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Re: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa.

Posted By: drboyd
Date: Saturday, 13 May 2006, at 9:42 a.m.

In Response To: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa... (Jimmy2k)

Well, good luck! You're on the right track by doing your own research as opposed to just walking into the closest spa store and buying whatever the salesman felt like selling that day.

You will run into a zillion different opinions on spas; we recall that opinions are like belly-buttons.

I did spa research for like a year and a half, looked at probably at least a hundred, talked to dealers, and gazed deeply into the heart of mazes of PVC piping, and came to my own conclusion. I heard, in the process, spa salespeople display an astonishing lack of knowledge of the physics they should have learned in high school. (I'm a registered mechanical engineer, and I deal with pipes and pumps evey day at work. That may make some people feel better - although it has yet to comfort my wife.)

The spa business is what Michael Porter would call a "low market entry barrier" business. All you need is a shop, an oven, a mold you splashed off someone else's spa, a fiberglass chop gun, a saw and a hammer, and voila! You're a spa manufacturer! All the "hard" stuff, like pumps, jets, and control panels, is pre-made for you. You just stick it all together.

Accordingly, you'll find a zillion spa manufacturers in this country. Some good, some fair, and some apallingly ugly.

So, what did I buy?

I bought a spa that's actually constructed here in Phoenix. (Diamondback, if anyone else is from Phoenix)

Why? Because they produce the best spa for the buck, they have a reasonably encouraging plumbing design, and they have a clean record with the BBB. Plus, they've been in business here for like 20 years, and I've had the opportunity at various trade shows and the like to meet several (perhaps even most) members of the management team. And I got a tour of the actual production floor.

It's a 550 gallon, 7-person spa, with two "3 hp" pumps, like 55 jets, storage steps, ozonator, entry safety rail and a cover lift for roughly $6.2K before tax. Delivered and installed in my back yard.

P.S. Don't buy a Thermospa, and expect to be replacing parts yourself if you buy a Gulf Coast.

Good luck!

Don

: Hello all, I'm a newbie looking to buy a new
: hot tub and I really have little knowledge
: in this area. What I could really use is a
: ranking of say the top 15 spa makers. I have
: been doing as much research on this as I
: possibly can as I plan on spending upwards
: to 8-9k on this, which is a large amount of
: cash. I'm lucky to have 3 different sellers
: in my area and they sell Jaccuzi,
: HotSprings, CalSpa, and Sundance brands. Of
: these I'm more impressed (so far) with the
: HotSprings and Jaccuzi brands.

: What I've learned so far...
: - I have seen many say to make sure whoever I
: buy from that they will be there to service
: when reparis are needed. This seems to be a
: common thread throughout and I can see the
: importance of this.
: - I also plan on doing a wet test.
: - Not knowing much about the bad side of
: ozonators I'll probably go with this.
: - I've read that 4 horsepower for 25 jets makes
: for weak jet strength and that a 4kw heater
: for 400 gallons doesn’t have enough power to
: heat the water back up once the cover has
: been removed.
: - HotSprings claims to have some special
: thermoplastic material they make their
: shells out of that is better than the rest,
: could just be a sales pitch.

: If anyone has opinions on these please share!
: That's about the extent of what I've
: learned, so any and all infomration/opinions
: are welcome!

: Much Thanks!
: Jimmy

Messages In This Thread

• Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa...
  Jimmy2k -- Friday, 12 May 2006, at 6:56 p.m.
  • Re: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa.
    Vinny -- Friday, 12 May 2006, at 7:52 p.m.
  • Re: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa.
    footsie -- Saturday, 13 May 2006, at 6:47 a.m.
  • Re: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa.
    drboyd -- Saturday, 13 May 2006, at 9:42 a.m.
  • Re: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa.
    n1oty -- Saturday, 13 May 2006, at 3:05 p.m.
  • Re: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa.
    Jimmy2k -- Saturday, 13 May 2006, at 3:06 p.m.
    • Re: Spa newbie needing advice on buying a new spa.
      rali -- Saturday, 13 May 2006, at 10:10 p.m.

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