We had good luck with a large Beachcomber brand hot tub. Easy to maintain and service because the pumps and circuitry were under a step that was removable. It was a little more than other brands but no paid service required in a 7 year period. That included moving it 360 miles, and having it sit empty for 6 months.

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Like you, we also found limited resources on the web related to help with hot tub selection.

We wet tested a few hot tub brands before deciding on Dimension One. We originally thought we wanted Hot Springs but changed our minds after the wet tests. All together we wet tested 4 brands: Hot Springs, Dimension One, Jacuzzi and Sundance.

Because everyone has different needs and desires for owning a hot tub, I would recommend wet testing a few brands available locally to get a feel for what is important personally.

For us, comfort in all seats was important without floating too much and different soaking levels in each seat was also important. We also wanted a large hot tub because we are a family of 5.

Also important was ease of maintainence down the road. How easy are the jets to replace when the bearings or jet action fail or a different jet action is desired. Some hot tubs require major disassembly to replace the jets, while Dimension One and Hot Springs is simply a threaded fitting that costs about $6 per jet and there are many jet options available for customized massage therapy.

The last thing that we considered was cost to operate. Does the hot tub have 2 speed capability and multiple pumps for better efficiency and levels of comfort. Is there a separate small pump (100 watts or less) that is constantly circulating the water and providing heat when needed without engaging the larger pump during heating cycles.

After all these considerations and wet tests, we decided on the Dimension One Chairman II. But, like I said earlier, the wet test combined with other features that are important to you will ultimately determine the one that meets your needs.

Hope this helps.

Definitely wet test the hot tub. At first, it's very strange to be in a retail store (the dealer's showroom) and be walking around in a wet bathing suit. Get over it, since they really want you to do that, and many people do it, and it's the ONLY way to know what kind of tub you really want. They can be VERY, VERY different between models and manufacturers. Footjets, backjets, lounge chairs, etc.
My wife and I bought a Hot Spring about two years ago, and we've been very happy with it. I wouldn't even look at another brand, if I had to do it again. BUT, the dealer is the biggest factor. The dealer is going to install and service your tub. The quality of their service is just as important as the brand. Our dealer (Chesapeake Spas in Annapolis, Maryland) is very good. Ask your friends who own tubs and see who they like. As an example, some friends bought a Jacuzzi tub from a marginal dealer. Jacuzzi is a great tub, but the dealer was marginal and has since gone out of business and they're having a hard time finding another dealer to help them. Hot Spring, Jacuzzi, and Sundance are good tubs, IMHO. Hope this helps!

We've had our Therma-Spa for almost three years. I believe our model is the Concord. Not a problem at all. It seats four comfortably which is perfect for us.

We bought direct from the manufacturer since we live in Connecticut.

Enjoy the journey.

eal51 in western CT

What hot tub/brand did you decide on?? I am in the same situation now.. will be buying one and am trying to decide on brand etc.. :/