Essential Hot Tubs 22 Jets, Cape Town, Hot Tub, Cobblestone

As a former soft tub owner I was hesitant to try a new tub as I loved my soft tubs. However the vinyl wore out on the soft tubs and I wanted something I did not have to replace every three or four years. I wanted to keep the plug and play feature and stay in the price range of a new soft tub. The Cape Town was less expensive, plug and play with no vinyl to wear out so I bought one. The hot tub arrived undamaged and was light enough to place where we wanted it with just my wife and I. The manual was well written and thorough with a very good trouble shooting section. We had no leaks when filled. It did take 48 hours to come to 104 degrees, something the 220 option would probably fix, but once it came to temperature it was able to stay in the 104-102 degree range while in use without problem (bubbles and hi jets would drop the temp faster). The soft tub used motor heat to heat the water and was very economical so I will update on energy cost later. So far I am very pleased with this hot tub and would recommend it. Update pump froze at 16 months.

I was hesitant to try a hot tub via amazon, but decided to roll the dice. We were replacing an old soft tub. This one was delivered 2 weeks early, the delivery guys put it in our back yard for us. This is about the same size as the Softtub T300 model, but it feels more spacious. Because of the foot well you are in a more natural sitting position rather than the softtub (which we loved). The construction seems very durable. There was one spot on the bench that I was concerned was a screw starting to protrude thru, however after not seeing any air bubbles when pressing next to it, I decided to grab some sand paper and take the sharp point off. That did the trick! It took about a day and a half to get up to max temp. I was a bit concerned since the cover is quite light (compared to the softtub) but it seems to hold the heat in. Only issue so far is that mine was missing the buckles to attach the lid to, but I'll contact customer service for that. Overall quite impressed and glad we rolled the dice on this at half the cost of replacing the softtub.

I’ve had the hot tub for just over a week and am a bit disappointed. I converted to 220v and the water heated quickly on the initial fill; about 6 degrees an hour. The main problem that I have is that the shoulder jets are about an inch too high. If you fill the tub above the shoulder jets and have more than 2 people in the tub, it will over flow. My first experience with using the tub was terrible. With my wife, our two children, and me in the tub it over flowed. The access panel on the side of the tub is flimsy and does not keep water out. There was about half an inch of water that collected in the pump chamber that I had to remove with a shop vac. I’ve added a bead of silicone around the edge of the access panel and a 3/8" weather strip to help keep water out. There are also razor sharp screws on the inside frame of the access panel that I’ve cut my hand severely on twice now; once while installing the electrical wiring and once while cleaning the water from inside the pump chamber. I ground the end of the screws down and covered them with some epoxy to help reduce the risk of getting cut again. The tub arrived very well packaged, but still had a number of deep scratches and defects in the surface finish. The interior of the tub is rough and there were a few sharp spots that had to be sanded down. When sitting in the tub it feels a bit like having a sheet of fiberglass on your back. If I had it to do over again, I would order the Arbor model.Pros:- Made in PA, USA by Strong Spas- Excellent Balboa pack used for the heater and pump- Jets are powerful and it’s nice having the same configuration for each seat- Deep tub well that will take the water to shoulder level on most adults- LED lights are awesome- Nice cover- Able to run ¾” conduit for 220v through existing hole for plug and play power cord- Seems to retain heat well so far- Topside control panel is good qualityCons:- If you plan to have more than 2 people in the tub at a time, the water level cannot be above shoulder jets or you will have overflow- Access panel door is flimsy and not watertight- Poorly insulated pump chamber, I added additional insulation- Rough finish that is not comfortable- Several deep scratches and defects in finish- Cover locks are cheap; decided not to use- XPO shipping dispatch and customer service is terrible. Tub did not arrive on date scheduled and dealing with customer service and dispatch was lousy; delivery guys were outstanding though.2 month update: upgrading from 3 stars to 4 because of the following. I contacted Strong Spas about the gap in the access panel. They were quick to respond via email and shipped a new panel door within a week. This did not resolve the problem, but I appreciate the effort.Strong Spas sent the 2 filters for posting my review on Amazon. Received the filters approximately 2 months after posting the review.Hot tub is still running fine without any major issues and my family enjoys using it several times a week.

This hot tub is really a great value. It's exactly what we were looking for in terms of size and shape, and so far it is exactly as advertised. Arrived on time and with no damage. The round shape (it rolls) and relatively light weight made it fairly easy to maneuver into place (two man job), with no tools or machines. We went ahead and had an electrician wire it up to 220 volts power on a dedicated circuit, so it can run much more powerfully and more efficiently. With 220 power, we've seen that it heats the water at about 6-7 degrees per hour. Not difficult to maintain the water chemistry with some test strips, a bromine floater buoy, and some "PH Up" powder. The cover is nice and easy to take on and off. We've owned a hot tub in the past, and so far we are extremely happy with this purchase.

Update: this crapped out in under 4 years. The manufacturer says it is not warranties, so we are out of luck. It's alot of money to spend for anything that only lasts about 4 years.We have had the tub just under a week. It is running well and we have enjoyed it everyday. The manufacturer customer service is great and quick to get back to you with answers to your questions. We are so happy with this tub.