I am looking to purchase a new hot tub and have been told that the Bullfrog spas are very good. I don't know anything about them. Checked out the website and they look pretty cool. I would love to hear any pros and cons about them. Thanks!

Here is my biased opinion-I am a dealer that sells Bullfrog. Many things in hot tubs are similiarly like: fully foam filled(high end tubs), Balboa controls, AquaFlo 56 frame pumps, Waterway jets, etc...

Where Bullfrogs differ from everyone else is that 90% of the plumbing is in the water with you. This is done by having Jetpaks. INSTEAD of drilling holes in the side of the tub, Bullfrog drills holes in the Jetpaks. Having these Jetpaks give you alot of benefits.

Practical benefits are:
1. Limited holes drill into the tub that is holding water. In Bullfrog's tub that has 73 jets there are only 13 holes as compared to 73+ holes in everyone else's tub.
2. 90% less plumbing. Less plumbing means more power.
3. 90% of the plumbing is in the water with you. It is easily accessible. The other 10% is the 2 inch feeder tube that gets the water to the Jetpaks. It is hard PVC pipe and is fully insulated.
4. The air mix is a 50/50 mix with the air coming from the chamber where the pumps are(heated) as opposed to air outside the tub(cold in the winter).
5. No diverter valves so every seat can enjoy 100% power.

Personal benefits are:
1. You can customize how your tub feels from the beginning by choosing which Jetpaks you want.
2. You can customize where your Jetpaks are located in your tub(instead of the manufacturer).
3. You can upgrade your hot tub down the road as new Jetpaks are invented or as your therapy needs change.
4. Bullfrog is the only tub with a movable waterfall.
5. You can have peace of mind that your Jetpak plumbing(90% of the plumbing) has a lifetime warranty(lifetime of the original owner).

All in all it comes down to: do you like the way it feels and do you like the price and do you like the dealer. A good dealer should stand behind whatever spa they sell. No tub is perfect-they are all man-made. So the decision is still up to you, yes I love the Bullfrog Spas-it is the only brand I sell. Is it the only good spa on the market? No! Is it the only one that has Jetpaks and gives you choices on how you want it to feel---YES!

While what Mark stated is true, other spa tub manufacturers will say the exact opposite, and what they say is probably true, too. It's all relative, and there is no perfect way to compare the features, because everyone has their own niche and version of each feature.

Here's what I've found. We've been looking for about four months now for a spa and finally decided on an Arctic Spa. However, we were about 90% set on buying a Bullfrog right before we ran across the Arctic.

The Bullfrog was the cheapest for what it offered. We liked the idea of the plumbing with regard to the JetPaks; it all made sense. We were told by other spa companies that it was mostly a gimmick, and while we dismissed that for a while, after looking in depth at Arctic and other companies, we tend to agree. But beware: everyone will tout that what they have is best. We wet-tested the Bullfrog right before we were pretty much ready to buy it, mostly as a formality to cement our decision, and we were more disappointed than we expected to be. This prompted us to look into other brands, which we foolishly had not done prior.

During the wet-test of the Bullfrog model we were ready to purchase--the 451 with a single lounger--we tried out about 7 of the JetPaks. I was most interested in the Mini Neckblaster. However, despite my interest in this JetPak, what really held my concentration was trying to stay put in the lounger. I am 5'2" and I found the jets were constantly pushing me out of it. It was so distracting and not at all what I expected to happen. I don't really even recall enjoying the Neckblaster, their most popular JetPak. The seats were so comfortable when I first sat in it (dry), but that was no longer the case.

Anyway, we discovered the Arctic Spa and learned so many good things about it--the owner used to do repairs for years on all brands of spas before he settled on Arctic only and then to do the sales of them--that we quickly saw the disadvantages of the Bullfrog. We like the fact that should a problem arise, 8 panels around the Arctic cabinet are accessible and the technician doesn't have to pick away at closed foam, and then spray a can of foam back into it to "seal" it. We love the look of the cedar cabinet, and from what I've read and discussed, it takes a once-yearly application of a stain you can buy at Lowe's to maintain it. It was $2000 more than the Bullfrog but it made so much more sense than what the Bullfrog offered, and we're ending up with a more spacious spa without compromising the features we desired. However, our Arctic Spa is being delivered in four days, and then time will tell.

I would seriously reconsider buying the Bullfrog without at least researching 6-8 more companies, including the high-end ones (like Arctic, Sundance, Hot Spring, Master Spas, etc.). Be sure that the gimmicky things are things you truly want. For instance, the few people I know who like their Bullfrog never actually move the JetPaks--one of the well-advertised features (aka gimmicks) of the Bullfrog. You tend to put it in one location and leave it there. Sure, there's a "removable" waterfall, but to remove it, you have to have another JetPak to put in it's place--not a cheap thing...about $250-450. Also, less holes in the shell is terrific; however, there are still plenty of holes in the Bullfrog: the vents, the foot jets, the light, etc., and all it takes is one. I do like their warranty, but there is less cabinet access, which makes me nervous. I like the less plumbing aspect mentioned, and I don't know yet if that makes a difference. However, there were statements made from my local Bullfrog dealer that were contradictory, and there did seem to be a diverter scenario when we commented that the jets didn't seem as powerful as expected.

Anyway, I hope this helps. If you're looking for anymore details, please let me know and I can follow up later. Good luck!

I respect your decision to buy another tub but first let me make a few clarifications:
1. Most people who have the cedar cabinets HATE having to stain it every year. They also will shrink over time. Most of the main spa manufacturers are now going to the "non wood" cabinets.

2. When I said removable waterfall, I should have said movable waterfall. You are not having to buy an extra Jetpak, just switching it around in your tub to where YOU want it to be.

