Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

TL; DR version: Great tub, we are using it every morning, would definitely would buy this tub again. Quick warning: This unit does not come with chemicals. You will need to buy chemicals to use with this hot tub, do not try to use this without. We got a hot tub chemical start-up/6 month maintenance kit from Amazon "Qualco Pool Care 14895 6 Month Spa Hot Tub Chemical Kit with Bromine + Shock Treatment." Placement: This tub is NOT meant for direct sunlight. It even says that in the manual. Know that before you buy it. Sun deteriorates vinyl. You can try to use in a sunny area but just know that it won't last beyond the warranty period. After reading many, many reviews on inflatable hot tubs, the common theme is that getting them to last 2-3-4 years or longer means you have to keep this indoors (mine is installed in our garage, maybe a bit ghetto but oh well it's working great for us so far). Setup: Easy. Go to the Intex website and watch the video (links to a youtube video) and read along in the provided instructions. It took me about 2-3 hours to set up taking my time/not in a rush, including filling with water and adding chemicals. My tap water started at 76, and it does heat at "2-3 degrees per hour," and ended up at the max 104 by the next morning. See my picture regarding the connections, I took thread tape to add some security to the water-tight connections. Probably not needed, but I do this to all water fittings for peace of mind. No leaks so far. Heating capabilities: Based on what I was able to find online about the several inflatable hot tub manufacturers, this company Intex was the only manufacturer that allowed the water to be heated while using the bubbles (jets) feature. This was the biggest selling point for me, I wanted to be able to continue to heat the water while using the hot tub. Other manufacturers deactivate the heating function while using bubbles so it doesn't overload your power/trip the circuit breaker, however with those models the water temperature falls more quickly (as far as I can tell) I can verify that Intex 28481E does continue to heat the water while using the bubbles on mode. HUGE! That being said, it is still limited by 110v power. After 30 minutes with bubbles on it goes from 104 F to approximately 99-100 F, another 30 minutes down to 97 F, another 30 minutes down to 95 F, another 30 minutes down to 91-92 F. (Yes we spent 2 hours in the hot tub, it was awesome, and definitely not recommended). From what I've been able to tell from others' reviews of other companies, this one holds its temperature much better than the competition. Your mileage may vary. Chemicals/smell: Using bromine now, smell is not bad and basically non-existent compared to past chlorine tubs I've been in. Get sprinkle-in bromine to go with the tablets and make sure the bromine level is sufficient before using the tub. Warranty: I'd like this to last beyond the original warranty, so I bought an Asurion warranty to go with this just in case. I've had to redeem Asurion warranties on the past and they are easy to work with. Accessories: We bought the Intex drink holder and two seats from another company on Amazon. Cup holder "Intex PureSpa Cup Holder, 2 Standard Size Beverage Containers" and seats "Intex Removable Slip-Resistant Seat For Inflatable Pure Spa Hot Tub (2 Pack)" Definitely worth it! The drink holder grips to the tub sides and doesn't move. The seats are weighted and height-adjustable and give you some versatility to sit out of the water a bit if you choose to. Overall very pleased with this tub and will update this review as needed.