First time buyer needs pricing advise (Arctic Spa)

[Zac]

Hello,

I've been researching hot tubs for about a month and was overwhelmed for quite a while. The most important things to me are jet power, good reliable dealer, and some cooling seats for my wife and kids. I'm located near Vancouver BC.

I've wet tested Masterspa, Beachcomber, and Arctic Spa.  Masterspa and Beachcomber left me underwhelmed with jet power (Masterspa had stronger jets by a bit). In my search I did come across Chris from Hot Tub University who is not a fan of Arctic Spa and I almost didn't wet test it because of that.

The Arctic Spa SDS seat blew the others out of the water. The single Orca foot jet was amongst the strongest jets I've ever experienced in any hot tub. My local arctic spa dealer has been great and reviewed very well (arctic takes a beating on reviews overall online but this dealer is 149/150 five star google reviews).

The reasons I haven't bought the arctic spa is the it is priced almost 25 percent higher than the Masterspa and I have to get an 8x8 foot model (Tundra) to get the Orca jet, which is bigger than the 7x7 foot I was after.

The quote on the Arctic Spa Custom Tundra (delivery, family lights, spa boy salt system, and tax included) : $20, 200 (Canadian)

I haven't negotiated on the price at all to this point. I'm ready to pull the trigger if we can get it closer to $15k. If I can't get the price down in that area I'm going to buy the 7x7 Michael Phelps Legend Masterspa, which I think I'd be overall quite happy with as well.

What's a realistic walk away price for the Arctic Spa Tundra? I'm not understanding why they are so much more than the other hot tubs.

[Water Boy]

I would go visit the Arctic dealer in person (if you can with Covid) with check book or visa in hand, and tell them exactly what you said here. Tell them you like the Arctic better and are prepared to buy, but you want the best price. Tell them the price of the Master Spa and that you might order that one instead. Ask them for their best price if you bought right now. It can't hurt. I can't guarantee they can get you the same price as the master, but worth asking.

[Zac]

I would go visit the Arctic dealer in person (if you can with Covid) with check book or visa in hand, and tell them exactly what you said here. Tell them you like the Arctic better and are prepared to buy, but you want the best price. Tell them the price of the Master Spa and that you might order that one instead. Ask them for their best price if you bought right now. It can't hurt. I can't guarantee they can get you the same price as the master, but worth asking.

Thanks. This is good advise. I am able to go into the showroom no problem and will look to two this next week, hopefully after the dealer reaches out to me again.

I would like a reasonable price point to shoot for if anyone has any idea.

[Water Boy]

I’m in the us, so don’t really know what Canadian prices are. But I think that sounds pretty close. And spa boy is a pretty awesome system. You will love that. Good luck.

[pkumar]

Hi Zac,
What did you end up buying? I'm also looking to buy Arctic Spa - Tundra or Summit, but not sure if I'm getting the best price.

[d00nut]

In my search I did come across Chris from Hot Tub University who is not a fan of Arctic Spa and I almost didn't wet test it because of that.

Chris is a MasterSpa Salesman.  Take what he says with a huge grain of salt.  He literally points everyone to that.  AND PEOPLE PAY for his advice... it's insane.  He literally just goes to the dealer locator and says "buy from these Master Spa Dealers." 

He also claims that Master Spas is NOT a marketing company, and they just build a really good hot tub.  Again, he is full of crap.  How much do you think Master Spas pays Michael Phelps?  No other company uses any celebrity like that to push their product.

Full disclosure, I actually do not hate Master Spas, but Chris is no better than any lying and backstabbing politician who only cares about himself and making money for him 

[CanadianSpaTech]

Arctic Spa is near the bottom of my list

[Sam]

Arctic Spa is near the bottom of my list

You can't say something like that without backing it up.  What are your reasons?

[Tman122]

Arctic Spa is near the bottom of my list

You can't say something like that without backing it up.  What are your reasons?

Yea.....whats wrong with Arctic? They have a solid shell, they use decent components. I think their molds are a bit confining but a decent tub. In my top ten.

