I went back through the old forum posts but couldn’t find the original. We’re looking at getting our first hot tub but don’t see how Bullfrog holds its value so much higher than all the rest. Are they actually built better or is it just bells and whistles? What are your favorites and what features should we never skimp on?
I’m going to have to strongly request pics if you’re serious about making a recommendation 😉😈😈😈
I’m going to have to strongly request pics if you’re serious about making a recommendation 😉😈😈😈
We are on our second Bullfrog Spa. Our first one is over 12 years old and still going strong. We gave it to our daughter and then once we moved, we bought their swim spa. It’s amazing and you two are welcome to come take everything off and try it out.
If you have the money to spend, Bullfrog spas are great quality There is a factory right here in Utah so they are local. We couldn't afford it so we went with a Wellis and got it through The Spa Bros in Lehi. Ours already came with upgraded insulation and cover, Bluetooth stereo, UV sanitation and an app that I can control with my phone. We love our spa.
We have a 9 person (A7L) bullfrog. The versatility of being able to move the jet packs is nice. At first I thought it was gimmicky but we do move the packs based on views and seat preference. We've had a couple issues with a pump but their customer service is excellent. They fixed a light that was outside the warranty period, and proactively upgraded a unit for better efficiency.
Love2watchandplay wrote:
We have a 9 person (A7L) bullfrog. The versatility of being able to move the jet packs is nice. At first I thought it was gimmicky but we do move the packs based on views and seat preference. We've had a couple issues with a pump but their customer service is excellent. They fixed a light that was outside the warranty period, and proactively upgraded a unit for better efficiency.
Hot tub time!
Any time my friend!
We have had a bullfrog for over 15 years. Still soaking in it. Can be used any time if interested.
Hot Springs.
It has five reusable filters. Ozone. It’s something I can’t explain very very but I know it keeps it clean.
Like a CPap cleaning.
Ozone.
We use a Frog.
The frog has chlorine and a mineral block . I understand that helps maintain your PH.
We treat our tub with defender anti scum.
And that’s it.
Hot Springs. It’s easy it’s very well built.
Sure the invitation is open to share our hot water
It has five reusable filters. Ozone. It’s something I can’t explain very very but I know it keeps it clean.
Like a CPap cleaning.
Ozone.
We use a Frog.
The frog has chlorine and a mineral block . I understand that helps maintain your PH.
We treat our tub with defender anti scum.
And that’s it.
Hot Springs. It’s easy it’s very well built.
Sure the invitation is open to share our hot water
Soakers in Midvale on State street is where I got mine. Artesian is the brand they use. Have not had any problems with it for the 10 years I have had it. Great people to work with also.
Go with Artic spa salt water tub. We had 3 other brands of tub including bullfrog. 4 years of arctic spa sat water tub and it’s the best hands down. Better for your skin and much lower n easier chemical maintenance. We have freeing that had 3 full frog tubs. As in ours now is arctic spa owner.
2Gemini wrote:
Go with Artic spa salt water tub. We had 3 other brands of tub including bullfrog. 4 years of arctic spa sat water tub and it’s the best hands down. Better for your skin and much lower n easier chemical maintenance. We have freeing that had 3 full frog tubs. As in ours now is arctic spa owner.
Really explain the Salt water?
Can people convert to Salt?
No you can’t convert a tub to salt water. You add salt and PH and there is what is called a sanitizer in the tub. We monitor chemicals and con control the tub from an app. You only have to change the water twice a year. There is a store on state and I-80 that can do better explaining the tub. No chlorine smell on your skin and if you have sensitive skin it’s awesome. Come give it a try 😁
Cabincpl wrote:
I went back through the old forum posts but couldn’t find the original. We’re looking at getting our first hot tub but don’t see how Bullfrog holds its value so much higher than all the rest. Are they actually built better or is it just bells and whistles? What are your favorites and what features should we never skimp on?
