Frazzled, Confused, And Overwhelmed!

[seattlemama]

Yes, yes, ANOTHER person who is overwhelmed and confused by the plethora of choices surrounding a hot tub purchase!! Wow, for all of you who have gone through this and had troubles with your tubs from the get-go - my heart goes out to you!!!

First, I've read through many posts (for what seems like hours!) - and tried to gather advice from past posts so that I'm not repeating what many have already asked/said - but seems as though most have already narrowed their search down to two or so tubs and are asking for all of your advice.

My dilemma is that I've attempted to do the research with limited time (full time work/full time mom - eeks! Hence, the need for a hot tub!!) - and the more I do, the more confused I seem to get. Same song and dance as most of you...tough to get a straight opinion from anyone actually SELLING them!

Here are my top priorities:

* energy efficient

* good filtration (if I understand correctly, getting an 'ozonator' will decrease my need for chems, right?)

* can't go over $5000 (can I even get a decent system for that??)

* longevity - hoping to keep it for the next 10 years we're in the house (without replacing a pump every 6 months)

* sits 4-5 people

* don't need all the 'bells' - really, just a quality product I can soak in (I've seen the ones with the ipod plugins and disco lights - yowza! Maybe when I'm making more than a social worker's salary : )

Really, the above are my biggest concerns - and I've read a lot about the "costco" debate and definitely hear both sides. But, my bottom line is that if I can get more for my money at costco (without sacrificing quality concerning all of my priorities), then I'll go through them. But, if I can find a decent deal with a local dealer, I'm up for that, too (and would like the additional local support) - am I being naive?? I have to admit, I almost bought the latest costco craze (infinity) - but decided not to after hearing that the energy efficiency wasn't the greatest?? Lost opportunity?? I'm so confused!!

Please, all you kind hot-tubbers out there, help a seattle mama out. Let me know your favorite tubs, your wise advice, and most importantly, if I'm out of my mind thinking I'm going to get a quality tub for under $5000.

(and thank you all for contributing to this community!!)

[Newbie4Now]

Hey hey hey Seattle Mama --

I love that name (!)

Here's the deal on this board --

you will find many other people (like myself) who are just shopping and looking for help

you will find many other people who are recent BUYERS sharing their experience

you will find many other people who are OWNERS that will share their knowledge AND experience

you may find Jim_the_Jim ( he only wants to sell you his own [you can buy it on the internet] tub... )

you may find Soakerman ( he will preach endlessly about the value of tubs you can buy at COSTCO... )

Don't give up (on your search or this communitiy).

There is a tremendous amount of knowledge here and everyone (-2) is anxious to help -- even "newbies" like yourself (!)

KEEP PLUGGING YOUR TOPIC and YOU WILL GET THE RESPONSE YOU NEED...

/ Good luck and here's to your future tubbin' (!)

[seattlemama]

Hey hey hey Seattle Mama --

I love that name (!)

Here's the deal on this board --

you will find many other people (like myself) who are just shopping and looking for help

you will find many other people who are recent BUYERS sharing their experience

you will find many other people who are OWNERS that will share their knowledge AND experience

you may find Jim_the_Jim ( he only wants to sell you his own [you can buy it on the internet] tub... )

you may find Soakerman ( he will preach endlessly about the value of tubs you can buy at COSTCO... )

Don't give up (on your search or this communitiy).

There is a tremendous amount of knowledge here and everyone (-2) is anxious to help -- even "newbies" like yourself (!)

KEEP PLUGGING YOUR TOPIC and YOU WILL GET THE RESPONSE YOU NEED...

/ Good luck and here's to your future tubbin' (!)

thank you for your kind reply - I'm anxious to tap into the extensive knowledge base of this community!! (and to get on the other side - the side soakin' in their tubs!

[Newbie4Now]

Since I see you're out there...

(and not knowing how experienced any internet user might be...)

let me just say:

This board has fantastic search capabilities.

Try a SEARCH from the top and click on "MORE SEARCH OPTIONS" at the bottom of the pane that opens up.

You have a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience to mine here

-- as long as you remember the cardinal rule --

anything said on an internet forum needs to be taken with a grain of salt until further substantiated...

/ "just my 2 cents"

[Whatley]

I'm a total rookie, in the same boat as you trying to wade through the information, but I can't say enough about wet testing anything you think about buying. I've been totally baffled by the difference in "feel" from one tub to another.

At least sit in the things dry if you can't wet test, but there's no comparison for a wet test. I try and judge how I feel during the wet test and how I feel about 30-60 minutes afterwards. There's a HUGE difference, and it appears to be different person to person (go figure).

Monetary investment aside, you gotta WANT to go out and sit in this thing, make sure you get the one YOU want. I mean you're going to be the one out there under the stars sucking back a beer or a glass of wine, not me

[seattlemama]

Since I see you're out there...

