Intex28431EP PureSpa Plus Bubble Massage Inflatable Spa Set: Includes Energy Efficient Spa Cover –2 Headrests – LED Light – 6 Person Capacity – 85" x 28"

This is my review of the Intex 28431EP PureSpa Plus 85 Inch.First off, the 28431EP at $678 appears to be identical to the 28431E at $1024. I contacted Intex asking the difference and their reply "They are almost the same but the little difference lies in color. And the pool kind is the same but they are different pool sets and would come with different pumps and other maintainence kit. Have a good day."If true, I can't see the colour difference. The pump it came with is labeled 2843100B, and appears and functions the same as the higher priced model. All of the extras, cover, controls, tool kit, appear exactly the same as the model without the P. If there is $300 in less value here, I can't find it.So, about the spa itself. So far so good. Everything was well designed and very easy to set up. The quality appears top notch. Filled water started at 57°f and in 24 hours, was 100°f (my initial setting). The pump/heater is extremely quiet, something I was very surprised and pleased to discover. I have had the small Intex pools before and, as I recall, the filter was rather loud.Of course the air pump is louder but not too bad, about the same level as the bubble noise itself. As for those bubbles, the strength of the massage was completely unexpected. I thought the bubbles were more for appearance, but come to find out, they work exceptionally well. Feels great on the old back.Really glad I got the 85" model, 6 person is a bit of a stretch, but 4 close friends would be doable. For my wife and I, it's perfect.The cover is very well thought out, and looks to do a great job of insulation. The inflatable bladder, give the cover a bit of a dome and should prevent excessive water pooling with rain.My take so far, is save $300 and get the Intex 28431EP PureSpa Plus 85 Inch for $678. Very happy with this purchase. If anything changes, I'll update this review.--MarkEdit:Three weeks of steady, daily, use and the spa is working perfectly. Using the La Crosse Wireless Pool Thermometer, I can see the spa cycles 102° to 104° without any problem. The heating, actually runs less than expected. Consumers tracks my monthly power, so I'll report back with details.I'm old and my back hurts so the biggest problem so far is lifting off the insulated (very effective), cover. The cover that comes with this model, extends to the ground, and is quite heavy. When lifting, the fit is snug, so you're fighting a vacuum to get it off! Easy solution though. When you go to remove the cover, undo the encircling strap, start the air pump, and the cover domes and easily lifts off! 😎 This also allows any rain water to drain off the top. Super easy.I generally take the insulated cover off for a morning soak, leaveing it off all day, using only the inflatable bladder. This seals well and keeps leaves and junk out of the water. Easy on and off makes it simple for a quick soak. I put the cover back on at the end of the day, or if we go away.When I originally fill the tub, I used a garden hose that was a couple years old, and the water was nasty. The hose must have deteriorated. Anyway, took several days and a couple of filter changes, and the pump/filter cleaned the water gin clear. Testing also showed are water was extremely hard. This unit supposedly had some method of softening water, well 8 days in, it tested perfect. With a few other standard pool chemicals, everything balanced out nicely. I check and clean/replace the filters every few days. They clean off well, especially with a bit of compressed air. You should get a fair amount of use before replacement is necessary.I also purchased the Intex 28620EP Handheld Rechargeable Spa Pool Vacuum. Maybe not completely necessary, but makes cleaning extremely easy.I think I read somewhere that the filter/heater timed out after 72 hour, or so. Not the case so far, but I use the spa daily.All said, very pleased with this spa. Stay tuned.Edit: END OF THE SEASONSo, it's only mid October, but took advantage of one of the last nice days to store the spa. Read the instructions for storage, and it's pretty simple. Drained with the a hose a instructed and finished up with a wet vac, wiped down and deflated with the air pump. This work really well and collapsed the pool enough that it actually FIT into the provided storage bag! Other parts stored in the original box.Season summary: I used this spa almost daily for just shy of 6 months and enjoyed every minute. One E-90 filter error, when first installed with nasty water from an old hose. New filters and the water cleared up quickly and everything ran perfect all season. At first I was cleaning the filters, to extent there use, but found one one of them really doesn't do anything so just changed them weekly, swapping one with the other at that time. I am guessing the dual filters are a legal requirement, but for a spa this size, not really necessary.My only disappointment is the 104° temperature limit. I understand this is also a legal (or at least industry) requirement, but wish it was just a degree higher. I have a recording temperature gage and the spa consistently cycles between 102° and 104° which is good, but 102° is just a bit low for my taste. My friend has a $44,000 dollar spa and his does the same, so, I guess I can live with it.My electric usage was slightly higher than last year, but not by much. I am sure the spa accounted for some, but too little to put a number on it.As I was storing the spa and components, I had an opportunity to inspect everything. My original hope was to get a couple years out of this. I now suspect I can do much better as everything appears to be in excellent shape. Only a small amount a fading on the dark blue inner wall, otherwise all looks good.It's too bad that Amazon no longer allows replies on product reviews. Would love to compare notes with other spa owners.Summary: Absolutely an excellent value. See you next year, stay warm.Edit: Beginning year three, still good with one problem.At the end of year two, the insulated cover was finished. Started ripping at the seems. Intex does not seem to offer a replacement, so I irer the non-insulated "shorty". Actually, while not as efficient, it sure is easier to deal with. So, as a compromise, I'm happy, (see photo with shorty cover). Otherwise the spa has performed perfectly.Incredibly good deal and a pleasure for daily three (mostly) season use. Recommended.

