SpaNewbie Posted March 20, 2006 Report Share Posted March 20, 2006 Hi all! A very nice Forum with a lot of helpful people. I am totally new to the world of spas, love them, but have never owned one. I do have an inground pool with waterfall, which I love! I now want to add a spa. I am doing some remodeling as well, so I have a budget of $4600 for a spa. Here is what I have found: Costco Elite $3900, it is the model in the store; Costco Discovery $3700 and $4400, it is the online models, and Cal Spa Classic Series, both the C36S And C22S, for $4600 and $4100 respectively. All are 7 seaters, the Costco Spas are roughly 86x86x36 with 370 gallons. The Cal Spas are roughly 88x88x39 with 475 approximate gallons. Does anyone have an opinion on these spas? Or, any other spa that fits into this size category and budget? I am using the spa for entertaining, fun, and relaxation, not therapy. I realize there are some great spas out there for more money, but I need to stay within this budget to complete my remodel. If you have any opinions or advice as to which one of these to get or not to get, or any type of advice at all, please post. All opinions, comments are welcome. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IknewIwasright Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Hi all! A very nice Forum with a lot of helpful people. I am totally new to the world of spas, love them, but have never owned one. I do have an inground pool with waterfall, which I love! I now want to add a spa. I am doing some remodeling as well, so I have a budget of $4600 for a spa. Here is what I have found: Costco Elite $3900, it is the model in the store; Costco Discovery $3700 and $4400, it is the online models, and Cal Spa Classic Series, both the C36S And C22S, for $4600 and $4100 respectively. All are 7 seaters, the Costco Spas are roughly 86x86x36 with 370 gallons. The Cal Spas are roughly 88x88x39 with 475 approximate gallons. Does anyone have an opinion on these spas? Or, any other spa that fits into this size category and budget? I am using the spa for entertaining, fun, and relaxation, not therapy. I realize there are some great spas out there for more money, but I need to stay within this budget to complete my remodel. If you have any opinions or advice as to which one of these to get or not to get, or any type of advice at all, please post. All opinions, comments are welcome. Thank you. All I can tell you is that I have a costco spa, and I have not regretted it for one minute. There are plenty of "industry folk" on here that will be happy to tell you that if you buy a costco spa, there is something wrong with you and obviously you don't see things too clearly. I chaulked it up to fear. I bought the one directly from the store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkman009 Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 All I can tell you is that I have a costco spa, and I have not regretted it for one minute. There are plenty of "industry folk" on here that will be happy to tell you that if you buy a costco spa, there is something wrong with you and obviously you don't see things too clearly. I chaulked it up to fear. I bought the one directly from the store. I dont think I've seen one response telling anyone if they bought a costco spa there was something wrong with them. If someone asks for an opinion they are going to get it and the opinions arent always going to agree with you. As far as fear goes I've got news for you if it werent for the cheaper spas on the market my service department would be out of business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brulan1 Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 I dont think I've seen one response telling anyone if they bought a costco spa there was something wrong with them. If someone asks for an opinion they are going to get it and the opinions arent always going to agree with you. As far as fear goes I've got news for you if it werent for the cheaper spas on the market my service department would be out of business. Either you sell alot of quality spas or you need to sell more. How many service guys do you have working for you if you dont mind me asking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkman009 Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Either you sell alot of quality spas or you need to sell more. How many service guys do you have working for you if you dont mind me asking? I have five including myself and we are looking for more all the time. I only sell top of the line spas and as I've said before we made a choice a long time ago that we were only going to carry the best products we could find. I've been in this business a long time and over the years of doing service for a lot of different dealers one thing That I always found was the dealers that carried cheaper products didnt usually last longer than about five or six years and then they went out of business. I know this isnt always the case but it happened enough times that it stuck in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brulan1 Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 I have five including myself and we are looking for more all the time. I only sell top of the line spas and as I've said before we made a choice a long time ago that we were only going to carry the best products we could find. I've been in this business a long time and over the years of doing service for a lot of different dealers one thing That I always found was the dealers that carried cheaper products didnt usually last longer than about five or six years and then they went out of business. I know this isnt always the case but it happened enough times that it stuck in my head. Good point. How many service guys do you have? How long in business? What is your website? