Mr. Ed Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 I would like to hear the skinny on round hot tubs. I'm considering getting a round tub for outdoor installation in Northern Minnesota. They appeal to me for several reasons: 1) structural simplicity, 2) depth and legroom (my wife and I are tall), 3) minimum surface area and small footprint (it gets cold here), and 4) social seating arrangement. These reasons are strictly theoretical-this will be my first tub. The only two brands of lined round tubs that I have discovered are Nordic and Great Northern. What are the pros and cons of these two brands, and are there others I should consider? Mr. Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpgtech Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 I would like to hear the skinny on round hot tubs. I'm considering getting a round tub for outdoor installation in Northern Minnesota. They appeal to me for several reasons: 1) structural simplicity, 2) depth and legroom (my wife and I are tall), 3) minimum surface area and small footprint (it gets cold here), and 4) social seating arrangement. These reasons are strictly theoretical-this will be my first tub. The only two brands of lined round tubs that I have discovered are Nordic and Great Northern. What are the pros and cons of these two brands, and are there others I should consider? Mr. Ed Round tubs are geat tubs for many of the reasons you mentioned. wet test the tubs as they all can vary in the seating depths and legroom. a 6' diameter tub can get cramped with more than two people,especially if they are tall. the round tubs are designed after your traditional wooden tub, but with modern materials. you will not find typically the large amounts of jets and bells and whistles with a lot of the round tubs, but most who are looking at the round tubs aren't neccesarily looking for all of that. I do not have much experience w/nordic or great northern but i have heard nordic makes a good round spa. Jacuzzi and sundance each have a round spa in their lines which have 19/20 jets respectively, a good layout, a decent warranty, and backing of a major spa manufacturer. again, wet test if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Kahuna Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 A friend of mine owns a round tub. Now i'm not sure if this is typical of them or because his is a few years old now, but when he's using it he finds it more difficult to maintane the temperature of the tub. A few hours in cold weather and it drops from 106 down to 100 and he usually has to close it up to get it to heat up again. If you just plan on going in for relaxing for a little bit each day, this wouldn't be a problem, but if you want to entertain for hours it may be. Again, this could be just his specific tub, others may not have the same observations. As for the hard shell tubs, you shouldn't have to worry about the cold as most tubs these days are designed to withstand low temperatures (i'm in Northern Canada, not uncommon for -50 here, and very normal to have a month of -40, Roger gets similar weather slightly S.E. of me and we don't have problems with our tubs, outside of the ordinary). But with an acrylic tub, you will need someplace to put it where it will be more or less "static" (can't move it around like you could with a soft tub). Pros and Cons to each, depending on what you are looking at it for (round tubs also tend to be cheaper to buy). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brulan1 Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 A friend of mine owns a round tub. Now i'm not sure if this is typical of them or because his is a few years old now, but when he's using it he finds it more difficult to maintane the temperature of the tub. A few hours in cold weather and it drops from 106 down to 100 and he usually has to close it up to get it to heat up again. If you just plan on going in for relaxing for a little bit each day, this wouldn't be a problem, but if you want to entertain for hours it may be. Again, this could be just his specific tub, others may not have the same observations. As for the hard shell tubs, you shouldn't have to worry about the cold as most tubs these days are designed to withstand low temperatures (i'm in Northern Canada, not uncommon for -50 here, and very normal to have a month of -40, Roger gets similar weather slightly S.E. of me and we don't have problems with our tubs, outside of the ordinary). But with an acrylic tub, you will need someplace to put it where it will be more or less "static" (can't move it around like you could with a soft tub). Pros and Cons to each, depending on what you are looking at it for (round tubs also tend to be cheaper to buy). California cooperage was a company started by two brothers that had wooden barrels in warm water with a big contraption to power 1 jet back in the late 60's. Than coleman bought them out in 1985 and than Maax took over. They still kept the heritage of the Cal. Coops. The new model for 2006 is the 103 model and it is round. I havn't sat in it yet but sounds great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestallion Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 A friend of mine owns a round tub. Now i'm not sure if this is typical of them or because his is a few years old now, but when he's using it he finds it more difficult to maintane the temperature of the