New to buying a hot tub... looking for some help !!!!!!

[habs]

We have never owned a hot tub but are in the market....and of course everybody tells me theirs is the best..... I need some help..... I have been told that Hotspring is a good brand... also Thermo spas but I am worried with them not having a retail store in my area.... any help will be appreciated

[dunecritter]

I would shop and shop and shop some more...You will eventually start realizing what is important to you for your personal needs...You will eventually also start realizing what company you would rather do business with and feel comfortable to help you if service is ever needed.

[Ryan VSO]

are you from Montreal

[hottubdan]

Thermospa has no retail stores.

[Tman122]

Not sure who told you Thermospas was a good brand but I would avoid them along with any other online retailer. Kick some tires (side panels) See what you like. There's nothing worse than buying something like a hot tub online and having to settle for mediocre or worse, crappy. All online retailers will tell you theirs is the best and is the most comfortable but how will YOU know? Use your own investigative skills don't rely on a sales pitch, online or otherwise.

[Isaac-1]

As a person that just bought their first hot tub last weekend (I ended up buying a used Hot Spring Jetsetter, at a price point of about 1/5 of new,  it gave me the option of trying things out more before investing much money although not without some of the DIY troubles and a weekend worth of time spent picking it up and getting it in place), I can tell you the whole shopping experience is a lot like picking out the right car, or more like a person that has never driven a car, but has only ridden in a few and seen them at a distance trying to pick out and buy the right car.

[habs]

To Ryan VSO...... yes born and raised in Montreal but now living in USA............. Thank you for the info on Thermo spas that is why I am asking...... I have seen some info on this site about Bullfrog..... Is that a good brand? I have had the rep from HS come out and waiting to get a quote from him....I am not into all the bells (radio/TV etc.) and whistles just want a good tub..... I just want to have at least two quotes and I don't want to have an issue in a few years because I went cheap.... not that money grows on trees but if I spend a few more dollars for quality.... we are looking for a 5-6 person tub

[Ryan VSO]

Go Habs go Bullfrog are very well built and will offer you peace of mind for many years . You might want to look at a used spa aswell but if your fine with spending 9-10 k on a tub theres plenty of good choice for you and you should only focus on 2 brands .

cheers ,


Ryan

[meriflower]

Hi Habs - We have a 2013 Bullfrog R6L.  We got it up and running for a little over a month now and are very happy with it.  We have had zero problems with the operation and water chemistry.  With the last part I am experienced with keeping within the accepted levels for my water (also helps to keep and maintain healty fish aquariums)!  I did look at several different spa brands before deciding on our Bullfrog.  Looked at Hot Spring, Marquis (we own 2 Marquis spas previously), Sundance, D1, Arctic, and Jacuzzi.  We also wet tested those that we could.  That is something I highly recommend that you do is wet test - what may look good to you may be something totally different once you get the tub full of water with the jets on.  What made us chose Bullfrog over others is that we liked that we could change out the jetpacks for different therapy especially if our therapy needs ever change, also Bullfrogs use less plumbing in the shell, warranty, also have all the jets run at the same time (didn't have to turn off 1 or a series of jets to get others to run).

As I said, look at different brands to get a feel of whats out there, different models, and most certainly wet test!

[couchsitta]

We looked up Thermospas early in our shopping process.  Has anyone seen the Thermospas infomercial dvd?  Wow, horrible acting!!!  I let them have my number before I knew what I was doing and they called every day for two weeks straight.  I still get a call from them every once in a while two months later.

[kurt6137]

Do not and I mean, do not buy a thermo spa. The commercial says it all. Be smart, look under the hood, ask questions, get to know the dealer, I have a hot springs, my neighbor down the road had a thermo spa, he had nothing but problems with it and their customer service was non existent. Some people like them, but i can tell you, I have heard a lot of negative press about that company, yes i believe it, due to their informercial, when purchasing a hot tub, you will need service, it will eventually break, you will need help with chemicals and supplies, ask yourself, do you really want to rely on the nice actor on TV, that is promising the world or do you want to call a local dealer , who wants your business and recommendations for new business, think about it.

[habs]

thank you everyone for your help..... there is a home show today in our town so my wife and I are going to go and see what we find out..... I will let you know what happens

[dunecritter]

I suggest you hold back from making an uneducated impulse sales pitch/price buy...check em out...beat em up for pricing and learn some things...get a rain check if possible to keep some open options but do yourself a favor...buy name brand (a company you can trust to warranty) and  buy from a local dealer for continued support in the future...plus you can buy your chemicals and answer all your questions face to face. This my opinion...I sell H'S and there are other good/great  brands to choose from...but....I'll refrain from suggesting a or any brands as I'm not here to sell you. But do your part...research your manufacture choices. . I have personally owned many brands over the last 22 hot tubbing years and I can say this....it makes a difference to buy quality name brand. There may be decent online products but I have never owned those and if/when you need service/warranty...it might be a rough road. I once bought a Sundance Optima product...I had a need for service and both the local dealer and the manufacture were there to handle the issues promptly everytime...key word...PROMPTLY.  But this an example of my name brand and local experience. ..take it as my personal recommendation.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Some good advice here!  As far as thermo spas even though they are owned by Jacuzzi I wouldn't buy one for the shear fact I cant feel it and touch it, not to mention the lack of a dealer like Dune mentioned.     If you do find something you like at the home show, wait till the last day usually Sunday. Go in late in the day and make a offer below their price.   Many times a dealer will say yes particularly on a floor mdl, it's about numbers so you can use that to your advantage if they know you are serious, if they don't budge don't be afraid to say well thanks anyway will make our decision later..   

[rosewoodsteel]

I would like to say Thermospas is one of the best hot tubs made.
I would also like to say that the leprechaun living in my back yard gave me a pot of gold for a 6 pack of Samuel Adams.