Hi, All!
Any opinions out there on the ARCTIC spa model? I don't see any comments (good or bad) out there in cyberspace. Performance? Service problems? Pro's/Con's? Category: low,- medium,- high-end?
Thanks in advance to all who reply!

If you're talking about the same Arctic spas that's out of Canada, I'd think they might be a pretty good hot tub from what I've seen online. Their owners manual is pretty good too. You'll find it at http://goarctic.com

They're using the Gecko Mspa controller, and no manufacturer can exist for very long with shoddy construction methods or the lack of dealer support.

That said, in the long run, all spa and hot tub manufacturer reputations live and die based on local support from the dealer they purchased it from.

Arctic has some good components however they haven't had a good history of being consistent with how they build any particular model. They also seem to put more emphasis on marketing and flash than actual long term engineering. I don’t care whether a spa has full foam or thermal pane type insulation as long as it is done right either way and I don’t think they do it right. Just the fact that the plumbing is left unsupported and all of the insulation is sprayed on the cabinet walls where it may have a tendency to collect moisture through all of the ledge type protrusions on that cabinet design and cause the weight of the foam to pull at the cabinet or come off bothers me. I also think that for the size and pump systems in most of their models they could update the filter system a bit. These are just a few things although I see many that they could improve on.

IMO, there are many other manufactures to consider before them.

Arctic is a very well made spa, you will get alot of negative feed back on these sites from people involved with other manufactures.
Where are you from? I am a dealer in Oh, if you have any questions or need help finding a dealer let me know. Try to find some Arctic owners, they are the best and most unbias way to find out how they like their tubs. Have a great day, and good luck finding a tub. Chad

they have a very short warranty leaving you some potentially high repair bills.Check out Cal Saps lifetime warranty heater.

First of all, I have wet tested two Arctic Spa models and have seen under the cabinet, sat in others dry and have given them serious consideration. I have no problems with any of the mechanical or design aspects of the spa except for two things. I am not terribly fond of the shell designs despite the fact that they have been supposedly designed by engineers. They are not particularly aesthetically pleasing though I love the look of the natural cedar skirt. My wet and dry sit-in the tub experiences have been mediocre at best. Second, for what you get, you pay top dollar. Alternatively, their warranties seem to be very good, and I find that the company is very responsive to questions and concerns before purchase. The local dealers seem okay but haven't been selling this product for very long. I would certainly wet test whatever you think you might like. If you find that after wet testing an arctic spa,you like the feel inside the tub, and want to pay what they ask, I see no really good reason (other than my own subjective dislikes) to not buy one. It looks like the company works hard at trying to manufacture a very decent hot tub. And the foam doesn't look sprayed on, is very thick, and so is the cover. I doubt if you will have problems with the insulation. It also looks very easy to work on underneath and a leak somewhere shouldn't be much of a problem to fix if you ever did get one. Their forever floor is supposed to be very rugged and is said to eliminate worries over using a poured concrete pad (just level, firm area). I wish I liked the shell designs because I would buy one in a heart beat if I did. May still do so but I will have to be able to wet test other models that I haven't tried yet to see if they feel better than they look (I like more open designs without a lounger taking up a lot of space). Have you looked at Hydropool, Marquis, Sundance, Master, Emerald, and LA? These have also been on my list of possible spas to purchase. Hydropool is the leading candidate right now.because it has everything I want (open design, air injectors, natural cedar siding, nice jet arrangement, comfortable dry seating (haven't test wet yet), nice models without loungers but an area where you can put your feet up like a lounger if you want, a flat area to get into tub, unique bottom cleaning/filtering in addition to conventional filtering, very well established company that also makes commercial spas, among other things). They don't have lots of dealers in USA, but have many in Canada and Europe, and have a very intelligently-written and informative website on their hot tubs (they are not afraid to explain the makings of their products). Good Luck in your search and I hope you enjoy whatever you buy!

i'm a service tech - unbiased opinion - these are actually far advanced spas with an insight into manufacture that others could learn from - warranty is exceptional, running cost also exceptional due to their unique insulation heatlock. service is relatively easy - all sides access - no foam on shell = easy leak repairs, quality equipment and jets - in the end it all comes down to personal preference once you're at this end of the market

My opinion on the newer models of Arctic? here they are:

Pro's:

>better heat retention ability due to the thick foam sprayed on the cabinet
>better heat retention from a very well sealed and thick spa cover
>good looking spa cabinet
>good base design in that you don't need a solid surface for them
>ease in repairing leaks

Con's:

>The heat retention in the cabinets can lead to premature failure of electrical components, as heat kills electronics and motors.
>lack of support for plumbing (these things flex as it is, leaving them to hang can't be a great thing)
>seemingly cheap jet construction (they are more flmsy than competetion)
>styling. They have jumpseats that if you are more than 250 pounds, you aren't fitting in them!

Neutral's:
The better insulation and design uses the waste heat from the motor to help maintain the temperature of the spa. Yet, the motor is always in this heat as well.

So, in summary, if you are on the light average or skinny side, and live in the climate where it never hits 80's, these are probably good for you.

I think the savings verses the anticipated higher cost of maintaining worn out components isn't worth it. A well insulated shell will have good heat retention but will also allow the components outside air to breathe. That is my humble opinion.

We are seriously considering an Arctic.
Several of the larger tubs have a very therapeutic seat (inverted triangle) that has the best traps/shoulder massage we have found bar none. They place one 5" rotating jet for each trap and one three" rotating jet for each
outer shoulder (4 jets total). If you want to see what I mean go to
goarctic.com and look at the Tundra seat with inverted triangle design.
But on the forums, Arctic gets abused for aggressive marketing
techniques and also gets drug through the full foam/TP discussions with occasional rub because they don't do it the conventional way. The
tubs seem to be extremely well constructed overall. Full composite
floor, self supporting shell, 56 frame waterway pumps, 5.5kw titanium coated heater, thick cover, awesome power to their jets, a large number of jets that "do something" other than just shoot streams of water. The jets are shaft bearing designs that seem to spin much freer than other rotating jets. Can anyone speak to replacement costs of Arctic parts? Are they mostly "off the shelf" or proprietary?

We're also looking at a Sundance Optima and possbily a Jacuzzi J365.
The Sundance simply doesn't have the therapy level of the Arctic. Their
massage seat shoots streams, which to me does not provide for a true
massage feel. But Sundance has been around for some time. Am wet
testing Jacuzzi soon, but they probably will fall into the therapy
level of Sundance based on their jets. Didn't care for HS motomassage and D1 didn't really have a tub that fit us. Wife couldn't stand the Master
dealer and I didn't care for their layouts anyway.

Is there anything of substance that should warn us off of Arctic? I've asked about the heated environment in which the pumps operate, but if I recall, I was told their max operating temp is rated well above the max cabinet operating temp of about 120F. I think it was around 140F-150F.

a previous response addresses the heat of the motors causing premature failure - bullshit - pumps run hotter than the temperatures in a tub, so are therefore perfectly fine in these conditions - just setting the record straight