tub. A few hours in cold weather and it drops from 106 down to 100 and he usually has to close it up to get it to heat up again. If you just plan on going in for relaxing for a little bit each day, this wouldn't be a problem, but if you want to entertain for hours it may be. Again, this could be just his specific tub, others may not have the same observations. As for the hard shell tubs, you shouldn't have to worry about the cold as most tubs these days are designed to withstand low temperatures (i'm in Northern Canada, not uncommon for -50 here, and very normal to have a month of -40, Roger gets similar weather slightly S.E. of me and we don't have problems with our tubs, outside of the ordinary). But with an acrylic tub, you will need someplace to put it where it will be more or less "static" (can't move it around like you could with a soft tub). Pros and Cons to each, depending on what you are looking at it for (round tubs also tend to be cheaper to buy). Just a guess here but I would wager that he has this hooked up as a 110 spa. If connected to 220 I do not think he would have this problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Ed Posted March 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 Ok, I googled up Maax, saw some Coleman connections, but Maax seems to be an Australian outfit. I didn't find any US dealers or models-and no round ones. I didn't see any round Coleman products either.Am I missing something? I would really like to hear from someone who has done some serious soaking in a round tub to get their impressions. Mr. Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 By chance, did you try www.maxx.com ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpgtech Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 Maax is a canadian company, and did not take over coleman spas until 1998-99. California cooperage was actually established in 1974 in San luis Obispo. they were tinkering with redwood tubs before that but the company actually wasn't formed until '74 my boss worked for cal coop as a sales manager, and then bought the retail showroom at the factory in san luis, right before coleman bought them, we then signed up to be one of the first coleman spas dealer's in the country. our showroom is down the street from the old cal coop factory(which is now a goodwill wharehouse) colemans were actually produced in san luis for two years until they moved to Chandler. Coleman does make a round spa called the 103. not a bad tub comfort wise but I fell it lacks jets, only 11. a lot of round tubs have 19-21 jets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Ed Posted March 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 Maax is a canadian company, and did not take over coleman spas until 1998-99. California cooperage was actually established in 1974 in San luis Obispo. they were tinkering with redwood tubs before that but the company actually wasn't formed until '74 my boss worked for cal coop as a sales manager, and then bought the retail showroom at the factory in san luis, right before coleman bought them, we then signed up to be one of the first coleman spas dealer's in the country. our showroom is down the street from the old cal coop factory(which is now a goodwill wharehouse) colemans were actually produced in san luis for two years until they moved to Chandler. Coleman does make a round spa called the 103. not a bad tub comfort wise but I fell it lacks jets, only 11. a lot of round tubs have 19-21 jets. Thanks. I'll check Coleman. I'm still not coming up with many manufacturers of round tubs, and in at least one case one manufacturer seems to be making tubs which are sold under two different brand names-"Nordic" and "Northstar" tubs look identical. Is this common? Is there a difference in price or quality. Is it like Fords and Mercuries-different sheet metal, but the same underneath? Can anyone out there name a few more round tub manufacturers? Mr. Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brulan1 Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 Maax is a canadian company, and did not take over coleman spas until 1998-99. California cooperage was actually established in 1974 in San luis Obispo. they were tinkering with redwood tubs before that but the company actually wasn't formed until '74 my boss worked for cal coop as a sales manager, and then bought the retail showroom at the factory in san luis, right before coleman bought them, we then signed up to be one of the first coleman spas dealer's in the country. our showroom is down the street from the old cal coop factory(which is now a goodwill wharehouse) colemans were actually produced in san luis for two years until they moved to Chandler. Coleman does make a round spa called the 103. not a bad tub comfort wise but I fell it lacks jets, only 11. a lot of round tubs have 19-21 jets. Even before that they made the complete round wooden tub before they became corporated. Coleman bought them out and than Maax bought the coleman division, switched it from a full foam wooden frame to a thermal lock and gavalume steel and totally reconstructed the tub Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpgtech Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 when they were formed they were selling complete round redwood tubs with jets and equipment, and yes they were tinkering with redwood tubs before 74 . coleman has