Can't decide between 2 diff hot tubs

[sir574]

Basically I think I've narrowed it down between the viking legend 2 Legend 2 - Legend - DESTINY RIVER SERIES - Shop

and the bullfrog x6L X6L Hot Tub - Compact Hot Tub with Features


what im having trouble with is the viking seems to give you a lot more for your money as far as features. Is the quality not that great on the viking? Will it cost me more to run? worth it?

 

[RyanMcC]

Welcome to TFP! The two look pretty similar to me as far as seating and jets go.

Features may sound good, but think about what you get:
- Lighting is nice to have, I think it helps a lot.
- The "water feature" is silly and I wouldn't pay a dollar for it.
- Don't pay for a sound option, set up your own system even if it's just a Bluetooth speaker you have lying around. I dislike the Viking for having so many choices for audio "upgrades."
- The best upgrade we got was a steel hinge mechanism for the lid, but that's something to ask your store about.

What you do want is insulation- it's a hot tub after all, and you're paying to heat it, especially if it's outside. Insulation cuts down on how much heating you have to do, saving money and wear & tear on the system. The Bullfrog brags about its insulation and the Viking lists two different insulation upgrades (assuming "Temp Shield" is insulation)- a bigger strike against Viking than the audio options. A refrigerator with insulation as an add-on would sound silly; to me a hot tub does too.

I don't know what the price differences are, but Viking's focus appears to be baiting with a low base price then making money by selling critical things like insulation- and then doubling down by distracting with spendy, useless audio features.

I start every day in ours. I hope you love whichever one you go with.

 

[sir574]

I think the viking offers a lot more jets and multiple speeds with the jets, where as the bullfrog just has 1 speed. My main concern like you stated is the insulation. I would be buying it from the great escape and they offer them with certain popular options as "this is what you get" price model. The bullfrog is about 400 bucks more and is a tad smaller and just looks so plain when you look at them side by side.

I've tried googling to see what the inside of a viking looks like but I haven't had much success...

 

[RyanMcC]

Ask around, maybe people who already own tubs can share their preferences. I think I've used the low power jet setting once in the two years we've had it. Pump speed notwithstanding, you should be able to change the "power" of the jets by controlling the air- more bubbles means you feel the jet more.

Can you get a chance to sit in one of each? Looks, dimensions and gallins are all fine and good but don't give you the whole picture.

Picking the interior color seems important, but looking back it feels silly- when we're not in it, the cover's on. When we're in it we're not looking down at the pattern.

This is what you get isn't necessarily bad if their volume purchasing helps you out a bit on price too. Everything's a compromise, and just because something could hypothetically be a few bucks less may mean it's a special order hassle and winds up being harder to do.