Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

At the time I write this, the spa has only one review which gave it one star. I'm finally writing my first ever Amazon product review, after having read zillions of them over the years, because I think showing this thing as a one-star product is unfair. As far as I can tell, this is simply the newer version of the 28403E Intex PureSpa, with just a different, presumably upgraded, pump/heater unit. That product has 2,800+ reviews averaging 4 stars, which is what I based my purchase on. And as far as a sub-$500 purchase for a hot tub, this thing is amazing. Sure, it's not as nice as a $5000 hard sided spa--of course it isn't. But once it's set up and you're sitting in it with the bubbles on, it's really pretty close. And I had no issues setting it up and getting it to temperature. I put water in it Friday night and used it at 100 degrees on Saturday night. Used it again the next afternoon. Quality seems great so far and I'm super impressed by it. It's very sturdy and, once put together, looks more like an actual hot tub and less like an inflatable pool toy (which I was kinda afraid of). Time will tell how much impact it has on my utility bill - that's the only open question now. Also, I got the energy efficient cover for an extra $100. Looks like this one will ship to California without it (other Intex ones wouldn't; I think it's an energy efficiency issue), but I got it anyways. I won't know otherwise, but it seems to be a solid investment for the tub and isn't much of a hassle to take on and off. I'm fully prepared that this thing may only have the durability to last a year or two, but at this price I was willing to take a chance on it to have a spa on the patio that I could set up myself. So far I'm glad I did!