cop1s Posted June 13, 2007 Report Share Posted June 13, 2007 Which one is more reliable ? I live in a cold weather and I'm ready to buy , I must do my choice among the Calspa Classic series , the Arctic Kodiak and the LA Spa Heet . Any recommandation !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastside Spas Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 Which one is more reliable ? I live in a cold weather and I'm ready to buy , I must do my choice among the Calspa Classic series , the Arctic Kodiak and the LA Spa Heet . Any recommandation !!! Here's my take on 2 of your choices! But first my background... I have over 20 years of service and support under my belt. I do not promote any particular brands, I am NOT a sales person. I service ALL brands makes and models. I KNOW the brands that are worth buying from these points: 1. Support from the Manufacturer 2. Quality of product 3. Durability I am not going to beat around the bush here... CalSpa is a low end manufacturer. Their products are sub-standard and their warranty while stated at 5 years total lacks the support of the dealers/service people, because Cal Spa does NOT support THEM. They underpay their dealers for warranty work which often means the consumer can end up paying for warranty work anyway. I currently am providing warranty work for a local Calspa dealer who just received 9 new spas. 2 of these have factory defects. Another one we installed on his showroom has a defective pump. The siding is loose and buzzes and the lack of insulation is definite major decline from their early 1990's, models. Need I say more? Don't go there!!! LA Spas is no different. You do NOT get what you pay for!!! They are using the cheapest materials they can and their warranty handling has always been quick to blame the consumer for improper chemistry, causing things like jets to fall apart. I have worked on many LA Spas over the years and watched a steady decline in quality. Avoid Thermospas like the plague. Cheap built, high priced junk Avoid Garden Lesiure, another cheap built low end product. Avoid Keys Backyard spas, cheap price, cheap built, noisy and NO insulation worth mentioning Avoid Hydro Spas, In fact avoid any brands sold through Home Depot, Costco, Walmart, unless you want the ability to return it after determining it really is junk after all... I do not recommend Sundance, Hot Springs, Caldera, Jacuzzi or Dimension One either as they are extremely high priced and parts are Manufacturer specific, meaning you are forced to buy directly from them for all parts and supplies. Brands I would suggest looking for top notch quality and longevity: Beachcomber Catalina H2O Spas Master Spas I hope you do not take me as some pessimistic disgruntled person... I said before, I'm not going to beat around the bush and paint it pretty colors. I sell refurbished tubs and see the ends and outs of just about everything out there from the old redwood tubs to the latest new tubs. Very few brands have ANY feature worth mulling over except QUALITY of product. Don't fall for the old gimciks game. All tubs filter and heat water, the rest is all bells and whistles. Ozone - useful IF you are not going to be using your tub very often and need a way to maintain cleanliness during those periods of non-use Stereos - Exterior or pop-up speakers are high maintenance and seldom last more than about 2 years, some less. Try to get a system that uses Tranducer type mounted inside on the shell wall. less likely to break down. TV's - another high maintenance add-on... Lighting - Avoid the Multi-LED lighting systems - very cheaply made and costly to repair. The fiber-optic systems are not maintenance free, but since its a single bulb, you don't have to have access to all sides of the spa to fix it like the LED systems Pay attention to the spa manufacturer's recommendaations regarding installation and subsequent maintenance access requirements. Make sure that all spa access panels needed for repair and maintenance are not blocked in by decking, walls, fences etc. It is not recommended to install a tub down in a deck. If you do wish to do so, make sure it can be easily services without having to be taken out of the deck. Need more info? email me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathfinder Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 I would have to strongly disagree with your selection of H20 & Catalina I know nothing about Master except some shady marketing. Catalina has the worst quality I have seen. Since the dealer where I am went under I have people stopping by asking if I can get them parts for their 2 yr old tubs. H20 derrived out of Pacific Spas because a small group thought they could do better. I have seen them up close & they look OK The dealers I know that picked them up were greatly dissappointed with the quality of the tubs when they had to do mulitple warranties on floor tubs that were only running for a couple months. None of them carry H20 anymore. The new Cals do have more insulation than early 90's tubs. There are happy Cal spa owners but yes Cal does under pay and try to deny warranty claims unless you have follwed everything to a T In Canada its not as bad. For the original 3 choices if those are the only ones available Cal LA or Arctic I would have to say Arctic its the better of the 3, then Cal, then nothing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East TX Spa Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 I would daresay that of the above list, MasterSpa and