Want to pull the trigger - Hard To choose

[Easto]

We have a bunch of brands available in our City and within an hours drive. 

Bull frog
Arctic Spa
Hot Spring
Beachcomber
Jacuzzi
Master Spa
Cal Spa

We are leaning towards Masters Spa mostly based on information from HottubUniversity

There is so much conflicting information about EVERY brand to the point of frustration looking.   Every brand has stellar reviews and every brand has horrible reviews. 

We live in London, Ontario, Canada

What brands would you narrow down your search to?

[ratchett]

We are leaning towards Masters Spa mostly based on information from HottubUniversity

Just a heads up, might want to take HTU's comments with a grain of salt since he is affiliated with Master Spas, which he doesn't seem to make clear on his website.

https://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/forum/index.php?topic=24525.0

There is so much conflicting information about EVERY brand to the point of frustration looking.   Every brand has stellar reviews and every brand has horrible reviews.

That's because most brands have multiple product tiers.  Some tiers may be simple bells/whistles upgrades, other tiers may be constructed to a different quality than others so it will last longer.  Someone with a bottom tier Hotspring Hotspot won't have the same owernship experience as a Hotspring Highlife buyer.


I'm a Hotspring Highlife fanboy, but they are by no means the only good brand on the market.  Most all tubs have their pros and cons. Just remember the dealer you buy from is a major part of the equation - they will be your point of contact for all warranty service.  Be sure to research online feedback to ensure you can trust them to do the job right if you need service.    And also wet-test! Not all tubs feel the same, so be sure to test them out before you buy

[Zac]

I just went through the same thing on the other side of the country.

I tested my top three which were Arctic spa, beachcomber, and Masterspa.

I was looking at the top end models for each brand (masterspa Michael Phelps, beachcomber 700 series, and Arctic spa SDS).

They all had some nice things. For me the most important thing was jet power and getting a deep massage.  The SDS chair on the Arctic spa blew the other two out of the water.  They also have a single foot jet in the 8x8 sds tubs that was as strong or stronger than any other jet I tested by quite a bit. It wasn't close.

They were the most expensive but came down in price to the negotiated masterspa phelps edition. Beachcomber was the least expensive and I thought it was a great well built tub that I would have bought if I only cared about getting into hot water. But for me the Jets were more important. I also found the Arctic spa hot tub layout was my favorite (I bought the Tundra).

For you priorities might be different. I also spent a TON of time on hot tub university and he smashes arctic spa for their components and insulation. He also says masterspa has the best jets (not the case and it wasn't close imo). So I took it with a grain of salt knowing he's selling masterspa.

The Arctic spa dealer was also excellent in every possible way and extremely well reviewers.  The masterspa dealer was further away, dismissive, and didn't answer my questions. He pushed hot tub university on me as the be all end all. As though if I didn't agree with Chris I was an idiot.  Anyway, dealer wise your mileage will vary. But in my area I found the Arctic spa and the beachcomber very professional where the masterspa left me feeling iffy.

Test them. It's the best thing I did. Made the decision way easier.

Edit: you have to be really careful on products like hot tubs because in the grand scheme of things hardly anyone has one.  The people that do are generally happy with them and they have the same one for a long time. So you get mostly dealers/sales people with an agenda online or people that purchased lemons that review them (or had bad dealer experience).  I tried to take everything with a grain of salt that I read or watched online and let the real talk g happen in the tub and with the dealer that I'll actually be dealing with for the next 10+ years. There's also almost no one that has been in all of the current 2020 models that each brand is selling so you get overall brand reviews that were often done years ago.  Again go test the ones you are strongly considering, it's a 10k+ purchase that will live at your house for a long time. You want to make sure you're happy with it.

[Easto]

I know Chris from HTU sells Master Spa. 

Do you agree when he says a shell should be self supporting hand rolled?   Non proprietary parts?   Good insulation? 

I feel like Master Spa is a very polarizing brand.  Some people love the brand and some hate the brand.   I’m not sure If it has to do with the hot tubs themselves or if it’s got to do with the way they sell them in these expos.

How about Artisan Spa?
Coast Spa?

These are two other brands he recommends in his A-List that I have access to close by

[Tman122]

We have a bunch of brands available in our City and within an hours drive. 

Bull frog
Arctic Spa
Hot Spring
Beachcomber
Jacuzzi
Master Spa
Cal Spa

We are leaning towards Masters Spa mostly based on information from HottubUniversity

There is so much conflicting information about EVERY brand to the point of frustration looking.   Every brand has stellar reviews and every brand has horrible reviews. 

We live in London, Ontario, Canada

What brands would you narrow down your search to?

Hot Tub University=deceptive sales practice

Been servicing tubs for over 30 years. Master Spa is nothing more than a mediocre build quality with mediocre parts and substandard insulation. But if bling and big noisy powerful pumps is your thing.

[Easto]

With options like:

Coast
Artisan
Beachcomber
Arctic Spa
Hot Springs
Jacuzzi
Cal Spa

Which of these brands would you recommend we check out?   Which are on a good list for quality and which are not so good?

[Zac]

No one can really answer that but you. They all meet minimum build standards. Go test them. Test all of them.

[castletonia]

With options like:

Coast
Artisan
Beachcomber
Arctic Spa
Hot Springs
Jacuzzi
Cal Spa

Which of these brands would you recommend we check out?   Which are on a good list for quality and which are not so good?

Hot Spring, Arctic, Jacuzzi and Artesian would be my choice from that list.  I think Coast is decent but really question the after sale support.  Don't know much about Beachcomber and would avoid Cal Spas at all cost.

[Jag8]

Check out your local Hot Spring and Bullfrog dealerships.
 

[Tman122]

With options like:

Coast
Artisan
Beachcomber
Arctic Spa
Hot Springs
Jacuzzi
Cal Spa

Which of these brands would you recommend we check out?   Which are on a good list for quality and which are not so good?

Hot Spring, Arctic, Jacuzzi and Artesian would be my choice from that list.  I think Coast is decent but really question the after sale support.  Don't know much about Beachcomber and would avoid Cal Spas at all cost.

I would put Cal and Master in the same mediocre category. I have had a couple Calspa's, serviced tons of Master Spa they were OK, less expensive option to a higher quality tub.

[CanadianSpaTech]

PM Sent

[CanadianSunflower]

Interested with what you decided on.
We live in the middle of nowhere but our closest big city is London and we are just now starting to look.

Jets/massage tops our list. We will be heading out this week to check some out!

[swilly1000]

Master has a flagship dealer in Kitchener...Premium Wholesale.