I used this forum to help me make a decision before purchasing my spa in Sept. 2009, so I thought I'd give back to the community. " title="Smile" /> We've had our Arctic Kodiak Ultra for almost a month now and are very pleased with our purchase. I've been in several different tubs over the years so I had some basis for comparison, but this is the first one we've owned. Now that I've spent countless hours in ours, I can give some tips about general buying considerations: Multiple speed pump(s) is a must. Sometimes you just want a soft pulsation on your back, other times you want a harder more forceful feeling. Having 2 speeds give you a much greater range. Using the diverter valves increases this option, so you can essentially get 4 different pressure levels out of a 2 speed pump. Our Kodiak Ultra has 33 water jets and an additional 14 (dedicated) air therapy jets. The 33 water jets are plenty. Seriously, how many jets do you need? The air therapy (which is a separate blower) rarely gets used because of the turbulence it creates, and the "cool" air coming from the dedicated jets. This is the only option I would have gone without. It does however come with an "aroma" cell which infuses the incoming air with a scent of your choice (scent bottles avail. from your dealer) so we'll turn it on for 20 seconds or so to enjoy the aroma of "sandalwood spice". The large footwell area is really nice when you have a full tub. We had 7 people in our 6 seater and there was decent leg room. Waterfall? Nice visual feature, but the splashing water is noisy, and I prefer to hear the music, not the water. Not a drawback though since you can dial it up or down infinitely, or off completely. Controls are well laid out and simple to navigate through. I like the fact that you can invert the display, since most of the time when I'm adjusting the low level settings I'm standing out of the tub, not in it. You'll rarely look at the display when you're in the tub, since the buttons are clearly labeled. There is a wide variety of seating in the Kodiak so there's almost always a seat for every shape and size. We play musical seats so everyone gets a taste of each seat, since some are more lower back vs. upper shoulders vs. foot & leg oriented. When it's just myself and my wife, I get the Captains chair and she takes the lounger. I'm 6'1"+ so a deep seat was a selling feature for me. She's 5'3" and fits the lounger nicely. As for fit & finish, I'm a little picky and can spot cheap materials and workmanship a mile away. I'm not saying Arctic is the "best on the market", but compared to some we looked at (about 5 other manufacturers) Arctic was the top in this category, IMO. Noise is low in all settings & speeds (air therapy excluded) when you're in the tub. With the cover on and the periodic filter cycle running you can barely hear a hum from the tub. Nice! My only complaint with my Arctic (and I've read other complaints about this issue so I was aware of it before the purchase) is the dirverter valves. If you have them in the 1/2 & 1/2 position they are at their quietest, but you can still hear what sounds like a kink in a garden hose. Not huge, but if you want peace and quiet it is a little annoying. The faster the pump speed, the noiser they get. Try to swing the valve while the water is moving through it and they get real stiff, and even noiser. Shut the pump off, make the change, turn the pump on. Not a huge concern, but a small annoyance. After we bought the tub, I was sitting with a friend showing off the brochure of our new purchase. A complete stranger walked by, stopped, and asked "Is that an Arctic tub"? When I told him "yes" he said, "Oh you're gonna love it". "Best tub I ever owned!" And off he went. Too funny. There's some negative feedback about Arctic Spas on this forum, as you would expect with any forum, so I thought I post something positive. So far so good! Nicely done, Arctic. Kevin Ontario, Canada

I love your set-up. Very nice job!

Do you mind me asking who your dealer is?

I have an Arctic Spa. Unfortunately I've had problems -- a combination of problematic parts (we ended up getting a floor model), and poor service from the dealer. I think a good dealer can make all the difference in the world. Overall, Arctic Spas are a good product, and I really like their design with the large foot wells, the way the insulation has been applied, and the accessibility inside the cabinet.

Sorry for the delayed response. I don't have to tell you where I've been spending my spare time. " title="Wink" /> The store we bought from is in Mississauga, ON. http://www.arcticspasonline.com/index.p... sauga.html Joel Bowers is the manager and was a super person to deal with. He had all the (right) answers, and is very knowledgeable in the business. Highly recommended. If you'd like to mention my name (Kevin Bell) just so he knows where you're coming from, feel free. Good luck!