Catalina would fall under the same description as Thermospas based upon MY experience. Never heard of H2O Spas, but perusing their website, they appear to be of the same ilk as the aforementioned. Beachcomber is a good brand, no argument here. To Mr. cop1s, I would suggest sticking with the major manufacturers (HotSpring, Sundance, Marquis, Dimension 1, Jacuzzi) as they are the most popular spas in the world for these reasons: quality, servicablility, parts availability, dealer support. THAT is why they are successful. As far as being high-priced, I have seen Master Spas and Catalinas that were much higer priced than anything I sell (under $12,000 for a HotSpring Vista whereas I've seen $18,000 MasterSpas....of course, they were quickly discounted to $12,000 and then to $8,000). Go and look at the spas, climb in them, jump up and down in the bottom of them (watch the salesman's eyes bug out), kick the side of the cabinet, do a wet test and see how the jets actually feel on your back (not your hand). Check with the local Better Business Bureau. Do all that and you won't have any trouble making the right choice. Good luck in your search. Terminator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 I would agree with the things Chris said - East Texas Saps, er, uh, Spas. Typo. Honest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted June 14, 2007 Report Share Posted June 14, 2007 I KNOW the brands that are worth buying from these points: 1. Support from the Manufacturer 2. Quality of product 3. Durability I am not going to beat around the bush here... Well, at least Arctic didn't get beaten in that post. But then, I guess we weren't around the bush. I believe that we meet those three criteria. Our first spas are now 13 years old and have been around long enough to begin to prove durability. Term's list was a little too restricted IMO -- Arctic is probably now one of the top 10 manufacturers in North America by volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cop1s Posted June 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2007 I would agree with the things Chris said - East Texas Saps, er, uh, Spas. Typo. Honest! I'm very surprised of your comments about LA spa , because , all comments or reviews on this forum are positive , either for Arctic . but Calspa is strongly bashed . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_The_Jim Posted June 15, 2007 Report Share Posted June 15, 2007 "I do not recommend Sundance, Hot Springs, Caldera, Jacuzzi or Dimension One either as they are extremely high priced and parts are Manufacturer specific, meaning you are forced to buy directly from them for all parts and supplies. " http://www.soundclick.com/havenhead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted June 15, 2007 Report Share Posted June 15, 2007 ='Jim_The_Jim' date='Jun 15 2007, 12:42 AM' post='28684'] "I do not recommend Sundance, Hot Springs, Caldera, Jacuzzi or Dimension One either as they are extremely high priced and parts are Manufacturer specific, meaning you are forced to buy directly from them for all parts and supplies." But neither of the post's regarding these brands downfall mention dealer support, quality, or manufacturer backing. Because they are among the best in the indusrty, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted June 15, 2007 Report Share Posted June 15, 2007 name='Jim_The_Jim' date='Jun 15 2007, 12:16 PM' post='28729'] YEA! Someone with objective experience! Exactly as objective as yours!!! Difference is he tells us he does not sell a brand, he may or may not, I don't like most of his choices either but he is allowed his opinion. You on the other hand sell a rebranded Phoenix and are extremley objective to it. Of his choices I to would pick the Arctic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted June 15, 2007 Report Share Posted June 15, 2007 Roger? You ok? Talking to yourself again? You agree, through your use of this service, that you will not use this bulletin board to post any material which is defamatory, abusive, hateful, harassing.............. You agree to not leave signatures, URLs or text including, derogatory comments about members, or self-promotion of any form encouraging members to visit a particular website I'm done editing posts. I don't have the time. Go ahead, test my itchy delete finger. Make my day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart A Posted June 15, 2007 Report Share Posted June 15, 2007 I have a La Spa Heet and I am very pleased with my choice. We did numerous wet tests and research, and we have no regrets. But what is right for one person may not be right for another, one of the many deciding factors for us was that each seat and the lounger provides good hydropherapy. Some other makes of spas have seats with one or even no jets in them, but some people must like this or those type of spas would not sell. So wet test and check all the seats and see if thats for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artic Cub Posted June 16, 2007 Report Share Posted June 16, 2007 All, Obviously, I own one of the smaller Arctic spas and I did lot's of research making sure I was buying a quality tub first and foremost. I've had my tub for about 2 years now and 0 major issues. I repeat, no heater problems, no cabinet problems, no leaks, no hose issues, no cover issues. I've had some issues with Jets, and they seem to be getting resolved with getting off of Baqua (back to bromine) and getting the new higher quality ones. I've had a cover