You heard it here first. You heard it here ONLY. I have no idea why it's not mentioned ANYWHERE that the minimum distance from the edge of this bracket to the center of your cover is 32". Additionally, the recommended distance from the edge of your tub to the edge of this bracket is 2". Ergo, the minimum distance from the edge of your tub to the center of your cover is 34". In other words, the total width of your hot tub needs to be 68" or more (it's adjustable larger than that; it's NOT adjustable smaller than that). Do you have a 3-person hot tub, such as the Artesian Santa Cruz, which is only 61" wide? Well then guess what. This is too big, even at it's smallest possible setting. Why NO ONE thought to mention this sooner is beyond me. But now you know.

I will agree with the other review that you are still doing a lot of the lifting to open the cover. Also, to get it open with any ease you have to grab it towards the middle, leaning over the water, because the air strut is not strong enough to lift the opposite side (see first picture). But it does hold the cover out of the way and eliminate the need to remove it completely which is nice. I used a piece of PVC to hopefully prevent damage to the middle seam, as ive read others had that problem.

Just completed the installation today. I was pleasantly surprised by the materials used. I was expecting galvanized steel. It appears to be powder-coated aluminum which should last a lot longer here in Florida. I will try to return to report on durability in about a year.

Installation was really quite easy. Instructions were clear. It works exactly as described, but my cover is a bit thicker than typical, so I had to leave more space (9 ½ inches) between the spa and the wall to allow for the cover. The spa is a Dynasty Regatta.

My wife is 5' 2" and had no significant difficulty operating the lift. It is (in my opinion) just about right in terms of lift assist. We'll see how long the shocks last, but they certainly look robust.

The lock mechanism is very easy to use. I think it's critical to train everyone who is going to use it how to operate it. I understand that it WILL be damaged if you try to force it closed without operating the lock mechanism. I must say that it's not obvious to me why it should damaged unless you are pretty forceful though.

I bought the 250 model after calling the manufacturer. They told me not to buy the 400 unless you have a significantly heavier cover. My cover is pretty heavy, but clearly OK for this unit.

I've had this cover for 18 months now, and don't care for it. The lifting is done by short metal bars at the ends of the cover seam, and the stress on the seam is causing it to tear. I bought some PVC pipe that I put over the fingers so that it spans the width of the cover, and this makes it much better. Why didn't the designers make a bar to cover the entire width, and spread out the stresses so that the cover material doesn't tear? Also the finish on the metal parts has flaked off because moisture got under it. The aluminum parts are now exposed and covered with corrosion, which looks bad. The fastening bolts head covers fell off right away, and the sharp bolt edges have torn my cover material. The mounting rails are so thin that they have warped and the cover rests open at an angle now. The safety lock on one of the lifting cylinders is a real pain in the *** and I'd remove it if that were possible. I wouldn't recommend this product to anyone!

In all fairness, this review is based on my experience using this product in a busy vacation rental property. My guests ended up breaking this unit (Valet 250's) twice within 2 months. Note: I bought and installed one Valet 250. It broke within the first month of use. We called the manufacturer and received and installed the new part. That same part broke again within the month. We have now uninstalled the entire lift and and reverted back to a simpler design.

While working, the valet 250 is great. My property manager mentioned that it would probably be fine for a family or couple (who would learn how to use it and be careful). Apparently, however, there is a "trick" to using this lift. Even though we left instructions, it was not used properly and subsequently broke.