Hot Tub and Spa
Brand Reviews

The Classic Model F was one of Hot Springs (Watkins) entry level spas in 1995 and was only available in the 120V version. I was looking for a spa that would function efficiently on a 20 amp circuit so I wouldn't have to do a lot of rearranging to my circuit box and I bought this hot tub from the original owner.

The spa is very low maintenance and has been quite reliable. Not a lot of bells and whistles: 7 jets plus 2 "moto-massage" things that move up and down, but don't work all that well. Then again, I didn't really want lots of gadgets, just hot water and a few firm jets to isolate on muscles. It is also very economical and my electric bill only budged about $10/month to operate it.

My main beef(s) are with Watkins as a company and the way the tub takes on water weight. It should be 455 lbs dry weight, but if you drain and move, it will be double that, so it's a four man job and best left to pros. Letting the tub sit empty during the summer months will lighten it up. With Watkins/Hot Springs I have found that they mark up the parts extremely high. Watkins orders from the lower tier suppliers in quantity and marks up their piece prices from 100 to 150%, then you get another 70-80% mark up tacked on at the retail level. I'm a former cost accountant, so I can trace the the sub assemblies to their original manufacturers and figure this stuff out. They also don't do much to help you save a buck if you have an older tub. Customer Service just sends you to the local (which may not be very local) dealer.

This is particularly a problem, because all 1995-97 Hot Springs spas have had their heating elements discontinued. There was nothing wrong with the design (a teflon coated immersion heater cartrige), but Watkins won't support it (even though they can still order them). So as one independent hot tub repair man put it, "If you bought a '95-97 Hot Springs, you got screwed." Heater elements for the pre-95 models are still available. Otherwise, you have to buy the new "No Fault 6000" which is a full assembly that costs about $300 and requires a conversion kit to match the old plumbing. Again there is nothing wrong with the prior cartrige model, it was just superceded for no good reason I can see except to sell more expensive heaters.

I would not buy another Hot Springs, because I think it is deplorable for an established company like Watkins not to support its product in the aftermarket. Making customers invest anywhere from $350 to $600 (depending on if you need the kit, professional install, etc) is not supporting your product when it is only 10 years old. I can see phasing these things out after 20 to 25 years, but this is ridiculous! If Watkins won't support this product, why should anybody believe they wouldn't do the same with future models. It seems like a way of gouging the customer.