As a seasoned product manager that works extensively with commercial facilities and engineers in the plumbing industry I found that full spray foam and wood frames are a an inferior design practice.
- The fact that the full spray foam its used to hold plumbing connections in place to minimize vibration of the components, support horizontal connections with water and in some cases support the shell doesn't register as an acceptable design practice for servicing.
- One dealer admitted they have to take the tub offsite, put it on a lift and use a dye to locate the leak - but hey they typically don't leak within the first 10 years
- Wood frames - don't care if they are pressure treated. The heat, the moisture, the contraction for frame members that aren't encased blows my mind
I was shocked to see that a Dimension One / D1 made in Mexico with these manufacturing processes in their top of the line Reflections product cost shy of $15K.
There where many others that used various elements of the manufacturing processes above but they where US made and $1K to $2K less.
Example - some don't use wood but use full foam to support plumbing/insulate or use the foam to support the shell.
BullFrog seemed to fix most of these designs practices but I had four concerns with BullFrog
1) They use Geko vs Balboa
2) They use foam to support the shell
3) 1+2 aren't really an issue per se its the fact that the best price I can find in my area for an A8 with recirc is $17.2K so the value doesn't seem to be there
All the research has brought me to an unexpected brand....Vita 700 series.
The value and design aspects make me wonder why this one isn't this mentioned more. Am I missing something? Is the design performance executed poorly or are there quality control issues?
What is resonating...
1) Made in US
2) Fiberglass backed acrylic shell
4) Northern Exposure 3M Thinsulate Perimeter Insulation - independent University Tests from Colorado State and Arizona State University claim perimeter is more efficient as all the electrical energy is used vs vented out with a fully foamed unit
5) Combination UV and Ozone
6) Three 56 frame pumps / 1 recirc pump
7) Variety and count of therapy jets
ABS sealed base (no treated wood)
9) Elevated plumbing is positioned vertically so if doesn't need form support
10) Fully serviceable back to factory condition plus easier to troubleshoot onsite if there are plumbing issues
All of this is $13.5K making it one of the best value proposition of any other hot tub brand. What am I missing?