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Are Home and Garden Hot Tubs Good?

With the wide range of hot tub choices available, it’s tough to decide which one to buy. Home and Garden hot tubs, while not one of the top brands, are ones that you do hear about, so I wondered are Home and Garden hot tubs good?

Home and Garden Spas manufacture entry-level hot tubs often sold through discounters such as Wayfair. While they are made in the USA with Balboa parts, their parent company, LPI, Inc. does have a significant number of complaints with the Better Business Bureau.

But that’s just a quick snapshot. And don’t worry. We’ll dive much deeper into reviews and complaints below.

So in this article, we’ll do a deep dive into H&G hot tubs, looking at quality, reviews, where they are built, and more. We’ll look at specific models, price ranges, and what the best one is to purchase, so keep reading to find out more.

Before you make any decision on which hot tub to purchase, here’s my recent article on 23 Crucial Things to Know Before Buying Your First Hot Tub.

I’ll cover everything from pricing to the maintenance of your new hot tub. Just click that link to read it on my site.

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How do Home & Garden hot tubs compare to other brands?

Home and Garden only offers 7 models of hot tubs which is much smaller than most brands. In addition, their parent company LPI, Inc. currently has 176 complaints with the Better Business Bureau from the prior 3 years which is significantly more than most manufacturers.

(source)

However, their tubs are manufactured in the USA and made from acrylic shells reinforced with multi-layered fiberglass. They also use Balboa controls, which are of high quality.

They also have very few upgrade options.

Brands like Hot Spring Spas and Cal Spas offer an app compatibility feature that allows you to control your hot tub remotely. Home and Garden also doesn’t have customizable hot tubs like Bullfrog Spas.

But you will find some standard features that many have come to expect, such as:

  • Waterfalls
  • LED multi-colored lights
  • Multiple jets
  • Some models offer MP3 auxiliary output with 2 speakers and sub-woofer

All the models of Home and Garden Spas I looked at offered “Standard Foam Insulation”, which I assume means full-foam. While not the lowest quality form of hot tub insulation, that is towards the bottom of the list.

There are a variety of different kinds of insulation used in the manufacture of hot tubs.

Here’s a quick glance, with details below.

Kind of Insulation Similar to Cost
Partial foam insulation Marquis Spas $
Full foam insulation Jacuzzi Hot Tubs $$
Barrier insulation Atera Spas $$$
FiberCor insulation Hot Spring Spas $$$
Multi-density foam Hot Spring Spas $$$$

All in all, Home and Garden Spas are a budget hot tub manufacturer, and luckily, their prices reflect that. Prices range from $3,400 to $5,100 for most models. We’ll get into more exact specs on models and prices below.

Are Home & Garden hot tubs made by Better Homes and Gardens?

Better Homes and Gardens does not manufacture hot tubs but they do sell hot tubs. Home and Garden Spas’ parent company is LPI, Inc which also manufactures Signature Spas and Dr. Wellness Hot Tubs.

LPI, Inc. manufactures all their hot tubs in Johnson City, Tennessee. Whereas Better Homes and Gardens started as a magazine in 1922 and remains the 4th most popular magazine in the United States.

The publisher of BHG is the Meredith Corporation based out of Des Moines, Iowa. It has no relation whatsoever to Home and Garden Spas. While Better Homes and Gardens does allow shopping on their website, they primarily redirect visitors to other sites such as Walmart, Overstock, and Home Depot to make purchases.

And when you see Home and Garden Spas listed on their website, they are actually being sold through Wayfair, although when you click through, currently Wayfair is not actually offering them at the time of this writing.

Who builds Home and Garden Spas? 

Home and Garden Spas’ are manufactured by its parent company is LPI, Inc. LPI, Inc. also manufactures Signature Spas and Dr. Wellness Hot Tubs. All their hot tubs are made in Johnson City, Tennessee.

LPI, Inc has been in business since 2015.

