Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: JM22681 on February 17, 2022, 09:36:32 am
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Hi all,
I am in the market for a 91" tub and a few of our local shops are offering Wellis tubs at a fairly reasonable price. They seem to be somewhat new to the US market, so putting aside parts/service concerns, I am curious to obtain feedback from any owners on how things are holding up? I'm looking at the Taurus or Monte Rosa in particular, but any feedback on the brand would be appreciated. Thanks.
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Wellis is a low end tub. They have weaker shells that require internal supports as opposed to a self supporting shell. They are also lacking insulation.
There is a reason that they are on the inexpensive end of the spectrum.
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Thanks for your quick response. Do you have direct experience with them? And how would they compare to the Artesians? Are the Bullfrogs really that much better?
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Thanks for your quick response. Do you have direct experience with them? And how would they compare to the Artesians? Are the Bullfrogs really that much better?
I never owned one but I looked at them when I was looking for my tub. It was pretty clear when I looked under the hood they were cradle supported shells and almost no insulation.
Artesian makes a very good tub, that's what I eventually bought. Artesian's are self supporting, hand rolled fiberglass shells with decent jetting and on the Island, Island Elite and Artesian elites, Balboa controls. Lower end Artesian's (Garden Spa, etc.) are using Gecko controls as a stop gap measure until supplies get better.
Bullfrog is also a decent brand. Shell is a bit weaker than the Artesian's and they use Gecko controls but have great jetting packages and insulation. The changeable jet packs are nice. You can customize them for your tastes. I seriously considered a Bullfrog but couldn't get one in a size that worked for my space.
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I've sold Wellis now for about 2 years, I like them, they are built well and if you get one with the Extreme cover and Extreme insulation they perform as well as any other mid-tier brand outdoors imo (I'm in Minnesota FYI) the Monte Blanc, Monte Rosa, Taurus and Libra are by far are best selling models along with their 15' Danube swim spa. They have a nice thick ABS pan, maintenance free construction and a lot of features for the money imo...Good Luck!
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Libra:
(https://i.postimg.cc/DySNzzWR/Libra.jpg)
Taurus:
(https://i.postimg.cc/6pR1d1f0/Taurus.jpg)
Mont Blanc:
(https://i.postimg.cc/kXLpRdKG/Mont-Blanc.jpg)
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I'll play... Where are they made. That's a lot of tiny jets
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I don’t know much if anything about Wellis but what Cranbiz said is basically cut and pasted from a website called Hot Tub University. I don’t believe a word out of that guys mouth so I would take his reviews with a grain of salt. Just browsing his site I have seen a number of inaccuracies posted by Chris on his own site.
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I've sold Wellis now for about 2 years, I like them, they are built well and if you get one with the Extreme cover and Extreme insulation they perform as well as any other mid-tier brand outdoors imo (I'm in Minnesota FYI) the Monte Blanc, Monte Rosa, Taurus and Libra are by far are best selling models along with their 15' Danube swim spa. They have a nice thick ABS pan, maintenance free construction and a lot of features for the money imo...Good Luck!
Good to hear - yes, I am looking at the ones with the extra insulation as I'm in a cold climate. How does the jet pressure compare to Bullfrogs jet packs? How many repairs have you had to deal with due to craftsmanship? Their USA Facebook page is not getting the best reviews - some complaints about the touchscreen controls getting water damage. Curious what kind of luck you've had if you don't mind giving me an unbiased opinion.
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Wellis is made in Hungary and shipped over. I rate them as a middle low middle and there is nothing wrong with that as long as it is reflected in the price. Here is a link with some background on the spa and a MFG sizzle video that you can see production footage and what the spas construction inside looks like. I personally would be looking for a spa with better jet selection. More doesn't always mean better. I look for a variety of jets with more large faced jets that perform differently and don't just beat you up and can be easily interchanged within the spa. As far as touchscreen topsides they are off the shelf and used by many different MFGs.
https://hottubinsider.com/european-hot-tub-manufacturer-wellis-spas-makes-its-u-s-debut/
JMO
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I don’t know much if anything about Wellis but what Cranbiz said is basically cut and pasted from a website called Hot Tub University. I don’t believe a word out of that guys mouth so I would take his reviews with a grain of salt. Just browsing his site I have seen a number of inaccuracies posted by Chris on his own site.
