Any Cal Spa owners here?

[mcmishka]

Can anyone give me info on Cal Spas.  How do they rate with Caldera, HS or Artesian?  If anyone has a Cal let me know what kind and how you like it.   Thanks Mcmishka

[Pathfinder]

I own a Cal  and sell them     the are various comparisons depending on what model and what features you are looking for.


ZEP is a Cal spa owner  and very content

SPAMAN also deals with Cal  and will be around to help you with anything I may have missed

[The_real_Clown_Shoes]

I'm not overly familiar with Cal Spas, but what I will say is that they seem to have a niche in their available customizations you can make to the spa in colors and cabinetry.

[gturn]

Can anyone give me info on Cal Spas.  How do they rate with Caldera, HS or Artesian?  If anyone has a Cal let me know what kind and how you like it.   Thanks Mcmishka

I am not a Cal Spa owner, but almost was.  I liked the foot dome and neck jet options and the depth of the Cal Spa, I went another route only because of price, but still got my foot dome and neck jets.  I wasn't to impressed with the basic models but with all the options added they are great.  

HS is the number one brand but I wanted lots of jets, foot domes, neck and sholder wrap around jets and they didn't have any models like that at my local store.  

Caldera seemed quite expensive for what you got, they claim their added price is for quality, but I saw no features that grabbed me.  I didn't look at the Artesian.  

I don't know if it is true but I have read on the forums that if you get a spa with add on options from Cal Spa there is fine print somewhere that reduces your warranty to 1 year, you might want to check that out, because all the spas they carried at our local dealer were ordered in with options on them.  I tend not to believe that, but should be checked out.

[Spatech_tuo]

Can anyone give me info on Cal Spas.  How do they rate with Caldera, HS or Artesian?  If anyone has a Cal let me know what kind and how you like it.   Thanks Mcmishka

I am not a Cal Spa owner, but almost was.  I liked the foot dome and neck jet options and the depth of the Cal Spa, I went another route only because of price, but still got my foot dome and neck jets.  I wasn't to impressed with the basic models but with all the options added they are great.  

HS is the number one brand but I wanted lots of jets, foot domes, neck and sholder wrap around jets and they didn't have any models like that at my local store.  

Caldera seemed quite expensive for what you got, they claim their added price is for quality, but I saw no features that grabbed me.  I didn't look at the Artesian.  

I don't know if it is true but I have read on the forums that if you get a spa with add on options from Cal Spa there is fine print somewhere that reduces your warranty to 1 year, you might want to check that out, because all the spas they carried at our local dealer were ordered in with options on them.  I tend not to believe that, but should be checked out.

Do a search for all those brands on this site and others (and check the reviews section). Whichever you go with, get a feel for how long the dealer has been in business, how long with that brand, see who does their service and wet test if possible.

[Zep]

mcmiskka....

Yes I own a CalSpas tub and love it!

Go to their site and look at the huge variety of tubs you can choose from.
http://www.calspas.com/hot_tubs/index.htm

Cal Spas gives the buyer more tub options than any tub maker in the world.

CalSpas I believe is the only tub maker that are exclusively powered by GE® Motors.


I will warn you, there is a strong anti-CalSpa contingent that frequent this site.
Most of the anti-CalSpa contingent do not own a CalSpa tub and are competing against CapSpa.

Of course CalSpas like many spa companies may have had some problems in
the past, but they have just opened a huge new manufacturing facility in
California and have made me a very happy CalSpa owner.

With that said.....it is also VERY IMPORTANT to choose a good supportive dealer.
Choosing the right dealer is almost as important as what brand of tub. Pick a dealer
that will be there for you long after the sale.

Just yesterday my CalSpa dealer called me and said he had an install
crew going to be a few streets over and wanted them to stop by and
just see how everything was going with my tub. I said sure....gave them
the gate combo and they stopped by just to make sure everything was
going ok. They found that one of my 92 jets was not working correctly
and replaced it. Pretty cool because I had not even contacted them.

As you can see below....hot tubs can be fun!

Good Luck in your search for the right tub.

[Spatech_tuo]

CalSpas I believe is the only tub maker that are exclusively powered by GE® Motors.

