Hot Tub owners advice needed

[BigBake]

For any hot tub owners on the board I'm looking for your $.02. We've narrowed it down to a Hot Springs or a Sundance. What advice would you give a person buying from what you've learned?

Are there any features you didn't get you wished you would have gotten?
Were you content with the size?
Does the filter style each manufacture touts make a difference?
If you bought a model with a lounger did you hate it? Love it?

Anything else?

[Clones21]

My friend has a Hot Spring....he says it stays clean much easier then some other ones hes had. Thats my .02 cents.

[The_Architect]

My advice, don't get one. After a while the novelty will wear off and you'll hate it because of all the maintenance.

[scottie33]

For any hot tub owners on the board I'm looking for your $.02. We've narrowed it down to a Hot Springs or a Sundance. What advice would you give a person buying from what you've learned?

Are there any features you didn't get you wished you would have gotten?
Were you content with the size?
Does the filter style each manufacture touts make a difference?
If you bought a model with a lounger did you hate it? Love it?

Anything else?

Size is crucial...if you plan on having 4-5 people even though it sits that same number, go bigger. The thing I hate most is sitting in there with a bunch of other people and kickin shins because your feet are all cluttered in the middle.

We had one with a lounger before we got a larger hot tub and honestly the lounger sounds like a good idea but if you aren't the "right size" its hard to keep your head above the water and from sliding down. Also, if you have more than a couple people in there, the lounger is not comfortable at all to sit on and enjoy a beer.

If possible, get one that has the bars on the side that hold the lid when you lift the whole top completely off. Not a big deal in the summer, but come winter time youll love it cause you wont have to get out of the hot tub in the snow and ice to lift the cover back on. Just have to pull it down and flip it down to cover the hot tub.

[BigBake]

My advice, don't get one. After a while the novelty will wear off and you'll hate it because of all the maintenance.

Not worried about that. I've had a boat for 6 years and it gets used every summer weekend.

I also will have it setup so that I can watch the big screen in the basement with outdoor speakers wired up for sound.

[BigBake]

I hear ya on the lounger Scottie. My wife loves the lounger so I'll probably lose that battle.

We are for sure wet testing whatever we buy to ensure we like the setup.

[cdekovic]

We have had a tub for about 7 years. We really loved it in the beginning and rarely use it now. We have a Jaccuzi and have needed a few minor fixes over the 7 year time period but we really love it when we use it. I recall when we shopped that I was more impressed with Hot Springs. The biggest reason we went with the Jaccuzi is because of I was able to buy it locally in Ames. I know WCI Pools and Spas have a location in Urbandale now and would recommend that you at least look at Jaccuzi if you haven't already.

P.S. Don't get bells and whistles like music or fancier lighting.

[Cyfan4good]

We've only had one tub, a Nordic Crown XL from Water World. It's a round tub that you can easily get 5-6 people in. It's mostly just the wife and I though. We love it. Maint. is easy.

[dglade]

The only problem yo umight have with the hotsprings is their service sucks. After they bring it out and set it up which they are very good at. They rape you over the coals for service call when they didn't even know what was wrong. If the warranty is done have fun getting it fixed.

[The_Architect]

They rape you over the coals .

This is a FANTASTIC want-of-bee and one that I've never seen before! Bravo!

[CyinCo]

We are probably a year or so away from buying one. We like Hot Springs. They also have the lid lifting mechanism that reallly makes it easy to flip the lid open.

The time has passed for this year, but if you buy from the fairgrounds during the State fair, they give nice discounts and include lot's of extras.

[isuno1fan]

My advice, don't get one. After a while the novelty will wear off and you'll hate it because of all the maintenance.

This x infinity...

Trust us on this, it will happen.

Bought mine from Hot Springs for 4500, was lucky to sell it a couple years later for 2000.

[HOTDON]

I've been helping my sister maintain her Hot Springs for a while now. Staying on top of the chemicals from the start is important. It's just like a car; a little care along the way can avoid big bills down the road.

We use the tub quite a bit once the temps get below 60 or so. I watched several bowl games from it last season.

[BigBake]

The fear if not using it eventually is not a concern.

I eyeballed the prices before the state fair so I'll definitley be mindful of that as I negotiate.

[3TrueFans]

I've been helping my sister maintain her Hot Springs for a while now......We use the tub quite a bit once the temps get below 60 or so.

Whoa.