I’m going to have to strongly request pics if you’re serious about making a recommendation 😉😈😈😈
we have a sundance spa purchased at take a break spa and billiards, it is our 1st hot tub and its been 4 years now and has work flawlessly as well as we have received fantastic customer service, my neighbor owns a bullfrog and his shell cracked i heard that can be an issue with that company, hope this helps
in addition as you can see we live up in the hills 8 thousand ft, we have had 35 below with not a single problem. i can add that if ur tub is in the sun get a tarp to go over ur the cover or the sun will destroy within a few years ours is 6 or more years old and looks like new
2Gemini wrote:
No you can’t convert a tub to salt water. You add salt and PH and there is what is called a sanitizer in the tub. We monitor chemicals and con control the tub from an app. You only have to change the water twice a year. There is a store on state and I-80 that can do better explaining the tub. No chlorine smell on your skin and if you have sensitive skin it’s awesome. Come give it a try 😁
Humm I think we might have just gotten an invitation. 😜
So a small recap from my understanding: most spas now are pretty good, salt is gooder, Soakers is more than just a BYU pastime-they have a whole store now, Love2watchandplay is a very sexy couple… especially with their tongues out, and the goodest way to tell is spend some time hopping in and out of everyone’s spas before pulling the trigger.
Did I miss anything?
Did I miss anything?
Cabincpl wrote:
So a small recap from my understanding: most spas now are pretty good, salt is gooder, Soakers is more than just a BYU pastime-they have a whole store now, Love2watchandplay is a very sexy couple… especially with their tongues out, and the goodest way to tell is spend some time hopping in and out of everyone’s spas before pulling the trigger.
Did I miss anything?
Sounds about right. Come on over and see if goooder is a fact.
RDPFUN wrote:
Humm I think we might have just gotten an invitation. 😜
Hmmm yes you did 🎉
Sounds like there is a need for a Hot tub Hoppers club!
The biggest thing is find one that's comfortable actually get in them and sit for a while. seating layout is important. ours has a lot of deep seats I wish there was more a little bit up out of the water.
We bought a used calspa for 2800 6 years ago. Still going strong. I'm gonna need to buy a new cover soon.
We bought a used calspa for 2800 6 years ago. Still going strong. I'm gonna need to buy a new cover soon.
Another thing is don't skimp on size. you'll probably never say this is too big but if you have friends over you wish you had a bigger one.
Bigger is better in this case😉😉
Bigger is better in this case😉😉
Copied and pasted from the other Hot Tub thread…
Bullfrog M7 here 🙋🏽🙋🏼♀️
We chose our specific jet packs that are tailored for back and neck injuries that we both have. We were able to place the packs exactly where we want them to fit our body types in the spa, taking into account different seating heights in our tub. With other brands you can’t choose jets for specific seat depths, so Bullfrog is nice in that regard. It also has Ozone filtration along with a mechanical paper cartridge type filter. We can set the temperatures and control lighting from miles away while at a restaurant with a sexy couple if we want to invite them back to our place for a dip, so that’s also convenient.
It’s not just about the lounging/relaxing aspect for us… it’s hydro therapy with specific jets that we chose to help work our injuries. We noticed while shopping around with other manufacturers that the jets wouldn’t hit us in the right spots because we’re both small, the seating was too deep in most spots, and we had zero choice on what jets were used.
The wifey is sensitive to chlorine, but the chemicals that are out there now reduce that down to almost zero feelings of chemicals on your body when getting out. We use Silk Balance with shock and it’s been great so far. We had looked into the salt water tubs, and while they do sound very nice, that just wasn’t our cup of tea… we’d like to try a salt water spa someday, but not necessarily own one… salt wears out and destroys components. That’s just the nature of salt… try looking under your car to see how rusted out and worn the under carriage is from all the salt on the roads. Not sure how a salt tub avoids that in the long run.
