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.

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

Hi Tubdawg,

Is there anything of substance that should warn us off of Arctic?


I have a Arctic Spa Cub and it's a really nice tub having two of the frame 56 motors. The jets are well positioned and the output from the jets is quite good. If it weren't for all of the problems with this tub, i'd recommend it.

The rubber hoses they use in place of PVC tubing with this tub have been nothing but problems for me. We've had the tub for almost 2 years and the longest it's gone without a hose failure is about 4-5 months. Those hoses are terrible, they continuously blow off the PVC connections and your tub is completely drained in a matter of minutes, even worse is that it happens frequently in the winter, so if it breaks and you're not around, the tub is gonna be toast due to freezing. I'm really surprised there hasn't been a recall on arctic spas, but the shop i bought it from assures me that i'm the only one with this problem..... for some reason i don't believe them.

Another issue is with the water intakes that are on the bottom wall of the tub that have these covers that never stay on, so you're left with four open water intake holes about 4 inches in diameter without them in place.

Well just my 2 cents on the problems i've experienced with the Arctic Spa Cub tub i have.




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.

I live in an area where maximum summer temps shouldn't pose a problem with pump overheating.