First time buyer, questions I should ask and opinions on my top two so far?

[htownguy]

Hi there, stumbled upon this site today and wanted to see if I could get some advice.  Just bought a house and my rooftop deck is weight rated for a hottub, and I'd really like to put one up there.  The cantilever gives me about an 85-90" square space in the corner, and I'm thinking a 4-5 person tub would be ideal.

In my area (Houston metro), there's only a few dealers that do both sales and setup, at least that I've found so far.  Basically the two choices I've found are Jacuzzi and Hot Spring vendors.

My two main questions for anyone that has experience with this are:
#1 what's the difference in quality between the two manufacturers?  I've been looking at the J200 and J300 series and the Prodigy/Envoy/Vanguard lines respectively just to give a price/similarities range so it's apples to apples

#2 what kind of questions do I need to be asking about warranty, package, parts, shell durability, etc?  What fee items are part of a sale so I know how to get an honest, bottom-line price from any dealer?  Both of the competing dealers said they can do a crane rental to put the tub on my roof at install for approx $400-500.  I like both brands as far as I've been able to tell online but before I start talking in any detail with either dealer I wanted to get a good base of info.

Are there any recommended dealers or other brands I should compare with as well?

Thanks in advance, appreciate any input!

[mattNY]

Both brands are great tubs.  As others here will tell you, wet test the models you like (preferably with anyone else that will regularly use the tub), then make your decision.  Between those two, you can't really make a "bad" choice.  Good luck!

[htownguy]

Thanks that's good to hear, I'm finding more info on pricing expectations so it'll help a lot when I talk to the dealers to see what ranges they offer vs the ranges I've seen online.

More importantly since I'm new to hottubs, what kind of questions and things should I specifically be looking for, i.e. the parts, warranty, cleaning items etc?  I'm trying to get a checklist together of items to go over so I can make a full comparison of HS and Jacuzzi.  If enough veterans have some good input it might make for a good sticky post of considerations when purchasing a new tub, just a thought

[wmccall]

I agree with Matt as far as the 2 brands.  We have several Vanguard owners here.  Welcome to the forum.  Living in Houston and having the tub elevated, you may want to look into additional straps to tie down your cover when the next hurricane comes.

[htownguy]

Thanks that's a really good point about the straps, anything else I should be looking for in terms of package/addons etc?  Or are both of these lines pretty well packaged out the door?  Read in some of the older threads on here last night that a 2nd filter set is good for no downtime and better life of the filters, other tips along those lines would be great!

[htownguy]

Ok just called the two dealers and here's the info I got, the HS numbers seem high compared to what others have posted on here, but so do the J280, curious if you guys think these are reasonable or overpriced.

Jacuzzi J280 with LEDs no speakers - $6550
J230 with LCD display - $5958

HS Prodigy - $6895
HS Soverign - $7995
HS Vanguard - $8995
HS Envoy - $9895

Both Jacuzzi and HS said the price includes install, they said it would be $500-1000 for the crane rental to get it on my rooftop deck, plus electrician fees for the breaker.  Jacuzzi gives the steps for free while with HS that's extra.

Just wondering how the prices compare and if the J280 is comprable to the Prodigy or if the HS lines are all above the J2 series in quality and I should get some J3 numbers to make a proper comparison.  Regardless it seems high since some people mentioned the Vanguard going for 8k so I'm not sure if I'm getting highballed here.

Thanks!

[hottubdan]

First of all the 200 series and Hot Spring are not comparable.  300 and 400 series are comparable to Hot Spring.

Regarding pricing...if you just phone shopped I would bet these are not bottom line prices.  Like it or not, dealers expect some haggling, so they are going to start high.  When you visit and are ready to buy, I'll bet you can do better.

Good luck.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

Ok just called the two dealers and here's the info I got, the HS numbers seem high compared to what others have posted on here, but so do the J280, curious if you guys think these are reasonable or overpriced.