3. Not NEEDING access to the sides of your spa is the whole reason for the Jetpaks. You don't need to have access to the sides of your tub because 90% of your plumbing is in the water with you.

4. Less plumbing is always best-based on physics. Take a 100 ft garden hose and a 10 ft hose and see how much more water you can move. Less surface resistance.

5. Holes drilled in the tub. Why would you want 73+ holes in your tub as compared to 13??

6. Moving the Jetpaks around. Most people may never move the Jetpaks around ONCE they put them where THEY want them, but what happens when new Jetpaks come out(as just happened with the Waterfall). Everyone who has previously purchased a Bullfrog can get the new technology without having to buy a whole new Bullfrog. Example: A new computer is outdated a few months after you buy it.

Jetpaks put YOU in charge of where YOU want your therapy. What happens if your favorite set of jets are not in your favorite seat?

Have a great day and let us know about your decision.

Mark,

I truly did not intend to bash your opinions on selling the Bullfrogs. Like I said, I was nearly positive that would be the one we were buying, but we came to a revelation (for *us*) that how we were viewing its benefits were not how we'd enjoy them in the end. I know that while we were looking, we liked hearing others' thoughts on what they did and did not like, and I was merely hoping to help Cascade and anyone else looking with my two cents' worth. In the end, it's all a personal decision about every facet of a spa anyway.

I did have concerns when I viewed poolandspa.com's breakdown of reviews, which showed Bullfrog as an Above Average class--two grades below the Best of Class. Arctic and many of the more expensive (unfortunately!) makes were listed as best of class, and this coerced me into checking out some others before making our final decision.

I will include my final assessment after having my tub installed, and I have no problem giving a fair review of my full experience. This is our first hot tub purchase, and it has been a major decision for us. I'd like to address your follow-up after I can test mine first. I know the original poster inquired about Bullfrog, but I think being able to offer insight into spas in general is helpful (it has been to me, anyway, prior to my purchase). Hopefully he is still monitoring.

I did not consider your post as bashing. I fully understand and am aware that everyone will not choose a Bullfrog Spa. My response would have been the same as if you were in my store. I was not trying to be ugly. I was trying to give my opinion for you and anyone else who would read this in the future. I realize that there are alot of people that are looking for info on many different types of spas.

That brings me to your second observation on the "Ratings" websites. If you do alot of looking on these spa forums, you will find out that to be listed as "Best of Class" you have to pay so much(I've heard as much as $24,000) to be listed. The consumer who is hungry for any info they can find does not realize that fact. Any site that has advertising on it can not be unbias. Because there are so many consumers looking, there are many websites that do just that.

What blows my mind is who is listed as "Best of Class". Many of the manufacturers who are listed there do have a great product. Alot of manufacturers make several brands of hot tubs. They do this to hit all of the price points. High end, mid range and low end. When I see a manufacturer has all three on the Best of Class, that makes me wonder.
Bullfrog does not want to play that game.

Thanks for your reply. I'll be montoring this site. Good luck and God bless!

Just wanted to let you know that I am still monitoring this post. We have not yet decided on a what tub to buy. We are going to set up an appointment to wet test the bullfrog and get a feel for it. We are also looking at Sundance and Sonoma. Don't know much about either of them but will continue to research. Thank you for your input, it is greatly appreciated.

My 2 cents worth(again)-Sundance makes a great tub as well as Bullfrog. Sonoma is not a very well known name. I went out to there website and saw them. Nothing new except that the warranty did not look as strong as the other 2. It looked like a warranty for a lower end tub. Again I said it looked like. I am by no means an expert.

Before we sold Bullfrog, we sold Sundance for 14 years. It was the Sundance sales rep who told us about Bullfrog. Choosing between the 2 we would definitely go with Bullfrog. It truly is different than any other tub on the market.

I would recommend going to the Bullfrog website and looking at the Multimedia Library(down at the bottom of the page). Then look at the Meet our CEO video. It is great and will give you more insight into the company. Thanks for staying in touch.

Thrilled with my Arctic Spa and glad I passed on the Bullfrog.

My Arctic Spa has been installed, I've had several days to use it, and I thought I would post an update.

Everything went well. The install team followed through with the delivery as expected and got us up and running with 104° heat in about 6 hours. I said I'd be honest, and the one glitch was that it arrived with only 2 LED lights instead of the deluxe lighting package, which they've already set us up for the installation of those. However, they unexpectedly polished the cabinet for us so we got to see how easy that will truly be, and we are thrilled we went for real wood and not the uncomely "maintenance free" types (which really just means that they can't be maintained when their looks do start to deteriorate).

We have no regrets, and--with all due respect to markf--are actually very pleased that we did not settle for the Bullfrog. I would never compare a Sundance anywhere near a Bullfrog, nor would any owners I've spoken to or reviews I've read (again, sorry Mark). From all I've learned, Sundance is comparable to Master, Hot Spring, Dimension 1, Gulf Coast, and Arctic, but Bullfrog is more like the Coleman series (Home Depot). I do have specific bones to pick about what Bullfrog has to offer now that I have something else to compare to it, but unless anyone's interested in hearing some of those, I'll refrain.

I'll continue to monitor this post as well, so if anyone's looking for more information or even has questions about the Arctic, feel free to ask and I'll see if I can help. Happy spa hunting!

JenJen, I'd love to hear more about your Arctic Spa, I'm just begining my spa search, I've only looked online so far but hope to get to some dealers soon, closest one's are at least an hour away.

By the way which model did you get and which other options (forever floor, therapy air, etc. ) did you pick? Are the Arctic spa's priced similar to the Hot Springs, D1, Sundance spa's?

Thanks, Jeanette