I've looked at what I think might be low end rec ware. and the high end Arctic, what would be in between?

RW/Leisure Bay is not what I would consider low end at all (there's hardly a low end spa left on the market due to the competitive nature of the biz - well maybe one of those inflatable things).

You can usually get a heck of a good buy from them.

Price depends on what you want in features and physical size. So your question leaves a lot unanswered.

If you're in a decent sized metro area, you may want to check craigslist - you can usually come away with a monster for less than half what you'd pay for brand new.

One guy here picked up one of the biggest Leisure Bay spas made with all the bells and whistles - new was over $8500 - got the original receipt. Spa was never used or installed, just sat at owners house. He picked it up for $4000, had it delivered for $300, hooked up for $125.

I don't consider there to be a -low or mid range- spa anymore that will stay on the market for more than a year or so. These days you've got to deliver a lot of bang for the buck, or you go out of business.

thanks for the info. so what your saying is the quatlity of contruction is about the same across the board it's just the differance in the bells and whistles that makes the price so high. I'm looking for a 6-7 person spa with some good jet arrangment, if that is the way you say it!

Yeah that's pretty much it. There will be a lot of folks that may try to steer you otherwise but let's face it, most spa manufacturers use the same pumps, most use the same control systems, and only one or two may special order their own specific jets. So in the end, the more jets, the deeper the tub the better off you are generally.

Stay away from shallow tubs though - that's definitely not where you want to go.

And I don't sell spas. Just fix'em and sell replacement parts for them.

There are many who disagree with that assessment, and an examination of various brands (and even models within brands) will show you wide differences in both construction and components.

Last summer, I carefully examined an entry-level ($6K CAD, at that time about $5500 USD) hot tub at a Rona store. It had minimal insulation, gaps between cabinet and lip that I could put my hand through, and other obvious points of poor "fit and finish" and reduced quality in comparison with better-built units.

For the price, it looked attractive and had reasonable features; for many buyers, it might represent good value. But such a product does NOT match the quality and construction of some higher-priced units.

This particular topic has been hotly debated on at least one other forum and if you are interested you might explore further.