What is the Best Swim Spa for the Money?

Any value-oriented shopper wants the best of what they want to buy, for the least amount of money. Wouldn’t it be great if all shopping worked that way?

When it comes to swim spas, buying the best isn’t as straightforward as saying, the “Hydropool Aquatic 14-foot AX Sport is the best value swim spa that you can buy.”

It would be great if there was an industry award that gave out that distinction. But there is not. If we gave ourselves one, we would look ridiculous. So we don’t do that either.

That leaves people searching for options and trying to figure it out themselves. And when we think people are left to do that, we write articles trying to help. It can be confusing buying a swim spa, and that’s the last thing we want people to feel.

So in this article we will spell out how to get the most value out of buying a swim spa. Because there are different ways to determine the best value.

• Do you want the most swim spa for the least money?
• Do you want the best swim spa for swimming?
• Do you want the best swim spa for playing?
• Do you want the swim spa that costs the absolute least?
• Do you want the swim spa that costs the least each month?
• Do you want the swim spa that will last the longest without issue?

All of these are fair and noble goals! We will tackle each in turn so that by the end you’ll know where the value is in the swim spa marketplace.

 

How to get the most value of any swim spa you buy

Our main advice is to get the swim spa that aligns most closely with what you hope to use it for. Most people by a swim spa for one of four reasons: swimming, aquatic exercise, recreation or massage/hydrotherapy. If you focus on getting a swim spa built for your needs, that’s where the bet value is going to come.

What we mean is this: A Hydropool 19-foot Executive Trainer is an impressive swimming machine. That’s what it is built and designed to excel at. So if you’re buying it for elite swimming, it’s great value. But it is one of our most expensive swim spas.

Our 13-foot AquaPlay FFP is our least expensive swim spa. But if you’re buying it for swimming, it’s not ideal. It’s designed to be more of a family fun pool (that’s actually what FFP stands for).

See what we mean? If you figure out what you want to use your swim spa for, your chances of getting the best value increase significantly. Swim spas are built for different reasons so it’s good to choose the one that’s closest to what your needs are.

Do you want the most swim spa for the least money?

Ok, first of all, our advice is not to buy the cheapest swim spa possible. A company can make a swim spa with some acrylic, a frame, jets and a heater. You can do that, and it will be terrible. Because it’s not the parts that are the cost, it’s the engineering, design and experience that you’re buying.

If you want to buy a swim spa and have it for a few years and then have a pile of leaky junk to deal with later on, then buy at the lowest possible price.

So watch anything that says “it’s the lowest price” you’ll ever pay for a swim spa. Like when buying tacos, sometimes you want to pay more than the lowest you can.

So do you want the cheapest swim spa? Flat out no, you really don’t. There’s no value there. It will leak, within years. Its motors will not heat. Its swim current will be turbulent, like swimming into a rapid. Its acrylic may crack, it’s frame will warp, which will cause the acrylic to crack, if it hasn’t already.

This is not the kind of thing you want to race to the bottom on. Swim spas aren’t expensive compared to pools, but to get quality and value you want to at least be in the middle of the market.

So let’s talk about the most swim spa for the least money. That’s a decent target. What you will find is that it evens out. Quality swim spas are in the following ranges:

If you’re buying in the ranges outlined in that video, that will get the most swim spa for the least money. But it’s not going to be the lowest you can pay. And you’ll be grateful for it, even if you don’t know it.

After you realize that’s the price range for a decent swim spa, the next thing is to figure out exactly what you’re shopping for.

Do you want the best swim spa for swimming?

This is optional. Many people buy recreational swim spas for the kids, for example. Some people want both swimming and recreational. All are options.

But if you want the best possible swim spa for swimming, you’re only seriously looking at a few options. This is because many swim spas are built to technically allow swimming, but they aren’t really designed that way.

Want to hear about who we think the best builders are? Try clicking the link:

There are lots of good swim spas out there, but as the article states, really Endless Pools, Master Spas … and yes, we would say us at Hydropool are the ones that have swim spas that focus on swimming. If we’re being serious, that’s our list of the best out there. 

• In all of these, you can swim in these swim spas without a tether.
• Each of these companies have done serious work to ensure their swim spas allow for varied swimming abilities and so that anyone swimming can improve.
• Each has unique technology behind its swim spas.

But regardless of who we think is best, our No. 1 tip to anyone shopping a swim spa is to “try before you buy.” Do not accept someone’s word, that these are the best. You will want to try out the models that interest you.

If you’re interested in swimming, you’ll still have choices. Do you want only swimming? Or do you want swimming plus fun?

• You can get swim spas built for elite triathletes and Olympic gold medal winners (at Hydropool that’s our Executive Trainer collection). These are elite-level swimming machines.
• You can get swim spas that have outstanding swimming but allow for recreation as well (at Hydropool that’s our Aquatic Trainer collection).

 

Do you want the best swim spa for playing?

You can always find fun swim spas, and they often cost significantly less than ones that focus greatly on swimming (our least expensive swim spa is the AquaPlay, and its nickname is the 13FFP, for 13-foot Family Fun Pool).

These swim spas will compete on cost. Most are around 12 to 14-feet long and eight feet wide. You will find stripped down versions that cost less than $25,000 and some that go higher. Essentially, these are big hot tubs, with a little bit of swimming ability. But mostly they are built for places for families to play and hang out. If you want your kids to put away their phones and have a good time, this class of swim spa is a good place to start.

Do you want the swim spa that costs the least to run?

Electric cars aren’t the least expensive ones you can buy, but you can get good value out of them because they cost less to run than gas-powered cars. So we can understand why you’d want to focus here. In truth, operating costs will be similar for many brands.

Do you want the swim spa that lasts the longest?

This is a good goal, but we’re not sure how you’d figure it out. That data isn’t kept by any agency or any company, so anyone making the claim their swim spa lasts longer than anyone else’s is really just that … making a claim. We can say our swim spas are made with steel, and steel lasts longer than wood, so ours lasts longer than anyone who uses wood. We know that’s right. But the fact is we don’t have numbers on how long our competitors last and they don’t have ours.

So here’s what we do know and can share. What’s most important in having a reliable swim spa is buying a decent make and then keeping the water balanced while you have it. Maintenance will go the farthest in making sure your money isn’t wasted. You’re actually in control in many cases, how long your swim spa will last.

What is the best swim spa for the money?

Here’s our best advice. The best swim spa for the money is the one that matches most closely with what you want the swim spa for. Most people want a swim spa for swimming, recreation, hydrotherapy (or massage) or aquatic fitness.

We don’t recommend buying the cheapest swim spa you can find, because there are ones on the marketplace that we don’t believe will last. Buy the model with the greatest value that is closest to your needs. Still have questions? Contact a local dealer now.