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightRyder Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 If you are a DIY kinda person grab the Costco Elite, add some insulation and enjoy. I've had mine for over a year and am very happy with it. A plus with the in-store Costco tub is that it can be returned for a refund if you decide you don't like it. If you want or need hand-holding, find a reputable dealer in your area and make your best deal. A previous poster is right, there are a lot of industry insiders here, I'm just Joe Consumer who was in the same position as you a year ago. Good luck. NightRyder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brulan1 Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 If you are a DIY kinda person grab the Costco Elite, add some insulation and enjoy. I've had mine for over a year and am very happy with it. A plus with the in-store Costco tub is that it can be returned for a refund if you decide you don't like it. If you want or need hand-holding, find a reputable dealer in your area and make your best deal. The previous poster is right, there are a lot of industry insiders here, I'm just joe consumer who was in the same position as you a year ago. Good luck. NightRyder Very cool. How is the warranty and do they have inhouse service techs? For the price I suppose you cant go wrong especially coming from such a big name. Plus Elite is a really nice spa. Is that the Elite company by MaaX the same that makes Colemans or is there another company called Elite? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightRyder Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Very cool. How is the warranty and do they have inhouse service techs? For the price I suppose you cant go wrong especially coming from such a big name. Plus Elite is a really nice spa. Is that the Elite company by MaaX the same that makes Colemans or is there another company called Elite? The Spas are manufactured by Hydro-Spa. Obviously, Costco does not have any in-house service techs. Warranty: Lifetime Spa Structural Warranty 10 Year Surface Warranty Lifetime Manifold Plumbing Warranty 2 Year Electrical Equipment Warranty Plus Costco's absolute satifaction guarantee. NightRyder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkman009 Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 If you are a DIY kinda person grab the Costco Elite, add some insulation and enjoy. I've had mine for over a year and am very happy with it. A plus with the in-store Costco tub is that it can be returned for a refund if you decide you don't like it. If you want or need hand-holding, find a reputable dealer in your area and make your best deal. A previous poster is right, there are a lot of industry insiders here, I'm just Joe Consumer who was in the same position as you a year ago. Good luck. NightRyder What did you use to insulate your spa with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brulan1 Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 What did you use to insulate your spa with? If it is the Elite spa by maax they use thermalock insulation with a blue foam on the pipes themselves but not engraved or anywhere near the components Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkman009 Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 If it is the Elite spa by maax they use thermalock insulation with a blue foam on the pipes themselves but not engraved or anywhere near the components No he said he added insulation himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brulan1 Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 No he said he added insulation himself. He is a Foam Ninja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 No he said he added insulation himself. If he's smart he's going to once he looks at the "wish" insulation they use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightRyder Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 What did you use to insulate your spa with? I added radiant barrier on the inner cabinet panels and Manville Comfort Therm (plastic wrapped batts) between the shell and the cabinet. Foam is great until you have to work on something, then it's just a mess. IMHO. NightRyder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Foam is great until you have to work on something, then it's just a mess. IMHO. NightRyder Yeah it can be, that is why it's so important to get a quality made spa that has very rare leak incidences. Did you know that some spa makers test each spa with water for hours to be sure it is properly made before it ships while others will only test a sample of spas and the first time your spa sees water may be in your own backyard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightRyder Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Yeah it can be, that is why it's so important to get a quality made spa that has very rare leak incidences. Did you know that some spa makers test each spa with water for hours to be sure it is properly made before it ships while others will only test a sample of spas and the first time your spa sees water may be in your own backyard? Makes sense. I guess that would explain all the water that came pouring out of my jets when we tipped it up during install. NightRyder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Makes sense. I guess that would explain all the water that came pouring out of my jets when we tipped it up during install. NightRyder Yeah, it's difficult to get all the water out so that's a good sign for you (assuming it wasn't rain water). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightRyder Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Yeah, it's difficult to get all the water out so that's a good sign for you (assuming it wasn't rain water). Unlikely, but who knows with any of them? I see spas setting outside at the Marquis factory all the time. They loaded it right off the truck onto my trailer, still in the factory wrap. I don't think any of the 12 in that shipment even made it into the warehouse, they sold them all in 4 hours. NightRyder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IknewIwasright Posted March 22, 2006 Report Share Posted March 22, 2006 Unlikely, but who knows with any of them? I see spas setting outside at the Marquis factory all the time. They loaded it right off the truck onto my trailer, still in the factory wrap. I don't think any of the 12 in that shipment even made it into the warehouse, they sold them all in 4 hours. NightRyder Actually my costco spa leaked water everywhere too when it was delivered. Our local Costco got in a shipment of 10 last week and the lady that always checks us out said that they never even made it through the day. She felt that if they could get 100 of them they would be gone in no time, and we life in a fairly small city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brulan1 Posted March 23, 2006 Report Share Posted March 23, 2006 Yeah it can be, that is why it's so important to get a quality made spa that has very rare leak incidences. Did you know that some spa makers test each spa with water for hours to be sure it is properly made before it ships while others will only test a sample of spas and the first time your spa sees water may be in your own backyard? Yeah some do random checks but tghat is a great way of quality control. I know Coleman wet tests every spa that goes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guzz Posted March 23, 2006 Report Share Posted March 23, 2006 Yeah some do random checks but tghat is a great way of quality control. I know Coleman wet tests every spa that goes out. I think most major manufacturers do, I know that watkins fills all it's spas and runs them prior to wrapping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brulan1 Posted March 23, 2006 Report Share Posted March 23, 2006 I think most major manufacturers do, I know that watkins fills all it's spas and runs them prior to wrapping. Thats right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisrt timer Posted March 24, 2006 Report Share Posted March 24, 2006 I looked at the costco tub. What a POS that thing was. Heck the speaker literlly fell out as I touched it. really poor insulation (if there was any). A typical Costco product. Made to look appealing to the masses but still junk. Adding the stereo was a great touch. Ya know they say that you can polish aterd all you want but in the end its still a terd. That summarizes the costco tub in a nut shell. No wet test, no dry test, inefficient insulation, no dealer support, no delivery, poor construction, poor quality in materials. The only thing that people have had good to say is that Costco has a good return policy and that it was cheep. Well, I am glad that they have a good return policy. You'll need it! Ya know if I spent 4k on something and my best defense was the return policy then there is something wrong. People on here talking about having to add insulation to the tub after they buy it. What a joke. You know its a pay now or pay later type of situation. I would rather buy a nicer tub now and hold onto it for a longer time than 2 costco tubs (it eill cost you less in the end, trust me). Just to prevent nasty responses, no I am not a dealer. I am a consumer and I work everyday for my money like everyone else. I hate cal spas and there quality but I would take it over a costco tub any day of the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brulan1 Posted March 24, 2006 Report Share Posted March 24, 2006 I looked at the costco tub. What a POS that thing was. Heck the speaker literlly fell out as I touched it. really poor insulation (if there was any). A typical Costco product. Made to look appealing to the masses but still junk. Adding the stereo was a great touch. Ya know they say that you can polish aterd all you want but in the end its still a terd. That summarizes the costco tub in a nut shell. No wet test, no dry test, inefficient insulation, no dealer support, no delivery, poor construction, poor quality in materials. The only thing that people have had good to say is that Costco has a good return policy and that it was cheep. Well, I am glad that they have a good return policy. You'll need it! Ya know if I spent 4k on something and my best defense was the return policy then there is something wrong. People on here talking about having to add insulation to the tub after they buy it. What a joke. You know its a pay now or pay later type of situation. I would rather buy a nicer tub now and hold onto it for a longer time than 2 costco tubs (it eill cost you less in the end, trust me). Just to prevent nasty responses, no I am not a dealer. I am a consumer and I work everyday for my money like everyone else. I hate cal spas and there quality but I would take it over a costco tub any day of the week. Point well taken. What is Cotsco's Elite tubs warranty if you know by any chance. Just a return policy? How about if something goes wrong with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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