arctic spas question

[bosco0633]

I am not going to beat a dead horse here, but I just want to ask for some opinions here for a moment.

I have been reading forums for the past 6 months and read alot of people talking about arcitc not being full foam.  Lets not go there, here is my question.  

Please tell me that you dont hold arctic in the same category as therma spas and god forbit JA's spas.  Iknow he always says that arctic is the second best spa next to his.  

For the experts, would you say despite that bad sales pitch, Arcitc spas have the respect of the hot tub community now.  I feel really good about my purchase, but I just want to see what the "experts" think.

I guess, it is just difficult for me to understand why people dont mention Arctic spas when they refer people to look at particular brands.  

Please dont start with the bashing, just honest input, I would be devistated if I was buying a tub that people think is in the same category as therma spas and the ever so crappy tubs made by Mr. JA.

Thanks for your input

[JcDenton]

I think the only thing that will change people's opinion is consistant postive feedback from users like you and I over time.

There are very few Arctic owners on this site. Because of this, there is little or no real representation of the product by actual users. Until that changes, much of what is going to said or thought about the product is just 2nd/3rd hand opinion.

If you and I find that after many years of usage that were are just as happy as we are now, then others might reconsider Arctic.

Regardless, I don't think it really matters who places what product where in order of importance/quality. There are just too many variables that can influence such things.

Jc

[Lori]

I just thought I would say, I didn't have any Artic dealers in my area (well...still don't).  I don't like recommending something that I don't have first hand knowledge of.

I'm sure that your spa is going to be great!  You did your homework, did the wet testing, and if that is the spa that fit the best for you and your family, then I say you got the perfect spa (for you and your family)!!

There are manufacturers who use the TP insulation method (other than Thermo and looney spas) who are just as good as the FF manufacturers!  Variety is the spice of life!!!

Good luck!  

[420spaman]

As a seller of spas with an Arctic dealer here I won't bash. You can do a lot worse than that. Just keep on spaaing and the hell with other's think.

[Brewman]

Our local Arctic dealership is run by some very nice people.  I get a lot of my chemicals there now, and I've seen them stand on the cover doing sales demos, but they are very nice to me.  They know I own a competing brand, but they never hassle me about it.  
All in all, a nice store.  They're a bit more convenient and a little less on Brilliance products than my dealer is.
Brewman

[fatman]

I checked out Arctic for myself a month ago. I had read all the bashing on this forum and wanted to see for myself if they were any good.  Took over an hour looking at them and the Yukon Signature in particular. I did not wet test. It didn't take long to figure out that Arctic makes one solid, well constructed hot tub. Many people have spoken about the cover. It is as well built as the tub itself. 2 female employees and myself stood on top of it, over 400 lbs., and the cover didn't even flex or indent where our feet were positioned. It was not warm to the touch either so you know it doesn't lose heat. Arctic claims the shell is self supporting. I believe it. It is fiberglass backed and thick. I won't debate the ff vs. tp but I will say that it is nice that the plumbing is exposed because it makes it that much easier to find a leak. There is the argument that ff reduces and/or eliminates vibration of the plumbing so I turned on all pumps to high speed and made sure all jets were on. At times I turned some jets off for the sake of changing the pressure within the plumbing.  I then opened the cabinet and phisically placed my hands on the hoses, pvc piping and the jets. There was no vibration through any of the plumbing. Motors yes, plumbing no. One thing I couldn't help but wonder about was the fact that the hoses had no clamps on them. I emailed Arctic and they replied the same day. They said they use a type of glue/pvc primer that creates a "weld" that is similar to what plumbers use on home pvc plumbing. Good idea in my opinion.  Arctic uses cedar cabinets with the option of metal. They do not offer plastic. Arctic says it warps over time. The base is made of hand-rolled fiberglass which, I believe, no other company in the industry does.  Several on this forum have said that Arctic jets pop out during use. I did not have this happen to me.  So far in my travels I have checked out Artesian, Marquis, Royal, Emerald, HS, Great Lakes, D1, Nordic, Calders, Cal, Jac, Coleman and Arctic and I can say with no hesitation that in terms of overall quality and heavy duty construction, Arctic is the best. I think the reason Arctic is not mentioned here much to newbies or anybody else is simply because they lack an active, participating dealer on this forum.

[Guttboy]

I take ALL dealers "claims of greatness" with a grain of salt!

That being said...the wet test will be your true indicator as to what to purchase (or what you have already purchased).

JPKriegstad has PM'd me a few times.  He is one of the top dogs at Arctic to let me know if there is a dealer near me.  There is one about 45 min away that is brand new that I have yet to check out.  Once they get established I am going there.

