Vortex swim spa 2 year review - maintenance, costs and would I buy again? Yes

[@cmsjns]

Thank you for this review. Reviews like yours are hard to come by.

[@handyman4everyman]

Yes! When I was in the research stage, I couldn’t find any real life reviews on swim spa which is why I thought it was time to do one!

[@Mersipher]

Thank you for sharing your experience. Best education so far on a swim spa. You'd think the manufacturers would cover this stuff in detail online. In person, sure. However, when someone is curious about something it's better to cover things the consumer might forget to ask. Appreciate the time in sharing your experience. Cheers

[@handyman4everyman]

Thanks for your encouragement! I couldn’t find much online from consumer point of view when I was shopping around hence this video.

[@timclarke2514]

Thanks for the review mate. Most in depth review I have seen.

[@rabd77]

Great review. Thanks for taking the time to help others with general running costs e.t.c.

[@frigglio]

Thanks mate - in the process of getting one in, your vid has helped me confirm it’s the right decision!

[@handyman4everyman]

Glad I could help!

[@amybogaski9218]

thanks for posting, I live in Sydney and I've had my vortex for 6 months now. it was good to see that were both doing the same thing in relation to upkeep. have to agree with u in that its a great investment over a pool being able to swim in whatever temperature u want is so good. its starting to cool down here now and pools are to cold and also with COVID-19 restrictions in place im set for the months ahead as to are u!! thanks again.

[@handyman4everyman]

Thank you Amy for your comment! Yes it’s great to have available during lock down!

[@jase8793]

Thanks so much for the review particularly as we're currently considering a purchase. Very informative....

[@mjhumle]

Thanks! Just had knee surgery and they recommended swimming but I'm very bad in public places and came across this video and looking to invest in a product like this

[@CCNPayroll]

Need like pool steps inside 72yrs old hard to step out from spa seat I know it would take my space up on inside any suggestions ? East time USA 11:07

[@handyman4everyman]

Maybe you could get a ladder for inside the pool?

[@huibeddow2993]

I am thinking about buy a swim spa. Thank you so much!

[@voodoomotion5855]

Hi thanks for this great review! How have you been coping recently with running costs, have they increased much? We live in UK and planning to build an extension for on our terrace, because it's a wasted space and would be excellent for a swim spa. Would you recommend having one of these indoors? i'm hoping it'll be cheaper to heat during colder months and less prone to leaves. Can the water create a lot of condensation? The extension would have a glass roof and lots of windows, so i'm worried about it dripping everywhere. Perhaps the cover would help contain the water. Really appreciate your thoughts. Cheers!

[@handyman4everyman]

Good questions. As I live in australia where the weather is generally a lot warmer than the uk I don’t think my numbers would make a lot of sense. The cover is very good so insulates we’ll so I don’t think you would lose much heat. As for condensation I have no idea. I suspect there would be depending on the temp you set in the spa.

[@handyman4everyman]

You don’t have to worry about leaves as you would cover it all the time when not in use. I have no idea whether it’s a good idea indoors but I can’t really see why not except to install it would be challenging. We needed a crane to position it in the backyard I guess if it’s indoors they can move it in somehow…

[@voodoomotion5855]

@@handyman4everyman thanks for replying, much appreciated. Great to hear the cover insulates well. It can get very cold here but if insulated well, houses here can hold the warmth. I think we would need to get it delivered then build around it 😂 not sure how easy it'll be to deliver because we are on a narrow road 😂 definitely something to think through properly considering the cost. Thanks again, have nice weekend!

[@naturesherbalmedicineacupu5673]

Thanks for this informative review, just wondering how did you get the swim spa into your backyard? looks to me there is a roof overhang the spa. Thanks

[@handyman4everyman]

Had to hire a company that does this sort of thing with a crane.

[@emilbus1982]

Thanks for the review! Does the water have a strong chlorine smell?

[@handyman4everyman]

Nope. Needs less chlorine than if you were at public pool

[@JustinMilligan]

Awesome review 👏👏👏 Thanks heaps.

[@jovialfaltisco548]

If u don't take the cover off. You leave the head end or tail end open? If tail end open u swim with your head shut by the cover, not a very good feeling; If u leave tail end shut u don't get to use corner massage jet stream.

[@handyman4everyman]

You’re right. But if I’m just swimming quickly I don’t use the spa section. You have to put one lid on top of the other to create enough space for the swimming. It’s a lot easier than taking it off as the lids are heavy

[@sapphireequestrian]

Thank you, yes answered a lot of my questions. Can you please tell me more about the power. I’m on stand alone solar power, do I need to beef up my solar system or can I put a seperate small solar system just for the swim spar?

[@handyman4everyman]

I’m no electrician so can’t really give advice on that - it would depend on your current solar power vs your baseline usage. If you turn on all four jets plus the heater is going on at the same time you are going to use a lot of energy.and I’m guessing it would be more than the average solar system can handle.

[@bigcheese19]

Great review my man 😎

[@meoktube]

Champ, thank you for a down to earth review.

