Is L.A. Spas a decent brand?

[spa_newb]

I happened upon a local dealer that carries L.A. Spas.....I liked the premium L.A. Series line, which had a standard ozonator, circ pump, 3 customizable levels of Jets (30+, 50+ or 80+), 2 (or 3) jet pumps,  color changing LED pillows, waterfalls and about a dozen silver dollar sized LED lights throughout the shell. They use their own patented filter system called Aqua Klean that uses these cloth filters. Supposedly they are easier to maintain (no soaking) and are cheaper to replace.............The insulation looks pretty similar to others with the full foam, etc. The warranty appeared prety strong as well........In short everything looked pretty good, the price was also good, the Concord model, which is a 92"x92" with circular style seating loaded with everything but audio/video was mid $8,000s and the smaller but similar Fiji model (83"x83") was mid $7000s. Both of these obviously also include chemicals, cover, steps, delivery etc.

Anyone have any experience with them? 3 Local dealers in a 25 mile radius carry them.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 I think you would probably be ok not an expert on LA spas, have you lookes at anything else or as always mentioned done a wet test?  

 3 dealers within 25 miles of each other I find very strange, unless they are all owned by the same outfit??

[spa_newb]

I live in South Eastern MA, so I have one dealer near me (10 miles), another further west about 25-30 miles, and another about 30 miles to my south (near Providence RI).....So 3 within 30 miles, they all appear unafilliated with each other.

[drewstar]

Hi Spanewb,

I'm also from MA (central MA). I don't have an L.A. Spa, but have been around the boards for a few years and have owned a few spas over the years.  

From what I have read I get the impression that L.A. Spas are an "OK" spa.  Yea. Sorry not to much help there.

What I would recomend is don't let the lights, the number of jets, and any other flash they may have on this tub sway you. Trust me.  

 WET TEST the tub.  Research the dealer (BBB) and wet test other tubs just so you have someththing to compare it to.  I know that there is a good hotsprings dealer in MA that you could compare to.


Just about every dealer will give you a "deal" on tub, cover, steps, delivey and "starter chems".  Also  see what cover lifters are included (if at all).  

Good luck.

[spa_newb]

Thanks Drewster.

We have a huge master list of just about every major spa brand and model that we want to look at in our area. It is a 2 year research project before we buy, since we aren't ready anyway (slight problem of no house yet so we have plenty of time).

I have so far looked at:

Sundance, Hotspring, Limelight (NE Spas)
Bullfrog
Dimension 1
Caldera
QCA
Master
L.A. Spas

So far Sundance (Chelsee), Limelight (Pulse), Dimension 1(Nautilus) and L.A. Spas (Concord or Fiji) all make a model that I like, judging from seeing and touching, but not yet wet testing. Of course, when we are ready to actually purchase, we'll be wet testing 3-4 different brands and models from our list of finalists. One thing we've come away with so far is that we want seating for 5-6 (that will hold 4 adults comfortably), no lounger, fancy lights  are important to us, we want 2 jet pumps, an ozonator and a circ pump, plus a good warranty and reputable established dealer, all for $9000 or less. Those are our main criteria.

Still need to get a good look at Jacuzzi, Vita, Arctic and others before pairing down to our final 4 or so.

[hottubdan]

Interesting.  All will change in the next 2 years.  Dealers will probably come and go.  Manufacturers will probably disappear.  Models will change.  Pricing will change.

Enjoy your search.  Just don't get too stuck on anything until you are in buying mode.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

Interesting.  All will change in the next 2 years.  Dealers will probably come and go.  Manufacturers will probably disappear.  Models will change.  Pricing will change.

Enjoy your search.  Just don't get too stuck on anything until you are in buying mode.

 Plus one on that!

 Hopefully prices wont rise to much on you either!!  

[East_TX_Spa]

The spa industry is circling the drain...in about 10 days, it's going to get flushed (if the polls are correct).

Very few will float back up.

Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies....

Term

[spa_newb]

Wow, you guys are more pessimistic than I thought. You really think they'll fold up shop that quickly? Most of these companies have been in the business awhile. I do agree the economy has to be killing them right now.

I just want to get all the research done, so when it comes time to buy, we immediately wet test 3 or 4 models (or comparable replacements), settle on a price and buy. By then I'll know the 3 or 4 brands, and from what I understand the models don't change all that much in that time period. I am sure prices will change, however which concerns me.

