Limelight Pulse vs. D1 Meridian -- Which is the better spa?

[jerrynt]

Hi,

Is Limelight Pulse (HS) or D1 Meridian the better spa?  Both dealers claim superior products. D1 dealer says that not all the jets on the Pulse can run at the same time.  Is it true? The HS dealer called D1 inferior product. Don't know who or what to believe..

Can buy Pulse floor model for $9300 - no stereo - but with delivery and don't have to pay tax.  Can buy Meridian for $7700 plus tax with pretty much everything except stereo. Are these good prices? Rock bottom prices according to the dealers, but somehow doubt it.  I live on the West coast.

Finally, is HS Highlife Collection so superior to both Limelight and D1 Meridian that it's worth the extra dollars? Have been looking at Vanguard model.

Appreciate your insight.

Thanks!!!

[wmccall]

Welcome to the forum.  Most of us hate that talk down the competition game.  I haven't had a D1 dealer in my area for years, so my info is old, but trust they are both at the very least good tubs and choose for yourself and only listen to what they say about their own tub.

[fishn4life]

I just bought a new Meridian a couple of months ago. I'm in So Cal, did a lot of pre-comparisons and though educating, seemed more confused than when I began. I researched both HS and D1 and I personally think both are solid brands. There will always be an occasional lemon with any manufacture but when you read all the reviews from the different sources it's easier to make an educated decision.
$7,700 before tax seems about right. A lot of knowledgeable people have advised to wet test. I couldn't agree more. When you're dropping this much money you should know it fits you, your family, and whoever else you see using it.
After I wet tested the Meridian and spent 5 hours at the factory in Vista, Ca. I was completely convinced I was purchasing a solid product. I'm one of those guys that takes research pretty serious, and feel good about recommending D1.
With that said, HS sounds like they make a great tub. Mercedes and BMW both make great cars. You may like one vs another for whatever reason but both are solid. Go wet test both of them.
I can only speak for the Meridian here - this tub is great! The 1 large whirlpool Jet is an amazing feature! We use the tub 5/7 nights a week and the more we use it the more impressed I am. I added the extra lights & circ pump/ozone. I also have a wife and 3 kids who obviously love it. I've tried to think of things or "add ons" I wish this tub had and honestly can't think of one. The jets are more than powerful enough and it's easy to adjust them to your comfort. I was a little concerned about it only holding 300 gal. but now I look at that as a positive.
Hope this helps, good luck!

[Sam]

Hi,

 D1 dealer says that not all the jets on the Pulse can run at the same time.  Is it true?

This is true.  You cannot run all of the jets at the same time.  I'm not saying that makes the D1 better, both are very good brands. 

[Hot Spring Ace]

I'm not sure why it matters but almost all spas have a diverter valve between systems and the nice thing is being able to divert to one system or the other for a stronger feel or simply keep the valve in the middle to pwoer both. In fact the Meridian has a diverter valve as well according to the website.

The Pulse has a total of 50 jets running on two-2.5 hp pumps. Meridian seems to have about 44 jets (had to count, didn't see where total was listed) and also has two pumps, a 2.5 hp and a 2.0 hp. A few more jets and HP from the Pulse but balanced similarly (jets per Hp) so you'll get about the same jet flows out of both.

Both spas are made by good manufaturers. Wet test and you'll learn more about each.

[jerrynt]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to share this information and your knowledge!  I'm a complete newbie when it comes to tubs, but quickly catching up because of this great forum.  It's been very educational to read dozens and dozens of these posts.

The Pulse is a little bit more expensive: I can get a floor model for $9300 (I pay no tax).  Is that a good price? 

If the tubs are truly equal in terms of quality and features I might just go with Meridian to save the extra bucks. However, I would purchase Pulse if it offers a slight upgrade, of couse subject to the west test.  Any thoughts on that? 

Again thanks for everyone's input.  I don't know what I would do without this forum.

[bimmerdog]

One more thing to look into when buying any tub is the dealer.  Do a little research to find out "if" you have a problem once you have the tub how long does it take to get some one to take a look at it.  One company I was looking at buying a tub from gave me the number of their repair person.  I called as if I had a problem  and found he was backed up for a week.  The company I bought from did the same thing and gave me their repair persons number.  I called and said the same thing that I was having a problem and he told me he would be there the next day.  I asked him if this was a normal turn around time and he said he has never gone past two days to come out and see the tub.  Hopefully I will never have to see if this is true but it's nice to know. 

