What's the Best Hot Tub

Author Topic: Never owned a hot tub before - recommendations for 4/5 seater, not over the top  (Read 10955 times)

delt31

  • Junior Member
  • *
  • Posts: 14
thanks we've decided to include the lounge chair.

Remaining question is if the jump from 235 to the more modern 335 is really worth it.  Anyone have any input before I wet test.

Hot Tub Forum


hottubdan

  • Ultimate Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2323
  • In the spa business for over 20 years.
345 probably worth the upgrade.  Style. Jetting.  Filtration.  All superior.  (I don't sell Jacuzzi)
Award winning Hot Spring dealer for a gazillion years.

InHotWaterAgain

  • Junior Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9
I would agree that smaller is better. More jsets does not mean more enjoyment. Bigger means more cost to heat.  I rarely had more than myself and my wife in the tub at once. Friends were not interested, and the kids were definitely not interested in getting in with the parents...and you can forget all about those hot tub ads showing sexy scantily clad girls in your tub  ;)
Please do yourself a big favor and buy from a reputable dealer who can let you wet test the exact or at least similar model. Once its installed, it most likely can not be returned.

delt31

  • Junior Member
  • *
  • Posts: 14
After a few weeks of research I went with the 235 (Jacuzzi).  Went with Jacuzzi b/c it felt the best and at the end of the day - they create the thing. Quality really did it for me.  Lounger wasn't always in the cards but when I realized the majority of time it will be me and maybe my wife I thought why not.  If we have more over, it's prob for boozing anyway so people will just be excited to be in a hot tub (similar to how I was before I thought about buying one and realizing there were all these choices). Excited to get it.

That being said - I have never been exposed to this market before and I have to say it's one of the biggest rackets out there.  Being forced to only buy Jacuzzi brand at one vendor (next one is purposely X miles away) gives no power to the consumer and is ripe for salesman to take advantage of others.  Sorry for the rant but jesus the hot tub market seems to be the wild west.  Thanks to this forum for pointing me in the right direction. Market needs to be put into check though.

carolpalmer

  • Junior Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1
congrats on owning a new hot tub

The Wizard of Spas

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 507
delt31-

I can understand your frustration with the process:  One brand is inevitably tied to the dealer.  And if the dealer isn't your cup of tea but the brand is, you're in a tight situation. 

However, this industry is very small.  Yes:  You will find dealers that are looking to take advantage of the lack of education of the consumer.  But that can be said of any industry.  And if you are going to spend $5K or more for any item, it truly is up to the consumer to make sure you are spending it wisely, no?

If there was more demand for the product, there would be more familiarity of the product, better educated consumers, and more dealer options to find the same brands.  Better quality dealers would survive and the lessor dealers would go under.  But that is not, and has not been, the case in this industry.

I am fortunate to be working at the #1 pool store in my market but that wasn't given to us.  We as a company work very hard to achieve and maintain that status.  Thus, I appreciate a brand that stays loyal to me and allows me to carry their product and nobody else within said market. 

The consumer/dealer relationship is symbiotic, but so is the manufacturer/dealer relationship:  I represent their product well on the sales level and they reward me by not allowing anyone else to carry their product.  *OR* I am heads and shoulders above the rest of the dealers in my market and am so valuable that only the best manufacturers will want me to carry their products and I get to choose accordingly.

There are pros and cons to everything.  But I feel that though you had to brush up against some "cons" (pun intended!), you seemed to have chosen the right spa for you and your needs with a dealer you trust.  All it took was some homework and due diligence. 

I very much enjoy and encourage a healthy discussion among reasonable people and this forum tends to provide both.  Thus your "rant" as you put it is not that at all- It helps remind me that the customer will always need guidance in finding what is best for them.  I sell directly against the product you purchased, and you chose said product over the brand I sell.  So this is a learning experience for me too, as I got to glean some intel on the competition and continued to learn the needs of the consumer all while not actually being a part of the process.  I feel that everyone won in this situation.

Thank you for indulging me.  Good luck moving forward with your purchase and happy hottubbing!

Sam

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1335
 

Might be leaning towards master spa (twilight) and artesian but that's based on poolandspa rating.



FYI, the poolandspa rating thing is total bullshit.  It was created by Master Spas.  They were smart enough to not make themselves the only high rating.  Some of the highly rated brands are there are actually garbage.  Honestly, Master Spas is middle of the road at best.  They have the cheapest, crappiest cabinet I have seen in our industry.  They are not insulated worth a damn and will be expensive to heat.  The overall fit and finish is not good at all.  They also use deceptive sales tactics.

While we are on the subject, consumer's digest best buy awards are also bunk.  They are tricking people into thinking that they are credible by combining parts of 2 reputable names.  Consumer reports and reader's digest.  This aware is payed for.  The company is a total award scam.  It's surprising which reputable companies paid for these awards too.

Sorry for the off topic rant.  Dishonest sales tactics are a pet peeve of mine.  People fall for this stuff every day.

Hot Tub Forum


 

Home    Buying Guide    Featured Products    Forums    Reviews    About    Contact   
Copyright ©1998-2024, Whats The Best, Inc. All rights reserved. Site by Take 42