What makes the Kern River the best lounger hot tub you can buy? Default Title
The first time I saw the Kern River was at an industry trade show and I was immediately attracted to it. Having bought and sold nearly 10,000 hot tubs in the past I am reasonably hard to please. So why was I drawn to the spa?
The first thing that caught my eye was the super low back jets. You almost never see that. Some spas appear to have fairly low jets but in actual use they don't hit your really low lumbar area. This spa definitely does hit that area and does it really well.
I also noticed the palm jets. That means just what it says, jets that massage the palms of your hands which is also uncommon and a really nice feature. The wrap around neck pillow and 4 powerful directional neck jets also really do a number on your neck and upper shoulders. They massage the top of your shoulders and the tight fitting pillow keeps all the water behind you minimizing splashing.
The seat right next to this awesome corner bucket seat really surprised me. It's more of a bench seat so to look at it you wouldn't think it would be that great but was I wrong.
I've never had a spa that has a cluster of 20 jets right behind your back that are powered by 100% of the water from one huge 3hp pump. There's probably about 150 gallons per minute coming out of those 20 jets and it feels amazing! If you sit straight up in the seat they hit your low back. If you slouch down and put your feet up on the step directly across from the seat you get the most amazing upper back, neck, and shoulder massage. It's become a favorite seat.
The second corner seat isn't quite as intense as my favorite corner seat but it's also very powerful and the jets hit you in different places.
That seat is normally my second or third stop as I work my way around the entire spa over the period of 20 or 30 minutes. Corner seat #1 is really great for neck, upper back, shoulders, and low back but this one really shines with it's nice powerful mid back jets. I love the variety of the jets in each seat. You will want to use them all.
Finally the lounge... It's a nice long lounge with plenty of back, calf, and foot jets. It's the seat to really stretch out in and at the end of the
lounge there is another seat. It's a rather shallow seat so it's perfect if you want to cool down a bit.
By turning the diverter valve next to the lounge you can divert all the water from the lounge over to some huge jets tucked into this shallow corner seat. I've noticed that when you sit in this seat and put your legs down into the footwell you also get a really nice powerful calf massage from the two high output jets located on the face of the footwell on that side. So the seating and jet placement on this spa is more varied and complete than any of the 17 other spas I have owned over the last 40 years.
To make controlling super easy, in addition to the glass full color touch screen, this spa also has a small button control on the opposite side of the spa.
What I love about this is that with just 4 buttons you can control all the pumps, the light, and the 24 hour circulation pump and you can do it without having to even look at it. Being an eyeglass wearer I really appreciate this.
Now onto some of the things that really pushed this spa over the top for me. It was the visuals that attracted me to this spa initially but once I dug into the construction I also discovered that this spa is designed and built better than any spa I've ever seen.... and I seriously mean that.
It's built on a stainless steel frame so there will be no rotting wood frame here.
Yes, precision welded stainless steel is what the frame is made of. We've got a few spas that still have wood frames and those are generally the lower end models. We also have spas that have galvanized steel frames that I would consider to be nearly comparable to this stainless steel frame. We also have have some made with composite lumber frames. That material is also non corrosive but it can sometimes be a little brittle unlike stainless or galvanized steel.
So not only does this spa have a welded stainless steel frame but they even make mounting stands for the components to keep them up off the bottom of the spa. I have never seen a manufacturer do this. Every other manufacturer just puts the components, (power pack, circuit board, heater, pumps, etc) on the bottom of the spa, usually mounted on a board fastened to the bottom. Obviously this is the least expensive way of mounting the components and the spa will work fine but there are many advantages to mounting things up on platforms. The first obvious reason is that in the event something should ever fail and water fills the base of the spa, your equipment is protected from getting wet because it's up on it's platform! Ingenious!
Another great thing about this is that it helps this spa to be as quiet as possible by isolating it from the base of the spa. Another great reason is a little bit selfish. That is that it is much easier to work on components that are raised up as opposed to something sitting below the edge of the base of the spa.
Another unique feature is that each motor has a waterproof shroud over it. This prevents any water from dripping into the motor in the event of a leak somewhere or if the spa was overfilled or overloaded to the point that water could get into that area.
What makes our Earth spas nearly silent? The high density waterproof perimeter insulation with heat reflective foil vapor barrier on all sides and even the bottom is as tight and precise as I've ever seen. This keeps and uses all the friction heat generated by the motors and the water moving through the lines. It all stays captured inside the cabinet along with any motor sound too, so it's super quiet.
The worlds leader in spa electronics, Gecko is what you'll find in most models. Gecko equipment packs are easy to wire and super reliable. You can see in the following photos how the equipment is mounted elevated on the welded stainless steel frame.
Welded stainless steel construction with thick foam insulation fit tightly between the stainless steel structure. This spa is solid, quiet, efficient, and the best built spa you will find at any price.
Check out the hip jets and really low back jets in this seat. And this seat actually has 2 giant pumps feeding water into the jets so it's ridiculously powerful. (did I mention that I have this spa at home?)
I have seen manufacturers that glue and clamp their fittings but I have never seen one that glues and clamps each fitting using a stainless steel clamp.... until now!
Earth spas manufacturers several models that have all these same great features in various sizes. I've only had my Kern River for about 6 months but they just came out with a new model that is similar but all bucket seats called the Mauna Kei that I just have to get.
Specifications:
- Capacity: Seats up to 6 persons (1 lounger, 5 seats)
- Dimensions: 91" x 91" x 37" (L x W x H)
- Seat Configuration: 1 lounger, 5 seats
- Total Jets: 90
- Pumps: 2 x 3 hp pumps, 1 x 1.5 hp pump, 1 x circulation pump
- Heater: 4.0 kW
- Lighting: LED perimeter, footwell, fountain, top controls, and exterior lights
- Controls: High-quality controls produced by Gecko, Canada
- Filtration: 2 filters
- Cabinet: Natural grey finish
- Cover: WeatherShield premium cover included
- Step: Color-matched spa side step included
- Power Requirements: 50A @ 240V 60Hz
- Weight (Dry/Wet): 1,000 lbs / 4,100 lbs
- Water Volume: 370 US gallons
You can see these awesome spas on display at Leisure Concepts in Madison WI.
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