While they do have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, they do have 176 complaints at the time of this writing from the past 3 years. In their customer review section, they rate 3.21 stars.

So why do they have an A+ rating with the BBB despite all the bad reviews and complaints?

Well the BBB is a profit-driven enterprise. And LPI, Inc. is an “accredited business”. That basically means they paid the BBB to be listed that way.

Additionally, businesses who respond to complaints in a timely manner on the BBB site and who appear to work in good faith with their customers don’t get penalized on their BBB rating.

So a company could literally get 1,000 complaints a month and as long as they respond to them in a timely manner, they could still rate an A+. So while not completely meaningless, the real value in going to the BBB site is in the customer reviews and complaints areas.

Check out their BBB page to learn morehttps://www.bbb.org/us/tn/johnson-city/profile/tanning-equipment/lpi-inc-0533-90012793

Also bear in mind that since LPI, Inc. manufactures other brands of hot tubs, not all complaints or bad reviews will be specific to Home and Garden Spas. But I do think they will be an overall indicator of the quality and customer service you can expect from all of their brand names.

You can read my review of one of LPI’s other brands, Signature Spas, in a recent article I wrote. Unlike Home and Garden Spas, Signature Spas is a lot more expensive. But does that mean they are better?

Just click that link to read it on my site.

How many different hot tubs do Home and Garden Spas make?

Home and Garden has seven different hot tubs. These range from 3-person to 6-person, and range in price from $3,499 to $5,308 depending on which site you purchase from.

Their website doesn’t have pricing displayed, but I’ve listed the retail prices as shown on other sites such as Wayfair, Home Depot, and Amazon.

But it’s also worth noting that all the sites I checked (Wayfair, Amazon, and Home Depot) are currently out of stock on all models. While I have seen some plug-and-play models listed on other sites, all current models on their website are 220v models which will require an electrician to hardwire.

Here’s a table of their current models, sizes, and the number of jets.

Current model Size Num of Jets  Holds # of People Price
HG32 76″ x 76″ x 34″ 32 Stainless Jets 6 People $4,299.00
HG38 82” x 60” x 33” 38 Stainless Jets 3 people $3,499.99
HG51 80″ x 80″ x 34″ 51 Stainless Jets 5 people $3,898.00
HG71 82″ x 82″ x 35″ 71 Stainless Jets 6 people $4,399.99
HG71A* 82″ x 82″ x 35″ 71 Stainless Jets 6 people $4,937.14
HG78 92″ x 92″ x 37″ 78 Stainless Jets 6 people $5,308.57
HG90* 92″ x 92″ x 37″ 90 Stainless Jets 6 people $5,199.99

*Offers Bluetooth audio

Are the Home and Garden Spas reviews good?

Overall Home and Garden Spas rate in the mid-range of scores. While they have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, they also have 176 complaints from the prior 3 years. On Amazon, some models rate 2.9 stars, on Home Depot, models rate between 3 and 4.5 stars. But they rate much better on Wayfair and Overstock.

But let’s examine some of these in greater detail.

Amazon

Different models range in star-rating from 2.9 stars to 4.3 stars.

This poor rating came from complaints about a number of hot tub-related issues. The most common review was that the heater and pumps had to be replaced in under five years. Other reviewers stated that the speakers were designed to be inside the hot tub submerged underwater) so they didn’t work so well.

It is worth noting that no models I saw on Amazon had more than 30 reviews, so the sample size is fairly small and can be easily skewed by 1 really positive or negative review.

Home Depot

74% of customers recommended the brand, and the overall score was 4 out of 5 stars. Reviewers rave about the jets being strong while a few had leaking issues.

It’s worth noting that the worst scores on Home Depot are for models that are not currently being manufactured. So it’s possible the biggest issues have been addressed with the current models.

Overstock

With 134 reviews on Overstock, their final rating was 4.2 of 5 stars.

Unlike the other two websites, the reviews on Overstock were mostly positive, with only a few complaints about the hot tub heater.