To me how you are treated after the buy is more important then how you are wined and dined during the buying.

[fishn4life]

Regarding the diverter valve, The whirlpool jet acts as a diverter. This is a large jet and every 1/2 turn or so diverts to different jets & locations. It's really a great feature.
Pump 1 has two settings - high & low. The low setting comes on for heating and filter cycles.
pump 2 controls the right side of the tub (if in front of control panel) and that has the two seats with neck jets and half of the floor jets.
Circ pump always runs....

Not sure what is meant when you say both pumps cant run at same time, we have pump 1 (high or low)  & 2 run at the same time with no problem....

[Hot Spring Ace]

Pump 1 has two settings - high & low. The low setting comes on for heating and filter cycles.
pump 2 controls the right side of the tub (if in front of control panel) and that has the two seats with neck jets and half of the floor jets.
Circ pump always runs....

You say the Pump 1 does teh filtering and "Circ pump always runs". Being that its in the @Home series, I didn't think a Meridian utilized a 24/7 circ pump like the Bay series and Reflection series for heating and filtering. I thought the main pump did the filtering and the website has it listed that way unless yours had that added as an option for ozone or something.

[Sam]

I'm not sure why it matters but almost all spas have a diverter valve between systems and the nice thing is being able to divert to one system or the other for a stronger feel or simply keep the valve in the middle to pwoer both. In fact the Meridian has a diverter valve as well according to the website.

The Pulse has a total of 50 jets running on two-2.5 hp pumps. Meridian seems to have about 44 jets (had to count, didn't see where total was listed) and also has two pumps, a 2.5 hp and a 2.0 hp. A few more jets and HP from the Pulse but balanced similarly (jets per Hp) so you'll get about the same jet flows out of both.

Both spas are made by good manufaturers. Wet test and you'll learn more about each.

HP ratings are pretty useless, as has been discussed here before.  Even if you have identical pumps, pressure can vary due to the amount of plumbing.  Every inch of plumbing, elbow, etc, creates friction which reduces jet power.  You can demonstrate this by hooking a 10' garden hose up to your spigot and then a 100' hose.  The 10' hose will have significantly more pressure than the 100'.  Also, the types and size of jets will affect pressure.  A bunch of micro jets that reduce flow and increase pressure, compared to larger nozzle, high-flow jets will have 2 very different effects and feel completely different.  If you efficiently plumb your hot tub, like using soft radius elbows, you can reduce friction and increase jet performance. 

The reason that this matters is because companies sell their 6 person hot tub, but only 3 people can have a massage at any given time.  I doubt that many of those salesman bother to tell their potential customers that.  There are some tubs that out there that you can actually have all of the jets on simultaneously and still get great pressure out of the jets.  I'm not talking about putting the diverter in a middle position where you have all of the jets running but the pressure is weak.  I would say that this is a pretty big selling point that is undervalued.  In these tubs you can also adjust the pressure of the individual jets by turning the faceplate.  I hear all of the time that the diverter valve is there to give the customer control of their massage.  This is BS.  The diverter valve is there because if you turn all of the jets on at once, the pressure would be terrible.  Not every tub has this problem.

[Hot Spring Ace]

I'm not sure why it matters but almost all spas have a diverter valve between systems and the nice thing is being able to divert to one system or the other for a stronger feel or simply keep the valve in the middle to pwoer both. In fact the Meridian has a diverter valve as well according to the website.

The Pulse has a total of 50 jets running on two-2.5 hp pumps. Meridian seems to have about 44 jets (had to count, didn't see where total was listed) and also has two pumps, a 2.5 hp and a 2.0 hp. A few more jets and HP from the Pulse but balanced similarly (jets per Hp) so you'll get about the same jet flows out of both.

Both spas are made by good manufaturers. Wet test and you'll learn more about each.

