Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: cappykat on January 31, 2010, 05:19:02 pm
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Hi everyone...I haven't been on here in a LONG time. Need some advice for my brother who is looking for a hot-tub. He's looking in the $5,000 range and has almost decided on a Leisure Bay. I asked the same question when I first started looking for a spa. I need to find out if the sentiment is the same as when I asked the question. Buy it or don't buy it and why.
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Leisure Bay is the "house" brand for Rec Warehouse. They also sell the spas to dealers across the country where there are no Rec Warehouse stores.
I've had dealings with both the spas and Rec Warehouse. I would hesitate to say that either has much quality behind them. The spas seem to me to be cheaply built, poorly insulated and not backed strongly by their service.
A hot tub dealer I dealt with in the Houston market brought them in as a cheaper line to offer to go along with his other higher end spas. After having them on his floor for a couple of months, he threw them out. He had warranty issues right off the bat and got no service from the mfg at all. He had leaks, cracked jets, non-working lights, etc. He got fed up and got rid of the spas.
I've also heard stories on the lack of energy efficiency. They have virtually no insulation. They claim to use the thermopane method, but they don't do it right.
I'd stay away if I were your brother. Look at some of the mid-level spas from the top manufacturers. They will have choices in that price range as well. When he looks at these spas and doesn't see as many features, tell him to keep in mind, the features all have a cost to them. If they are throwing in a lot of features, how do they get the low price? Something else has to be taken out - and in the LB case, it is quality manufacturing.
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Vanguards post has been reported before. Your brother is probably swayed by the price tag and spec sheet. The reality is with ANY spa if the quality isn't there and the service is spotty you will regret it and if it's poorly insulated (which is often mentioned with this brand and its method) then he'll be paying $30-$80 more per month to run it (depending on usage, climate, utility rate) so the thought that he's spending less may be very shortsighted.
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Thank you for your comments. I've sent them to my brother. Appreciate it!
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Yes, run away. Run FAR away from the Leisure Bay line. Next to ZERO insulation. Only suitable (marginally) for very warm climate areas (like lower Florida). You can find post on online forums like this where people north of the Mason-Dixon line have spent over $80/month simply due to the energy usage those tubs consume due to their poor design. Whereas, had hey bought a well insulated full foam they would have paid about $20/month increase. As with everything you can pay now (brand name full foam) or pay later (in the form of electric bills 4 times higher)...