[CanadianSpaTech]

https://imgur.com/gallery/ok2nIRU

For years my area was one of the top selling Arctic Spa regions in Canada. I have seen many many Arctic spas. The photos in the gallery show what I have seen over and over countless times. The foam sprayed floors are uneven and water will pool in the low spots when you have a leak and go stagnate if not addressed. There are small "Flaps" along the edge of the base that are supposed to open when there is a leak but rarely do (snow, gravel up against) resulting in what is shown in the photos. The pumps and heater are low in the spa and when they leak the pumps will fill with water and short out. The insulation method used is great in theory but for several years the were having issue with the pumps overheating and getting so hot they would deform the "legs" that attached the wet end to the motor due to lack of air flow so to "fix" this they switched over to the EMG finned European pumps. The fins were there to dissipate heat to solve the pump overheat problems they were having but that caused a new set of issues. The EMG pumps were metric and seals and impellers were impossible to find so there was no rebuilding them only costly replacement. The cedar skirting offered for years looked great in the showroom but weathered quickly and requires yearly/biyearly maintenance of sanding and staining. Who wants to do that. They have recently added composite cabinets so at least now you have that option. Jet design...ball bearings everywhere. Seating design...most confining spas out there. The cedar lip around the top edge of the spa is usually covered in green mold. The bottom lip is usually broken and separating from the spa. Don't even get me started on trying to fix a leak in an Arctic Spa. Yes the plumbing is exposed but just try to fix a leak deep in the spa while trying fit and work through the side panel opening and don't touch any other plumbing lines that are brittle from being exposed to the heat inside the cabinet. Cover lifters...ripped out from the wood skirting leaving a nasty set of holes at the corner of the spa and not easy to repair. I have scrapped more 10-15 year old Arctic Spas than any other brand...by far. 

I wish I could support and recommend a Canadian made/assembled product but I just can't recommend Arctic Spa. 25 years in the field as an independent service technician and beholden to no brand I have seen to many negatives with their product and it's longevity.
This is just my opinion based on my experiences others will have theirs.

[Sam]

https://imgur.com/gallery/ok2nIRU

For years my area was one of the top selling Arctic Spa regions in Canada. I have seen many many Arctic spas. The photos in the gallery show what I have seen over and over countless times. The foam sprayed floors are uneven and water will pool in the low spots when you have a leak and go stagnate if not addressed. There are small "Flaps" along the edge of the base that are supposed to open when there is a leak but rarely do (snow, gravel up against) resulting in what is shown in the photos. The pumps and heater are low in the spa and when they leak the pumps will fill with water and short out. The insulation method used is great in theory but for several years the were having issue with the pumps overheating and getting so hot they would deform the "legs" that attached the wet end to the motor due to lack of air flow so to "fix" this they switched over to the EMG finned European pumps. The fins were there to dissipate heat to solve the pump overheat problems they were having but that caused a new set of issues. The EMG pumps were metric and seals and impellers were impossible to find so there was no rebuilding them only costly replacement. The cedar skirting offered for years looked great in the showroom but weathered quickly and requires yearly/biyearly maintenance of sanding and staining. Who wants to do that. They have recently added composite cabinets so at least now you have that option. Jet design...ball bearings everywhere. Seating design...most confining spas out there. The cedar lip around the top edge of the spa is usually covered in green mold. The bottom lip is usually broken and separating from the spa. Don't even get me started on trying to fix a leak in an Arctic Spa. Yes the plumbing is exposed but just try to fix a leak deep in the spa while trying fit and work through the side panel opening and don't touch any other plumbing lines that are brittle from being exposed to the heat inside the cabinet. Cover lifters...ripped out from the wood skirting leaving a nasty set of holes at the corner of the spa and not easy to repair. I have scrapped more 10-15 year old Arctic Spas than any other brand...by far. 

I wish I could support and recommend a Canadian made/assembled product but I just can't recommend Arctic Spa. 25 years in the field as an independent service technician and beholden to no brand I have seen to many negatives with their product and it's longevity.
This is just my opinion based on my experiences others will have theirs.

That's what I was looking for.  Thanks for sharing your experience.

[sergey]

I own the Arctic Spa Pool for almost 1 year.
And I had one huge leak - All 5 tons of water went inside the cabinet. (reason - pump fitting was loose)
all pipes in my case are clear visible and accessible - probably because i have a pool - big cabinet - no problem here i believe
And yes - the floor is not even and some water stayed there but dried out very quickly. I had some stain because of it there but manageable.
The pumps did not short out. (maybe i was lucky here)
The cabinet - Yes (I've got cedar and probably was wrong ) I am planning to stain it every second year (without sanding) - hope it stays ok.
No more issues so far.
Spa Boy - is the best thing you can get for you spa !! This is 100%. No-one else is offering anything like this at the moment.