(and not knowing how experienced any internet user might be...)

let me just say:

This board has fantastic search capabilities.

Try a SEARCH from the top and click on "MORE SEARCH OPTIONS" at the bottom of the pane that opens up.

You have a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience to mine here

-- as long as you remember the cardinal rule --

anything said on an internet forum needs to be taken with a grain of salt until further substantiated...

/ "just my 2 cents"

Thanks again- and how could you tell I'm not particularly website savy?? : ) (A forum virgin, if you will - this is my first!) I'll try out the search capabilities soon - great help!

[seattlemama]

I'm a total rookie, in the same boat as you trying to wade through the information, but I can't say enough about wet testing anything you think about buying. I've been totally baffled by the difference in "feel" from one tub to another.

At least sit in the things dry if you can't wet test, but there's no comparison for a wet test. I try and judge how I feel during the wet test and how I feel about 30-60 minutes afterwards. There's a HUGE difference, and it appears to be different person to person (go figure).

Monetary investment aside, you gotta WANT to go out and sit in this thing, make sure you get the one YOU want. I mean you're going to be the one out there under the stars sucking back a beer or a glass of wine, not me

think anybody's open for a wet test at 9pm?? : ) I'm ready!!

[D.P. Roberts]

I'm not sure if you've counted this in your budget or not, but be sure to get an estimate from an electrician for your electrical hookups, as well as making sure you have an adequate base to put your spa on. Those two things can make or break a budget.

Not too many of the "top, reputable" dealers have tubs in that range, especially seating 4-5 people. A Costco tub may be the best bet for you. I would also consider Nordic - they're probably one of the better values in that range, at least from the research I did (which included a lengthy e-mail correspondence with one of their engineers, who really seemed to know what he was talking about).

[jmendoza17]

Here are my top priorities:

* energy efficient

* don't need all the 'bells' - really, just a quality product I can soak in (I've seen the ones with the ipod plugins and disco lights - yowza! Maybe when I'm making more than a social worker's salary : )

Let me know your favorite tubs, your wise advice, and most importantly, if I'm out of my mind thinking I'm going to get a quality tub for under $5000.

After lot's of researcj=h, I don't think you can have all that for under $5K. Maybe $6K if you get a killer deal, or buy a used unit.

If you want energy efficiency, you should avoid the Hydrospa units. That said, it may not make a difference if your KW costs are under 10 cents. Same goes for quality. Decide if you want a Kia, Hyundai, Ford or a Lexus; budget for it and then drive a hard bargain. Don't let people BS you. You still get what you pay for. Good luck.

[aviator]

think anybody's open for a wet test at 9pm?? : ) I'm ready!!

I would even go further than whatley and call a wet test a must. My first spa was a "cheap" china import sold through a decent looking salesperson at a showroom comparable to other dealerships. I could only dry test at that time and bought. That spa was big, good looking and all the seats/loungers suited me perfectly.

What one couldn't see was that even though that big thing got three even bigger pumps and and an airblower (and would have tripled my kw-bill easily) almost nothing happend when you turned the pumps on. The pressure of the three pumps vanished somewhere in the bad tubing but didn't arrive at the jets. The only noticeable effect was some bubbly water from the airblower's outlets. Not to mention the other problems I was confronted with soon thereafter, so I returned the spa (cost me $700 in transport)

Even though my first tub might have been the lowest end of the line, I think you're right looking for quality first and sacrifice some gadgets for it. Since the price level of portable spas in Germany is quite high, I even sacrificed size for it.

Most of the time there is only one person using our three seater spa. If it's not used to entertain and there isn't a big bunch of kids, a smaller one might just suit you as well. At the same time it keeps your energy bill smaller and regular care easier.

Good luck

[Roger]

Please, all you kind hot-tubbers out there, help a seattle mama out. Let me know your favorite tubs, your wise advice, and most importantly, if I'm out of my mind thinking I'm going to get a quality tub for under $5000.

(and thank you all for contributing to this community!!)

Take a look at the Tiger River line from Hot Springs and the @Home from the D1 line.

[aviator]

Please, all you kind hot-tubbers out there, help a seattle mama out. Let me know your favorite tubs, your wise advice, and most importantly, if I'm out of my mind thinking I'm going to get a quality tub for under $5000.

(and thank you all for contributing to this community!!)

Take a look at the Tiger River line from Hot Springs and the @Home from the D1 line.

Forgot to mention: I'm using a Hotspring Jetsetter (2007). Since this might be to small, I would recommend the Tiger River line as well. I wet tested the Bengal extensively and opened several HS and TR models to have a look a the interior. Quality and parts seem to be the same in general. Both lines are very energy efficient.

