Why are so many down on Royal Spa?

[Spayedkitty]

Ok, so can some experts and possible owners of Royal Spas please tell me why people are so down on them?
The owner of the company is from my area, so I am thinking for the same size, jets, lights and such that I may get a better price from Royal Spa.

Royal Spa says that 2 speed pumps use more electric and no one should ever buy a spa with a 2 speed pump.  Opinions?

Royal Spa can be placed on gravel, I am told because the spa has a pan cover on the bottom that prevents rodents. Opinions?

Royal Spa doesn't have full foam insulation.  Wouldn't repairs be cheaper on a spa without full foam?  Or simply put, easier since my husband would do repairs once out of warranty.

Royal Spa also says fancy computers aren't needed, they are just something that will eventually fail and cost a lot to repair, a techs. dream.

Royal Spa also doesn't have some of the fancy bells and whistles as others, but we need a spa that is comfortable, and has powerful jets.

Royal Spa claims that they basically use all the same parts on all their spas that are long lasting and easy to get.  They have a good warranty.

My friend just upgraded from a Sam's Club spa to a Royal Spa Sultan and we are very impressed.  We felt that it looks nice, the water fall feature is nice, the jets are amazing, and she paid 9 grand including steps, cover, stereo and delivery with chemicals.

I will admit the lighting isn't the most amazing, but it is still nice.

What is so bad about them? 

[Tman122]

I'm not down on them. Just think Sundance is built better from my experience, and more modern. The Royals have less insulation, a weak warranty, and downstream filtration always pushes crud through your pumps and heater. I think their molds are a bit dated.

2 speed pumps don't cost more to operate. Size of motor and insulation determines this.

All tubs should be put on a properly supported base. This can be anything. Most have a poly pan or base.

Not having full foam generally means "costs more to operate"

Fancy computers? Balboa and Gecko make controllers. Tubs need controllers. Royal uses a controller.

Your choice what bells and whistles you want on any brand.

Again 3 years parts and 1 year labor is weak.

Upgrading from Sams Club to Royal is like upgrading from a 1000 dollar beater car to a 4000 dollar car.

Royal makes a fine middle of the road tub. If they are priced accordingly. I see them finding limited markets where they compete against higher end tubs and only drop pricing slightly to become more attractive. In other words if the Sundance is a 10 grand tub the Royal should be 6 but it's priced at 9. They are comparable to Viking and Nordic. Or the value series from the major manufacturers.

[bud16415]

Here is what they thought 12 years ago. Seems not a lot of the design has changed.

 https://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/forum/index.php?topic=3892.0

I have never seen one in person. I will say I like simple when it comes to control systems and remember when I installed my Caldera Geneva I took a look at the control board and said Holy Moly they didn’t need that much processor to put a man on the moon. On the other hand as a Machine Designer by trade electronic controls are here to stay and overall have made life easier rather than harder. I would compare it to an automobile and as much as we hate the electronics and not being able to service our own cars now, most cars run forever without much outside help. I don’t want to go back to the day of setting points and changing condensers a couple times a year, and with electronics they can do better things with economy. Again look at cars.

I like the idea of easily removable insulation, one of the reasons I bought the Caldera. It sounds like this tub packs fiberglass in bags and fills the cavities.

I would say if you know the owner of the company well and you test the tub and it does what you want, why not buy one.   

[wmccall]

There was a dealer in my home town for awhile, it didn't last long, but that may have been the economy as a lot of dealers were lost in the last hlf of the last decade.  With a degree in Electronic Engineering, properly designed electronics will last as long or longer than mechanical controls.  When you have a tech come out to do work on your tub the digging out and replacing foam doesn't add that much in most cases.   I can't say anything bad about Royal from a personal experience, but my Sundance/Jacuzzi dealer and his company which have been in business here a long time was also a factor for me.

[Sam]

The guy that runs that company is known for some shady business tactics.  There are much better options out there for a similar price.  These niche manufacturers come in and try to say their way is better than the established reputable companies that have been doing this for years.  It's b.s.

[Tman122]

The ones I saw had controllers. Can't remember the brand or type, it was a lot of years back. Seemed to me they were an economy version from someone. Overheat sensors are required by law, temp sensors are required to adjust temp and prevent freeze, flow sensors are required to save components. Not sure how you can put all that together and not have a board?