Evolution Spa Csxi80

[hot_water]

Mate you are blowing smoke...

I have nothing against Costco or Strong... they both fill a niche. and the strong spa is a decent mid level spa at a decent price.

I have worked in development and supplied both Costco, Home depot and most of the Major players, right around the world, for over a decade, I do speak both from experience, and of facts. I sat in a meeting with Costco at their head office almost two years ago and went through this exact scenario when consulting on their spa program, I told them point blank that their current program would lead to mass failures and nightmare scenarios and that very year was the Infinity spas, and the Lazy boy, nightmares... exactly what I said would happen did, and last year these groups were spouting the same nonsense you now spout...and I am afraid you simply do not grasp the reality.

Spas that sell for 2k and 3k are the exception but lets face it, feature for feature the strong spa competes at the bottom end of the price point. Its not a condemnation its a fact... but you know what? I dont think buying a strong spa from Costco is a bad thing... for the money it is a decent buy, I do take exception to the misinformation spouted by both the price point end and the over priced high end branded spas.

By your own admission you have the limited experience of owning one strong spa and chatting with the local Costco manager... and in the temperate climate of San Jose, CA you have no idea, or real way to determine heat loss, or accurately assess the thermal properties of any spa... But I have a nice T.I.C. and can shoot a spa at -10 degrees and tell you exactly how many joules of energy you loose and have been doing nothing but hot tubs for well over 20 years, and lived literally all over the world building designing and supplying hot tubs.

Frankly i could not care or less who buys what spa where.. I have no vested interest at all with either these groups, I am semi retired and kick around selling a couple hundred spas a year in my local market and supplying parts and accessories to the trade... I have no hidden agendas or alliances or axes to grind with any of these groups, I have bought and sold and fixed spas from strong and the company was professional and backed up the product and I can never get out of a Costco store for less than $500 :-)

lol.... I am blowing smoke? Seems like you are the one that is making all these claims about quality issues with no specifics and no backup. That, sir, is smoke.

I am not impressed with your TIC (thermal imaging camera for those that are unfamiliar with the jargon). I don't own one but have access to them. They have their uses but are not the end all - nor is putting a meter on a spa going to answer the question about usage unless you do so under very tightly controlled conditions so that you can compare spas. Do you have some real data to publish? Others have claimed that they have done this... yet like you, they present no data. That is, IMO, blowing smoke. I am an engineer and have 6 patents in the area of heat transfer. Not to try to impress anyone... it shouldn't, since spas are not exactly rocket science... but should point out that some of us here do know how to look at these issues.

Look - the bottom line is that if you or anyone could actually point to real issues with the Strong spa or any spa and say, "this (part, construction method, or whatever) is why THIS isn't as good as THAT" then there would be some value there. I would be happy to learn about such REAL issues and would be grateful for the information. Instead we are treated to general blah-blah-blah, followed up by the inevitable "I have been doing this for (insert large number) of years so you should believe me". That, IMO, also is blowing smoke.

Hindsight is always 20-20. Other makers have had their problems. They went under. All that is irrelevant to the current question in this thread, which is the Strong spa. If you can point to something concrete that they have cut corners on then we could discuss it. If you can't, then we will simply have to disagree.

[Spa God]

You win... your spa is great!

[Spa God]

what the big secret? why hide you should be proud of what you do. by the way can you help me with my post about hooking up my spa or do you only do secret sales?

I dont want to be here to benefit my business or get into biased discussions... I really just want to participate in discussions, and there are things I say on here that are frankly against my own interests and may not be entirely complementary to my customers... besides who cares who I am... I really am not in any way directly involved in anything much beyond some consulting and selling some spas in a local market... I know a lot about this industry, and this product, I may not know much about much but I know a lot about hot tubs...

[Andre]

I live in York PA and drove up to the strong factory today and saw the spas in person and their manufacturing plant. if you have questions, let me know as I saw the spas live.

[Victor1266]

I live in York PA and drove up to the strong factory today and saw the spas in person and their manufacturing plant. if you have questions, let me know as I saw the spas live.

I have alot of questions. Can you give a detailed "overview" of what you saw? I ordered one 3 weeks ago, but I am still trying to get as many thoughts/opinions as possible before it ships. Thanks

[Victor1266]

My main concern is weak jet power. Anyone else feel free to chime in on this(hopefully productive and objective posters).

[Andre]

Here is my opinion:

Pro's: Excellent cabinet. Far superior to anything I have seen.

Good insulation in between the cabinet walls.

Quality acrylic liner.

Excellent value features/warranty vs. price

Cons: Quality of components were not great.

- tubes used to transport water to jets were clear plastic, not reinforced white braided plastic

- motors were loud, sounded strained on high

- jets were cheap and basic. did not offer the high end swirl, pressure massage types in higher end spas

Cheesy lighting & waterfall

Of course the debate between full insulation vs. not. After seeing it, I dont think it will be an energy hog, but it wont be as efficient as fully insulated.

For me, I am going to pass. For $6200 I can get a Caldera Marino which is more basic but much better quality. Depending on the type of shopper you are I would look at it like this: Strong Spa = fully loaded Hyundai Sonata; Caldera Basic model or equivalent = Mid level Honda Accord.

Some people want a decked out car, and are willing to live with problems since it comes with "America's best warranty". Others will give that up to have a reliable car the runs forever.

My advice to you is, go look in your garage and see what car you are driving!

[Roger]

Here is my opinion:

Pro's: Excellent cabinet. Far superior to anything I have seen.

Good insulation in between the cabinet walls.

Quality acrylic liner.

Excellent value features/warranty vs. price

Cons: Quality of components were not great.

- tubes used to transport water to jets were clear plastic, not reinforced white braided plastic

- motors were loud, sounded strained on high

- jets were cheap and basic. did not offer the high end swirl, pressure massage types in higher end spas

Cheesy lighting & waterfall

Of course the debate between full insulation vs. not. After seeing it, I dont think it will be an energy hog, but it wont be as efficient as fully insulated.

For me, I am going to pass. For $6200 I can get a Caldera Marino which is more basic but much better quality. Depending on the type of shopper you are I would look at it like this: Strong Spa = fully loaded Hyundai Sonata; Caldera Basic model or equivalent = Mid level Honda Accord.

Some people want a decked out car, and are willing to live with problems since it comes with "America's best warranty". Others will give that up to have a reliable car the runs forever.

My advice to you is, go look in your garage and see what car you are driving!

This isn't a bad analagy. I didn't have the same opinion of the cabinet. Seemed kinda cheesy comparable to high end tubs to me. And insulation was sketchy with several air gaps around the panels. And fiberglass and acrylic measuered up to upper low end to middle of the road, which is where it belongs.

Mediocre value, warranty versus price.

[Spa God]

Not a fan of the skirt... looks cheap to me esp compared to some of the great resin skirts available now.

[Soaker44]

The lifetime Costco 100% refund policy makes the Warranty a AAAA+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ !!

Also, the Caldera Marino weighs 300 pounds less than the Strong CSXi80...must be a cheaply constructed tub..... (I just like to add some fodder to the fire...)