It might sound that way but it's not. I actually looked at them when I was looking. My guess is the one I was looking in did not have the extreme insulation package as there was practically no insulation and you could see the supports for the shell. They looked nice but then again a Dr Wellness looks nice too. I certainly wouldn't own a LPI product and I believe many here would echo that.
At a certain price point, they would be a usable spa with the extreme add ons but it's not the quality of a Hot Springs, Sundance, Marquis, Artesian, Bullfrog, etc.
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I've sold Wellis now for about 2 years, I like them, they are built well and if you get one with the Extreme cover and Extreme insulation they perform as well as any other mid-tier brand outdoors imo (I'm in Minnesota FYI) the Monte Blanc, Monte Rosa, Taurus and Libra are by far are best selling models along with their 15' Danube swim spa. They have a nice thick ABS pan, maintenance free construction and a lot of features for the money imo...Good Luck!
Good to hear - yes, I am looking at the ones with the extra insulation as I'm in a cold climate. How does the jet pressure compare to Bullfrogs jet packs? How many repairs have you had to deal with due to craftsmanship? Their USA Facebook page is not getting the best reviews - some complaints about the touchscreen controls getting water damage. Curious what kind of luck you've had if you don't mind giving me an unbiased opinion.
It's hard to compare to a Bullfrog because of all of the variety they offer in many different configurations, if you're looking for the best jetting on the market you'll have to stick with a Bullfrog M/A or R series, they are the best imo. I would agree with Canadiantech in that they could offer more variety like some pulsating or spinner style jets, then again in the mid level price points most spas only have 3-4 varieties at most on average. Service rates like all of the premium brands I sell are very comparable and they use fairly standardized parts to build their spas, for example the touchscreen is a standard k.1000 made by Gecko which is used by dozens of brands in the industry, same applies for the heater/circuit board/jet inserts/etc. and they do warehouse a lot of inventory/parts/etc in 2 warehouses in the United States so getting stuff (obviously with Covid it's been slower than average but that applies to almost everything lol) is no better or no worse than any other major 'player' in the industry.
So again, overall good value for the money, and like mentioned NO they are not on level with top collections made by Hot Spring, Bullfrog, Marquis but they are also at a much lower price point so they definitely have their place in the market imo...Good Luck and let us know what you decide on, owning a spa is really awesome you're going to love it!
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Hi, after doing more research I have a few follow up questions. Short story is I am now leaning towards the simpler design of the Taurus as opposed to Monte Rosa or Bullfrog. I want to confirm a few more things about the Taurus though...
1.) I know the bullfrog jetpaks have a nice adjuster on them to control how hard the jets flow. Do the Wellis spas allow you to disable or adjust individual jet pressure?
2.) Looks like the Taurus has a 2 speed pump. Is that specific to a region like the lounger? The Monte Rosa's pumps seem to be all 1 speed.
3.) The Monte Rosa has UV whereas Taurus has Ozone only. If I went with the Monte Rosa, do you have to change that bulb frequently in order to maintain it? How long does it last?
4.) Are the gecko InTouch 2 wifi controls worth adding on? Looks like a bit of a kludge design where it goes over RF to a router that is hardwired. Im curious if anyone has had experience with that and how far your router can be. Mine is probably 100 feet through 3-4 walls.
Thanks to anyone who replies with experience on these matters!!
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Hi, after doing more research I have a few follow up questions. Short story is I am now leaning towards the simpler design of the Taurus as opposed to Monte Rosa or Bullfrog. I want to confirm a few more things about the Taurus though...
1.) I know the bullfrog jetpaks have a nice adjuster on them to control how hard the jets flow. Do the Wellis spas allow you to disable or adjust individual jet pressure?
2.) Looks like the Taurus has a 2 speed pump. Is that specific to a region like the lounger? The Monte Rosa's pumps seem to be all 1 speed.
3.) The Monte Rosa has UV whereas Taurus has Ozone only. If I went with the Monte Rosa, do you have to change that bulb frequently in order to maintain it? How long does it last?
4.) Are the gecko InTouch 2 wifi controls worth adding on? Looks like a bit of a kludge design where it goes over RF to a router that is hardwired. Im curious if anyone has had experience with that and how far your router can be. Mine is probably 100 feet through 3-4 walls.
Thanks to anyone who replies with experience on these matters!!
