Best Made Hot Tub? - Looking To Buy - Newbie

[Eire1916]

Hello all,

I am a hot tub newbie, seeking to buy my first hot tub finally after years of wanting one.

I am located in New England, so we get very cold winters, so I am going to go with a 240V. I primarily want the highest quality made hot tub. I have ZERO interest in buying Chinese junk etc. I would like either a high quality US, Canadian, or European hot tub with quality parts and I want to avoid the 'Assembled in the USA...when everything is made in China and assembled in the USA or something....

 

I would like a 240V model, doesnt need to have built in radio, TV waterfalls or any junk like that. Just solid construction, very well insulated and efficient, but powerful,  and quality components. 

I have bad neck, back, shoulder, and hip injuries and pain, so something that is powerful and would help with that would be ideal. 

A friend of mine recommended Beechcomber, but I am in MA, and the nearest dealer is 1 hour away and wont deliver, install, or service mine if I buy from them. There is no other dealer between NH and NYC. 

 

Any recommendations?

[Loopcity]

The brands with the best reputation for quality include Bullfrog, Marquis, Hot Spring, Sundance, Jacuzzi, Arctic, Artesian, Dimension One.  I would imagine that most of those brands are in your area.

[Jersey Hot Tub Repair]

Most tubs that are assembled in the USA source their mechanical and electrical parts from other countries.  Mexico seems to be the most frequently used source for the major electronic and mechanical parts.  There are no tubs "made from scratch" in the USA.  However, USA manufacturers assemble great hot tubs.

Still, quality issues aside, I think reputation of, and proximity to, a local dealer will be the most important aspect for you.  Sooner or later, you're going to need service, and if the nearest dealer is an hour away, you'll pay.  Or you'll learn to do it yourself.

Good plan to avoid radio and TV.  Those are expensive repairs.  As far as insulation goes,  this is a personal preference as a repair technician, but I would avoid hot tubs that have glued on sides and pumped in insulation.  Those dollars you save on heating will go very quickly when you have a leak and a technician has to spend 3 or 4 hours cutting off the sides and chipping out insulation to find the water source.  A lot of manufacturers are going to styrofoam block inserts and foil covered bubble-wraps.

Dave

[JB440]

 

Most tubs that are assembled in the USA source their mechanical and electrical parts from other countries.  Mexico seems to be the most frequently used source for the major electronic and mechanical parts.  There are no tubs "made from scratch" in the USA.  However, USA manufacturers assemble great hot tubs.

Still, quality issues aside, I think reputation of, and proximity to, a local dealer will be the most important aspect for you.  Sooner or later, you're going to need service, and if the nearest dealer is an hour away, you'll pay.  Or you'll learn to do it yourself.

Good plan to avoid radio and TV.  Those are expensive repairs.  As far as insulation goes,  this is a personal preference as a repair technician, but I would avoid hot tubs that have glued on sides and pumped in insulation.  Those dollars you save on heating will go very quickly when you have a leak and a technician has to spend 3 or 4 hours cutting off the sides and chipping out insulation to find the water source.  A lot of manufacturers are going to styrofoam block inserts and foil covered bubble-wraps.

Dave

 

Dave, do you know which high-end manufacturers are not using spray in foam?

Thanks. 

[Jersey Hot Tub Repair]

I think when you're at the retailer's, you're going to have to open the tubs and look.  We do hot tub repair, so most of the spas we see are several years old.  I do warranty work for Jacuzzi, Strong and PDC and none of them are using pumped in foam.  But I couldn't put together a list of every spa manufactured and tell you how their 2017 models are constructed.

I had a Dynasty spa today.  It had a leak that turned out to be from the back of a jet.  The water was seen 24 inches away from the leak.  Since it was a partial foam tub (meaning they just cover the plumbing with about 1/2 - 1 inch of sprayed on foam,) it only took about an hour to chip away and find the leak.  Had it been a no-foam tub, we would have seen the leak as soon as the side came off.  So, the two dollars a month they saved in electricity over the past five years got used up in a single service call.  If the customer decides to have us repair the leak, it's going to take another two hours to chip away enough foam to be able to get inside the tub and make the repair.  For this particular customer, that foam is adding $400 to their repair costs.

So much for saving electricity.