Comfort Line Products Spa-N-A-Box Portable Spa

Although I am using this article in South America in an environment of between 76 and 80 degrees F, takes too long to warm up and go over 90 degrees F , still a good item

I am extremely happy with my experience with the Spa-N-A-Box Portable Hot Tub, sold to me by Oceantis. It was very easy to assemble, and although I had difficulty getting the spa to warm up initially, the seller was extremely helpful and convinced me to accept a replacement pump/heating unit, although I was willing to allow for the very cold winter we are experiencing. The seller offer lots of useful tips and information on usage and maintenance, and was very available to assist me. The spa did eventually reach 104 degrees as expected, but I decided to accept the seller's advice to replace the pump because he thought it should heat up faster than it had. In fairness to the unit, I was heating the spa during an extended weather period in the single digits. Even the best manufactured equipment has a problem element from time to time but I am not entirely convinced this is even the case with mine, nor do I do not expect this is common with this spa. Since it has reached 104 it has maintained that temperature consistently. I could not be happier to have made this purchase, and to deal with a seller who is willing to go the extra mile for great customer service. The unit is a decent size and even nicer than it appears in the image. I highly recommend this seller, and the Spa-N-A-Box Portable Hot Tub is a great purchase for the budget conscious.

I purchased this from Amazon in June 2013. When it works, it is a dream. When it breaks, it is a complete nightmare.I bought this because I thought it would be comforting for my arthritis, and it was - for a while. I wanted a spa in my sunroom, and a full-size hardshell one would not fit through the doors, hence my choice of this one.The Spa n a Box arrived promptly and was easy to put together. I regularly performed all maintenance in the manual, including water changes and filter changes on the prescribed schedule. It worked beautifully for about six months, then the pump jammed. I have had to shut it down and unjam it every couple of months since then. That's where the real trouble starts with this thing, for several reasons.1. In order to access the pump (for either filter maintenance or to unjam it), you have to unplug it and cover the water suction and return outlets with three provided plastic caps. In my case, after a few uses, the caps no longer fit the intakes or outlet - they were now too loose, and allowed rapid water bypass. When that happens, the filter chamber fills up as quickly as I empty it, so I end up with water everywhere. I thought perhaps the caps had stretched, so I purchased a new set. They fail to fit and are exactly the same as the old ones. It is the water suction and return outlets of the spa itself that have deformed. Customer service advised me to "make do" by putting plastic sandwich bags held with rubber bands over the ports instead. Not a professional solution, and not as easy as it sounds, not for anybody, but especially painful and hard to do with arthritis. They then advised me to "simply" drain the tub every time I had to change the filter or unjam the pump. Though wasteful, that might work in Florida where the company seems to be located, but when it is 20 degrees F outside, it is a great way to cause a season-long slipping hazard, and that is not an acceptable thing.2. Customer service has been pleasant to talk to and prompt to respond when I contact them, but there's not much they can do to overcome the design flaws, I guess. Their advice to unjam the pump has consistently been to a) beat on a particular place on the side of the tank with a mallet (I kid you not); and if that doesn't work, to b) plug the spa in, and use a long-handled screwdriver to rotate and try to free the impeller. In my experience, this will work a few times (although see #1 above, if your caps don't fit well you will have water all over). However, what they don't tell you is that that screwdriver is going through a ring or bushing in the impeller well that will break. That's what happened today, so now my pump is DOA.3. The pump is contained in an integrated "pump pack" unit with the heater and control electronics. They sell very few individual parts, and they don't sell this bushing - if I want my spa back, I am expected to by an entire new unit at a cost of $470 ($370 if I trust a refurbished one, which I don't). Having read the other reviews here, I have no confidence that a new pump pack won't do exactly the same thing as the first one (and I'll still have the issue of non-fitting caps).4. One more note - the filter cartridge itself is part of the problem. It is the usual pleated fine-pored material, with rubbery blue plates on both ends, and a coarse-grained prefilter on the bottom. They give instructions on how to clean them, but every time I have opened the filter chamber, I see that those rubbery blue end plates have degraded/disintegrated, and that they have released flakes and blobs of blue gunk that travels to the impeller. I think this stuff is a big contributor to the pump jam problem (and it also means that the filters cannot be reused because they are too degraded to fit properly). They are rather spendy, so having them not last is a genuine problem.So that's my experience. I LOVED this spa for the first few months of owning it. Had I done a review during that time, it would have been a glowing review. I still think the concept is great - it's just that the design has some pretty serious flaws, and the durability is simply not there. I am not sure what I will do now, but I will not continue to sink money into my Spa n a Box, sadly.

Purchased 12/2016. Power pack went out about 4 months later. Customer service was great but had to pay to ship it to them and pay for shipping return. Has been running about 3 months and has gone out again. Company need to do something about this pump. It has been a problem for several years. Spa is nice for the price. Does a good job except for this pump issue. Can’t spend the money to go through this repair again. I don’t recommend purchasing unless they provide a better pump system.

Have owned and used this hot tub for almost 1 year, and it is a reasonable value for the money.Pros: Just over $1000 after taxesEasily set up by one careful person, 2 people is better.Minimal maintenance - check chemistry before each use; clean filter once/per month; replace water & filter every 3 monthsReasonable electricity usageHeats in a reasonable time given tub size (~300 gal) & amperageQuiet (except when using the "jets")Does include vinyl repair kitCons: Does not come with chemicals, but local pool/spa supply store is best place to purchase anywayIf you were expecting water jets, you will be disappointed - air bubbles instead from ring at bottom of linerAir pump is extremely loudInflatable inner cover needed the repair kit & thermal cover tore with normal usageWill only gain heat when covered, and loses heat when uncovered, especially if using the air pump.replacement covers are expensiveConclusion: Reasonable for the money, as long as you are not expecting a hydrotherapy spa, and keep up with the maintenance. Unit is not very forgiving of lax maintenance, but not a lot is needed. Would likely still buy again if I could not spend the $2500-3000 for a spa with water jets. This appears to be the best of its type.