I think for most people on pinside, kids and family are tub/boat reality.

I would get it if I were you. I still use mine 12 years later. You have some nice machines and can always get more.

Purchased our hot tub in 2013. Used it a lot in the beginning but as some have said the use begins to slow down. Maintenance is not that hard and my electric bill in the winter(northeast) is equivalent to running my A/C in the summer. As of today I would take a pinball machine over my hot tub. I have been blessed and fortunate to enjoy them both.
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I dont know how much has changed, but from my past experiences, I had success with a Nature 2 spa copper/metal...cartridge instead of Bromine and Chlorine, along with Ozone.
I also found some poor tubs where Heaters were placed before filters...who wants burnt hair and skin....good filter first! Check levels of jet adjustment, rotating etc.
Check replacement cartridge costs. Check Fiberglass thickness, sit in seats and note Jets where you need them. Your height, vs the length of the seat could make the therapy you need not as easy as other models. Check pumps, look up anything you can on them and parts. Motors today are all over the place.

Ive fixed a few up, and many people found 1-2 year old models for little money used, as they can be a pain to move. If well cared for, it wont matter.

For those of us that don’t have the time currently to put in the research, what brands would be best to hunt for?

Specifically wanting something that works for 2 people or 4 at max. Wife and I are pretty small people and it will only be for us and occasionally another couple. Would like to pick up something used as it seems they are constantly out there for sub 1k used for even nice condition and previously indoor ones.

I overbuilt our deck to support the weight but the deck is not too big so a smaller footprint would be nice and also would like something super efficient (is that even possible)

Hot Spring, Caldera, jacuzzi, Sundance and Bull frog are all reputable.

The house we bought has a pool and connected spa. Spa is not currently working but that might be a project for next year after the new dock is built in February. Might do a build thread on that because that is going to be a pretty neat project.

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Hot Spring, Caldera, and Sundance are the ones that come to the top of the list the most. That being said, even with those, certain models had more issues than others. But generally, those are the ones that are fairly reliable.

Buying a used one is a crapshoot. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I have seen/read where tons of tubs have leaked after being moved. Leaks are not fun to find when they are fully foamed. I had to use a pressure washer on my foam to get to the three leaks on mine. It is super messy blasting through foam. Fixing the leaks is generally fairly simple once they are found.

Also, before buying a used one, look for available parts before buying. Besides cost being a factor, availability can be an issue too.

Good tips and thx

If anyone wants a used hot tub (free) I will give you mine. It's a HotSpring tub maybe 15 years old but works, heater is good, somewhat new top. The only issue is the power cuts off and I need to switch the circuit breaker off/on and it will be running again. I don't know what's the matter but it's likely not an expensive fix. But we just don't use the hot tub that much so too much work for a few occasion use.

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A) Where is the voting poll?

B) Why would you ask this in a pinball forum??

We bought one about 15 years ago, still have it. Looks good as new. We happen to have Master Spa (manufacture) in a nearby city. They sell demos (just like the pins at a show) at a decent discount. After we agreed to the price I said, "Let's do this, instead of us putting it on the Visa, we'll write a check and you don't have pay the 3% card fee...and you toss in the extended warranty." I then said, "If it doesn't break, you'll come out ahead." They agreed. They've treated us good over the years.

Over the years, had a few problems (heaters going out), all covered under warranty. Been trouble free for about 10 years. There are things that do wear out, like the cover but it's only around $200. Any pads will wear out too. It doesn't cost much to run, maybe $30/month tops (winter), but we don't keep it at +100F all the time. We turn it down to ~95F a lot of the time, but it will heat up in less an hour. I'm guessing the longevity we've gotten out of the heaters is due to keeping it a little cooler at times.

One thing you might want to look into is if it's a metal frame or wooden. Wood will eventually rot or bugs will do something bad to it, our metal frame is fine.

Heck of a lot easier than a pool to take take of - test the water, toss in some chlorine once a week. During the winter we use bromine rather than chlorine since a dispenser will keep in good for 2-3 weeks easy.

Good starting lists. Hot Spring and Jacuzzi are probably the top two, but also the most expensive.

In the "more info than you may want department...

If going with a new upper end hot tub, you may want to try a "wet test" at a dealer. They usually have a model kept heated and a changing room, and you try the tub in the store. Weird experience, but this helped a lot for us in our search for a small 3-4 person tub. On the Hot Springs, we did not like the "Moto-Massage" and the seats were too deep for my wife. Jacuzzi had better control over which jets were on and off - I like jets, my wife likes to soak.

