Looking for opinion on Lid Lifters

[dedvalson]

Hi all,

I have an EliteSpas 8000 spa which is 92"x92". When the dealer installed it, they put a Cover Valet lifter on it. It worked well at first, but only six months down the road it is falling apart. I also don't like the way it holds the lid. It has 2 rods that poke about 1 foot into each end of the cover, so when the cover is up it is hanging by a little bit of fabric at the top.

I would like to replace it and I have been looking at 2 models. 1 is the UltraLift with the hydraulic add on. The other is the CoverMate 3. I have seen negative reviews on the CoverMate 3 regarding it being weak and the plastic hinge breaking. I haven't read much on the Ultralift, but it seems to be well made, though not too many people carry it.

I would really like to hear suggestions for these or other lifters. The cover is pretty heavy and I want my wife to be able to open and close it.

Thanks,

Don

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Because of how covers are constructed, when held up by the lift, all the weight is on the outside of the cover. Even if the lifter has a bar going all the way across the cover, the center 80% 90% of the cover isn't carrying any of it's weight.

[amy2421]

We have the CoverMate 3 and really like it so far (we've only had it for 2 months so can't speak to long-term longevity.) It is VERY easy to open the cover. Our hot tub is recessed into our deck with about 18-20" above the deck, so we really like that the cover sits above the deck and we didn't have to leave a "well" for the cover to drop down into.

Now, about the plastic piece - there is a plastic stop lever that you can engage if it is very windy and you're worried that the cover will blow closed while you're in the tub. (The way the cover is held open, I think that it would take gale-force winds to knock it closed and in that case, I wouldn't be tubbing anyway, but that is just me.) From what I understand, if you forget that you have engaged the stop and you try to close the cover with it engaged, the plastic piece can break from the force of trying to close the cover. That part is replaceable and does not require replacement of the cover lifter.