As a reply to Tim, that itchy feeling you get when the jets are hitting an area is due to the increased blood flow in that area. When massaged with hot water it increases blood flow. Also this will cause increased release of endorfins the body natural pain killer.

We are looking at a bullfrog spa but my biggest concern is the warranty. The Bullfrog warranty is only 3 yrs vs the 5 yr on most other high end spas. (arctic, jaccuzzi, dimension one). Any one have any comments regarding this? Thx

I think BRS is absolutely right about the importance of the dealer in providing service, and his comments are thoughtful and well-stated.

The cabinet of an Arctic Spa is sealed by three inches of polyurethane foam inside, which does an excellent job of sealing the individual joints between the cedar strips. The doors are also insulated with 3" of foam. The doors fit tightly but the joints are not airtight. In this BRS is again correct: there is some air infiltration permitted to provide intake air for the blowers. Air coming in is warmed by the running motors, but even so, running the blower for more than five minutes or so will cause a drop in water temperature. I'd guess that this is true of every spa brand. When the blower is not running, there is no pressure differential and minimal air infiltration around the doors.

Nonetheless, HeatLock does give an efficient insulation system with the additional advantage of total access. Some years ago the Alberta Research Council performed tests of energy efficiency of seven different hot tubs. The results http://www.arcticspas.com/downloads/performance/Thermal%20Performance%20Test%20of%20Spas.pdf are interesting. Arctic outperformed all but one other spa at room temperature (20C) and outperformed all the others tested at a cold temperature (-12C).

One irony is that it the product is so energy-efficient that we have to replace the insulated doors with louvered screened doors for summer use in warm climates to provide adequate cooling.

Hi all,

I'm biased too, but will try to leave that out of it (and I'm from the UK anyway)

Bullfrog:

Pros: Now called "Villeroy and Boch" in the UK - probably the most expensive brand of sanitary ware in the UK; VB would not risk damaging their brand if the product was rubbish.
Cons: Water can stagnate in the recesses behind the jet packs which isnt good in theory. In practice it may well be fine, also just read a comment about a new jet that helps circulate water behind them.

If you are buying a hot tub consider:

1. Is the reseller financially stable? - if they go bust so does most/all of your warranty
2. How watertight (excuse the pun) is the warranty?
3. How long is on-site labour covered for?
4. Does the price include delivery, installation and a full handover?
5. Haggling the price - everything is negotiable, and spa dealer's work on big margins.

Make sure you are shown how to balance the water - failure to do so may mean you are soon posting (like many others) questions about painful rashes from the hot tub!

Avoid Chinese tubs like the plague - the acrylic is often sanitary grade and will normally split, writing off the tub in a year or so! You'll mostly find these on eBay and google's sponsored listings at stupid prices from stupid sellers who go bust quickly.

Lastly, (apart from some minor points such as Bullfrog's plumbing system, LA's washable filters, Hotspring's no-bypass filtration etc etc) there is very little difference between the major hot tub brands other than their marketing.

Most brands use balboa or gecko control gear, are made form lucite or aristech acrylic, and use waterways or pentair fittings. Arctic's fittings are made by rising dragon - a chinese company. However they probably wouldn't use them if they weren't any good.

Hotspring use full foam, while our brand use perimiter; like arctic but without foam. Both have comparable running costs that over 5 years differ by £60 or approx US$100-150 so considering the difference in RRP, this is negligible.

As long as you buy a reputable brand, from a reputable reseller, with a good warranty, you'll get a good product and service.

Good luck with your purchase.

Ed

different strokes for different folks,Ive tried most hot tubs,we went with the bullfrog,all other no comparision.Just wanted say you need to try it out,everyone is different.My focus was on the neck jets,bullfrog has neck blaster set up,I love it.Anyway just wanted to drop a line.Thanks