Most dependable

[ikucera]

As many others am a newbie to the board.  Have recently started looking for a hottub.  Have looked at Hot Springs, Artic, beachcomber,jacuzzi, and sundance.  My major conern (not suprisingly) is reliability.  It is very difficult to find unbiased opions about this topic.

I am certainly willing to pay a little more for a line that is felt to cause less trouble then others.  I realize everyone will have their horror stories but any information would be appreciated

[Brewman]

You're not going to find what you're looking for.  Aint no such animal.  The brands you listed are all top quality,and so are some others you didn't list and nobody can tell you one is more or less reliable than the other. Each and every brand has mechanical breakdowns sooner or later.  And each and every brand has people who've had a bad go.  You won't find any pattern concerning any spa brand.  

[Vanguard]

You have looked at some of the top brands in the industry.  Some others would be Marquis, Dimension One, and Caldera.

If you stick with one of these top brands, you will get what you are looking for.  

For sure, there is no one best brand out there.  One thing you will need to do is wet test the spas.  Figure out which ones you like then test them out.  One thing you don't want to do is spend money on a spa without ever having tested it.  

Welcome to the forum and good luck.  Have fun with your search.

[IL Parrothead]

You have looked at some of the top brands in the industry.  Some others would be Marquis, Dimension One, and Caldera.

If you stick with one of these top brands, you will get what you are looking for.  

For sure, there is no one best brand out there.  One thing you will need to do is wet test the spas.  Figure out which ones you like then test them out.  One thing you don't want to do is spend money on a spa without ever having tested it.  

Welcome to the forum and good luck.  Have fun with your search.

Ditto!

[wmccall]

The dealer is another place to look for reliabilty.

[Brewman]

I'd say that the dealer's reliablity is far more important than what brand to buy.

[Spatech_tuo]

I'd say that the dealer's reliablity is far more important than what brand to buy.

They are both important but I wouldn't call one "far more" important than the other. A good dealer can help make a so-so product work and a good manufacturer can help make up for a so-so dealer.

ikucera,
It's often been said by many on this site that there is no "best" spa out there. However, there certainly are some dogs to be avoided but the ones you mentioned are all considered sound choices IMO.

[hottubdan]

Part of reliability is the capability of the dealer and manufacturer to take care of the customer.  Have your Hot Spring dealer show you Detechtive, which is a resource that has parts list for every spa Watkins has built.  99% are still available with a 30 year history.

[Brewman]

They are both important but I wouldn't call one "far more" important than the other. A good dealer can help make a so-so product work and a good manufacturer can help make up for a so-so dealer.

Perhaps I should have been clearer.  I meant between the major brands listed, dealer support and capability is more important than brand.  We're talking about all the "A-List" spas here- not the ones a bit down the ladder.  
  
And I'd hate to be stuck with a sub par dealer and have to rely on a company thousands of miles from here.

So in that context I stand by my statement.  

[Spatech_tuo]

Perhaps I should have been clearer.  I meant between the major brands listed, dealer support and capability is more important than brand.  We're talking about all the "A-List" spas here- not the ones a bit down the ladder.  
  
And I'd hate to be stuck with a sub par dealer and have to rely on a company thousands of miles from here.

So in that context I stand by my statement.  

Ah, in that case your post makes more sense.

[ikucera]

I appreciate all the input.  It certainly seems the brands I am looking at are reasonable.  

Any thoughts on the whole insulation on the outside of the tub, or adhered to the shell itself.  I know Arctic made a big deal of this as far as ease of repair and energy efficiency.

I went back a couple months of posts and the only big negative on the brands I was looking at were in regards to an Arctic tub that had what appeared to be a factory problem and Arctic was no terribly forthcoming in repairing/replacing the tub.  Any consensus on this being a consistent problem with artic or other brands?

Again, any thoughts would be helpful.

Thanks

[104 degrees]

Dealers come and go. your dealer can be in buisness for 30 years and close its doors tomorrow.


You need a company that has deales in alot of places , you need a spa thats reliable so you can use it.


Hotsprings,Nordic Crown Xl,Jacuzzi & Sundance are all over the comtry and seem to have the least problems.

John

[Vanguard]

Dealers come and go. your dealer can be in buisness for 30 years and close its doors tomorrow.


You need a company that has deales in alot of places , you need a spa thats reliable so you can use it.


Hotsprings,Nordic Crown Xl,Jacuzzi & Sundance are all over the comtry and seem to have the least problems.

John

I don't think you'd find Nordic "all over the country" as you would Hot Spring and Sundance.  They are out there, but their distribution is not that wide.

[Vanguard]

Don't get too caught up in the insulation on the spa.  You'll start a fight on here.  Plus, it has been beat to death time and again.  You will find advocates of both full foam and thermopane.

I have my opinion of what is better and I have seen some science to back it up.  To me, if I could completely wrap my house in insulation, I'd do that.  I have double pane glass windows which uses a sealed gap filled with Argon gas.  The theory for thermopane insulated spas is similar.  However, they are not sealed and don't use Argon gas.  If I didn't want to see through my windows, I'd have the whole house insulated and I'd be more energy efficient.

Not to start a fight or long discussion on insulation methods.

[Brewman]

Much of the insulation debate is base of the presumption by some peole that thermopane methods are inferior to full foam.  
 Possibly that is because many of the low end spas claim to use thermopane, because effetive foamin adds cost.  But these low end spas don't effectively incorporate the thermopane concept either- they're cheaping it way down.  Essentially skimping on much insulation of any kind, and labeling it thermo pane.
 When done correctly it can work- when done on the cheap it's a disaster.  

So the name thermopane (or whatever you wish to call it) sometimes gets dragged thru the mud by the el cheapo spa makers claiming that insulation style.

For the record, my Sundance is full foamed, but that wasn't a big part of the decision to purchase the spa.  

It also doesn't help the debate one bit when spa makers or sellers knock the competition's products.  Like the claims that full foam spas are horribly expensive to repair, or that thermopane spas leak heat, etc.......  

Negative selling is a red flag to me.  Don't tell me what's wrong with your competitors, tell me what's right about your brand.