Wayfair

Wayfair star ratings on Home and Garden Spas rate between 4 and 4.5 stars

As with Overstock, while no Home and Garden Spas are currently available on Wayfair, the reviews are generally quite good with few complaints. They also have a greater number of reviews than Amazon, with models ranging between 30 and 90 reviews each.

What is the best hot tub for the money?

The top manufacturers of hot tubs include Sundance Spas, Master Spas, Hot Spring Spas, and Cal Spa. But Essential Hot Tubs are an outstanding budget line of plug-and-play hot tubs.

But let’s examine some of the top brands in greater detail:

Master Spas 

If you’re looking for a great hot tub on a budget, then this might be the brand for you. I own a Master Spas Twilight series hot tub that’s about 10 years old and it’s still in outstanding shape with many more years to go.

Master Spas makes energy-efficient hot tubs, and the prices are reasonable.

They have 25 hot tubs in 4 categories and a 2-8 person seating capacity. They are leaders in bio-magnetic therapy, and each tub has a stress relief seat for the neck and shoulders, so if you suffer from joint pains, their hot tubs are perfect for you.

EcoPur Charge Filtration and Ozone systems are used in all Master Spas’ hot tubs. These are both energy-efficient and environment-friendly filtration systems. Master Spas has eight jet types, and there are between 16 and 32 jets in each tub.

Sundance Spas 

If you already have a specific spot to place your hot tub, Sundance Spas has a wide variety of different shapes and sizes you can choose from. They have four product categories and 26 hot tubs in total.

One of Sundance Spas hot tubs’ best features is that they can use a standard 120v outlet, so there’s no need to hire an electrician.

Their hot tubs are all compatible with the SmartTub app so that you can control your hot tub remotely. This is at an additional cost, and there is also a yearly subscription fee. This is a bummer because the tubs themselves are expensive, even entry-level ones.

With that being said, if you’re looking to invest in a quality tub, then these are perfect. Sundance Spas uses UV-C water sanitization, durable Fluidix jets, and a Silent Air Injector so you can add fragrances to your water.

Sundance Spas are part of the Jacuzzi company. The Jacuzzi family of hot tub brands was sold in 2019 to the investment company Investindustrial.

Hot Spring Spas 

This is one of the few brands with transparent pricing on their website; however, a dealer’s final price will still need to be considered.

Hot Spring Spas has some of the most compact hot tubs, so these are perfect if you have only a small space to use. There are 20 hot tub models in three categories and 11 jet types.

Their hot tubs are certified by the California Energy Commission. You can expect lower operational costs than other brands as their energy-efficient jets allow you to direct power to the ones you want to use. They are also the only brand I reviewed that uses saltwater sanitization. They do not use UV-C sanitization at all. While not the most expensive hot tub brand, Hot Springs Spas are not as inexpensive as Master Spas and have mostly premium models.

Cal Spas

If none of the previous brands has enough selection for you, Cal Spas has an overwhelming 51 hot tub models and three categories as well as sub-categories to choose from.

They are highly rated by customers for superior quality and got an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

This is the only brand I reviewed that uses saltwater sanitization, UV-C sanitization, and Ozone. There are also many upgrades and features available, including full-foam insulation, waterfalls, fountains, and being app compatible. You can also find a variety of spa steps and other accessories.

Conclusion 

In this article, I covered how Home and Garden Spas compares to other brands.

You learned that they have limited options compared to bigger brands. You also learned that their hot tubs are not made by Better Homes and Gardens.

I covered the different hot tubs that Home and Garden make and also listed their sizes and number of jets. I also discussed their reviews on Amazon, Overstock, and Home Depot. There are tons of hot tub brands out there, and I covered the top four I recommend and the pros of each one.

And overall, if you can even find hot tubs made by Home and Garden Spas (all sites were out of stock on all models at the time of this writing), I would not personally buy one of their hot tubs out of concern of all the complaints.


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Jeff Campbell