Jacuzzi J280 with LEDs no speakers - $6550
J230 with LCD display - $5958

HS Prodigy - $6895
HS Soverign - $7995
HS Vanguard - $8995
HS Envoy - $9895

  

Both Jacuzzi and HS said the price includes install, they said it would be $500-1000 for the crane rental to get it on my rooftop deck, plus electricia

Just wondering how the prices compare and if the J280 is comprable to the Prodigy or if the HS lines are all above the J2 series in quality and I should get some J3 numbers to make a proper comparison.  Regardless it seems high since some people mentioned the Vanguard going for 8k so I'm not sure if I'm getting highballed here.

Thanks!

 J-280 with lights, and no stereo at that price is very fair, J-230 with LCD display makes no sense, its a LED display just like the J-280. At 6000 I would go with the J-280 with the 2 pumps and more size.

 The other issue is, the HS spas you are looking at are in a different series than the 200 series, IE they offer more, with a better warranty std circ and a couple have 2 pmps not to mention there no by-pass filtration.   my eyes at that but that's another story.  

 If you really want to compare the 2 you need to move up to the J-300 series or look at the Tiger river spas from HS.

 Check out the J-345,J-355, and the J-365  Spa for spa pretty equal as far as what they offer.

[htownguy]

Hi Jim, thanks for the info.  LCD was a typo, I have bad handwriting and was copying it over here fast, it was also LED.

Between price and features I think I'm really leaning to either the J280 or the HS Prodigy.  While it sounds like the 300 series is a better comparison to Prodigy the 280 seems to be alot alike.  I'm a little surprised that the 280 has 44 jets while the Prodigy only has 19, does anyone have experience with the two or can provide any comparison between them?  Going to try to wet test both this weekend but both dealers are about an hour away in different directions so the more I can figure out beforehand the better off my car will be.

[ejf The Spa Guy]

htownguy,
 both brands are very good , they have long histories in the industry, either one should be great for you. i am biased as i sell D1 spas, bought either of these 2 you should be happy with, some factors to think about is the salesman you are dealing with, the dealership, and the feeling you will get after talking to both, service after the sale is important....hope this helps you out.

[Peteyboy]

We have sold both.

The 280 is bigger than the Prodigy. It may have more jets but IMO the Prodigy is the better spa with better hydrotherapy. The things I like better are: Better warranty, better structural stability (i think HS is the only brand that lets you shim without voiding the warranty), more efficient (which can offset a higher price), etc.

The Jacuzzi was a reliable spa for us, but I would put HotSpring above it.

Like the others say, the comparison should be the HS Prodigy against the Jacuzzi 300 series.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 So your saying the prodigy with 1  1.65 hp pump is going to have better hydrotherapy than 2  2.5 hp pumps in a J-280??
 
 While I will admit the prodigy may have nicer jets than the 200 series, I gotta say the J-280 would rock the socks off a prodigy.   We have one running on the floor and it really does move some water.
 If you have ever seen one run I think you would agree.

 As far as the other stuff its debatable.

[Spatech_tuo]

Going to try to wet test both this weekend but both dealers are about an hour away in different directions so the more I can figure out beforehand the better off my car will be.

Far more often than not that wet test will answer things for you.

[ejf The Spa Guy]

definately try them both out. this will help with your decision.....

[Peteyboy]

I agree with the wet test - I've soaked both spas and I like the Prodigy better. This is only my opinion.

I don't go for the "this pump is bigger so more powerful jets". Jacuzzi has a different philosophy for their jets than HotSpring. At least that's what we were taught by the rep.

Yes the other stuff is debatable - that is why I put IMO on my post. Any other HotSpring guys want to chime in - debating is a good thing. I would think it would be hard to debate the structural stability of a HotSpring. I could tell some good stories on some mishaps where I was glad we were dealing with HotSpring.

Bottom line is that all of us in here are offering our opinions - spa shoppers ultimately need to do research and choose the spa THEY like best and Wet Testing is the best way.