Huge Luxurious spa!
Written: Oct 20 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Big.
Quiet.
Comfortable seats.
Flexible jetting options.
Great lighting.
Enviroskirt. No maintenance faux wood.
Cons: Heater too small.
Large lid is hard for smaller people to open.
The Bottom Line: I would recommend this tub because it is large, comfortable, quiet, and affordable.
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| i00j's Full Review: Beachcomber 580 Hot Tub |
I started shopping for a tub about 2 years ago. I compared Vita, Beachcomber, Sundance, Infinity, and Arctic spas. What turned me on to the Beachcomber line of spas was the design and look. The tub I bought is the 580 in midnight blue with midnight blue cover and step. Other features it has is the protec option, Enviroskirt, everlight, garden light, and reflexology jetting.
Let me start with the color and feel of the shell. The acrylic is beautiful, flawless, and low maintenance. I find the shell extremely comfortable and a seat for everyone. If you love to throw parties but don't like touching feet you will love the huge foot well in this tub. All the jets are interchangeable (between like sized ports) and you can customize your own "special" seat. The color is perfect and the lid and step match up great.
The protec option brings the spa pack (motor(s), heater, and controller) outside the tub covered by a nice entry/exit step. By moving the spa pack out of the tub Beachcomber was able to provide Full Foam insulation allowing no air pockets in the tub cabinetry. There has been studies done whether it is better to have the motor in or out the tub and it really comes down to what you believe will be better. One plus outside the heating issue that I have seen is that the motor is extremely quiet. I have been in tubs that were so loud you had a hard time talking with other people in the tub. This tub is quiet yet still powerful.
There is only 1 4HP motor driving 25 jets at one time in this tub. I have been in more powerful tubs. I personally don't need new skin every time I get in my tub so I like the fact that there isn't a crazy amount water flow through the ports. If I need more power in one seat I shut the jets off in one of the other 8 seats. That's right there are 8 seats plus the step. With the reflexology jetting you can divert all 4HP water flow to 3 foot jets in the foot well. When you add the air into this powerful water flow it sounds like a 747 taking off. Now throw your feet on top of that and I guarantee you will let go of your shoe inserts.
The heater spec in a 4KW. I think it should have a 5.5KW Heater in this tub. The tub dimensions are 89x89 and there is a lot of water (400 Gallons) exposed when the lid is removed. I notice the temperature drop one degree while in the tub and it doesn't recover during my soak. There is an upgrade available and I would strongly recommend it.
The controls are simple. KISS, yup more manufactures need the KISS method. Keep It Simple Stupid!
The lights. Wow! I really did not want the garden light package, but now that I have it, I love it. The garden light package is 4 modules, one on each side of the tub, that light the outside of the tub in 3 different colors. You can cycle through all the colors or keep a constant one, your pick. Inside I have the everlight that is made up of LED's. RED, Blue, and White. They blend together and create beautiful changing colors or as on the outside they it can stay lit on one color. The nice part of the everlight is that it is guaranteed never to burn out. LED technology gotta love it.
The Enviroskirt is another great option that the dealer threw in for free. It is a faux wood finish. It looks like cedar, but it’s not. There is no maintenance to the cabinetry of this tub. Just wipe it clean. Also if you look closely there is no lip between the end of the shell and the cabinetry. This allows the water to run off the shell and down the skirt not getting trapped on a ledge. This is a bonus if you take the wood option cabinetry. In some tubs I have seen the wood on the ledge get discolored within the first season due to water settling. More and more manufactures are going to the rounded shell option and the vertical wood slats to shed water away from your cabinetry and prevent wood damage.
Before you purchase a spa look into the set up costs. This is something your dealer may not talk to you about. It cast me $1000.00 for a cement pad and electrical. I did all the work myself which saved me about 6-7 hundred. You may also be required to have a building permit. Some cities consider spas as pools. Educate yourself on the installation, it is as important as purchasing the right tub.
I would definitely recommend this tub and the manufacture to any person looking for a great tub for a reasonable price. There are cheaper tubs out there, but the old saying still stands; YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
i00j
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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