Home and Garden Spas 5-Person 19-Jet Hot Tub with 110V GFCI Plug, Mahogany

Appearance: Very happy with the look of the spa. Was a little worried before buying because I couldn't find pictures of the cabinet (I have added a few pictures to the product page!). It has a nice mahogany cabinet and the cover appears of decent quality and matches the cabinet. The waterfall and the interior lighting (7 different light colors that rotate or stay solid) add to the look. At night the lights make the water look very cool... especially the green and blue.Setup: I won't dwell on it as many have said it before me, but having to remove the panel to get to the instructions and power cord is a horrendous design choice and is not easy. I knew of the problems going in, was very careful and still managed to put a very small crack in the cabinet. Other than that, setting it up was fairly easy. I plugged it into a standard outlet that was dedicated for the hot tub, but did need an extension cord as the included cord is short. If you must use an extension cord, you're definitely going to want to use a heavy duty (12 gauge) cord. I tried to use a medium duty cord initially and it got very hot. The heavy duty works well for me. Other than that, outside the water chemistry it was easy for me to set up (still learning the chemistry angle!).Performance: Was initially very confused by the performance as the digital display shows two speeds for the pump, but after reading elsewhere found it was just a one speed pump (the enclosed direction are on a CD-ROM and are less than helpful as they cover several models including features you don't have). The jets do alright, but it's definitely less powerful than what I'm used to from your average spa. They're very soothing and the tub creates a nice experience, but look elsewhere if you're looking for powerful jets. The water heats to 104 degrees which is more than I need. I like it at about 100.Capacity: I've read different things about the capacity. I find that it's great for 3 people. 1 in the lounger, and 1 each in the benches (you can sit long ways or standard in those). You can fit 4 as long as two people like each other and want to sit close on a bench standard style, and another sits long ways on the other bench (otherwise your knees knock in opposing benches). 5 would be crazy. To fit 4 people in the two benches you'd have knees and legs all wrapped up. Is it possible? I guess so, but not at all practical. Heck, you *could* probably cram 6 people in there if you had to, but just because you could doesn't make it realistic. Consider this a 4 person tub max, 3 comfortable.Bottom line: I enjoy the spa a lot. Nice look to it, and very relaxing. Well worth the money and does well in both size and performance for a "plug and play" style tub.***UPDATE***An update after 4 months with the spa:The plastic waterfall cover broke in May. I contacted the company to get a replacement, and was repeatedly lied to about it having been shipped. Later I was told the part was "delayed" (after being told it had been shipped to me). Then for the next 3 months was given the runaround with no specific answers as to when I could expect the part, why they have none, where they get it, etc.. Clearly they have no intention of honoring the warranty. I have filed a complaint with the bbb.org.I still enjoy the spa a lot, and other than the one issue it has worked great, being used nearly daily for 4 months. My only concern is that if they don't intend to honor the warranty, this could be a real issue if I have a major malfunction. So, I guess buyer beware... you may be on your own after the purchase!I will update if I get a solution through bbb.org.***UPDATE #2***With 3 days left to settle the bbb.org complaint, they shipped the part.

We purchased this hot tub in March of 2011. As others have said, it is a pain to remove the cover to get the power cord out. It is even more of a pain to put the cover back on. There is no indication of which side has the power cord, but I was lucky and picked the right one. Here is a hint... It is on the side with the control panel.Once filled, the hot tub heated up the water about 2-3 degrees per hour, but once at the desired temperature it holds well. I haven't noticed a big bump in my power bill.With a 110 volt pump, the jets aren't very vigorous, but we are OK with that, we primarily just like to soak.When the hot tub works, we love it. However in its short life it has broken down twice. Earlier this year, the packing around the pump drive shaft failed and water was leaking badly. I ordered a new pump, and a few hundred dollars later we were running again. Then in September 2013 the control module burned up. Another $400 for a replacement, however the mfgr sent me the wrong module. After a phone message (never returned) and several emails, I was able to convince them that I knew the difference between the module they sent me and the one I have. Anyway, here it is a month later and still no replacement module is in sight. All I hear from the mfgr is it is on back order.So I advise you to look elsewhere unless you have a small budget AND you are handy and can work on the tub yourself when stuff fails.

I ordered this tub in December 2012 and it was delivered in less than a week (much earlier than I was told it would arrive, which didn't bother me). Delivery guy was awesome, it was dark out and he and I by ourselves moved it with a small hand cart, on uneven grass, a couple hundred feet to my back porch exactly where I wanted it. I called his manager to compliment him since he refused to take the $30 I offered, a rare great guy. Unpacking the tub was easy, cardboard, foam, and plastic wrap. Removing and replacing the side panel to retrieve the power cord and manual was not nearly as arduous as people had said about this model...remove 9 screws with a drill, remove the very light panel and pull back the insulating foil. You do not need to take off the corner pieces! You will need to drill a small hole or wedge on the bottom to allow room for the cord to feed through without pinching it. Take a look to make sure everything is intact and fill the tub (instructions below) before you put the panel back on. When replacing the panel there is no need to drill blocks into the tub or even have a second person help. Simply slide the panel up in place while sitting on the ground, hold it in place with your foot and screw the 3 middle screws in first. Then the panel will be secure in place to put the rest of the screws in. The cd manual is the same thing on the manufacturer's website, it is very generic. Fill the tub through the filter housing until it is about 4 inches above the top of the filter receptacle. Do this BEFORE you plug it in. You will need a dedicated outlet with the proper amperage. Once heated up to at least 80 degrees, test the water with a test strip and add chemicals accordingly. I used a bromine starter kit from Pinch-a-Penny, had everything you will need in it. Be sure you have proper bromine, ph, alkalinity, and hardness before you get in the tub or it will be very difficult to get the proper balance. The tub took about 24 hours to heat up, but it was freezing outside. The 7-color LED, waterfall, ozonator, and lounger seat are great features for such a low priced tub. Jets are plenty powerful when they are on high. Only problems I have had thus far are: I had the water level too high so when my girlfriend and I got in, the water slowly leaked through the topside dials. Easy fix. Second, the waterfall cover came off after a few weeks, also an easy fix. Simply re-glued it. Lastly, one of the stainless jet covers will come off occasionally, but it just screws back on. 4 people can fit in the tub, but that's pushing it as the water will be close to overflowing. I keep the tub at 103 degrees all day and my power bill went up 15 dollars in a month, not bad. All in all, I am very pleased with my purchase and would recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap alternative.