One thing I'd like to point out is, that both the Tiger Rivers and the smaller Hotsprings do not offer much for your legs. E.g. the Jetsetter does have a foot jet which is strong enough to reach one's lower legs, but there are no other special leg jets. It doesn't bother me, but might be an issue for the ladies.

[JohnInSJ]

Seconding the budget red flag warning.

Spa electrical hookup, Spa delivery (if you're going Costco or other big box store), and Site Prep can easily run $1k or more. If you really have $5k in hand, you have maybe $4k for the tub. That's going to put you into the used tub or costco or other lower cost range.

I'm one of those "recent owners" - June, got my Tiger River Caspian. Love it, but the total cost was close to 2x your budget once you include the electrical and site prep.

[cplarsen]

Here are my top priorities:

* energy efficient

* good filtration (if I understand correctly, getting an 'ozonator' will decrease my need for chems, right?)

* can't go over $5000 (can I even get a decent system for that??)

* longevity - hoping to keep it for the next 10 years we're in the house (without replacing a pump every 6 months)

* sits 4-5 people

* don't need all the 'bells' - really, just a quality product I can soak in (I've seen the ones with the ipod plugins and disco lights - yowza! Maybe when I'm making more than a social worker's salary : )

New here too, doing the same process. You did right to put that at the top.

If Brand A uses $50 more in electric a month against Brand B, over your ten year life span, that's $6,000. Or more than you paid for the cheapo in the first place. And electric rates aren't going to go down. You'd be far, far better off getting a small loan and buying the better tub, even if you go over budget.

From the threads on Costco tub's electric consumption, I'm not even going to bother looking at them. Horrendous.

So far, got it narrowed down to Artesian, Hot Springs, D1 or possibly Arctic.

[D.P. Roberts]

Several of you have mentioned Tiger River - are they really around $5000?

[JohnInSJ]

I don't know what the smaller TRs cost... the Caspian (7x7' - 6 person) is the largest in the TR line, and is $7-8k depending on local weather conditions. The Bengal and Sumatran are 5 and 4 person (ie, smaller) tubs with progressively less features, I would expect they'd be less $$ as well.

[aviator]

Several of you have mentioned Tiger River - are they really around $5000?

I'm not sure about US prices (I never bought a spa in the USA). All I know ist, that Hotspring offers a Tiger River Bengal for less than a HS Jetsetter in Germany. I suppose it's the same in the US. If you look around what people claim to have paid (epinions.com etc.) 5-6K seems to be the usual range.

You might ask for a demo, if you like a spa that goes over your budget. That's what I did, since spas a more expensive over here. I got a 24% discount on an almost new demo modell (and they even delivered a brand new one).

[seattlemama]

Here are my top priorities:

* energy efficient

* don't need all the 'bells' - really, just a quality product I can soak in (I've seen the ones with the ipod plugins and disco lights - yowza! Maybe when I'm making more than a social worker's salary : )

Let me know your favorite tubs, your wise advice, and most importantly, if I'm out of my mind thinking I'm going to get a quality tub for under $5000.

After lot's of researcj=h, I don't think you can have all that for under $5K. Maybe $6K if you get a killer deal, or buy a used unit.

If you want energy efficiency, you should avoid the Hydrospa units. That said, it may not make a difference if your KW costs are under 10 cents. Same goes for quality. Decide if you want a Kia, Hyundai, Ford or a Lexus; budget for it and then drive a hard bargain. Don't let people BS you. You still get what you pay for. Good luck.

That is my fear...that $5000 really isn't going to get me a quality (how sad!)! I am hopeful, though, to look into the Tiger River line - and a few others people have mentioned. That said, you had also mentioned getting a used spa, which has actually been on my mind as well. I'm not against buying used, but have been warned that I'm just looking for trouble going used/refurbished. Would you all agree? Any experiences out there buying used? Obviously, I'd go with a dealer for that one. And, what about the 'killer deal'? - I know that when buying cars, there are better times of the year (typically) to buy them...is the same true for hot tubs? Do dealers have big sales at a certain time of the year?? I hate to sound so cheap, but when you've got a budget, you've got a budget

Also, haven't had the chance to wet test yet - and, anybody know if I can I take my kiddo to wet test most places (he's three)?? Again, thanks to all who are helping...

[Pathfinder]

A dealer who is customer orientated and really wants you in their product will definitely accomodate you bringing your 3 yr old. Kids that young dont stay still in the tub but you may want to ask if they have a booster seat just in case you have one of those well mannered and trained 3 yr olds

[Artic Cub]

Artic Cub here....2 years ago, I brought my then 3yr old with me. He wet tested with me and jumped all over the place splashing....I wet tested every model regardless of $ so I could understand the differences between each and he was with me!!

Then I settled in on the 2/3 tubs that met my realistic requirements, (waterfalls etc I really wanted, but not required) then I asked the price of each. I did this at several dealers, however I was pretty much prefering Arctic based on the design of their tubs. Not Full Foam, and free standing hull, and could see all hoses, pumps, etc.