I’ve owned two Bullfrogs and even while shopping around with other companies, we still went back to Bullfrog. We’re supporting a Utah business and their workers, they have a great warranty, have options and innovations nobody else offers, they have square modern exteriors now that look fantastic, and we can tailor our spa specifically for us.
The other thing we noticed when shopping around… other companies are quick to trash Bullfrog. When we mentioned to the Bullfrog salesperson that we were considering other companies they didn’t have a bad word to speak against them. They focused on telling us about why they stand out. Your product should sell itself without the need for bashing the competition. 🤷🏽♂️
Update:
We’ve had our Bullfrog for nearly two years and have had 3 warranty issues. All were covered with zero hassle, and were fixed quickly.
The first was a jet pack clip that broke off in the first few weeks of ownership. I think the new clips are a poor design compared to the older “A” models, but we haven’t had an issue with any other clips since.
The second was a warped panel I noticed a few months ago that started bowing maybe because of the sun? All the other panels looked brand new with no signs of warping even though they have just as much sun exposure.
The third warranty issue was a cracked panel that was damaged by the tech when he came to fix the warped panel. The guy tried to hide the crack with some type of duct tape behind the panel. We called, showed them pics, and they came out no problem.
All warranty issues were handled no questions asked, but with pics needed to order the correct parts. Overall we’d purchase again because of the performance of the hot tub, the looks of it (it’s gorgeous), and the warranty service. It’s spendy, but if you have the means and you’re shopping for one… 🙌🏽
Bullfrog M7 here 🙋🏽🙋🏼♀️
We chose our specific jet packs that are tailored for back and neck injuries that we both have. We were able to place the packs exactly where we want them to fit our body types in the spa, taking into account different seating heights in our tub. With other brands you can’t choose jets for specific seat depths, so Bullfrog is nice in that regard. It also has Ozone filtration along with a mechanical paper cartridge type filter. We can set the temperatures and control lighting from miles away while at a restaurant with a sexy couple if we want to invite them back to our place for a dip, so that’s also convenient.
It’s not just about the lounging/relaxing aspect for us… it’s hydro therapy with specific jets that we chose to help work our injuries. We noticed while shopping around with other manufacturers that the jets wouldn’t hit us in the right spots because we’re both small, the seating was too deep in most spots, and we had zero choice on what jets were used.
The wifey is sensitive to chlorine, but the chemicals that are out there now reduce that down to almost zero feelings of chemicals on your body when getting out. We use Silk Balance with shock and it’s been great so far. We had looked into the salt water tubs, and while they do sound very nice, that just wasn’t our cup of tea… we’d like to try a salt water spa someday, but not necessarily own one… salt wears out and destroys components. That’s just the nature of salt… try looking under your car to see how rusted out and worn the under carriage is from all the salt on the roads. Not sure how a salt tub avoids that in the long run.
I’ve owned two Bullfrogs and even while shopping around with other companies, we still went back to Bullfrog. We’re supporting a Utah business and their workers, they have a great warranty, have options and innovations nobody else offers, they have square modern exteriors now that look fantastic, and we can tailor our spa specifically for us.
The other thing we noticed when shopping around… other companies are quick to trash Bullfrog. When we mentioned to the Bullfrog salesperson that we were considering other companies they didn’t have a bad word to speak against them. They focused on telling us about why they stand out. Your product should sell itself without the need for bashing the competition. 🤷🏽♂️
Update:
We’ve had our Bullfrog for nearly two years and have had 3 warranty issues. All were covered with zero hassle, and were fixed quickly.
The first was a jet pack clip that broke off in the first few weeks of ownership. I think the new clips are a poor design compared to the older “A” models, but we haven’t had an issue with any other clips since.
The second was a warped panel I noticed a few months ago that started bowing maybe because of the sun? All the other panels looked brand new with no signs of warping even though they have just as much sun exposure.
