laguna bay tubs?

[wideglidesmb]

ok so im researching like crazy trying to find out all i can before purchasing my 1st hot tub. initally i was shopping craigslist and such for a used model that may  or may not need a little work for a good price. the more i look the more im leaning more and more towards a new/barely used choice. one thing i have noticed are dozens of ads for new hot tubs on craigslist for very low prices compared to the big tub stores. they are made by laguna bay in tennessee and i also live in tn. so i contacted the manufacturer and am scheduled to meet with a rep tomorrow to see the units in person as they dont use retail stores but instead sell thru online sites like amazon and overstock. they do however sell wholesale to public so they say. my question is have any of you here ever dealt with this brand and can offer and feedback. very little can be found online for reviews and the few i have found are more favorable than not. thanks in advance for all advice.   

[Spatech_tuo]

ok so im researching like crazy trying to find out all i can before purchasing my 1st hot tub. initally i was shopping craigslist and such for a used model that may  or may not need a little work for a good price. the more i look the more im leaning more and more towards a new/barely used choice. one thing i have noticed are dozens of ads for new hot tubs on craigslist for very low prices compared to the big tub stores. they are made by laguna bay in tennessee and i also live in tn. so i contacted the manufacturer and am scheduled to meet with a rep tomorrow to see the units in person as they dont use retail stores but instead sell thru online sites like amazon and overstock. they do however sell wholesale to public so they say. my question is have any of you here ever dealt with this brand and can offer and feedback. very little can be found online for reviews and the few i have found are more favorable than not. thanks in advance for all advice.  

I've heard of most but I've never heard of them but there are quite a few of these type operations. If they don't have dealers and sell through Craigslist, Amazon and Overstock (that sites name always makes me chuckle since most of what they sell isn't really "overstock") then I'd fully expect they'll sell to anyone who is willing. You just have to realize you’re pretty much on your own afterward whether they're in your home state or Alaska. Granted if they’re in your actual town and you can drive to their place to hound them when you have issues you might be able to get help but on these type spas (add eBay as well) you're pretty much on your own once you get it regardless of some warranty that you can print out. You need to be a true DIYer. Good thing you're not in a cold state because these are almost always energy hog (skimpy on insulating it well is 1 of the first things they do to sell cheap).

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

I'm a bit suspicious. I have a few of their owners manuals and I've never seen the control panel they use. These may be Chinese imports. Also, if you go to their website, then do a Google search on their address, you'll also come up with a RecDirect Factory Outlets reference (same building.........which by the way, on Googles satellite view, there's no cars in the parking lot...as are all the other buildings around).

Then, if you go to the site for RecDirect Factory Outlets, they have some videos (for the spa covers they offer.......I didn't look at their pool tables, tanning beds or saunas) that clearly reference yet another company (DiscountSpaCovers....yet the pictures they use are from Prestige Spa Covers).

[Spatech_tuo]

I'm a bit suspicious. I have a few of their owners manuals and I've never seen the control panel they use. These may be Chinese imports.

That would be a red flag if true and makes some sense because thats a new name for me. The stuff that has come out of China has been junk for sure. They may get it some day but they're a long way off still.

[wideglidesmb]

thanks everyone. im still going to go look since its only an hour to the "recdirect" place in chattanooga and have them pop one open so i can lo0k at the internals. im a certified electronics tech and industrial engineering tech by trade so i can tell if motors/pumps/electronics ect look like they are sub par. i do understand cheaper parts can lead to cheaper pricing but on a similar note the mark up on units at the big retailers is extremely high. for example i went to family leisure to look, one of the biggest suppliers in middle tennessee, and looked over the new units there. many had the same controllers/motors/pumps ect all packaged in different wrappers if you will by different manufactures. had them pop some open to look at the internals. and 1 specific tub that was marked $8900 the offered to me for $5400...so that shows they maybe only paid $4000-$4500 wholesale. so if i can verify maybe some or all internals on the laguna bay ones are common to the rest then they should be strongly considered. on the same not if everything is in chinese then i know to avoid. like i mentioned above the handful of reviews i could track down were mostly favorable for the money and 2 had issues that were handled promptly with no questions asked according to the posters. so its worth my time to investigate and i will post my findings for good or bad.

[ejf The Spa Guy]

they show up all the time on craigslist in our area all the time.. we tried calling on them , we called several times having to leave  a message and no repsonses...I still think I would still look at the D1, SUndance, Jacuzzi, Hot Springs, Marquis,, you might be suprised on what you can learn , what comes with the spas, and the support you would get,, in that price range you can get a high end spa,,,In the 5-7 k range,,,

[wideglidesmb]

Hey spa Guy. Are you the Guy who does service in middle tn? If so I plan to arrange a time to come maestro with you as I have found your website. Will email you there

[ejf The Spa Guy]

wideglidesmb, Nope not me I am in Spokane Washington,,,and still not a fan of the Laguna Bay spas

[wideglidesmb]

thanks spa guy. so this is what i found out this week. i also am not impressed with the laguna bay products. met with a rep to look them over and was taken back at how unimpressed i was. some short history on myself. im a certified electronics tech in aviation electronics and currently an engineering tech at a manufacturing plant. so i deal with electrical and mechanical issues daily. motors, pumps, control systems, and such are things i am intimate with on a much larger scale. given that after looking over the units and asking many questions i asked for  the side cover to be removed so i could look at the internals and construction to which the rep wasnt to happy about. said he didnt have a drill/driver for the screws so i went to my truck and produced my own and he allowed me to take it off myself. all the electrics are made by a company called "energy saver spa equipment" and i do mean everything. motors...pumps...control pack...heater. sounds very odd to me. the heater was barely bigger than 1 1/2 soda cans and kinda just laying in there. the control unit looked tidy but i didnt open it up. there was about 1/4 inch of sprayed insulation on the shell (he told me 2") and some bubble wrap on the outer frame under the skirt. the frame seemed to be made of 1x2 furring strips and did not appear to be treated wood. the motors were secured to these strips with large wood screws, 2 per hole, not bolts. that to me was shocking as it looked like they may rip out the 1st time its fired up. the jet tubing was all clear tubing secured with very light gauge wire spring type fittings. didnt see much glue anywhere. so all in all i was pretty underwhelmed by what i saw and would not spend good money on one.

