Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: Paul_K on April 01, 2006, 02:25:37 pm
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Hi Guys,
has anyone got a Bullfrog spa? My wife and I have looked at several- and were attracted by the power-saving design and jetpack options. Thoughts/comments welcome!
http://www.bullfrogspas.com/
Cheers,
Paul.
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"power saving design"? Is that a marketing pitch? Seems like ALL the manufacturers claim something like that.
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Yeah, I'm sure they all say that- but this one does seem different- less exposed area of hose=less loss of heat, right?
Makes sense to me, plus I like the option of changing the jetpacks, albeit expensive.
Paul.
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Our service tech used to be with a store that carried them and was highly unimpressed .....intresting design with lots of holes in it......sorry do not mean to sound harsh....but from those I spoke to another ex retailer of them, they were not a fan in any way.....
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Thanks for the info- will bear that in mind.
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Bullfrog seem to be a well-made spa from where I sit. They have some things I like (full foam) and some things I don't care for (no circ-pump, jet-packs). There is a dealer here that has sold them for 3 years.
A girl that worked at our Shreveport store sold them for awhile and she had this to say about them:
1. The jet pressure was not very good
2. They leaked quite a bit
3. The jetpacks DID tend to stink
4. The jetpacks were fragile
A couple of my customers have friends who bought the Bullfrogs, but both of them sold them within a year.
Give them a wet test and if you like the product, the dealer, and you believe you are getting a good deal, go for it. :)
Terminator
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I was concered with the water behind the packs not being treated when adding chemicals.
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Don't waste your time viewing the Bullfrog DVD. All it talks about are how great the JetPak system is and doesn't go into any detail about the rest of the tub at all. One thing I liked and disliked about Bullfrog was the plumbing. The nice thing about the plumbing was that it is very simple and probably easy to repair. The downside is that the plumbing runs along the top edge of the shell which would mean greater than average heat loss.
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They recommend in their owners manual that you remove all jetpacks every six months or when draining and refilling. Then cleaning the plumbing with a long bristled soft brush with surface cleaner. It also appears all the seats are the same depth. Is that an optical illusion or am I mistaken? I don't think there's any dispute about the quality of construction.
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the piping around the top parimeter of the tub will actually freeze first before anything else I have seen it first hand. With the manifolds being in chemically treated water for the whole life of the spa it becomes very brittle over a span of a couple of years. the 8th inch tubing to circulate the water behgind the jetpack is not powerfull enough to move the water.
Flow is very poor, Not all jetpacks fit in all seats. you have to balance crumby paks with good ones to get any type of decent flow beacause all the good paks have a higher gallon per min rating wich will reduce the amount of back pressure which gives there design its "special" design.
I've worked on them first hand the marketing is great the tubs are good if your not so tall But if you like the way it feels then go for it but just be aware of the smoke and mirrors.
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Term,
I think if they look good from where you sit...you need to change seats....if thats what you heard from those who have had intimate experiences with them ..... ;)
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We live in Central IL and have had a Bullfrog 451 for a year and a half.. It is in a 10’X25’ sunroom that was built on a patio. We have five dealers within a twenty five mile radius of us. One of the dealers (The Great Escape) has four different top brands. As well as four other dealers of different brands. We chose the Bullfrog after looking a many other top brands. The dealer we bought it from has been in the Spa and Pool business for over 40 years and has a very good reputation. (San Juan Pool & Spas in Bloomington and Pekin both in IL) I can’t say enough about this dealer. We liked all the features on the Bullfrog. With the ability to upgrade the jet packs and etc. Don’t worry about the jets being to strong just turn the ring around the jet to turn it up or down to suit your self. Also the way it is plumped made sense to us because we were placing it indoors. It is perfected for us. But with different body types you need to wet test before buying any Spa. The jet pack has a hose that puts out a stream of water behind the jetpacks so it gets filter along with the rest of the water. I took off the jetpacks to clean them every six months and there was nothing on or in the hoses behind them, they were clean. ALL jetpacks fit all seats. The seats in my BullFrog are all of different depths you only have to try them out. You can also see that when you do a water change. Something to remember is that most of the members on this board are dealers or sales people who naturally would be more biased toward their brand. BullFrog is a quality spa as are many of the ones that these members sell.
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. Something to remember is that most of the members on this board are dealers or sales people who naturally would be more biased toward their brand. BullFrog is a quality spa as are many of the ones that these members sell.
Let me just say I mentioned only things that I have been told by people who were involved with Bullfrog on a daily bases for several years and this discussion took place in the last 30 days...I am genuinely happy that you are enjoying your spa and I hope that you do so for many many years to come..... :)
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Gair
If you own a Neckblaster jet pack try to put it one of the middle seats not the corner seats which are moulded deeper
in behind & tell me how easy it is to reconnect the unions if you can at all. The fact is there is so much plumbing for that pack it can only fit in the corner.
The corner seats have a similar size moulded cavity like the HS motosage seat.
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gair seems to be on the "all important" subject of describing a great dealer. An average brand spa can acheive great results with a caring, respectable dealer. Not saying a frog is average by any means, but the dealer makes the spa. good luck.
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We live in Central IL and have had a Bullfrog 451 for a year and a half.. It is in a 10’X25’ sunroom that was built on a patio. We have five dealers within a twenty five mile radius of us. One of the dealers (The Great Escape) has four different top brands. As well as four other dealers of different brands. We chose the Bullfrog after looking a many other top brands. The dealer we bought it from has been in the Spa and Pool business for over 40 years and has a very good reputation. (San Juan Pool & Spas in Bloomington and Pekin both in IL) I can’t say enough about this dealer. We liked all the features on the Bullfrog. With the ability to upgrade the jet packs and etc. Don’t worry about the jets being to strong just turn the ring around the jet to turn it up or down to suit your self. Also the way it is plumped made sense to us because we were placing it indoors. It is perfected for us. But with different body types you need to wet test before buying any Spa. The jet pack has a hose that puts out a stream of water behind the jetpacks so it gets filter along with the rest of the water. I took off the jetpacks to clean them every six months and there was nothing on or in the hoses behind them, they were clean. ALL jetpacks fit all seats. The seats in my BullFrog are all of different depths you only have to try them out. You can also see that when you do a water change. Something to remember is that most of the members on this board are dealers or sales people who naturally would be more biased toward their brand. BullFrog is a quality spa as are many of the ones that these members sell.
I have a question Gair, since one of the big deals is the ability to change packs. Have you bought any new packs ? Also, do you find that you change the packs around from seat to seat? thanks.
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I have changed the jetpacks around from time to time. I do have a mini neckblaster and it does fit in all seats. But I can not tell you about the neckblaster. I was able to try them all and get the ones I wanted when I ordered the Spa. I do plan on buying one more jetpack this year.
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thanks.