[@agatateneriferealestate6658]

Thank you for sharing. It's very helpful. Greetings from Tenerife

[@jatinsharma8804]

Thank you for sharing the video mate, enjoy the dip

[@handyman4everyman]

Thanks, will do!

[@algacamama]

Thanks for the review mate. I’ve just bought a place with one that was installed two years ago. I think it’s the ‘Aqualounge’, and I’m wondering what model yours is. It looks the same. Sorry if I missed your reference to the model in the description but I cant see it!

[@handyman4everyman]

I think it’s called the aqua gym…

[@markrobinson1920]

Thanks for the video mate. Is yours 1.3m deep? And if yes, did you ever regret not buying the 1.5m? I'm not sure if you need the 1.5m depth...?

[@handyman4everyman]

I don’t think we had the 1.5m option here. Regardless 1.3m is fine for swimming and better for young kids too

[@markrobinson1920]

Thanks! So you don't touch the floor and don't kick the seats, do you?

[@handyman4everyman]

@@markrobinson1920 no. Unless you are really really tall - swimming is fine

[@DavidSmith-lo7wf]

Thanks for the review. As others have said it's hard to find these for some reason. I'm in Canada considering a Vortex and it seems to be one of the less available brands, but also much more economical. I am attracted to them because of the seating/swim layouts as well as the price obviously (close to half of similar units from Jacuzzi/Hydropool/Endless Pools). I am most hesitant because of the lack of dealer presence and concern for the long term. One general thing I'm not sure of across brands is how much swim room there is vs how much I need. I am 6' tall and worry about swimming when people are sitting in the spa seats.

[@handyman4everyman]

Hey David! I don’t think there’s any problem at all for someone your height even with people sitting in spa.

[@DavidSmith-lo7wf]

@@handyman4everyman thank you. You said yours was the 4m one? (About 13') What made you pick Vortex over other brands? I understand they are an Australian base company, was that a factor?

[@handyman4everyman]

Sorry for slow reply but yes it was because it was australian company.

[@handyman4everyman]

You should be fine for space at your height

[@nathanlandon5708]

Did you have to change your solar inverter if you went from single-phase to three-phase power? Or did you install solar after the swim spa? Thanks for the video, your right not many reviews out there.

[@handyman4everyman]

Great question! I got the solar after and you are absolutely right, the inverter needs to be three phase compatible. I totally forgot about that.

[@rominhawk3949]

Very helpful. Thank you very much for your great presentation. Liked it very much.

[@MyKrista1234]

great review, I wish the camera wasn't so close up though so we could see the entire product. great job tho

[@gehanh9107]

I know you posted this video awhile ago but hoping you can. Might seem like a silly question but how do you climb out of the spa? Is there a step on the inside at all?

[@handyman4everyman]

Yes there is a higher part on the spa side

[@MrBradley34]

Can you swim (freestyle) like you can in a 50m outdoor pool?

[@handyman4everyman]

Yes!

[@totem.8886]

@@handyman4everyman what is the minimum amount of jets do you need to do that? seeing as you said you would go with less jets

[@handyman4everyman]

You would have to use 2 or More For free style.

[@handyman4everyman]

@@totem.8886 hopefully not too late for me to add that for freestyle 3 or 4 jets would be better! Did you buy one?

[@juliancb]

Don't normally comment but just wanted to say THANKS! Really helpful insight and practical information. Avoids filtering through all the salesy stuff when dealing with a company :)

[@handyman4everyman]

You’re welcome. Btw as a 2.5 year update the heat sensor is now busted and costs $200 aud to fix....

[@handyman4everyman]

Warranty for that part was only for 2 years.

[@juliancb]

@@handyman4everyman Always the way isn't it! Thanks for the update.

[@naturesherbalmedicineacupu5673]

Can you swim freestyle stroke without turn on bubbles ?

[@handyman4everyman]

Yes. I had a friend who has the endless pool style pool try it out and he said it was pretty good swimming freestyle. He used the four jets and swam a bit further back compared to what I do for breaststroke.

[@handyman4everyman]

When using four jets you have to be careful to direct the jets properly so turbulence isn’t so bad

[@alaws75]

Nice video, like you I couldn't find any videos on it. We just got the Vortex Max + with 3 pumps earlier this week. Did you find it took a lot of electricity for the initial heat up? I've just checked our daily power usage for the fist two days and it's gone up from about $2 per day to $27! Also do you have a recommendation on a vac or similar to clean the bottom of the spa?

[@handyman4everyman]

Yes it’s expensive initially as it heats up but I have solar. It’s a 7kw heater so I’m not sure how that translates but at 2kw where we live it’s 50cents and hour and if it takes 1 hour per 1 Celsius then to go from say 20 to 30 degrees it would be 10 hours x whatever the price for the number of kw. As far as cleaning bottom of apa- honestly I haven’t needed to as We keep the lid on and nothing really gets in. And it’s been 3 years. There’s a tiny bit of sand but I haven’t bothered with it.

[@handyman4everyman]

Don’t panic though the cost of electricity will drop once it’s reached the temperature you want.

