portable hot tubs?

[vravdin]

Ok forgive me if this has been discussed before, but I DID run a search and didnt find anything here...so let me ask you all: What is  the best (in your opinion) of the "portable" hot tubs? Do any of you actually have any experience with them? Also, does ANYONE know of a good, reputable website or sites that have RECENT reviews/ratings of portable hot tubs? I DESPERATELY NEED INFO! THANK YOU!

[drewstar]

You put "portable" in quotes.

Why?

all the spas discussed in this forum are technically refered to as portable.   Is that what you mean?

Or are trying to get info on tubs that are extreamly easy to move, and are designed to be set  up and taken down quickly (Say something you'd take to a summer home, or maybe something the frat house down the street would steal out of your yard?  

[anne]

MY very basic understanding is that "portable" is loosely used  just to differentiate from the inground type pools that are permanently installed like a swimming pool. So that means that "portable" describes almost ALL the tubs you hear of discussed here. Then there are other tubs, like "Softubs" that are lightweight, easy to move around, and I dont know what terminology separates them from regular "portable spas." Do you know which you are looking for?

[anne]

Drewstar beat me to it!!!

[Vanguard]

There are many good brands of Hot Tubs.  Yes, many people on this forum have lots of experience with Hot Tubs.

To name a few of the good brands (and not all of them by any means):

Hot Spring, Caldera, Sundance, Marquis, D1

These seem to be among the biggest.  I'm sure others will chime in with other brands and they will be fine too.

My personal preference is Hot Spring and Caldera.  I wanted a Caldera, but my wife fit better in a Hot Spring.

The most important thing is to find a good local dealer and wet test the spas you are interested in.  Just like you'd drive a car before buying, you need to wet test a hot tub.  My preference may or may not fit you well.

There really are no independent ratings on the internet.  Most of the websites that rate spas offer there ratings by how much the mfg is willing to pay.  I don't fault the mfgs for this, I fault those extorting the mfgs.

The industry is not large enough for Consumer Reports to test yet, so you won't find anything with them.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

[vravdin]

well actually i did mean the ones that are MORE easily taken down and set up...and usually cheaper, like the softubs, spa in a box, smartub, etc. I have seen five or six of them, usually around 1500 (softubs) and the others less than 1000, which is all I can afford right now.....Those are the ones I'd like information on. Some are inflatable or have inflatable parts, some are not. Input, anyone?

[drewstar]

well actually i did mean the ones that are MORE easily taken down and set up...and usually cheaper, like the softubs, spa in a box, smartub, etc. I have seen five or six of them, usually around 1500 (softubs) and the others less than 1000, which is all I can afford right now.....Those are the ones I'd like information on. Some are inflatable or have inflatable parts, some are not. Input, anyone?

I don't know too much about the infatlable, and other ones. I have seen them in pool catalogs and what not.

I hear you about price.  Even the low end tubs are several thousand dollars.

Howevber if you are serious about getting a tub, yes, consider the lightweight movable tubs, but also consider purchasing a used tub? (just tyring to give you ideas.).


As far as the soft tubs and such, what are your epectations?

[TN__HOT_TUB]

If you plan on moving it back and forth several times, i'd definitely go with one of those inflatable tubs.

They look neat and fun.  I'm sure they make bubbles and heat the water.  I doubt they give much therapy (in the way of jet action).  

I could see how they would make a "neat" temporary party tub.  

[drewstar]

If you plan on moving it back and forth several times, i'd definitely go with one of those inflatable tubs.

They look neat and fun.  I'm sure they make bubbles and heat the water.  I doubt they give much therapy (in the way of jet action).  

I could see how they would make a "neat" temporary party tub.  

Used indoors or in a warm climate.  

I couldn't see someone in say Fargo, buying one for outdoor use in the winter time.  The monthly electrical bills would be higher than a monthly payment for a Grandee on a Credit card.

[salesdvl]

I have seen them in pool catalogs and what not.
 

I've seen them on America's Funniest Home Videos too.    Those are the ones where Gramma sits on the side and all the water blows out and the kids go surfing into the neighbors yard.  I love that one!!!

   

Just kidding, thye have their niche as well.  If it doesnt NEED to be inflatable you may want to look at Freeflow.  They make a couple of small units that can be plugged into 110 and are not very heavy.

[vravdin]

Thank you everyone...some of what you all said is helpful, HAHAHA

The coldest it gets around here is RARELY freezing in the winter.....I live in california.....woo hoo...land of tanned bikini clad malibu barbie clones.....THATS NOT ME...I just dont fit well in my bathtub anymore and wanna soak my cares away anyhow, cuz this will be cheaper than renovating the house! Plus I can fit a guy or two in there with me....bwahahahahahaaaaaa

[Vanguard]

The Softub is not bad for just soaking in hot water.  You can't put too many people in for a couple of reasons.

One - The filter is very small and has a hard time keeping up.  I used to have one in a small retail store and I tried it a few times.  The water seemed to take a bit to recover after soaking.

Two - The sides are fairly firm, but, too many people can stress it.  Trust me, the last spring of my college days, we rented a Softub for our Condo.  The guy who rented it to us was not too happy with the condition it was in when we were done.

I agree with SalesDvl.  Try a Freeflow or a Dreamaker.  They are lightweight and inexpensive.  Plus, a bunch of dealers will ofer a one-year trade-in guarantee.  If you trade it in on a full-size tub, sometimes they'll give you full value for the Freeflow or Dreamaker.

Good luck in your search.

[drewstar]

Here is a site (smart tub) that has a ton of these types of tubs.

http://www.spadepot.com/warehouse/spas.htm#smartub

I think it would be a good idea if you could wet test one of these, (and then wet test a "standard hot tub....take your pick from the dozens we discuss here). just so you can compare what you are getting and not and you can make the informed decision on what's best for you and the budget.

My knee jerk reaction is I personally woudn't spend more than a grand on this Maybe $1500.  If I found myself putting $2-3 into one,   I'd be more inclined to spend 3-4K on a costco tub and take my chances.

vravdin, let us know how it goes for you and what you buy and why.  

[Chas]

The Softub is not bad for just soaking in hot water.  ...  The water seemed to take a bit to recover after soaking.

That's because the Softub, and some others, use heat-exchangers or friction heaters. These are very low-output items which sound so good in the sales pitch, "Softubs are truly energy efficient with patented advanced heating technology that heats without a heater."

They do. They just do it VERY slowly, since the heat exchanger is about the equivalent of a 700 watt heater, give or take. Now, that little heater will run at the same time as the jets, even on a plug-in unit, but it sure wont keep up on a cold night.  

I used to sell Softtub - they are good for a short soak by one or two folks, and you will have to put money aside to replace the vinyl liner/exterior (one piece) after some time.  

In fact, I would spend another thousand or so to get a hardshell, like a Solana.

[Tatooed_Lady]

If I'm seeing this correctly, the BIG reason for looking into a blow up tub is cash flow, correct?  I'm with Drewstar on this one, check your local dealers for refurbished tubs if you've got the room. I've seen some "decent" tubs for around $2k, and being the beginning of the warm season, I'd imagine there should be some fresh trade-ins (for upgrade purposes or whatnot) available for a pittance.
Geez, I feel so smart using words like "pittance"....