I bought an Arctic spa tundra 2 years ago. It's been serviced 5 times, 2 motors replaced and 17 jets have popped out. I have the same problem again with motors that need to be replaced. The electric is stable and maintenace impecable to the book. This is a bad company that does not have a good product and horrible service. The dealers in my area have gone out of business (chicago area) with the closest one about 200miles away. I am very disappointed and would advise others to stay away from arctic spa. If looking stay with a repuatable company such as Jacuzzi and don't buy into the BS about operating cost, filtratin, heat control. IN the end if you buy an arctic spa the little you may save with the shell design you pay back 10 times with repairs, parts and supplies. two of us use the spa about 30 min 3 times a week and I drain and change filters at least 6 times / year. My advice stay away from Arctic spa you pay a premium to by it and a double premium to keep it running

hello! how much electric bills you pay each month operating this arctic spa? pls reply,i need to make some comparison. thank you!

I work at Arctic Spas head office, and I know the company is committed to honoring the warranty even if the local dealer goes out of business. Here is the number for the factory warranty department, toll free 1-800-309-1744, or 1-780-789-2626. The main website is http://www.arcticspas.com, local dealers can be found on that site.

I Purchased a KodiaK 5 years ago. My dealer went out of Business. I have had nothing but trouble with this TUB, 2 motors have gone out, 3 Ozoneators have gone out, 100 + jet Barrels have been replaced.

90% of all the Jet Bodies have been leaking, Investigation revealed the O-rings had failed on every jet body removed. 100% failure rate. I have been dealing with the Arctic Spas company in Canada directly. They simply refuse to stand behind their product. These are obviously manufacture defects.

I have sent them numerous e-mails and certified letters asking for them to repair the Tub. They never have. I am at the point of filing a legal claim.

I would stay far away from this tub manufacturer.....

I am in the UK.
DONT EVER EVER BUY an ARCTIC with ONZEN.
I did in June 2009. In October it was still not producing any chlorine despite several visits. My Dealer and ARCTIC did not seem to be able to talk to each other. It worked like this : my phone call to the dealer to tell them it was not working.My chaser two days later to see whats happening. Then I phone ARCTIC head office who say they have not heard from the dealer. They then say they will ring the dealer.I then ring the dealer two days later, who then says he has not heard from them...blah blah blah.
To eventually get it working they plugged the onzen generator on 24/7.I set it on at about 20% of the dial - but its annoying as it still takes 48 hours after use to get up to the right chlorine level.But if I leave it another 48 hours the chlorine level goes too high. I literally am compelled to use it regularly or resort to tipping chlorine granuals or chlorine reducer into it.

A month ago it packed up again. ( I was told by the Dealer back in October that the salt level did not matter ( the original advice was to put 4.5kg of salt into the tub which put the salt level up to 3800ppm )- it now seems there is new advice to keep the salt level at 2200 or the cells burn out with the build up of salt).So I phone the dealer who comes round to tell me it does not work.Thanks. After a week I chase him. He cant order the parts as " the guy at the head office is on holiday". I ring the head office who tell me thats wrong - They will ring the dealer to organise delivering new onzen cells as thats almost definately whats wrong. I chase the dealer two days later.It seems he cant order the parts under warranty as he is "up to his warranty limit". I then ring the Head Office to see if they can bypass this. The guy there agrees that " seeing the history" he would get someone to phone me back. No one phones me back. I ring the next day - where upon telling them my name- miraculously none of the four people whos name I have,are in.Someone will phone me back tomorrow.I wont hold my breath.

I fully understand that maybe I am unlucky - I have a Lemon of a Tub. But the customer service is so atrocious, I am wondering if I am the subject of a very long drawn out TV wind up show.

My TUB is the biggest waste of money I have made. I have spent entire days and weeks completely and utterly frustrated at the "Arctic experience ". Even glancing at the tub merely makes my blood boil.

DONT BUY ARCTIC.

PS if anyone from Arctic would like to contact me, feel free.