The third warranty issue was a cracked panel that was damaged by the tech when he came to fix the warped panel. The guy tried to hide the crack with some type of duct tape behind the panel. We called, showed them pics, and they came out no problem.
All warranty issues were handled no questions asked, but with pics needed to order the correct parts. Overall we’d purchase again because of the performance of the hot tub, the looks of it (it’s gorgeous), and the warranty service. It’s spendy, but if you have the means and you’re shopping for one… 🙌🏽
2Gemini wrote:
Go with Artic spa salt water tub. We had 3 other brands of tub including bullfrog. 4 years of arctic spa sat water tub and it’s the best hands down. Better for your skin and much lower n easier chemical maintenance. We have freeing that had 3 full frog tubs. As in ours now is arctic spa owner.
We absolutely agree with 2Gemini. Arctic Spas salt option is the only way to go. We have it in our spa and love it. Less maintenance, no smell and no skin irritation makes the extra cost well worth it.
We agree with everyone and think we should start a hot tub hoppers group 😂!
Utahldscouple wrote:
We agree with everyone and think we should start a hot tub hoppers group 😂!
Who wants to ‘hop’ in and try the salt water arctic spa summit xl? It’s the biggest spa arctic makes. Since size matters. 😎
2Gemini wrote:Utahldscouple wrote:
We agree with everyone and think we should start a hot tub hoppers group 😂!
Who wants to ‘hop’ in and try the salt water arctic spa summit xl? It’s the biggest spa arctic makes. Since size matters. 😎
Sounds fun to us!
We have a Sundance and have had really good luck with it. But don't know how it compares to other brands. Biggest think I'd add is to consider the layout. Ours has a lounge seat that takes up one whole side of the tub. We never use it as a lounger. When we have a lot of people in the tub we have to use it to sit multiple people on, but it's not real comfortable. Our next one will be all seats of various seating heights so we can accommodate tall and short people.
DRAGONPUPS wrote:We agree on the lounger we made the same mistake!
We have a Sundance and have had really good luck with it. But don't know how it compares to other brands. Biggest think I'd add is to consider the layout. Ours has a lounge seat that takes up one whole side of the tub. We never use it as a lounger. When we have a lot of people in the tub we have to use it to sit multiple people on, but it's not real comfortable. Our next one will be all seats of various seating heights so we can accommodate tall and short people.
Utahldscouple wrote:DRAGONPUPS wrote:We agree on the lounger we made the same mistake!
We have a Sundance and have had really good luck with it. But don't know how it compares to other brands. Biggest think I'd add is to consider the layout. Ours has a lounge seat that takes up one whole side of the tub. We never use it as a lounger. When we have a lot of people in the tub we have to use it to sit multiple people on, but it's not real comfortable. Our next one will be all seats of various seating heights so we can accommodate tall and short people.
Agreed. But I sit in my hot tub alone most of the time.
So I actually like the loungers.
I would agree having friends in their own seat makes sense. But with the lounge chair we sit closer.
Oh, yeah… type of seating was ABSOLUTELY a consideration for us as well. We have a pretty nice view, so we wanted as many seats pointed in the same direction as possible to take advantage of that. No other spa we saw then, or have seen since offers this. The seats in our M7 are a row of “Adirondack” seats… 4 pointed to the views.
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Stay away from Aqua Living. I've had mine 7 years. I'm a mechanic and they are not quality builds. No seriously. And I'd stay away from the salt systems. I just disabled and bypassed my salt system.
65Mustang wrote:
Stay away from Aqua Living. I've had mine 7 years. I'm a mechanic and they are not quality builds. No seriously. And I'd stay away from the salt systems. I just disabled and bypassed my salt system.
Do you have specific reasons you can share about why you bypassed your salt system?