so i went ahead to some other spa dealers in town and looked at some of the other dealers who sell the more common brands(hotspring,calspa, ect). a sales woman also referred me to a semi local (45 min away) dealer who manufactures there and has a scratch and dent section. so we went to look at those as well. the brand is Dynasty and when i asked to see the "guts" the guy said lets just go across the street to the factory and i can show you how they are made start to finish. they all had full foam insulation which was actually about 8-10 inches thick, enough to cover all the piping. Gecko control systems and heater. emerson motors and very beefy looking pumps. frame is pressure treated 2x2 and the electronics area has a plastic inner shell to try to protect from as much moisture as possible and layed out very well with ample room to work on pumps and such. all the hose fittings had glue and large wire spring clamps. the shell was pretty thick comfortable to sit in. the audio components i saw being installed were nicely arranged and i actuall saw brand name components i recognized in several applications which was impressive. all in all looked very well made compared to the laguna bay and on par with a cal-spa i looked at. they also tout 7hp pumps in several models and 20 yr shell warranty. really liked what i saw.....until i researched the BBB and see that they only have a c+ rating with most complaints on service/equipment. as far as reviews go most everything i can find are negative reviews and virtually all are from canada and purchased from 2 separate retailers. since its a somewhat local manufacturing i can buy direct from them if i so choose. so im not sure what to think of these since i walked thru the factory and saw them put together and the individual components they use seem perfectly fine. definately more research is needed and if i rule out this brand then my plan is to just wait until i find a reasonable better quality tub used that has been rebuilt or if cheap enough i can do it myself(i'm pretty handy like that). keep in mind im researching so much because i have never owned a hut tub before.

thanks in advance for any comments

[hottubfixitman]

Hey Wideglidesmp,

Are you really pretending not to be a Dynasty employee?? Ive been INDEPENDENTLY working on Hot Tubs for over 17 years, and Ive seen all likes and kinds. The guys at Laguna Bay have always treated me well and paid me promptly, and I can tell you they build a great product. All the things you wrote are flat out lies. They use 2x4 pressure treated lumber, 2-3 inches of foam, and never any bubble wrap. Ive forwarded your post on to them so hopefully they will come after you for damages by flat out lying. Look at there Energy Ratings that were certified on there website, do there tubs really look inefficient? I don't see Dynasty posting ratings? Full Foam is known to anyone knowledgable in our industry that its a gimmick, the true energy consumption is a lot more dependent on the operating and filtration system. Dynasty has far more problems than most hot tub manufacturers, so you stating that they offer this superior tub is laughable to anyone in our industry. The only tubs I ever worked on superior to any are Hot Springs and Jacuzzi, and they are also fantastic people to do business with also. But are the worth double the price of a tub like Laguna Bay? Thats for the consumer to decide. And the reason they are inexpensive is they don't have dealers, they actually do market directly to the public. I hope you enjoy your Dynasty tub as Im sure they will call me to come fix the leaks on it if I have not already, I also do warranty work for them.

[Chas]

I have been in the spa business for over 25 years, and I don't consider full foam insulation to be a 'gimmic.' It works, and works well.

HTH

 

[wideglidesmb]

ok to start with hottubfixit made me laugh. what mindless banter. so my update...i purchased a used calspa escape that was 4 years old for $2000 and couldnt be happier. if i was a dynasty employee i surely would have ended up with one of those i suppose. and everything i saw when i asked the laguna bay guy to open up the tub is completely accurate...guess i should have taken a pic to post but im sure the rep would not have let me. anyway ive had my tub now since july 2011 and it has server me well thusfar. also were i a dynasty employee would i really cite the BBB complaints?.....some peoples children just need to be heard i guess...thanks to everyone else who gave me good info

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Hey hottubfixitman

Are you really pretending not to be a Laguna Bay employee??

"Look at there Energy Ratings that were certified on there website" (that should be "their")."

Ok, lets.

"Testing completed by a 3rd party in a controlled enviroment with different ambient temperatures."

What third party? Uncle Joe?

"Individual energy consumption will vary depending on water set temperature, "

And when this alleged third part test was done, what was the temp of the spa set at? 70?

Gotta say, their page on energy efficiency lack any credibility.

As does someone that dredges up an old post, making their very first post, appearing to do some kind of damage control for the company.

And, being in this business over 30 year, I have to agree with Chas.

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Hey hottubfixitman

Are you really pretending not to be a Laguna Bay employee??

"Look at there Energy Ratings that were certified on there website" (that should be "their")."

Ok, lets.

"Testing completed by a 3rd party in a controlled enviroment with different ambient temperatures."

What third party? Uncle Joe?


Gotta say, their page on energy efficiency lack any credibility.

As does someone that dredges up an old post, making their very first post, appearing to do some kind of damage control for the company.

And, being in this business over 30 year, I have to agree with Chas.

[julie13]

We have been searching for new hot tubs for our back deck.  Right now, we have an outdated tub that was here when we bought our house.  I am a newbie when it comes to shopping for hot tubs kansas city
 there are so many brands to choose from, not quite sure where to start.  Any tips?