Buying a hottub, need recommendations please!

[kayaknva]

Welp, here's the story. We have needed a hottub for the past few years due to my wife’s health condition and finally went out today to price shop. I left the house today with a price budget of 2k-3k..That was a joke. All the local dealers were right at 4800-6500 on pretty much every tub there that we needed. We are in the market for a 2-3 chair with a lounge. The first place we went was Cal Spas, too expensive. The second place we went we found a Great Lakes Penta for around 5k and a PDC T25 (5800), we thought the T25 was very nice. Then the next company offered a Dimension One Dream for 5800, very nice as well. The major selling point in my opinion for the T25 is the Ozone sanitation system. Does it really do that good of a job? From what I research the Dream does not include this. Does anyone have any experience with these manufactures or models, and is there one I should steer clear of? I cannot get much information on the PDC spas on the net for some reason, or maybe I haven't researched enough.
Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks!

[kayaknva]

I am going to buy a hottub locally because of the service and the 'care' for the warranty, but why are the spas online almost half the price? Checking Ebay is making me sick before I write this check...

[J._McD]

Of those you mention, D1 I would put in the top 5 with Cal spa let's say in the top 10, the Great Lakes and PDC in the top 40 out of 140 manufacturers.  These are not documented number standings, but the impression is to give your their approximate industry status.  There are a lot more that you could consider.

D1 Dream you can add ozone as an option, where it is standard on their Reflection Series.  Ozone can be used on any spa and all that you mention above.  If you read the ozones threads here, you will find that I am a strong proponent for the use of Ozone and I feel it is a worthwhile option to include, as well as an entry step and a cover lifter.

Your thoughts on pricing are typical to all new shoppers.  Welcome to the world of Hot Tubs.  If you look around enough, you will find them 10,12 to 14 thousand, but that is not where you need to go.  You can get a very good Hot Tub, I would say typically above 5,000 and more likely into the 6's.  You should be considering heat retention, water quality, depth of water, therapy performance, warranty and dealer services.

This is where I ask you, how important is your wife to you?  First let me quickly add, you should buy here a very nice one.  For you, just a nice one will do.

Shop around to get a basic understanding and get comfortable with pricing, if necessary you can always pay some and finance the rest.  But, keep this in mind, buy what you can afford and then maybe even the next one up, because you are going to be sitting in this tub for a very long time and enjoying it too.

95% of the time, if not 98% of the time 2 people or less will be sitting in the tub.  So, buy what is comfortable and offers 2 or 3 different places to sit in the ½ hour to an hour that you are going to be soaking in the Hot Tub.

There are people on this board that use their Hot Tub for medical and physical reasons and can maybe give you and your wife some additonal insight.  But, you are going to love getting into Hot Water.

[Brookenstein]

It sounds like you are in a similiar situation to me when I started.  My budget was $3500-4k.  I quickly realized I couldn't get what I wanted in that budget.  I wanted a quality spa without bells and whistles.  I joked that I wanted a Honda Civic base model not one with leather and all the options and definately not an Acura.  When looking at dealers I found I really couldn't get that for under $5.  I found a few in the 5's, but most things were $6-7.

I ended up going the used route.  I looked for months and learned what models were going for and what would be a good deal.  Its amazing how many people selling houses want to sell the spa seperately or decide to get a pool a year after buying the spa.  

As for brands I've always heard good things about D-1 here.  CalSpas is a mixed bag... you will here a lot of negativity, but then there are those who are happy with it as well.  Make sure you are happy/comfortable with the dealer, that can  make a big difference with your overall happiness.

You might want to also check out Caldera, Marquis, and Tiger River to name a few.

The prices for 06's have gone up so you may want to look at getting an 05 floor model to save a bit.

[J._McD]

I am going to buy a hottub locally because of the service and the 'care' for the warranty, but why are the spas online almost half the price? Checking Ebay is making me sick before I write this check...

You get what you pay for and it is sight unseen, curbside delivery with self service included.  It is 95% certain it is not well insulated and the interior content is seriously lacking and not subject to your inspection before purchase.

Simply said, there are many bargains around that invite your money not your satisfaction.  Buyer Beware.

Everything about them is subject to conjecture and there are people on this board that have bought Hot Tubs on the internet and defend their purchase as adequate and acceptable.  The real important thing is they too make Hot Water and that is what you want, but you may be replacing it in 5 to 6 years with a new one and that one will probably be one of the more expensive manufacturers.