We have both a Bullfrog A7 and an Arctic Spa Tundra currently. Bullfrog is in SLC home and Arctic Spa is at our St. George home. I’ve owned 4 Bullfrog Spas now. I’d never buy another Bullfrog Spa after having the Arctic Spa Tundra. Cleaning Bullfrog spas is very laborious, involving, pulling out seats and cleaning both the interior finish as well as the backside, hoses and fittings. These are not easy to clean and keep clean folks. Meanwhile, at our second home in St. George, the Arctic spa practically maintains itself and very easy to remotely monitor chemicals and raise and lower and turn on/off jets. The salt water system is the best. And saves you sooooooo much money in chemicals, cleaning and filters. We were recommended the Arctic Spa by 2Gemini’s and very happy we went that route, especially for a second home that needed east maintenance. GO WITH ARCTIC SPAS.
We are on our second Bullfrog. We have LOVED both. Our current is the A9L. We love this one the most because it does have a lounger but there are six more jetted seats and two elevated bench seats.
We have a bullfrog X have had a joint fail and now the lights are acting up this is in a 18 month time period. We had a cal spa prior for 28 years with very minor repairs. We love to support local businesses BUT 🤷♂️we will be sitting in it tonight in the dark while they process our work order
MJOFSLUT wrote:We have been thinking of getting the ultimate swingers accessory a.k.a. hottub. Nice to see a fellow southern utah couple chime in. We might have to check out this tundra spa. You know for research. 😏🤭
We have both a Bullfrog A7 and an Arctic Spa Tundra currently. Bullfrog is in SLC home and Arctic Spa is at our St. George home. I’ve owned 4 Bullfrog Spas now. I’d never buy another Bullfrog Spa after having the Arctic Spa Tundra. Cleaning Bullfrog spas is very laborious, involving, pulling out seats and cleaning both the interior finish as well as the backside, hoses and fittings. These are not easy to clean and keep clean folks. Meanwhile, at our second home in St. George, the Arctic spa practically maintains itself and very easy to remotely monitor chemicals and raise and lower and turn on/off jets. The salt water system is the best. And saves you sooooooo much money in chemicals, cleaning and filters. We were recommended the Arctic Spa by 2Gemini’s and very happy we went that route, especially for a second home that needed east maintenance. GO WITH ARCTIC SPAS.
SWEETTIME99 wrote:
We are on our second Bullfrog. We have LOVED both. Our current is the A9L. We love this one the most because it does have a lounger but there are six more jetted seats and two elevated bench seats.
How long have you had the A9L?
One of the big reasons I asked originally is that Bullfrogs seem to invoke some emotions in people. We’ve received no less than 6 personal messages saying to stay away from them ranging from finishes, pumps, and heaters. But then there are a lot on the other end saying customer service is fantastic and that they LOVE theirs. I guess my question is, is the dealer where we purchase ultimately the thing that makes the difference in customer service? Kind of like where you buy a boat can make all the difference in how issues are resolved. I believe no matter what we buy there will come issues sooner or later.
Cabincpl wrote:
One of the big reasons I asked originally is that Bullfrogs seem to invoke some emotions in people. We’ve received no less than 6 personal messages saying to stay away from them ranging from finishes, pumps, and heaters. But then there are a lot on the other end saying customer service is fantastic and that they LOVE theirs. I guess my question is, is the dealer where we purchase ultimately the thing that makes the difference in customer service? Kind of like where you buy a boat can make all the difference in how issues are resolved. I believe no matter what we buy there will come issues sooner or later.
I’d only listen to people that have actually owned the product, not people that say “they’ve heard” or “have friends that _____” (fill in the blank). We wouldn’t go so far as to bash another product in private messages… I don’t see the reasoning in that, and as a consumer would rather have an open dialogue about it so more information is out there, whether good or bad.
We’ve had minor issues with Bullfrog, and as someone with an engineers mind some of the parts could be designed MUCH better, but we’ve enjoyed ours nonetheless. If we had experience with other brands and could say we prefer them, we’d offer that info as well.
