you are willing to wait until they have a full order coming in, which will keep their shipping cost down. Tell them which model you are interested in and ask what their price will be. Unfortunately, you won't be able to wet test any tub that they don't have so you will be taking a bit of a chance.

I am not sure which small spas you are refering to but I am a big fan of the small round spas like jacuzzi j-210, sundance denali, marquis envy, d-1 journey, nordic spas, beachcomer has a well made one, etc. In my market, the best values were the d-1 journey and marquis envy, both available delivered and installed for $3700 - $3900. A demo Marquis envy was available for about $3100. These round tubs with open seating will fit pretty much any user. I like being able to easily move around and use different jets and to orient in different ways. It is nice to be able to sit between jetted seats and let the water move with jets on high. I have a large round tub, a D-1 arena and I sit in it many different ways, sideways on the seat, upright with back against the wall or leaning way back with butt off the seat supporting with my hands, etc - all comfortable. I do a lot of stretching in my spa and the open tub is great.

These tubs are very economical and simple to operate. They will provide welcome hot water and you can find a way to get good hydromassage. Some of the tubs have samll jets but usually there are some more usefull larger ones. The whirlpool jets can be used as a great hydrotherapy jet but you may not be able to hit all spots.

[Roger]

-->Just looked at an Island Escape, love triangle, looks really neat, $2999.00, which is less than half price of sundance spa and it will be free shipping and no tax. I am scared of online ordering, but I really want a hot tub and hubby will probably go for this one anyone know anything about it? scares me cause I believe you get what you pay for!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Our family bought an Island Escape Spa for our Home in Austin, Texas. We got it for half price, just like you said, and it has worked fine every since we got it. We always check the certifications, etc., and the spa is legal in all respects, and our electrician said it had no issues in installation. I think these online guys just have an advantage on price. We must have saved over $3,000 as compared to a store! Of course we don't know how they are going to be if we ever need service, but we definitely saved on the front end.

Ann

You didn't save anything. It will catch up with you very quickly. You payed exactly what it was worth, half the price of a decent tub!

[n1oty]

-->Just looked at an Island Escape, love triangle, looks really neat, $2999.00, which is less than half price of sundance spa and it will be free shipping and no tax. I am scared of online ordering, but I really want a hot tub and hubby will probably go for this one anyone know anything about it? scares me cause I believe you get what you pay for!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Our family bought an Island Escape Spa for our Home in Austin, Texas. We got it for half price, just like you said, and it has worked fine every since we got it. We always check the certifications, etc., and the spa is legal in all respects, and our electrician said it had no issues in installation. I think these online guys just have an advantage on price. We must have saved over $3,000 as compared to a store! Of course we don't know how they are going to be if we ever need service, but we definitely saved on the front end.

Ann

You didn't save anything. It will catch up with you very quickly. You payed exactly what it was worth, half the price of a decent tub!

I don't think they even save half, Roger. I just had a customer with one of these that had a complete electronics failure and a ground faulted jet pump. It was a cheesy mix of US and Asian standards as far as thread sizes, mounts, etc. Unlike one post stated, it was NOT a certified tub. We could not get any replacement parts, so it became an exercise in simply adapting US equipment to this tub. It's pretty sad when you even have to replace motor mounts.

John

[Japhi]

I'm not sure what the US market is like, but there are great deals to be had in Canada. I dont see any reason to buy a tub online, if you narrow down to a few tubs you want and then shop aggressively there should be a smoking good deal somewhere in your market. I'm seeing differences of of up to 4k for comparable tubs and 2k for the same tub amongst local dealers. To be fair my market, Vancouver, has at least 6 companies making spas so that might account for the deals available.

[JimKW]

Why don't you consider buying used? I bought a 2005 Sundance Optima for $2,000, then paid about $1,000 for an electrician and a mover to get it delivered and set up. Been using it now since the end of March. I did replace the heater and a pump, but that's about $500 and very easy to do myself.

I am a guy that only buys used cars too though. I can not stand the price of new cars that lose thousands of dollars in value when you drive them off the lot. I have driven cars for two or three years and then sold them for what I paid for them. I would rather pay to maintain them than make a car payment every month.

Bought a used boat too. New $20K+, used just over $10K. Looks like new and runs great.

Just have to be willing to shop and know what you are looking for and hire somebody who knows if you don't.

[Japhi]

Why don't you consider buying used? I bought a 2005 Sundance Optima for $2,000, then paid about $1,000 for an electrician and a mover to get it delivered and set up. Been using it now since the end of March. I did replace the heater and a pump, but that's about $500 and very easy to do myself.

I am a guy that only buys used cars too though. I can not stand the price of new cars that lose thousands of dollars in value when you drive them off the lot. I have driven cars for two or three years and then sold them for what I paid for them. I would rather pay to maintain them than make a car payment every month.

Bought a used boat too. New $20K+, used just over $10K. Looks like new and runs great.

Just have to be willing to shop and know what you are looking for and hire somebody who knows if you don't.

I always try to buy used as well when it comes to big ticket items like vehicles and tools. In my region though, the ask is too high on good used tubs. For instance, there are 3 used Jacuzzi J series for sale in Craigslist. All have an ask over 3500, are more than 4 years old, and will have void warranty if moved. It will cost me close to 4K to get those tubs in my backyard. Replacement is about 7500. Not enough of a buffer to make buying used worthwhile. Sounds like you did okay though.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

Why don't you consider buying used? I bought a 2005 Sundance Optima for $2,000, then paid about $1,000 for an electrician and a mover to get it delivered and set up. Been using it now since the end of March. I did replace the heater and a pump, but that's about $500 and very easy to do myself.

I am a guy that only buys used cars too though. I can not stand the price of new cars that lose thousands of dollars in value when you drive them off the lot. I have driven cars for two or three years and then sold them for what I paid for them. I would rather pay to maintain them than make a car payment every month.

Bought a used boat too. New $20K+, used just over $10K. Looks like new and runs great.

Just have to be willing to shop and know what you are looking for and hire somebody who knows if you don't.

I always try to buy used as well when it comes to big ticket items like vehicles and tools. In my region though, the ask is too high on good used tubs. For instance, there are 3 used Jacuzzi J series for sale in Craigslist. All have an ask over 3500, are more than 4 years old, and will have void warranty if moved. It will cost me close to 4K to get those tubs in my backyard. Replacement is about 7500. Not enough of a buffer to make buying used worthwhile. Sounds like you did okay though.

Very true, buying used is a hit and miss proposition. If you find the right one it can be a great deal but many/most are not.

-First of all you don't want anyone's headaches no matter how good the deal sounds; Id only consider quality made used spas. There are only a single digit # of brands I would personally consider buying used.

-Only consider used spas that you can see/test in FULL operation, no exceptions. If its unhooked or not filled and up to temp dont even go to look at it.

-Then you have to find one where someone isn't trying to push the envelope of what its worth.

You just have to find the right situation, a quality made spa at a reasonable price that is in good operating condition.

[Tim9]

Anyone have the contact for Rodger House. He was the spa tech re the Love Triangle.