As someone who is in the active search for a spa mode....I will tell you that I have seen poor sales practices at some of the "BIG THREE" dealerships that really turned me off.  (I wont mention the brands).  I think that some folks experience with Arctic may be either from poor salespeople....or....from some of the salespeople that have stated some "opinions" in less than professional manners on this site.  (that being said...those individuals have on both sides of the coin have been pretty civil as of late).

Sooooo....I would not rule out Arctic.  To this day I can not recall hearing from an Arctic owner that has stated  that He/She has had problems with their purchase.

Good luck

Mike

[nicker]

I really wouldn't worry about what others think.  A guy I work with bought a Artic Spa and he LOVES it, and that is all that matters.  I mean there are some bad spas out there and I think Artic is in the upper bracket.  I just think people were more or less comenting on the sales tactics.  I own a Coast Mountain Spa (not to be confused with a Coast Spa) and I never hear anyone talk about them either.  They are made in Canada so maybe that has somthing to do with it. But you know what I love my spa and have not had anyprobems with it and my dealer is great and thats all I need.

Just keep tubbing away.

[RTex]

I have looked at a number of spas (including LA, Emerald, Saratgoa, D1, Sundance, Master, dynasty, Catalina, Cal, Caldera,) in person, wet tested wherever I could and likely will buy an Arctic Yukon Ultra.  I've spent hours on forums.  The only thing left is to sit inside the Yukon once it arrives at the dealer (tried two other Arctics but want no lounger model).  If it is comfortable, I will probably buy despite the price being 2-3K more than I hoped to spend.  Dealer is also reasonably close, has a strong ongoing business selling spa and other stuff, and has been very professional in demeanor so far.  I think you made a decent choice.  What did you or others think of the "comfort factor" in the Arctic?  I really liked comfort in LA spas I tested but for reasons I won't belabor here, favor the Arctic at this point in my search.

[bosco0633]

its funny that you mention the comfort factor.  I tested alot of tubs.  I mean, I spent weeks going from store to store trying tubs.  I was already really fond of the arctic so I left it to last to try so that I would give everything a fair shake.

So the first time I sat in the arctics dry I knew something was different.  Right then and there I purchased the arctic Summit not wet testing.  The seats were so amazing and deep.  They just fit me to a tee.

So, I start looking at the stats and see the tundra is 38 1/4" deep and start thinking that i want a deep tub.  I go in wet test the tundra and fell in love with it.  I never told my wife because I knew that she would snap.  So I changed the order and waited for a good time to tell my wife.  Well, we went out a couple of nights later and I told her while we were sipping drinks with friends.  Perfect timing, they were looking at tundra and it could not have gone better.  Oh Yeah,  great right, no way, slept on couch and given cold sholder, thank god for the internet.  She got over it

Back to buisness.  That tundra I super deep with great therapy seats, I hate loungers and cant get comfortable.  I just love the feel of these seats.  I just found out that the 2005 comes with their new bearingless exotic jet package.  I went in and tried the new jets and was blown away with it.

I cant wait to get my tub, I am paying cash so took a late order date, somewhere from august to october.  

[Mendocino101]

So, I start looking at the stats and see the tundra is 38 1/4"

I was just wondering...when you mention its depth do you know if that is its outside height or in fact its interior depth....I am just wondering is all....most manufacture list outside height, very few list interior depth.....it does not really matter for you one way or the other as you have already found it fits you well....I am hoping to learn something is all.....

[bubblejet]

Hello all, a newbie who just placed an order for an Arctic Spa Summit here.   The funny thing is that our original order was for the Klondiker with the 2 loungers based on the dry comfort factor.  However, when we wet tested (based on the knowledge we found here) we discovered that we didn't like the loungers as much due to the floating issue.  The Summit was much more comfortable and both my husband and I found our favourite seats  .  Then again if he had his way we would be buying the Tundra as well.  Must be a guy thing!  There was no pressure, just information and I would say a pleasant experience so far.  We should be taking delivery in about 4 weeks, and are really looking forward to it.    

[bosco0633]

I just went to the website to see.  It does not mention. I thought it was inside.  the tundra comes with an extra 4" lift on it.  It helps with over spilling and wind.  It comes up just past my head when I sit in it.

Sorry I dont know the answer, all I can say is that it is really deep and i cant wait to put it in my backyard.

[wmccall]

. 2 female employees and myself stood on top of it, over 400 lbs., and the cover didn't even flex or indent where our feet were positioned.

Will they loan you the same 2 female employees for the wet test? There is an aggressive sales technique I could tolerate.  

[fatman]

Hadn't thought of that......   I like the idea, LOTS!!!! Maybe they will wear bikinis with the Arctic polar bear stragetically placed!........