[drewstar]

 Spa Newb,

Sounds like you are on top of everything.  I agree get an ozinator, circ pump and 5-6 seats does  actually  = 4 adults.  .  I prefer a quality full foam tub, and I think the brands your'e looking at are a good set.

Don't forget to pay attention to the cover lifter as well.


IF you are not in a rush, I'd say do your homework, wet test and have several tubs that you would be happy with, then early next year when the new models come out, see what you can snatch up from the 08 left overs.  

In another thread you asked about a base. I have my spa on compacted sand, and pavers. It's been several years and no problems.


Dont' worry about Terminator . The spa industy will be around after the election. He's just grumpy because no one has sent him any cigars recently.  

[Jacuzzi Jim]

The spa industry is circling the drain...in about 10 days, it's going to get flushed (if the polls are correct).

Very few will float back up.

Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies....

Term

  Were building a 4 million dollar building/showroom right now will be in by March, so if you need a job Term I can probably set you up with an interview!   There is a HS dealer about a 5 iron away from the new location that you can sell against.    

 But then you would have to move up to the great Pac N,west.

 Of course we do a lot more than just sell spa's,   thank God!

[Chas]

Of course we do a lot more than just sell spa's,   thank God!

I do too - but unfortunately the people who rent from me are also struggling. It's getting tight.


 8-)

[spaman--]

Decent is a good word, they are not great! The sleeve filters clog very quickly, they must be replaced frequently. If buying an L.A Spa I would stock up on these filters as they can be hard to come by, and they cannot be replaced with a normal pleated filter as the bottom opening is 3" and I have not seen an after market on this as yet. I sold L.A in Phoenix and we spent an entire summer replacing P.C boards as Gecko supposedly had an issue with a huge batch of boards. I attribute the entire failure to the thick sleeve like filter putting too much stress on motors thus causing heat to build up on the P>C board causing it to fail. (Just my opinion) I do however like the ozone mixing chamber designed by Greg Leverton it does a great job distributing the ozone into the tub. The 3 pump systems performs very well until the filter sleeves clog. I recommend cleaning them every 3 days if you are using the tub regularly. Depending on your climate I would buy the foam insulation accordingly. In Phoenix the partial foam tubs still seemed to have over heat problems in the summer. IN cold climates I would only go with the full foam insulation and do not be talked out of this to save money. The warranty is good and the factory stands behind it well. History has shown that many of the dealers seem to come and go. In the last 5 years in Phoenix alone there has been atleast 3 different dealers for L.A Spas. While in the last 5 years they have not had a new dealer in Colorado Springs since the last guy took off in the middle of the night with deposits from unsuspecting customers. This is just my take on L.A Spas some good, some bad, you decide.

[Hillbilly Hot Tub]

  Were building a 4 million dollar building/showroom right now will be in by March, so if you need a job Term I can probably set you up with an interview!   There is a HS dealer about a 5 iron away from the new location that you can sell against.    

 But then you would have to move up to the great Pac N,west.

 Of course we do a lot more than just sell spa's,   thank God!

Infinity just sold out to Living Waters (Tatum) Monday...everyone is now unemployed.

[spa_newb]

Decent is a good word, they are not great! The sleeve filters clog very quickly, they must be replaced frequently. If buying an L.A Spa I would stock up on these filters as they can be hard to come by, and they cannot be replaced with a normal pleated filter as the bottom opening is 3" and I have not seen an after market on this as yet. I sold L.A in Phoenix and we spent an entire summer replacing P.C boards as Gecko supposedly had an issue with a huge batch of boards. I attribute the entire failure to the thick sleeve like filter putting too much stress on motors thus causing heat to build up on the P>C board causing it to fail. (Just my opinion) I do however like the ozone mixing chamber designed by Greg Leverton it does a great job distributing the ozone into the tub. The 3 pump systems performs very well until the filter sleeves clog. I recommend cleaning them every 3 days if you are using the tub regularly. Depending on your climate I would buy the foam insulation accordingly. In Phoenix the partial foam tubs still seemed to have over heat problems in the summer. IN cold climates I would only go with the full foam insulation and do not be talked out of this to save money. The warranty is good and the factory stands behind it well. History has shown that many of the dealers seem to come and go. In the last 5 years in Phoenix alone there has been atleast 3 different dealers for L.A Spas. While in the last 5 years they have not had a new dealer in Colorado Springs since the last guy took off in the middle of the night with deposits from unsuspecting customers. This is just my take on L.A Spas some good, some bad, you decide.

Wow, lots of good info here, thanks. I am going to look at the model I like with my GF this weekend, will look closer and ask more questions.