[cappykat]

Probably most of us started out with a dollar amount in mind and found out pretty quickly it was too low.

Most of the major players have a "everday" line or lower priced spas.  Not everyone can spend $10K, 12K, 14K on a hot-tub.  Look at Tiger River by HotSprings, Marquis, Jacuzzi...and many others.

Brookenstein gives good advice when she says to look at '05 models and floor models.  Kind of like cars at year end--sometimes you get great deals.

Best advice is to wet test, wet test, wet test whatever you look at.  Hope you find what you want.

[Spatech_tuo]

I left the house today with a price budget of 2k-3k..That was a joke.

If you absolutely need to stick to a $2-3k budget then you want to listen to Brooke and look at the used spa market but be picky (you would want to see the spa operating regardless of any statement that it worked before they moved it). If your budget can go up now that you've recalibrated yourself to what spas cost, shop around as there are some good mid sized spas for $5 to 6k. To the other question, the spas you see on the internet are generally of lesser quality and often the warranty isn't worth much more than the paper it's written on.

[kayaknva]

Wow, quick responses...Thanks.. The budget has gone to the dogs it seems and there is no choice but to choose between the ones I spoke of above. Those are the only choices I have here, and D1 seems to be the choice with the replies on marksmanship and quality. The PDC is the wife’s favorite but the longativity is key for me. Tell you the truth, if I'm going to spend this kind of money I want to consider everything. That is why I came here to talk to people knowledgeable in this field to help me make my decision and not be ignorant like many of the posts I read on the net after the buy.

So the budget has went to 6500 with running electrical(can get done at cost, est. 400).
Thanks!

[Spatech_tuo]

Tell you the truth, if I'm going to spend this kind of money I want to consider everything. That is why I came here to talk to people knowledgeable in this field to help me make my decision and not be ignorant like many of the posts I read on the net after the buy.

So the budget has went to 6500 with running electrical(can get done at cost, est. 400).
Thanks!

If you want to really see who is in your area go to these websites and insert your zip code and you'll see where their nearest dealer is to you. This list (in alphabetical order)  includeds what I consider to be most of the top spa makers in the industry. Most of the regulars (owners, salespeople, dealers, etc.) on this site are represented by one of these guys.

http://www.goarctic.com
http://artesianspas.com/main/dealer_locator.asp
http://www.calderaspas.com/Locator/index.html
http://www.dimensiononespas.com/findadealer.asp
http://dynastyspas.com/locator/index.html
http://www.hotspring.com/Dealers/index.html
http://retailer.hottubretailers.com/form.php
http://www.marquisspas.com/
http://retailer.sundancespas.com/

[bhawes]

Also check out LA spas they are in the top ten of Spas. I'm going to list the top spas but not in order they are just the top ten spa companies.

1. Cal Spas
2. LA Spas (Good rep and Best Value for the money in    
                 OKC)
3. Sundance Spas
4. Arctic Spas
5. Marquis Spas
6. Hot Springs Spas (good rep but not enough leg
                                 and foot jets for me)
7. Artesian Spas
8. Dimension One Spas
9. Master Spas
10. Caldera Spas


Spas #1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10 are within 75 miles of Oklahoma City.  With 2,3 and 6 in Oklahoma City area and 1,5,8,10 in the Tulsa area.
These in my opinion are the top 10 spa companies

[Vinny]

There is an option and I don't know if all Artesian dealers sell them but Artesian offers a line of tubs that's in the $3000 to $4000 price range.

Go to the Artesian website, www.artesianspas.com, go to the top and click showroom and go to the Promo class of spas. My dealer sells one of these spas for about $3600 with stereo.

I don't know too much about the quality but I would think that since it's a major manufacturer and it's sold by a dealer, it has to be of better quality than a "big box store" tub. I've seen it and although it doesn't look like Artesian's higher end lines, it comes with a warranty AND a dealer.

Unfortunately as others have said, we start out at low $$ and end up with higher $$$$ because we can't find what we like.

Good Luck!

[gobucks145]

I bought a hot tub on ebay, have had it for a little over a year and am very happy with it. No problems or issues. They have tech support and customer service departments to help you with anything you might incur. Warranties are comparable to other spa makers. Just call them and ask questions before you buy. Make sure they have a tech in your vicinity. I saved over $4k and am happy thus far as I didn't have the budget either. I bought the Baja from Bluewater spas. It's made by Hydrospa in Clearwater, Florida.