Brands with the least repairs & best tub integrity

[sarah091082]

My husband & I have been thinking of getting a hot tub for years. Up until about 6 months ago my parents had one so we've always used theirs. However, they have sold their home & we are all in hot tub withdrawals! Lol! My parents had a Calspa they bought new & had it for about 15yrs. Obviously, there were repairs in that time, but overall the tub & spa still looked brand new. Soooo.... my question is "What brands do you recommend that seem to have low or average repair rates & have a good quality tub?". We are in the market for a used hot tub if possible. If I can get a used tub & save thousands over a new one, I'm happy to do the necessary repairs on a used option. I just want to get a brand that's good quality & won't be a lemon that we're constantly putting money into. I'm well aware that repairs & maintenance with a hot tub is part of it.... just keeping those to a minimum with a good quality brand would be ideal. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. 

[Hottubguy]

My list for tubs that fall in that range would be marquis, dimension 1, caldera, hot spring, jacuzzi, bullfrog made over the last few years, Clearwater or Saratoga. I'm sure I'm missing a few but those are a good place to start

[sarah091082]

Thanks for the feedback. Quality matters since a hot tub isn't something you can just throw out if you get a bad one! lol!

[Hottubguy]

If buying used make sure you see it filled and running up to temp. Usually if you get a serial number off it someone in hear can get at least a partial service history on it. I sell nordic and Marquis so if you see either of those used I can look up the service things that have been done to it assuming they went through the factory for parts. Good luck

[BullFrogSpasMN]

Premium Spas: Bullfrog, Marquis, Hot Spring Highlife Collection, Caldera

[Sam]

My list for tubs that fall in that range would be marquis, dimension 1, caldera, hot spring, jacuzzi, bullfrog made over the last few years, Clearwater or Saratoga. I'm sure I'm missing a few but those are a good place to start

Not sure that I would put Clearwater or Saratoga on that list.

[Hottubguy]

Saratoga is really only known well on the east coast but they make a real nice spa. Clearwater has some cool designs not familiar with them as much as the others but haven't heard too much negative about them

[im45us]

I had a Hot Springs for 22 years and heaters and one leak were the only repairs I had to make. I now have a 2 year old Jacuzzi and love it also. If buying used I would make sure it's up and running and I would let things like the jets run for a while to make sure things aren't tripping. Good luck.

[Tman122]

My top ten in no particular order (LOL) Dimension One, Marquis, Hot Springs, Arctic, Beachcomber, Caldera, Jacuzzi, Artisan, Caldera and several others in tenth.

[AZChillin]

If you are considering a Hot Springs spa, beware.  The quality is suspect and the service is really poor.
 
We bought an Aria model about 15 months ago believing that Hot Springs had better quality and a great warranty. This spring, our spa started leaking underneath the spa.  We has a light but steady stream of water running, and it didn't appear that anything was leaking inside the motor/pump compartment.  It took about 3 weeks for get someone out to look at it, several more days for them to come back and put it up on blocks, put blue dye in it to try and trace the leak.  Then several more days to come back, dig into the foam underneath, only to discover that the leak probably really was coming from the motor/pump compartment.
 
At this point, we could now see water in the compartment, and the diagnosis was that the pump seal leaked. The after replacing a pump, the spa is leaking less, and the new diagnosis is that the heater is leaking.  We've now been waiting two weeks for a heater to be ordered (geez, I thought trucks ran from California to Arizona over night). The technician left our filters out in the elements, and our spa door off leaving the motor compartment exposed as well;  we haven't seen him for weeks.
 
So, long story short, we've not had use of our "new" spa for over two months of "prime spa time" in Arizona this spring. Turns out that the company providing the warranty service is independent and not connected with the factory.  Apparently they are not accountable to anyone (least of all us) and if there is any communication about next steps, ordering a heater, and next service visit, anything at all, we have to initiate it and stay after them.  A warranty is worthless with this kind of service.
 
Hot Springs is supposed to be one of the better products out there. It's not been our experience at all and the warranty experience really sucks.  Good luck.

[Tman122]

If you are considering a Hot Springs spa, beware.  The quality is suspect and the service is really poor.
 
We bought an Aria model about 15 months ago believing that Hot Springs had better quality and a great warranty. This spring, our spa started leaking underneath the spa.  We has a light but steady stream of water running, and it didn't appear that anything was leaking inside the motor/pump compartment.  It took about 3 weeks for get someone out to look at it, several more days for them to come back and put it up on blocks, put blue dye in it to try and trace the leak.  Then several more days to come back, dig into the foam underneath, only to discover that the leak probably really was coming from the motor/pump compartment.
 