I kind of thought that too, but I've also learned some interesting info at times on non-pin related subjects on Pinside. A smaller sample size, but the people willing to offer something outside the pinball subject are sometimes quite helpful (I recall seeing several @vid1900 posts on off-topic subjects).

Sounds like a flow switch, $50 part.

probably. I just don't use it much so I'm offering to anyone here.

Some interesting prices at Costco if there isnt a close retailer.
https://www.costco.com/spas.html

And in the Hottub forum.....

https://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/forum/index.php?topic=24452.0

The “Moto-massage” feature by Hot-Springs seems to have a fan base. Other than that, find features that are important to you. For myself, my wife had to have a lay-down lounger, my only requirement was that the water was hot....

My old hot tub had a waterfall and LED lighting, I don’t miss either of those.

Make sure you set aside a few bucks for a nice cover lift. Those are a priceless must-have.

Agree,
My dealer sold both Sundance and hot springs...said, Sundance was the Cadillac. Bought 850 optima 7 person back in 1998, (they still make it), although now 880 series optima, sold it working this spring, just because really didn't use it much last couple of years even though running. (still worth some cash haha)
21 year run without any issues other then a few o-rings for draining the pump ports, 1 flo switch, and some gate bearing sliders for the filter door to operate smoothly, (2) small 24hr circulation pumps, and a couple of covers. I could tell the heater was starting to calcify because taking longer to heat up after a fresh fill, so that would probably would have been the next fix. Their motors run very quiet, and it is insulated to the max. Maybe I was lucky, your mileage may vary. I always did keep the water balance up to snuff.
I think you get what you pay for applies with hot tubs. This one was worth the money.

Definitely a difference between a Hot Tub, a Hot Tub that moves water and a hydrotherapy one....

If you're single and can still get hot chicks I vote hot tub. Nothing gets the clothes off faster.

Take hot chicks out of the equation and it's less appealing, but it still feels great. The maintenance is not bad at all. Pool is 10x worse.

We bought a new house this spring that came with a hot tub and the Wife and I were initially really excited.

We got in it once since May and it was a fairly warm night so wasn’t even all that enjoyable. Now that it’s getting chilly here maybe I would like it more.

Next summer I’ll probably just drain the bastard so I’m not paying for the electricity as I know I’ll have zero interest getting in it.

Our specific tub could hold 4 comfortably I just can’t ever see myself inviting friends over to sit in bath water it just seems to odd to me.

I voted hot tub because some times in my case it is needed or I would hurt too bad to play pinball or do anything else.

Probably just a fuse.

My understanding is that hot tubs are one of the number one things you shouldn’t buy new. They have almost no resale value and they are so hard to move that people practically give them away.

If that is true (and it could
be as multiple people in this thread have picked up used ones), then it sounds like you can get a hot tub and a pin.

Hot tubs are like pool tables, cost a fortune when new, then you practically have to give them away when you move. I think you can have both a pinball machine and a hot tub in this scenario.

Here is the best info I can give you on a hot tub being a 8 year owner of one and multiple pinball machines.

First and foremost....... DO NOT buy a piece of crap discount hot tub.. NO Strong spa, Cal spa, PDT spa piece of shit. Buy one of the four major brands .I run mine at 102 all year even in the winter it only costs me about 20 bucks a month. ( insulation is key )
Jacuzzi, Caldera, Hot Springs and Sundance spend the extra dollars. A nice 6 person tub will cost you 10k without hookup.

Second...... Do not put your tub in the middle of the yard or someplace thats not easily and quickly to where your wash room is. This is one on the most important things that make you keep using your tub. After a while no one want to walk across the snow, through the kitchen when wet. or anything else thats a PITA. We have ours on our open patio under cover. We go out our Bilko doors and right to the tub . When we go back in we are right at our laundry room to change. ( No mess )

Maintenence is key.... make sure you buy one with the frog spa cartridge system. You just click and set to what your water is doing. Buy an extra filter and swap them every two months after soaking the used one for 24 hours in 1 cup TSP and a 1/4 cup dawn. Drain water EVERY fall before winter which is your heaviest use months .

Ask yourself if this is a fad or something that you know you will use.... if the latter a good tub will last you for 10/15 years. Don't think of it as an investment ( only in yourself )as its worthless after that.

Lots of people giving away hot tubs for free; nobody giving away pinballs for free. Enough said.

We no longer have one, but the one we had was the bomb: Jacuzzi J-470. Came with a stereo, waterfall, and LED lights. The lights adjusted to countless colors and effects, including a disco party thing ... but I just stuck with blue.

We had a lot of good times in this thing. But we live at the beach now, and are in pre-retirement. Money is going toward new adventures.