Very happy with the purchase, hemmed and hawed about it for a while and finally pulled the trigger. There are so many choices out there it can be confusing. I settled on Intex because they've been doing it for a while. Glad I did because the quality seems top notch, durable material, the thick insulated cover with inflatable lid holds 104 degrees on 50 degree nights. The bubbles are more powerful than expected. The tub inflated in a matter of minutes. Assembley was simple, straightforward, and quick. Took about 45mins. I put down some interlocking rubber mats before the supplied tub mat, it helps insulate and adds some cushion. The tub is very comfortable and roomy, I'm a little over 6' and can stretch out easily. Although it's a " 6 person " tub I think 4 adults is about max unless you don't mind playing footsies. The only complaint I have would be that the headrests aren't the ones advertised, the ones that came with aren't even half the size of the ones shown and the clips provided just pop off the side.

The media could not be loaded. After 6 months the pump stopped working properly. The error 90 won’t turn off no matter what we do to fix it. Replaced filters, thermostat tried everything to fix it. You can’t get replacement parts at all.. very disappointing after less than 6 months of use it’s trash now..I’ve been waiting awhile before I wrote a review on this I wanted to use it for a few months to see how it would do. I went in with low expectations just wasn’t sure how’d it do with just air bubbles and I was worried about the size. My wife and I are on the taller larger side. I’m 6’2 she’s 5’9. Now putting together very easy to do I put it on our back porch I did buy some pads to go underneath it just for extra cushion. The instructions are easy to follow. Just for my peace of mind I put it on its own circuit. At 120v its does take about 24hrs to heat up to 104. All that aside. This thing has surpassed all our expectations. The size is good for the two of us. Even though this is a 6 person tub it’s great for 2 large people 4 very close friends… and anymore than that it’ll be tight. The bubbles are actually great the movement is very nice. The temperature starts at 104° after running it (30min) depending on the ambient temperature it’ll go down to 101-100 sometimes 99. I’m in south Texas it’s a little warmer here that makes a difference. Our usage is every other day now for a few months. The cover We use the air up round top mostly just for convenience I did buy some quick disconnects straps I put around the handles to hold it down. The large cover works great to. It keeps the heat at 103-104° I keep the heater on 24-7 I haven’t really noticed a change it my electric bill. Think of it as another refrigerator efficiency wise. All in all you can’t beat it for the price. It’s a good size for 2 the price vs the real deal ones you can’t beat it. I was worried about the quality, it’s strong durable no issues there. Highly recommended it!