always had a form of tp insulation, well before maax bought them. in 2003 they switched to the gavalume, but they have had tp for quite a long time. they did totally redesign their tubs in 03 but maax had already owned them for a number of years and they did not go from a wooden frame full foam to a steel frame tp only when maax bought them. how long have you sold coleman? we still have original california cooperage brochures from the 1970's if you want to know about it's history. e-mail me and i'll send you some copies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Kahuna Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 Just a guess here but I would wager that he has this hooked up as a 110 spa. If connected to 220 I do not think he would have this problem. Could be, i'll have to ask him but you are probaby right now that i think about it. Makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 I would like to hear the skinny on round hot tubs. I'm considering getting a round tub for outdoor installation in Northern Minnesota. They appeal to me for several reasons: 1) structural simplicity, 2) depth and legroom (my wife and I are tall), 3) minimum surface area and small footprint (it gets cold here), and 4) social seating arrangement. These reasons are strictly theoretical-this will be my first tub. The only two brands of lined round tubs that I have discovered are Nordic and Great Northern. What are the pros and cons of these two brands, and are there others I should consider? Mr. Ed Ed....were you thinking traditional wooden or acrylic because wooden now can be lined and with a gas fired heating system they are quick to heat and they give you a feel for the old world hot tub experience, and they look really cool. Where are you in Northern Minnesota? Beachcomber makes a nice round tub, Vita, Great Lakes, Solana or one of those watkins companys makes one, in 220 volt electric, acrylic, portable, but the Great Northern Tub is also a nice tub. And made localy by a highly ranked company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Ed Posted March 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Ed....were you thinking traditional wooden or acrylic because wooden now can be lined and with a gas fired heating system they are quick to heat and they give you a feel for the old world hot tub experience, and they look really cool. Where are you in Northern Minnesota? Beachcomber makes a nice round tub, Vita, Great Lakes, Solana or one of those watkins companys makes one, in 220 volt electric, acrylic, portable, but the Great Northern Tub is also a nice tub. And made localy by a highly ranked company. I am thinking lined and insullated. They do look cool, but I suspect that all-wood tubs require more care than I want to devote to a hot tub. However, one of the reasons I'm thinking round is the look. I live in an old farm house out in the country and I think a round tub would look good next to my old concrete stave silo. Heat retention is a major issue. We are in the USDA zone 2 finger that sticks down into northern Minnesota. Typical winter lows are 30 to 40 below (at least before global warming-this year we only got to 30 below twice). Every couple of years we hit 50 below, and, of course, we go weeks at a time where it never gets above zero. Lots of folks have regular square tubs around here, and they seem to do fine in the cold, but my wife has her heart set on round! Can you tell me any more about Great Northern? Mr. Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spa-Guy Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Hi Ed, Two other companies to consider when looking at round tubs, would be Freeflow Spas and Artesian Spas. The Freeflow Spa comes standard 110/220 voltage covertibility. I would recommend 220 Volts for your cold climate, otherwise you will only have a 20 minute soak in a 110 Volt Spa. Artesian makes a nice high end round spa, that only comes in 220 volts, due to the larger pump. If you are looking for a traditional wood hot tub, then check at Doc at Roberts Hot Tubs. Many different types of wood availbale, custom made for you. Goodluck. Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brulan1 Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 when they were formed they were selling complete round redwood tubs with jets and equipment, and yes they were tinkering with redwood tubs before 74 . coleman has always had a form of tp insulation, well before maax bought them. in 2003 they switched to the gavalume, but they have had tp for quite a long time. they did totally redesign their tubs in 03 but maax had already owned them for a number of years and they did not go from a wooden frame full foam to a steel frame tp only when maax bought them. how long have you sold coleman? we still have original california cooperage brochures from the 1970's if you want to know about it's history. e-mail me and i'll send you some copies. Since 1985 and I would love those brochures or copies of them. Thanks so much!!! I have brochures from 1984 for hotsprings and vita and spa manufacturers you probably never heard of. We sold hotsprings and than found Coleman in 85. Can you send a copy to Pt.relax@verizon.net or Brulan1@hotmail.com or Brulan1@hofstra.edu. or mail them to Pooltech Inc. 168 Rt. 110 farmingdale NY 11735. Thanks a million. