Coleman tubs.

[boxer95]

my previous hot tub was a coleman. the first 3 years we had it, we had constant problems with it, heaters went out 3 times, bad pump, motor was replaced, and the jets literally detwerioted and we had ball bearings all over the place for years. but I have to say the company stood behind there word, they fixed everything, each time and were good people to do business with. the hot tub was problem free for another 3.5 years after all the initial problems, and it was than a good tub.

I am wondering if others had the same problems, I am considering looking at them again, but I am also looking at the Caldera....

coleman was un reliable the first few years but awesome the next 3, so its hard to make a determination...... I plan on wet testign them this weekend and will than decide on caldera or coleman.

the hot tub dealer also sells LA and artesian, will look at those to:)

[Cgar]

We represent both Coleman and Artesian.  Both are quality brands, but they're entirely different (seating, jetting intensity, etc.).  Wet testing will help you determine which is the best fit.

As for Coleman's history...  Even our sales rep. admits that Coleman had many quality issues until several years ago.  I do believe that they now produce a quality product.  As discussed on a previous thread, their filtration is top notch (pre-filter, filtering from the bottom as well as the top of the spa   ).  You will find that the Coleman tubs will sit considerably shallower than the Artesians, which again, may or may not appeal.

Happy hunting!

[Cgar]

boxer95,

If you'd like any further information on either Coleman or Artesian, feel free to ask.  Although, I'm sure that your local dealers can present you with the features and benefits of each brand.

[HotTubMan]

I do sell Coleman. I have not sold the other brands you mentioned, but I know by reputation that Artesian and Caldera are quality brands.

Cgar and I have the same sales rep, so I to have heard of the past problems.

I can say this for sure: out of the four brands that I have sold, Coleman has the lowest incident rate.

SpaHappy has sold Coleman longer and remembers the days before MAAX bought Coleman. She has told me that quality improved dramatically at that point.

BTW, when did you buy the Coleman you used to own? Why dont youhave it now? Did you move? Sell it?

[hottubber]

boxer,
The dealer that has Coleman also has Artesian? If so, take a look at that line. It doesn't cost you anything to get information on this brand. Depending on what your needs are and your pocketbook, the Piper Glen is a great spa. A little more pricey than most spas but a tremendous therapy system. The Gold series steps you down a little to a more reasonable price point still with some outstanding features. I have been looking at the Artesian line for quite some time for one of my showrooms, I wet tested all of them.
You should too, based on your budget.
Happy shopping...

[spahappy]

Yes as a veteran Coleman dealer, I'll admit they had some growing pains in the past. Most spa's on the market today can recant similar experiences. Even in their infancy Coleman was great to deal with over service issues and IMO took great strides to keep the customer happy. I have quite a few second generation Coleman spa owners who were happy enough with their first spa to upgrade to another Coleman Spa.

The Coleman I just upgraded from was a 10 year old 411. In the 10 years I had it I developed a leak at the pump seal, replaced the ozone, replaced the pillows and the weir door cover. I had an air injector leak and for the first few months my cooler would filll with water underneith the middle part and float out. All minor and to some degree expected given the age of the tub.
It didn't go far, I sold it to my neighbor.

Do yourself a favor and keep in mind you were happy with the spa after the first 3 1/2 years, The dealer and Coleman stood behind you and that speaks volumes.

My new tub is a 2004 Coleman 706, I've had it since last Feb. WOW I can't say enough about the differences in the therapy between the two tubs. My whole family is in love  with tubbing all over again. It was like a new toy! I love my 706, and it fit's me like a glove, very comfortable, and much deeper then the 411 was.

See if you can have your dealer take one of panels off one the new Colemans. You'll see a very clean very efficient cabinet area with the latest in thermol lock technology such as a solid one peice ABS base, reflectex which is an insulating blanket covering the inside wall of the styro. Just adding the reflectex made the spa's 15% more efficient then before.

Coleman has gone with M-7 circutry which did away with pressure swiches that could stick and fail.

On the 400 and 700 series the filter times are completely programable from the topside and can be independent of each other. The addaptation of the first filter gives you the opportunity to filter down to a much tighter micron than the big filter. This is top loading and can be purchased in a pack of two for arounf $20.00

The new duramax cabinets are maintence free and are available in two colors.

The new covers are tight fitting and create a vacume when you lift them up, increasing efficency by decreasing any heat loss through the cover.

With all that said, it's very important to wet test the spas you're considering.

Good luck, happy hunting, and please let me know if I can answer any questions for you.


Spahappy

[boxer95]

thanks guys, I am glad to hear that coleman is now producing a better product. it was hell the first few years, the tub was donw all the time. for some reason we also blew a lot of GFI brekaers, those went out 3 timesa s well..

anyhow I am going to go and check coleman out again, the spa dealer I bought from was so good, as far as service I hope the new store is the same way. I moved and left my coleman at the old house and I moved 3000 miles away so I can't use the same spa dealership, but with all our issue's I have to say there were WONDERFUL on the service side.

thanks again for your time, I will post back my findings of my wet test tonight.

[spahappy]

I just have to ask, What part of the country are you now located? 3000 miles is a long way to move. Did you move from one coast to the other?

I'd also like to say that most of the spas I've sold in the 90's  DID NOT have service issues such as your's did.

Coleman, like many other spa manufacturers had certain issues during several years such as, higher than normal heater failure due to a sub contracted sanitizing system called Bio 2. They replaced the heaters and eventually changed out the Bio 2 systems to ozone at no cost to the customer.

They had a run with bad glue joints, and later had jet issues with poor plastic on the jets they were using. These are problems many companies have been through.

The problems you described were not the norm. Sometimes you have to admit that there may have been other factors that caused the breakdowns you experienced. Perhaps it was made on a Monday or a Friday....just kidding lol

Anyway I hope you have a Coleman dealer in your area that you feel comfortable with. I'm happy your willing to look at the Coleman line again.



Spahappy

[boxer95]

I moved from  Northern california to Western North Carolina I am in the Asheville area it was 2,800 miles from my door to this door... a big move but I love it here. I got so sick of the crowds in Northern California and wanted to be in the country, plus I love the hiking here and the change of seasons is incredible. I miss my hot tub so bad. we use it all the time..

I had many heater issue's with my coleman u it was never ending, they finally gave us a titanium, heater after 3 went out on us, not to mention they replaced the motor, and the Bio 2 was removed and our jets were always popping off and breaking, we also had weird noises, grinding sounds, so they replaced our motor, we also had chemical troubles with our water all the time. I did not care for there sanitaiton system, we used bromine tabs. the hot tub was problematic for years but very good for the past 3 years so who knows .I will tell you that coleman took good care of me and that was why I looked at them again. there service is high end and that is important to me given I am also in sales and I sell what I no is supported. I would have bought that coleman  again C 461 but it was priced really high compared to a better hot tub by watkins. it was 7,000, to much for what it was I think, I got one for under 6,000.00 fropm caldera.

takle care,
Lisa