I can't ignore this one sentence because I actually get a kick out of this having had more than a one person ask me what this means. I guess the idea is that potential customers will assume this is some sort of advantage beacuse "GE" is a name people have heard of. I guess if it was really an advantage it would make sense but it's really just a clever marketing tool. Does any other spa maker promote their spas based on the motors used on the pumps?

The review section that you can find above has ratings from owners of all kinds of brands, not from competitors or anyone else so you can always go there to see what others think of their spas. Be your own judge.

[Zep]

re: Does any other spa maker promote their spas based on the motors used on the pumps?  

Who knows?

I know if I was selling something with an engine and that engine was made by Rolls Royce I would certainly mention that fact.

Just like I might not mention it if no one would recognize the engine I was using.

[Spatech_tuo]

re: Does any other spa maker promote their spas based on the motors used on the pumps?  

Who knows?

I know if I was selling something with an engine and that engine was made by Rolls Royce I would certainly mention that fact.

Just like I might not mention it if no one would recognize the engine I was using.

I agree with your statements in general but we're not talking about any "Rolls Royce" type motors in this case. They're marketing a name, not a better motor. More power to them if it works I guess (and I'm sure that works many times) but it's not like it's an advantage to the consumer.

[tileman]

There is a reason that they are the only ones that use those motors. Nobody else wants to warranty them for five years. As far as comparing them to RR, that is like comparing Jessica Alba to Rosie O'Donnel. Mcmishca, one off the last things to worry about are  what kind of motors they use. Just find a dealor you are comfortable with and a good rep and wet test,wet test,wet test. Good Luck in you searching as I just went through the same process. Let us know how things are going and we will try to help you along. IMO Caldera, HS, and Artesian are a better spas, but for the most part they are also more expensive.   Tileman

[wmccall]

I guess the idea is that potential customers will assume this is some sort of advantage beacuse "GE" is a name people have heard of. .

I would have to see one of the motors, but for me if could mean helping the local economy of my original home town and job security of my brother in law and his family.  He winds motors for GE.  So it could mean at least one major American made part.

[Zep]

re: As far as comparing them to RR, that is like comparing Jessica Alba to Rosie O'Donnel

I did not compare GE Motors to RR.....I made an analogy.

It's not out of the norm to think some buyers may be impressed with a GE motor compared to no mention of who makes a motor.

I would think G.E. would be considered a global leader in electronic power technology and if I were CalSpas I would certainly proudly mention who makes the motor.

Is it the "whole banana"?....well no....but for me it was one piece of the puzzle.

Who makes the motor in your tub?

[tileman]

GE is no where near the top of leading global electronic manufacturers. They might be one of the leaders in the U.S. but are far behind the Asian manufacturers. I have a Jacuzzi.

[Zep]

"GE is no where near the top of leading global electronic manufacturers"

I didnt say electronics I said electronic POWER technology
but we can certainly  "agree to disagree" because I do think
GE is a global leader in electronic power technology

"I have a Jacuzzi"

Yeah but who makes the motor?

[Chas]

HotSpring, Tiger River and Caldera Spas are powered by Century Magnetek motors, which is a division of AO Smith. Those two companies merged, and are actually one huge company - and I believe they are the largest supplier of motors to the pool and spa industry by far.
 
If you looked at just pools and spas, there is no single larger supplier of motors than AO Smith/Century.
 
Cal Spa is affiliated with GE simply because the company is owned by the son of the CEO (or former CEO - I can't keep up) of GE.  
 
There is no other reason for any maker to limit their supply source to a single company that I can think of. There is also no other reason I can think of for a spa company to give away the advertising and promotion that Cal spa gives to GE.  
 
I have been in the HS plant when they were testing motors from other makers - along with pumps from various makers. I asked the engineers about it and they simply said, "we are always looking to see if there is a better pump, but we also want our suppliers to know that there are other places we could buy pumps and motors."
 
I would rather have the largest supplier of motors to the pool and supply industry, but if they begin to take that for granted, I would rather have the tub maker have the option to go elsewhere if a better motor or a better deal comes along.