It cost me $400 to have someone come in and level the area off with crushed stone. It cost me $750 to have an electrician come out and do all hook-up....this was a good deal, most estimates were 1k+. Don't skimp with a fool here, make sure all wiring meets code and is in pvc (or whatever the plumbing white pipes are called, lol )

I picked an Arctic Cub witch cost me 7k, I started at a 5k estimate and wound up all together spending close to 8. I don't plan on needing to do this again for 10 years, so feels like a good investment, we use our tub with the kids 3+ times a week!!

Bottom line: Look at the overall ratings; the overall masses can't be wrong, find a tub that is great when you wet test, you must wet test more than 1 manufacturer, all seats!!!!!

I love Costco!!! I wouldn't buy one of those tubs, because the ratings of those manufacturers wasn't high anywhere I did research, not because of this web site....but then again, if you were to buy a car, do you only buy Honda or Toyota?

[tubostuff]

Bottom line: Look at the overall ratings; the overall masses can't be wrong, find a tub that is great when you wet test, you must wet test more than 1 manufacturer, all seats!!!!!

I love Costco!!! I wouldn't buy one of those tubs, because the ratings of those manufacturers wasn't high anywhere I did research, not because of this web site....but then again, if you were to buy a car, do you only buy Honda or Toyota?

Another newbie lurker here. I wouldn't buy a hot tub at Costco either because they don't have a service department and also there have been a lot of people here who have had to return their Costco hot tubs because the tubs wouldn't work. Several of the people who returned their tubs got a Pacific tub and are happy with that. I like Costco too but I wouldn't buy anything there that's going to need service down the road like a hot tub. Also, the Costco price is not that great and a low prices is not everything, anyway. Bottom line is look at the Costco tub s and then go down to the dealer and you can get the same thing for not that much more money and it will be a lot better in quality and use a lot less electricity from what I can see here.

[soakerman]

Alot of returned spas? I am wondering what that means? One...two.....???? and this with a liberal return policy no dealer offers so that isnt a reflection of quality at all unless all the dealers had a return policy as Costco does and then you could use return rates as a guide.

You also lump Costco spas as a whole in a groupd calling it a risk. Does that also include the Hotsprinds spa sold by Costco or is that just abroad generalization?

You might as well say that all tubs sold in canada have a high return rate. Thats what the post elludes to and thus not a accurate reflection of the general satifaction level of a vague Costco spa purchase.

I have the ( which one)? Costco spa as you say and it it great and half the price of any comparable dealer spa and the same electrical usage of the Hotsprinds, Sundance and Clearwater spas on my block. If i am wrong, you can always return the spa. If I am right you saved thousands over a dealer sold spa.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

I have the ( which one)? Costco spa as you say and it it great and half the price of any comparable dealer spa

You are certainly welcome to your opinions but this part of your post is just not true in my opinion (and many others). I guess if it had an "IMO" with it you could get away with it but you talk in absolutes. It's not a fact though maybe you do beleive it. You are spending less than you could have spent elsewhere but it is not for a comparable spa. Your purchase may end up having good value but you're not getting the same level of product that you could get at a dealer for half the price.

[soakerman]

I have the ( which one)? Costco spa as you say and it it great and half the price of any comparable dealer spa

You are certainly welcome to your opinions but this part of your post is just not true in my opinion (and many others). I guess if it had an "IMO" with it you could get away with it but you talk in absolutes. It's not a fact though maybe you do beleive it. You are spending less than you could have spent elsewhere but it is not for a comparable spa. Your purchase may end up having good value but you're not getting the same level of product that you could get at a dealer for half the price.

you forgot to add "IMO"

please explain the lesser "stuff" from a Costco spa? I doubt you know for a fact. That is my opinion.

It is comparable to spas with four pumps. 65 s/s jets. microban shell, blah blah blah. you bet it is comparable.

How is it not comparable? it has a good shell, good jets, pumps controller and quality components that sometimes are EXACTLY the same as the comparable spa. That is a fact!

Is it the best color? Thats a opinion.

is the seating good? That is a opinion.

Is it a spa that competes against spas costing twice or more in price? That is a fact.

Dealers don't carry a simmilar spa dollar for dollar feature for feature with the same components and warranty? That is a fact.

Most dealers won't allow a spa to be returned for any reason. That is a fact!

[spatech (the unreal one)]

You are certainly welcome to your opinions but this part of your post is just not true in my opinion (and many others).

you forgot to add "IMO"

I covered that in my first sentence and we've covered all this so many times.

In the end you can stick to your opinion and I'll stick to mine. If your spa is still operational after 8 years or so (the high way point for a quality spa and boneyard time for a poor quality spa) then maybe it'll have been a good buy.