Wellis is new to the US but is definitely one of the higher end brands. Largest in Europe and great insulation for there US models. Frames and body will never rot or rust.
Each jet is adjustable on all the Wellis models.
Unlike the Monte Rosa with a dedicated circulating pump plus the 3 dedicated jet pumps, the Taurus has a single speed jet pump and a double speed jet pump that also does the circulation. With motors it is beneficial to have them run at a consistent RPM.
The UV-C in the Monte Rosa should last ~8-9000 hours or so.
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Hi, after doing more research I have a few follow up questions. Short story is I am now leaning towards the simpler design of the Taurus as opposed to Monte Rosa or Bullfrog. I want to confirm a few more things about the Taurus though...
1.) I know the bullfrog jetpaks have a nice adjuster on them to control how hard the jets flow. Do the Wellis spas allow you to disable or adjust individual jet pressure?
2.) Looks like the Taurus has a 2 speed pump. Is that specific to a region like the lounger? The Monte Rosa's pumps seem to be all 1 speed.
3.) The Monte Rosa has UV whereas Taurus has Ozone only. If I went with the Monte Rosa, do you have to change that bulb frequently in order to maintain it? How long does it last?
4.) Are the gecko InTouch 2 wifi controls worth adding on? Looks like a bit of a kludge design where it goes over RF to a router that is hardwired. Im curious if anyone has had experience with that and how far your router can be. Mine is probably 100 feet through 3-4 walls.
Thanks to anyone who replies with experience on these matters!!
Wellis is new to the US but is definitely one of the higher end brands. Largest in Europe and great insulation for there US models. Frames and body will never rot or rust.
Each jet is adjustable on all the Wellis models.
Unlike the Monte Rosa with a dedicated circulating pump plus the 3 dedicated jet pumps, the Taurus has a single speed jet pump and a double speed jet pump that also does the circulation. With motors it is beneficial to have them run at a consistent RPM.
The UV-C in the Monte Rosa should last ~8-9000 hours or so.
In your mind what makes a "higher end brand"
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In your mind what makes a "higher end brand"
A product that is well thought out and offers some of the cutting edge features/benefits of an industry. Longevity and serviceability is also a factor invested in a higher end brand too.
A lot has changed from when I used to install Hot Tubs 30 years ago with fiberglass tubs, wood frames and spray foaming the hell out of the inside cabinet was considered a high end tub. lol
UV-C was not a thing, dedicated circulation pumps that only use 0.8 A of power was not a thing, let alone these cool touch screens and efficient insulation that still allows for easy servicing.
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Wellis is built really well for the $ and they have been very reliable for us as well, we sell mostly Mont Blancs/Libra/Taurus & a few Olympus's as well. We've also sold a bunch of their 15' swim spa which is a beast with the propulsion jet system on it. Great spas for the money if you have a dealer nearby, Aspen is also my other favorite brand that competes well with Wellis, small shop in the US but I love their spas as well.
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Their new "Life Model" looks very interesting from an energy efficiency standpoint. There's a blog on their main page about it https://wellisspa.com/ the promotional videos for it look pretty convincing, but I'm not sure if they're on the US market just yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efx0p-i4Xps&ab_channel=Wellis.eu
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Their new "Life Model" looks very interesting from an energy efficiency standpoint. There's a blog on their main page about it https://wellisspa.com/ the promotional videos for it look pretty convincing, but I'm not sure if they're on the US market just yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efx0p-i4Xps&ab_channel=Wellis.eu
That does look pretty sweet! Those jets look like they would feel awesome. The aesthetics of the whole thing are top-tier. That's a great looking spa.
I talked to a guy that sold Wellis here in the states for a year or so and he said build quality was lacking. I don't have any personal experience, but he made it sound like they had a lot of failures and support in the US was very bad. I'm definitely keeping an eye on the brand though.
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Wonder what Watkins/Hot Springs thinks of those jets and if they infringe on their patents.
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Wonder what Watkins/Hot Springs thinks of those jets and if they infringe on their patents.
It looks like its very different with its active circular/oval pattern. So different, but also an "improvement" over Watkins/Hot Springs.
