Welcome to our forum.
Quote from: Quickbeam on December 28, 2013, 07:16:02 pmI hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but as I am also looking for a first tub, I was curious Tman122, if you would post what your top 5 tubs would be?My top 5 means nothing to you. But being an INDEPENDENT part time repair guy for not just hot tubs but anything plumbing for about 25-30 years now I have had the chance to be around and repair many tubs from many manufacturers. So far in my experience you have to have Hot Springs in any ones top 5 including mine. They have a great reputation for longevity, reliability, energy efficiency and are backed by the largest hot tub manufacturer in the world. Sundance.......ditto. Marquis has also proven in my area to be bullet proof and are backed by a stellar company. Their plumbing and jets are so well engineered I don't think you can find a better hydrotherapy machine anywhere. Dimension One also has a great reputation and their energy efficiency is as good as Hot Springs. And their Nautilus model is MY personal favorite tub. Laid out well and felt more comfortable to me than any tub I have had my butt in. These 4 brands I have had the pleasure of disposing of 18-20 year old models pretty regularly and even one HS that was 26 years old and still functioning. As for number 5, I am still up in the air between about 5 others to include Arctic that I think does the perimeter insulation right but still not perfect. I do find their seating rather confining but that's a personal thing. And to me they seemed a bit noisy even though some claim the perimeter insulation's method makes them quieter in my experience this isn't true.I like Artesian, Beachcomber. Jacuzzi and they will make my top ten along with Clearwater, Vita and Saratoga. Ooops that's 11. From there I would have to include Bullfrog for their effort to do something different. I have not wet tested one so can't comment on the feel or longevity/energy efficiency.....yet. And then there's Caldera which is made by the same folks who make HS and has to be jammed in my top ten for their reputation. And Dynasty and Emerald which may not be top tier but good choices for middle of the road and can be had for less money. Almost all the top manufacturers have tubs that fit in here with different names. And in the value less expensive category I like Great Lakes, Viking, Nordic and a couple others but this category has so many I forget a lot of their names until I see one to work on it. These seem to be the ones I see more often as they are out of warranty and I don't work for any dealers except when they run short they have my number and I don't have as much time anymore for hot tub repair.Hope this helps and answers your question.
I hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but as I am also looking for a first tub, I was curious Tman122, if you would post what your top 5 tubs would be?
I would say Tman is again spot on with what he says, but if you are going to put Sundance in another level above Jacuzzi it doesn't make sense as they use virtually the same equipment less Jets and filtration and a couple of other goodies for the most part as Jacuzzi..
Is it true that sundance is now using lx pumps from china?