lifter issue that I am working through with Tom and others at Arctic. My (Manassas, VA) dealer has been a joke, who of course has service issues not having a tech. in house (and I live 50 miles from them) , but the guys at Arctic have been polite and quick to follow through on trying to get my issues resolved. Tom - BTW - There are hot springs dealers 15 mins from me, can't you train one of those guys to be certified? Or how about me? I'm ready for a trip to Canada?! We will see if it all gets resolved; certainly not because they aren't trying to help. Even with my small issues, I've been happy with my spa overall. AC\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas Posted June 16, 2007 Report Share Posted June 16, 2007 'Jim_The_Jim' said, "If you want value, you have to look and do research and stop listening to sales people on these internet sites. Look at what you are buying, that would be a good thing to do." You are a salesman. And how do I look at your product without flying into Denver? Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East TX Spa Posted June 16, 2007 Report Share Posted June 16, 2007 Hmmmmm.....on the Coastside Spas website, it says they sell H2O and Catalina Spas. It kinda makes you wonder....don't it?! Terminator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestallion Posted June 16, 2007 Report Share Posted June 16, 2007 Hmmmmm.....on the Coastside Spas website, it says they sell H2O and Catalina Spas. It kinda makes you wonder....don't it?! Terminator things that make you hummmmm, you sure your just not being cynical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim_The_Jim Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 'Jim_The_Jim' said, "If you want value, you have to look and do research and stop listening to sales people on these internet sites. Look at what you are buying, that would be a good thing to do." You are a salesman. And how do I look at your product without flying into Denver? Just a thought. Goophy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 ='Jim_The_Jim' date='Jun 19 2007, 11:34 PM' post='29139'] 'Jim_The_Jim' said, "If you want value, you have to look and do research and stop listening to sales people on these internet sites. Look at what you are buying, that would be a good thing to do." You are a salesman. And how do I look at your product without flying into Denver? Just a thought. Once again, *** cabeza, I don't sell anything from this bs site. I am just here to protect innocent people from all the hundreds of sales people posing as spa onwers on this site. And what is wrong with telling people to look inside the spa at the construction and to study spa construction, before they waste money on some piece of caca from Vista CA. None of us are here to sell anything!! But that does not take away the fact that YOU ARE A SALESMAN!!!! We are just here to protect the innocent consumers from YOU. But you are allowed your opiion of the manufcturers in Vista California. But our opinion of the brand you sell is just as valid, and I'm not sure it reaches the caca level! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 Tom - BTW - There are hot springs dealers 15 mins from me, can't you train one of those guys to be certified? Or how about me? I'm ready for a trip to Canada?! For now, we are working on developing our dealer network so are not ready to train independent technicians. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted June 20, 2007 Report Share Posted June 20, 2007 Tom - BTW - There are hot springs dealers 15 mins from me, can't you train one of those guys to be certified? Or how about me? I'm ready for a trip to Canada?! For now, we are working on developing our dealer network so are not ready to train independent technicians. Sorry. When you do decide, save yourself the training and list me. It'll take me one repair to know the insides of an Arctic like the back of my hand. But I guess I would need more than just a few in this area.....LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artic Cub Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Tom - BTW - There are hot springs dealers 15 mins from me, can't you train one of those guys to be certified? Or how about me? I'm ready for a trip to Canada?! For now, we are working on developing our dealer network so are not ready to train independent technicians. Sorry. When you do decide, save yourself the training and list me. It'll take me one repair to know the insides of an Arctic like the back of my hand. But I guess I would need more than just a few in this area.....LOL ========================================================================================= All - I don't know where to !@#!@# start........I've been having some issues that Arctic reps have been trying to assist me with working through the dealer and has been a slow painful process, but in good faith, Ive been going with the flow, but now I am way over the edge.... A Arctic tech. was out 3 weeks ago to help fix a minor light and jet issue.....I read some info. from Tom and the newer owners manuals online and decided to see if I had an ozonator in my tub. I don't know yet. Why you ask?! Because I found over an inch of water in my cabinet that looks like its been there for a while!!!!!!! I'm about to go postal!!!!!! Someone, please tell me this is normal. Please tell me it comes and goes. Lie to me!!!! Please!!!!! Unfreakn' Real!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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