I personally have been impressed with the quality that I have seen in Wellis tubs. Massive improvement from what I used to work on 30 years ago. lol
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Their new "Life Model" looks very interesting from an energy efficiency standpoint. There's a blog on their main page about it https://wellisspa.com/ the promotional videos for it look pretty convincing, but I'm not sure if they're on the US market just yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efx0p-i4Xps&ab_channel=Wellis.eu
That does look pretty sweet! Those jets look like they would feel awesome. The aesthetics of the whole thing are top-tier. That's a great looking spa.
I talked to a guy that sold Wellis here in the states for a year or so and he said build quality was lacking. I don't have any personal experience, but he made it sound like they had a lot of failures and support in the US was very bad. I'm definitely keeping an eye on the brand though.
nothing wrong with the build quality whatsoever, we sold about 150 of them during Covid and the issues are far and few between, their customer service however lacks significantly, I'm not saying they don't take care of issues but getting them to respond or figuring out who to speak with from a dealer perspective when there is an issue is a nightmare for my service staff. Also, they're now selling direct to consumer for low margins off their website so there's also that, we have about 12 left we are closing out.
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W
Their new "Life Model" looks very interesting from an energy efficiency standpoint. There's a blog on their main page about it https://wellisspa.com/ the promotional videos for it look pretty convincing, but I'm not sure if they're on the US market just yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efx0p-i4Xps&ab_channel=Wellis.eu
That does look pretty sweet! Those jets look like they would feel awesome. The aesthetics of the whole thing are top-tier. That's a great looking spa.
I talked to a guy that sold Wellis here in the states for a year or so and he said build quality was lacking. I don't have any personal experience, but he made it sound like they had a lot of failures and support in the US was very bad. I'm definitely keeping an eye on the brand though.
nothing wrong with the build quality whatsoever, we sold about 150 of them during Covid and the issues are far and few between, their customer service however lacks significantly, I'm not saying they don't take care of issues but getting them to respond or figuring out who to speak with from a dealer perspective when there is an issue is a nightmare for my service staff. Also, they're now selling direct to consumer for low margins off their website so there's also that, we have about 12 left we are closing out.
Wow, what a terrible idea. If they can't take care of dealer support, they definitely won't be able to handle direct customer support. Why would anyone stick around with them if they have to compete with the manufacturer at low margins. That's gotta be the beginning of the end for them. Shame. They have some cool looking stuff.
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nothing wrong with the build quality whatsoever, we sold about 150 of them during Covid and the issues are far and few between, their customer service however lacks significantly, I'm not saying they don't take care of issues but getting them to respond or figuring out who to speak with from a dealer perspective when there is an issue is a nightmare for my service staff. Also, they're now selling direct to consumer for low margins off their website so there's also that, we have about 12 left we are closing out.
Not very good idea to undercut your dealers. But I would assume this is for EU/Hungry where they are located and to move old product to help get the new Life Model line to there dealers faster? Its always a challenge going from old models to new ones.
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nothing wrong with the build quality whatsoever, we sold about 150 of them during Covid and the issues are far and few between, their customer service however lacks significantly, I'm not saying they don't take care of issues but getting them to respond or figuring out who to speak with from a dealer perspective when there is an issue is a nightmare for my service staff. Also, they're now selling direct to consumer for low margins off their website so there's also that, we have about 12 left we are closing out.
Not very good idea to undercut your dealers. But I would assume this is for EU/Hungry where they are located and to move old product to help get the new Life Model line to there dealers faster? Its always a challenge going from old models to new ones.
Not exactly...they warehouse a ton of product in the United States, NJ and FL, they overshot their projections and couldn't unload product fast enough to their dealer base once the "Covid Cash" bubble burst so they panicked (I assume they needed that operating cash, can't have 500+ unsold spas laying around in a warehouse, nobody has the cash flow to do that outside of maybe Watkins) and now have to unload it on their website Costco style. As mentioned above this upsets dealers, also bad dealer support upsets dealers and at some point you have to make a business decision to move on if things aren't improved on.
That said I still have no issues with their product (aside from the dealer support) and I assume they will move back to supporting their dealer base once the vast majority of that unsold product is sold. Heck in the future If things improve I wouldn't even be opposed to ordering in some more of their swim spas, if you're looking for a 'professional' type swim spa with a propulsion system and don't want the 40k+ price tag of an Endless Pool they actually make a hell of a swim spa, I sold a bunch of their 15' Danube model and if you're truly looking to swim that thing is top notch and is built like a brick sh*thouse.