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 I am thinking lined and insullated. They do look cool, but I suspect that all-wood tubs require more care than I want to devote to a hot tub. However, one of the reasons I'm thinking round is the look. I live in an old farm house out in the country and I think a round tub would look good next to my old concrete stave silo. Heat retention is a major issue. We are in the USDA zone 2 finger that sticks down into northern Minnesota. Typical winter lows are 30 to 40 below (at least before global warming-this year we only got to 30 below twice). Every couple of years we hit 50 below, and, of course, we go weeks at a time where it never gets above zero. Lots of folks have regular square tubs around here, and they seem to do fine in the cold, but my wife has her heart set on round! Can you tell me any more about Great Northern? Mr. Ed I haven't looked closley at a Rubadubtub but I have seen one, and they seem cool also. The look of traditional wood but vinyl lined and insulated. I wish I could of looked inside the equipment bay to get a better look but it is an interesting concept. Have you called them for any prices yet? You said you were in Northern Minnesota and you said zone 2. I live in Duluth which is in zone 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpgtech Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Since 1985 and I would love those brochures or copies of them. Thanks so much!!! I have brochures from 1984 for hotsprings and vita and spa manufacturers you probably never heard of. We sold hotsprings and than found Coleman in 85. Can you send a copy to Pt.relax@verizon.net or Brulan1@hotmail.com or Brulan1@hofstra.edu. or mail them to Pooltech Inc. 168 Rt. 110 farmingdale NY 11735. Thanks a million. I don't care about vita or manufacturers I have never heard of. my point was that california cooperage was not started by two brothers in the late 60's and coleman always has done tp insulation. maax purchased coleman in sept of 98 and was using tp w/ a wood frame. Cliff branch founded california cooperage. you just seemed to be really condensing you history and throwing stuff out there that is not true. that is why i asked how long you have been selling coleman. we have been selling coleman since day 1. we were a california cooperage dealer before coleman bought them. I will make you a copy of a california cooperage prospective dealer brochure that details the historry of California cooperage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 you just seemed to be really condensing you history and throwing stuff out there that is not true. Brulan is making statements that don't hold up? Imagine that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Ed Posted March 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 I haven't looked closley at a Rubadubtub but I have seen one, and they seem cool also. The look of traditional wood but vinyl lined and insulated. I wish I could of looked inside the equipment bay to get a better look but it is an interesting concept. Have you called them for any prices yet? You said you were in Northern Minnesota and you said zone 2. I live in Duluth which is in zone 2. Near Sebeka-in the Finish Triangle. This is sauna county! By the way, that is "sow (female pig)-na" not "saw (toothed cutting instrument)-na". When I first got out here they were still speaking Finish on the street, but times are changing. I think hot tubs outnumber saunas these days. I just found the Rubadubtub on the web. It looks like a completely different breed of cat. It is lined with a plastic called PVDF. Does anyone have anything to tell me about this? I'm guessing it is a heavy vinyl. Is it any good? This tub also has what look like bench seats. Comfortable? The web site also promotes an insulated roll-up cover. Anyone have any experience with it? Mr. Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 message deleted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 Doc I would of pushed your tubs but I didn't think you had an insulated wood round tub. Or do you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 message deleted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 So what if a guy wants a quality round wood tub here in Northern Minnesota that is insulated, where can he get one? I have visions of a round wood unisulated tub thawing snow for 10 feet around it and loosing so much heat the gas/electric bill would drive you to not want a hot tub. Little help Doc. Theres no question your wooden tubs seem to be close to the top of the heap, but give me a break this is not California, and filling and draining everytime you want to use it seems like a bad idea. If it's just a snow storm a t-shirt is fine, but if its cold like 20-30 below I need a wind breaker and a hat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Ed Posted March 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2006 This has been helpful. I've found four or five brands of round tubs with dealers in the area. From the specs on the web though, the tubs seem to run from 72" to 84" in diameter, 30" to 40" in height, and 220 gallons to 400 gallons in water capacity. Roger is right about it being cold here. I assume that heat loss is inversely related to water volume. Do bigger tubs retain heat better in cold weather? Are they cheaper to operate? Mr. Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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