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And just like pins, they can be moved. Here it is after we moved to our second home. But that was the final resting spot ... sold it with that home for our move to Asbury Park.
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My hot tub experience:

My in-laws bought a house with a hot tub and didn't want it so they gave it to us. It was on an elevated deck so we hired someone to move it for us ($700) and had to run a 220 line at our house ($500). We installed the hot tub on our deck about 3 feet from the house and 6 feet from our sliding glass door. The biggest irritation I had with our tub was it had to run twice a day for 2 hours each time so that it would stay clean. Whenever the tub ran you could hear it throughout the house as a low hum/vibration. I had to time it so it would run when we weren't home or had fallen asleep already or it would drive me crazy. I did very much enjoy it when we used it and I thought it was a great way to introduce kids to water and swimming (at a lower temperature of course, I would add ice to try and cool it down). We had it for about 2 years and sold it for a few hundred dollars. Even with a not so great experience I often think I want another one. I would have it away from the house a bit so I didn't have to hear it run or do more research and find a quieter model.

I vote pin, only because I'm like a Mogwai....I don't like getting wet.

30 years ago, when I was having serious knee issues, I built an addition to the back of the house, sloped the floor to a deck drain, and Put a Hot tub inside the House.
We never had an issue with water and moisture, and I ran a cold water shower line to fill or rinse off.
It was a blast for 12 years, jumping in naked, not worrying about outside neighbors, or other issues.
Beers were in reach through the Kitchen pass through, and with wings, I could soak, eat, and watch the games, with my favorite smoke, of course.
I was looking for a pic, and could only find this one, when a guest dropped by!

(Eventually, I sold the Tub, and used as a pin room, and this picture got me in trouble on pinside when I first joined!)

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I just bought an all composite one for 3500, easy to maintain, plugs into a 110 outlet and has a heat pump instead of friction heating, covertable to 220 with plug jumpers if I want less amperage on my panel. Happy with it.

Hot tub is a huge waste. Pain in ass to maintain and expensive if you have a company do it for you. Expensive to heat in winter even where you live. Get a super decked out Kohler extra large indoor bathtub if you can fit it and enjoy the massage, bubbles, light show, and whatever other features it has to offer. If you and your significant other aren't huge, you can both fit in too. Then simply dump the water when done.

I looked into that years ago. They have them with rain, steam, sauna, all kinds of neat stuff.

I looked at costs to remodel, install, operate, etc. etc. Joined a health club with steam room, sauna, hot tub. Figured if I used it a lot, it would be worth the expense in the house. I used it almost every week daily. Decided it was cheaper and less work to stay with the health club.

LTG : )

I had an awesome hot tub, took me days to clean it, and get it all set and running. I used chlorine. Took a dip and smelled something weird. Thought maybe I just farted. But the smell didnt go away. So I inspected the filter and there were 5 dead freaking frogs in it. Drained the tub and never used it again.

Only 5 ? I threw 6 in there.

LTG : )

Some potent farts to kill all those frogs.

I’d stay away from hot tubs...a lot of aftermath floating around from bad things that feel good

Honestly...... anyone who say a good hot tub is hard to maintain either has a crap tub , don’t know how to maintain it correctly or goes in the frign thing dirty or with makeup on

As for expense that’s BS with a good tub also. May cost me 300 a YEAR for chemicals and electric.

I mentioned that maintenance can be a bit of work as it is more of a critical scenario depending on where you live. When I had to replace a pump on my first tub- it was hovering just below zero outside. Working with water in these temps is a huge pain in the ass. It is also critical that time is of the essence. You can't really winterize a hot tub during the middle of winter, LOL. I had to wait two days for a replacement pump to come in. I took off a side panel, threw in two space heaters, and closed it back up while waiting for the replacement pump to come in. you don't really have much of a choice if one goes to shit in the winter. You fix it immediately or risk losing it to the temps.

As far as electric goes, I would say mine runs about $40-50 a month using it daily. A good cover is essential in colder climates. They aren't a ton of work, but they are something you have to do with a solid routine. If you don't maintain your water, it can be a real PITA to get your levels back where they need to be. But yeah, 10 minutes a week for maintenance/chemicals isn't that bad if you use it regularly.

It is a waste of time and money to maintain period

He will regret getting one almost instantly as most people here have said and what happened to me. Was so glad to sell house and include that piece of shit tub. And it was top of line model. I don't go cheap on anything. Have fun with yours.

This perfectly sums up the argument.

I quess you feel that way about vacations and good food...... once there done, only thing left is shit.

I doubt there are many people that truly dislike having a hot tub. Just for some it's more trouble than it's worth and for others it isn't. Not really worth getting upset about.