Reason 257 to avoid hot tubs at big box and online
Hot tub service tech here.
Every hot tub sold at Costco, Sams, Wayfarer, Home Depot etc does not use a fiberglass backed shell. What this means is the shell will flex and that can lead to cracking or most common extremely expensive repairs. These tubs are temporary, so not only are they not going to perform like youd want but they are not going to last. I know many people on this forum think that hot tub stores are thieves, but most are going to sell you something that will last longer, be more energy efficent, give you better after sale service, be easier to take care of. Their markup isnt much different than Costcos (I was a costco service center and in warranty portal could see their wholesale pricing, I was shocked, but assume drop shipping a tub to a curb is very expensive.)
Im sure people who have never worked on a hot tub aside from the only ones they have owned will argue. If you disagree tell me what you do for a living for 25 years so I can tell you how to do that job lol
