What's the best hottub out there? The price doesn't matter. Big advantages are: - low maintenance (or fully automatic) - natural products (no chlorine, nature friendly) I have also heard of tubs they build in at the side of your pool, which use the pool water. It has some extreme heaters and makes the water inthere really hot when you turn it on. Or a whirlpool maybe, if its connectable to the same water system. This might have the advantage of also having low maintenance. Anyone have experience with this? For me there don't need to be 10000 blowers in the tub, as long as the water is really warm in winter I'm happy " title="Wink" /> Thanks for your advice!

There are a number of decent "top end" brands:

Artesian
Hot Spring
Arctic
D1
Sundance
Coast

etc. All have decent products and warranties. If you want the best, get the biggest heater and the most pumps poss. Bigger heater means it wont get cold while ur sat in it. Artesian's top end stuff is about as good as it gets but its not cheap! (PS: I have never and probably will never sell Artesian, but if I was buying myself, I'd probably get one).

All these brands will do what you want, and will be better than having a spa built onto your pool; an expensive waste of time in my opinion.

I'd find a local expert who can help install it, set it up, and show you how to use/look-after it.

This assumes of course that money is no object.

Buying a spa with the biggest heater is a ridiculous statement " title="Rolling Eyes" /> and even ones with a lot of pumps is not always the best way to go. For one, most spas use either a Laing type heater or the old standard 2 to 3" S/S tube type with a 5.5kw heating element,even the Laings are 5.5kw Unless you go gas your only get so much heat out of the element. You want your heater to stay on all the time with all pumps running, go with a 60 amp breaker and a good quality spa. I believe some of the Artesians with 5 pumps wont allow the heater to run even on 60 amps? Best advice is to go with a spa that fits you and your needs specially if budget is not a factor. The brands mentioned are all nice spas and they all for the most part use similar heaters.

I totally agree. Best advice always is to go with a spa that fits you and your needs. If budget is not a factor, check out Marquis Spas as well. If budget is a factor, you can look into rotational molded spas from Freeflow Spas as well. Hope this helps. Tom

I like HotSpring. I am a little biased for I have been servicing them since '87. Very low energy costs, Excellent warranty, Superb structure and they come with ozone installed. You would replace a silver ion cartridge every 4 months and use a little chlorine weekly while using a non-chlorine shock before usage. The chlorine is eaten up within a day, so you are almost chlorine free. The ozone helps to keep the pH balanced and you can go away for awhile without your water getting nasty. Pete http://www.makesmeshutter.com

i have been on many boards and have read info for hours and hours,and it seems like these hot tubs have problems.of any make.some more than others.its very frustrating deciding on one to buy.
maybe i will just soak in the bath tub....

From my HotSpring perspective, they really don't have many problems. Most of the service calls I go on are for water chemistry problems. People will not keep the pH & Alkalinity balanced. It only takes 5 minutes a week to keep them properly adjusted. HotSpring models come with a 5 year warranty on just about everything. My spa is a 1991 HotSpring Classic. Retail, I've probably spent about $500 in repairs. Pretty good for a 19 year old spa. The newer ones have more problems because they have more bells & whistles, but the problems are little things. Hence the great warranty. Don't lose your vision of owning a Spa - I use mine all the time. They are very therapeutic and are a great stress reducer. GOOD LUCK Pete http://www.makesmeshutter.com http://www.floridahotspring.com

i just went through the forum on leaks and plumbing and hot springs by far have more complaints than any other tub.surprisingly artic has few as that is one of the biggest complaints about them.

You are doing the right thing researching as you are. Maybe HotSpring is showing more leak questions because it is harder to fix leaks. I think if you look at overall failure rates HotSpring is way down on the list.

Sorry to be so biased. Lets hear from others with different spas!

Good Luck on your search.

Pete

Been looking at Arctic Spas (Glacier) and Limelight Spas (Flair).... best I can do is around $7500. Any comments on Cal Spas? This is what COSTCO sells ($5000)... just wondering?


I just looked at the Cal Spas (Avalon line) yesterday. Priced very similar to the Arctic (Glacier) and Limelight (Flair). The Avalon seems to be a little cheezier however... the controls and jets just seem to be of less quality. Warranty seems very good however.

Still not sure which is the best way to go... the Arctic has a very thick insulated outer shell, with unsupported hoses that when running will be full of water and heavy... the others are "full foam" which could present issues when servicing leaks.

So far... the Arctic Glacier is my top pick.

Comments?

Thanks,
Steve

Hey Steve, we are looking for our first hot tub. I have been doing a ton of research on the internet. One local dealer has a CalSpa on the floor for a good price however my research indicates that they have a poor reputation in the industry for warranty among other issues. It has kind of steered me away from them.

geppert,

Thanks for your comments. I agree, the Calspas tubs are NOT the way to go. I was leaning towards an Acrtic spa, but the local dealer is just a jerk! He's defensive, a braggard and greedy.

I wet tested a couple others, Hot Springs Spas (nice jets, but pricy) and Jacuzzi. I've made my decision and am currently awaiting delivery of a Jacuzzi 355. Great jets, great warranty and reputation, great local dealer and they gave me a very good price in comparison to all the others I tested.

First, I am by no means a hot tub salesman, owner of a spa shop, or considered to be an expert. I will however give you my personal experience with the one I own. I got my tub several months ago for health reasons. I own a Morgan Monaco 850. It is not a cheap spa. The main selling point was that the store here let me try it at their location for about 5-6 days afternoons. They have all the parts and technicians there that work for them. I also have friends that own Morgans and they came highly recommended. The 40 yr warranty on the tub was pretty impressive and the 6 yr warranty on all pumps and electrical was also a big plus. The model I chose has 3 pumps and I do have a 60 amp breaker to handle it. I had a leak last week at the fitting for the filter/chemicals (Bromine tube/chemical), and I blew the lights modulator out when I put in the breaker without turning the system panel buttons off,,,,,,,probably my fault. The tech was here the next day drained and put in the new piece and said he would have to order the light modulator....probably 3-4 days to get in....It is just a plug in piece so hopefully will be in shortly. I was down for 3 days from the time I called and it took 24 hours of that to allow the PVC glue to dry. I was up and running and enjoying the spa. It has been a real blessing. I tried the lesser model Morgans but after getting in the Monaco 850 it was a no brainer. I am thrilled with my spa and the fact I have competent sales people and technicians right here where I live. I believe that all hot tubs have problems,,,,as we can see from the many people posting here but I also believe having a good support mechanism is also a key to having a good experience from enjoying one. Without support and good technicians you will not enjoy your tub. Check out your local Morgan spa center and see if you like it. Spaal

I would also venture to guess that it's due to the volume of tubs that are out there. Most companies (even some of the good ones) don't have 1/10th of the production and sales numbers as the #1 selling Watkins brand.