HP ratings are pretty useless, as has been discussed here before.  Even if you have identical pumps, pressure can vary due to the amount of plumbing.  Every inch of plumbing, elbow, etc, creates friction which reduces jet power.  You can demonstrate this by hooking a 10' garden hose up to your spigot and then a 100' hose.  The 10' hose will have significantly more pressure than the 100'.  Also, the types and size of jets will affect pressure.  A bunch of micro jets that reduce flow and increase pressure, compared to larger nozzle, high-flow jets will have 2 very different effects and feel completely different.  If you efficiently plumb your hot tub, like using soft radius elbows, you can reduce friction and increase jet performance. 

The reason that this matters is because companies sell their 6 person hot tub, but only 3 people can have a massage at any given time.  I doubt that many of those salesman bother to tell their potential customers that.  There are some tubs that out there that you can actually have all of the jets on simultaneously and still get great pressure out of the jets.  I'm not talking about putting the diverter in a middle position where you have all of the jets running but the pressure is weak.  I would say that this is a pretty big selling point that is undervalued.  In these tubs you can also adjust the pressure of the individual jets by turning the faceplate.  I hear all of the time that the diverter valve is there to give the customer control of their massage.  This is BS.  The diverter valve is there because if you turn all of the jets on at once, the pressure would be terrible.  Not every tub has this problem.

I agree that loooking at the horsepower ratings alone doesn't tell much but the plumbing should be similar between these brands really and in the end there needs to be a wet test which is always the best advise.

[fishn4life]

Pump 1 has two settings - high & low. The low setting comes on for heating and filter cycles.
pump 2 controls the right side of the tub (if in front of control panel) and that has the two seats with neck jets and half of the floor jets.
Circ pump always runs....

You say the Pump 1 does teh filtering and "Circ pump always runs". Being that its in the @Home series, I didn't think a Meridian utilized a 24/7 circ pump like the Bay series and Reflection series for heating and filtering. I thought the main pump did the filtering and the website has it listed that way unless yours had that added as an option for ozone or something.

The @home series does not come with a 24/7 circ pump. This is a "package" option that includes the ozone and 24/7 circ pump.
I know these tubs can be written up in different ways but my receipt shows this as a $325 option. I was told this is a package, can't get one without the other. Well worth the money IMHO....

[Spatech_tuo]

Pump 1 has two settings - high & low. The low setting comes on for heating and filter cycles.
pump 2 controls the right side of the tub (if in front of control panel) and that has the two seats with neck jets and half of the floor jets.
Circ pump always runs....

You say the Pump 1 does teh filtering and "Circ pump always runs". Being that its in the @Home series, I didn't think a Meridian utilized a 24/7 circ pump like the Bay series and Reflection series for heating and filtering. I thought the main pump did the filtering and the website has it listed that way unless yours had that added as an option for ozone or something.

The @home series does not come with a 24/7 circ pump. This is a "package" option that includes the ozone and 24/7 circ pump.
I know these tubs can be written up in different ways but my receipt shows this as a $325 option. I was told this is a package, can't get one without the other. Well worth the money IMHO....

If you're going to get ozone added you want to have a 24/7 circ pump to run it on so that makes sense that they'd package them together.

[jerrynt]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the additional input.  We're going to wet test today and hopefully be able to decide after that. Right now, it's neck and neck.. Hopefully, the test will render a clear winner...

bimmerdog -- Thanks for pointing out the service support angle.  It's something I really haven't thought about too much, so need to investigate as well.

Again, thanks to all those who chimed in with insight on this post!

[gourmatt]

I just paid $8k for a 2013 Flair, which appears to be very similar to the Pulse except for the obvious layout differences, so $9300 sounds high.  One thing I'll say about the Flair/Pulse that is important to me is that it has a 24/7 dedicated SILENT circ pump.  I live on a lake where the lot sizes are pretty small, so I need to be courteous to the neighbors in terms of noise.  I wouldn't want a tub that has to kick on a main pump in the middle of the night for periodic circulation and filtering.  Not sure if that describes the D1 or not, but you'll get that circ pump with the Pulse.  Oh, and the jets on the Flair are incredible!  On the full pump setting with the diverter down the middle there are NO seats that I would call weak.  I can sit in any of them and get a great massage.  As others have said, go wet test!