HEATWAVE Low Mount Spa Cover Lift – Compatible with Rectangular/Square Spas up to 8 ft Wide – Easy to Use Hot Tub Cover Lifter with Durable Power Coated Steel & Adjustable Spacers - Black

After reading the mixed reviews, I wasn't sure what to believe but I decided to give it a try since the other lifts cost so much more and I figured that I could probably work around some of the issues others raised, if in fact I ran into those same issues. I'm glad I did decide to try it. The lift was not hard to install, the quality is good, and I've had it installed for a few weeks now and it works great.My take on some of the issues raised-The instructions are not difficult to follow. In fact, it doesn't seem fair to even say anything other than that they are good instructions. I had no trouble whatsoever following the instructions. All I can assume is that these must have been updated since all the negative reviews were written. There's no way these are the same instructions people have complained about, they are fine.To the fellow who hasn't installed his and is sure it won't clear the back of the tub, you don't have to install the bracket parallel to the ground. I angled mine at only about 5 degrees leaning downward toward the hinge and it clears the tub just fine.As far as getting a wrench inside the bracket, it wasn't necessary to turn it more than about 1/16th of a turn to get it tight, so just put the wrench on the nut then turn the pin by hand until it's snug, then use the wrench. I had no trouble with that and it was not necessary to put the pin in a vice or even in pliers since it is thick enough to get a good grip on by hand. It doesn't have to be as tight as Dick's hatband, there's no torque on the pin once it's installed, you just want to get it snug so it won't back out.The arms that go up and over the cover are not predrilled, so get a good high quality drill bit, you'll need to drill quite a few holes. The upside of this is that it will fit pretty much any top within the specs of the lifter. One tip I would pass along- when you go to drill the vertical arms, this will determine where the crossbar falls over the cover. Be sure to err on the side of being short of the joint in your cover when you drill the arms. You want the crossbar to lie along a parallel plane about 4 inches toward the hinge side. That will allow you to fold the cover over it without rubbing the cover and causing wear.One thing that is really bad, almost inexcusably bad, is the quality of the screws included with the lifter. Luckily I keep boxes of torx head screws around because phillips head screws strip so easily. I had most of the screws I needed but nothing I could use in place of the ones for the arms and the crossbar, so I used the junk ones included with the set, which was dumb. A quick trip to the local hardware store would have well worth it since one of the cheap self tapping screws snapped into pieces as I was pushing it in with my drill and I ended up sending the screw about 4 turns into my palm. I had to literally unscrew it from my hand to get it out and it still hasn't fully healed after about 10 days.So buy this lifter if you are feeling a little confused about the reviews like I was. It is good quality, the instructions are not hard (I installed mine one evening after dinner), but take the bag of screws to the local hardware store and get some help and buy high quality screws. You'll be happy with this lifter, I know I am. It's such a pleasure to not have to wrestle with that cover anymore, and what a great price! I spent $100 less than I planned! Gotta love that.

I guardedly purchased this lift cover after reading all of the reviews about the difficulty of installation. Like another purchaser I figured for the price, I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did. I will concede I may have been more careful because of the reviews and I will say the pictures are a little dark but I really didn't have any problems at all. The pieces were easily identified to the parts list. The steps of installation were clear. The brackets are easily identifiable. Bracket placement is a little ambiguous "horizontally, with the angle mounted on the radius of the spa". But with the clear drawing and even the dark picture, it made sense to me (I did use a different bit than recommended, just under the mounting screw diameter, for the pilot holes). Maybe because I saved my drinking for later in the day? I also put together a "landing support" for the cover to sit on when open because it does seem like a lot of weight to be hanging free. But other than that, so far so good. I'll update if things go South.

Function and price make this a bang-for-buck winner, so long as you are willing to provide a bit of modification to fit your tub.After reading several other reviews I was concerned about the 'corner' issue, but decided to give it a try. The corner issue refers to the primary brackets that hold the lift pole. They aren't flat; one side is deeper and tilted at a 45 degree angle to fit curved corner spas. My tub does have small curved corners, so I thought this might be ok. With the bracket lined up to the curve I found I needed to add a square half inch section of wood spacer between the flat side of the bracket and the tub skirt to get the bracket to align evenly. This is actually not a bad thing, that extra half inch of wood provides a much stronger supporting area than the pine skirt alone, and with so much of the weight on that area, extra reinforcement is a good idea.As other reviewers have mentioned 2' on the sides isn't necessary for the lift mechanism, only the side where the cover will drop. However, you will need some working clearance to be able to drill the brackets into the skirt. My tub is in an enclosure and on one side I only have about 8 inches of clearance. It was a bit tight getting the drill and screws situated on that side. As for the packaging and parts, all the pieces were accounted for, no missing bolts or washers, and it all assembled easily without any assistance. It seems generally sturdy, and the inclusion of little plastic screw and bolt covers help give it all a nice finished appearance.Once assembled, the lift works great. I can't lift it off from outside the tub, the technique is to flip one half over, get in the spa and then lift the folded section up and over the side with the help of the lift. It sits (hangs) off the ground with about half of the cover higher than the spa edge. This makes dropping it back down much easier, utilizing its own weight. Getting the cover back on was always a serious effort and this lift solves that issue effectively.There is a lot of weight put on the bracket's pivot bolt and stopper while the cover is off and hanging, especially if the cover is old and waterlogged. The lifting-off procedure is something that should be done carefully and with control so as to not place undue stress on that section. I would worry if a guest were to use it without that knowledge, as flipping it off aggressively could result in damage.All and all this device does a great job. For the price it can't be beat and it performs its duty sufficiently. If you've been dragging your cover on and off, it'll feel like a major improvement once this is in place.