[@alaws75]

@@handyman4everyman Cheers, thanks for the response! We have solar too and wasn't expecting that! Let's hope it drops now it's at a nice temperature :)

[@handyman4everyman]

Yeah it will definitely drop. I check my usage day to day and I don’t think it contributed too much to electricity bill usually. Of course when jets are on then you will be spending more

[@handyman4everyman]

One other tip. Look after those lids. They are very expensive to replace. Don’t drop them on the ground if you can help it

[@paulvaluations]

Is it difficult to stay in the middle and not hit the ends?

[@handyman4everyman]

No. It’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it

[@handyman4everyman]

But I only do breaststroke

[@psrobinson9258]

Thank you, have been contemplating about such a purchase, and you touch on all my concerns on swim spa vs pool. However, one question, why not use the spa area, or purchase one without the spa seats

[@handyman4everyman]

Good question! There were no swim spas available at least in our area that did not have spa area. The swim jets are much better massage jets than spa jets so we don’t usually use the spa area.

[@tomsumner2601]

Do you know the exact model of the swim spa, great review

[@handyman4everyman]

Thanks! it’s called aquagym www.spaworld.com.au/products/swim-spas/vortex/aquagym-pro

[@MrBradley34]

Another question; do you run your swim spa of the solar panel? If so how much do you save?

[@handyman4everyman]

We have a solar panel for the whole house so hard to know exact saving. It’s the heating that’s the expensive bit so if you set it so it power saves at night and only heats during the day - depending on whatever else is going on in the house you should really pay nothing for electricity

[@handyman4everyman]

I can’t tell exactly how much energy it draws when heater is on but I don’t think it’s more than 2kw at any one time

[@Austaiwan168]

Thanks for sharing this great and informative review , did you compare any other swim spa like endless pool or sapphire pool spa?

[@handyman4everyman]

I have tried the endless pool style one at friends house and the flow is definitely better. It’s very smooth compared to swim jets. But not easy to get in Australia.

[@handyman4everyman]

We chose vortex because it’s an Australian company...

[@cherylmartinez8539]

Thank you for sharing. Great information.

[@Jasonb4114]

I'm considering the exact same spa so this review was perfect thankyou. Can you tell me what thickness slab you have this sitting on please? They recommend 150mm but I have a perfect spot that's 100mm so I'm curious. Thanks!

[@handyman4everyman]

Great question. Pretty sure we did 150mm as we built new. It will be more than 6 tonnes so you’d want to make sure the concrete can handle the pressure. I’m no engineer but I’m sure you can do some calculations to figure out if it’ll work out.

[@Jasonb4114]

@@handyman4everyman no worries, thankyou for the reply. It's certainly given me food for thought 👊

[@Mrjdviv]

Helpful review. Thanks.

[@handyman4everyman]

You’re welcome! I couldn’t find a review when I was looking to buy so hope this helps others decide.

[@Aticone]

Thanks for the review. We're looking at getting one before Christmas. Quick question did you shell out the extra for the Avanti or stick with the standard? We've been quoted $27,000 for the aquagym pro (2 swim jets), Avanti upgrade with the upgraded heater, steps and install. From what I can tell the Avanti provides better insulation, more light features, and a few other cool little things.

[@handyman4everyman]

Sorry don’t know what avanti means but ours was 4 swim jets and 3 seats for spa.

[@Aticone]

@@handyman4everyman it's just their upgraded version of the same model you have. Has extra lights, ultra violet cleaner, extra insulation, and a few other perks. I also spoke to them today and they said it would work on single phase. I guess things have maybe changed in the last two years. Thanks for the info though :)

[@handyman4everyman]

DanK no worries! I’m not sure you need extra lights etc. Yes single phase may work depending on what else you have running - we had a big central aircon which has high demands.

[@monikaschubert2107]

Hi DanK, I’m currently looking at the same model you’ve mentioned with the Avanti upgrade too. Did you end up purchasing? and if so can you please share yr experience thanku 🙏

[@Aticone]

@@monikaschubert2107 tbh our experience was pretty terrible. The spa is definitely great and we absolutely love it, but spaworld is an atrocious company. Our spa took 12 months to get delivered, they gave us the incorrect information for the concrete slab thickness and then used contractors for everything. If we had a do over, I'd probably not get the heat pump through them, you can get one far cheaper online and then contact a local contract for install (which is pretty much what they did anyways). Still not sure the Avanti upgrade was worth it. If you're a strong swimmer then I'd go with three jets. Two jets is a good workout for an average swimmer, but if you want to get a good pace then you'll probably want three.

[@livelifestyle2269]

Who did u buy from?

[@handyman4everyman]

Vortex spas in Australia. Are you Australian?

[@eddycha1]

Hi, what kind solar power do you use?

[@Parang7079]

The Sun

[@ProposedLines]

Channel name is very unusual?

[@Austaiwan168]

Hi, did you place the swimspa on paving or concrete slap? Thanks

[@handyman4everyman]

Concrete slab

[@thielef]

Very helpful thanks

[@Pacoklein]

What size is your swim spa?

[@handyman4everyman]

4 x 2.3m

[@chookchack]

Uhmm

[@tinkerbethels]

Very helpful thank you