At this point, we could now see water in the compartment, and the diagnosis was that the pump seal leaked. The after replacing a pump, the spa is leaking less, and the new diagnosis is that the heater is leaking.  We've now been waiting two weeks for a heater to be ordered (geez, I thought trucks ran from California to Arizona over night). The technician left our filters out in the elements, and our spa door off leaving the motor compartment exposed as well;  we haven't seen him for weeks.
 
So, long story short, we've not had use of our "new" spa for over two months of "prime spa time" in Arizona this spring. Turns out that the company providing the warranty service is independent and not connected with the factory.  Apparently they are not accountable to anyone (least of all us) and if there is any communication about next steps, ordering a heater, and next service visit, anything at all, we have to initiate it and stay after them.  A warranty is worthless with this kind of service.
 
Hot Springs is supposed to be one of the better products out there. It's not been our experience at all and the warranty experience really sucks.  Good luck.

Sounds like a lousy dealer to me.

[d00nut]

If you are considering a Hot Springs spa, beware.  The quality is suspect and the service is really poor.
 
We bought an Aria model about 15 months ago believing that Hot Springs had better quality and a great warranty. This spring, our spa started leaking underneath the spa.  We has a light but steady stream of water running, and it didn't appear that anything was leaking inside the motor/pump compartment.  It took about 3 weeks for get someone out to look at it, several more days for them to come back and put it up on blocks, put blue dye in it to try and trace the leak.  Then several more days to come back, dig into the foam underneath, only to discover that the leak probably really was coming from the motor/pump compartment.
 
At this point, we could now see water in the compartment, and the diagnosis was that the pump seal leaked. The after replacing a pump, the spa is leaking less, and the new diagnosis is that the heater is leaking.  We've now been waiting two weeks for a heater to be ordered (geez, I thought trucks ran from California to Arizona over night). The technician left our filters out in the elements, and our spa door off leaving the motor compartment exposed as well;  we haven't seen him for weeks.
 
So, long story short, we've not had use of our "new" spa for over two months of "prime spa time" in Arizona this spring. Turns out that the company providing the warranty service is independent and not connected with the factory.  Apparently they are not accountable to anyone (least of all us) and if there is any communication about next steps, ordering a heater, and next service visit, anything at all, we have to initiate it and stay after them.  A warranty is worthless with this kind of service.
 
Hot Springs is supposed to be one of the better products out there. It's not been our experience at all and the warranty experience really sucks.  Good luck.

No brand is perfect.  That is why we recommend dealing with someone who can step up to the plate in the event that something does go wrong.

Let me ask you AZ, I'm guessing your in Phoenix since you have an independent service center?  Have you tried reaching out to HSS?

If you'd like, PM me your info, serial number, and install date and I can at least reach out to Hot Spring on your behalf.

[Sam]

Hot Spring has a reputation for quality and excellent service.  Nobody is perfect.

I do not sell HS but would have no problem putting one in my backyard over most other brands out there.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 My guess is he or she is one of those posters that come here say a couple bad things about a brand and leave.   Problem is they picked the wrong brand to dis..     If I am wrong I apologize and you should call Hot Springs direct. There is 99.99% chance they will get you taken care of.     Hot springs builds a great spa, your dealer is a whole different story!

[Hottubguy]

If you are considering a Hot Springs spa, beware.  The quality is suspect and the service is really poor.
 
We bought an Aria model about 15 months ago believing that Hot Springs had better quality and a great warranty. This spring, our spa started leaking underneath the spa.  We has a light but steady stream of water running, and it didn't appear that anything was leaking inside the motor/pump compartment.  It took about 3 weeks for get someone out to look at it, several more days for them to come back and put it up on blocks, put blue dye in it to try and trace the leak.  Then several more days to come back, dig into the foam underneath, only to discover that the leak probably really was coming from the motor/pump compartment.
 
At this point, we could now see water in the compartment, and the diagnosis was that the pump seal leaked. The after replacing a pump, the spa is leaking less, and the new diagnosis is that the heater is leaking.  We've now been waiting two weeks for a heater to be ordered (geez, I thought trucks ran from California to Arizona over night). The technician left our filters out in the elements, and our spa door off leaving the motor compartment exposed as well;  we haven't seen him for weeks.
 
So, long story short, we've not had use of our "new" spa for over two months of "prime spa time" in Arizona this spring. Turns out that the company providing the warranty service is independent and not connected with the factory.  Apparently they are not accountable to anyone (least of all us) and if there is any communication about next steps, ordering a heater, and next service visit, anything at all, we have to initiate it and stay after them.  A warranty is worthless with this kind of service.
 
Hot Springs is supposed to be one of the better products out there. It's not been our experience at all and the warranty experience really sucks.  Good luck.

Should have done better research on the COMPANY you purchased it from. It was a minor issue and your service tech sucked. That shouldn't reflect the product