All spas will have their pros and cons and have their own types of issues within the years of ownership people have them. Every brand. We researched Arctic Spas, Hot Springs, and Bullfrog… all had people online complaining about issues for each brand… for us Bullfrog had the most boxes checked for what WE were looking for. Aesthetics, seat layout, seat depths, slim open design seating, innovation, jet options…
If we jumped in a saltwater tub I’m sure we could appreciate some of the pros, and maybe recognize some of the cons, but I don’t think we’d private message you bashing any brand because of the cons 🙄 Don’t take one persons word for it, or even three. Get a larger consensus and weigh what each brand offers for your specific needs… and if you get an Arctic Spa we won’t trash you for it. Just come back and tell us about your experience with it so we know. Salt water is pretty intriguing.
Most people will just tell you which brand to buy… they don’t really give you an informative review of theirs and tell you why to buy… pros AND cons are always helpful.
Also, all Bullfrog locations in Utah are manufacturer direct. Utah is Bullfrogs base of operations, so I believe that’s why their customer service (for us) has been stellar. Our nearest location is literally two miles from us. Other brands have third party ”dealers” where they receive inventory and parts from out of state, or sometimes even Canada.
If we had a spa that was 10 years old and failing, maybe Bullfrogs customer service wouldn’t be as great out of warranty. We couldn’t speak to that.
If we had a spa that was 10 years old and failing, maybe Bullfrogs customer service wouldn’t be as great out of warranty. We couldn’t speak to that.
Thanks Starlights. We’ve almost resolved to just driving around and dipping in random spas and seeing what works best for us, but one thing is for sure, we’re going with a big one.
You’re welcome. People say to “wet test”, but from what we saw dealers don’t fill their tubs to allow that. Your best bet would be to really take up some of these people on this thread on their offers of going over and testing theirs… make new friends in the process.
One thing to note about Bullfrog… don’t go by their advertised seating capacity. Our M7 says it holds 9 people, and it “could” if everyone was stuffed in like sardines and some of the water overflowed out… 7 or 8 people is more realistic if you want freedom to move around. We’ve had 6 fit very comfortably. Definitely go as big as you can in this LS 😉
One thing to note about Bullfrog… don’t go by their advertised seating capacity. Our M7 says it holds 9 people, and it “could” if everyone was stuffed in like sardines and some of the water overflowed out… 7 or 8 people is more realistic if you want freedom to move around. We’ve had 6 fit very comfortably. Definitely go as big as you can in this LS 😉
We also recommend what we call the war of the worlds heater. (1950's movie). Cause getting out and drying off in single digits isn't always pleasant. We've all seen Seinfeld! I put it on a remote controlled outdoor plug and stuck the remote on the shell of the tub so you can turn it on without getting out. Instant hot.
I love that idea!
We have an integrity spa. Seats 12 great price, better than anything we could find in slc.
Ours
Playingforfun801 wrote:
Ours
That thing looks awesome!
Playingforfun801 wrote:
Ours
That thing looks like the cockpit of a space shuttle. Why are all the seats facing forward? Has it got a big TV screen in the front? That’s a serious question. Just seems really odd to have all the seats facing One Direction. seems like it would be hard to visit with people.
Playingforfun801 wrote:
Ours
That’s a very unique tub. As Hyfax said, strange seat placement, but it looks bad ass. One thing I noticed was the foot well treads that are raised and textured. That’s a great idea… ours is slippery AF so I ended up installing some tread strips on the bottom of the spa, and on the first step/seat getting into it.
hyfax1 wrote:Playingforfun801 wrote:
Ours
That thing looks like the cockpit of a space shuttle. Why are all the seats facing forward? Has it got a big TV screen in the front? That’s a serious question. Just seems really odd to have all the seats facing One Direction. seems like it would be hard to visit with people.
It's made to have a TV that pops out. We chose not to add it. Got all the lights the sound the wifi.