New Buyer in Nebraska wanting brand opinions

[DamSam]

I like the way they sit. Go figure, they are most famous for recliners. But I was interested on spa quality and is the prices anywhere close to value or paying for a name. Quality like shell longevity / electronics / insulation? Like I said they sit well (dry).
One thing that impressed me was the pre owned marquis. They had about 5 or so that all looked almost new and the shell quality was immaculate. One looked a little older but not faded. That was was a 98 model and the others were all 2000-2003 lines. I was impressed that they held up that well. Unfortunately they must hold their value too cause they were being sold at 4-6k with only 30 day warranty. Had to pass on the preowned.

[Hottubguy]

They are a comfortable spa.  In the hydropool line they offer they use all balboa equipment.  All decent stuff.  Pumps are aqua flo by gecko which are good pumps.  They use perimeter insulation like the arctic's.  when i sold hydropool about 10 years ago they were full foamed at the the time not sure why they switched.  The shell's in the hydo's withstood time as I see a lot of 10+ year old ones out there still.  I don't think the quality in them was as good as the hot springs, jacuzzi, marquis, caldera but not that far off.  None of the parts are proprietory so they shouldn't cost huge money to fix down the road.  I'm assuming Lazy Boy uses similar equipment to hydropool because they are made by the same company at the same plant.  The company i used to work for now sells mainly lazy boy and I know he has been very happy with them.  What are you being quoted on the Lazy Boy's?  Also did you try negoitiating the price of the marquis down at all?

[DamSam]

Thanks Hottubguy! That was probably the most helpful info yet. I tried talking price but my salesman (who I really liked) acted like he was going above and beyond already taking 1400 off asking price. Not sure if there was wiggle room or not but he seemed genuine.
So update, I just left Jacuzzi. I actually liked this tub (J235) too. But store did not make me feel the love. I think the salesman is why I liked the marquis. But anyway they have the J235 listed at 5900 and do not seem like they were willing to deal. So I said politely thank you very much and now it is off to the next one. One stop I'll be making is master spa to check out a CLS738L. I'll keep ya posted.
Oh yeah, I do not have a quote on the lazy boy yet but the one I am interested in is the signature series Relieve. Looks like it would be what I want. Kinda cross between lounger and seat combo.
So off I go.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

  I just sold literally 30 min ago a J-235 for 5695.00 add lift and steps came right up to 5995.00 plus tax..     So he was in the ball park, but if you don't feel the love like you said on to the next one..     What's stupid IMO If I have someone come in and they are a couple hundred less than where I am.  I will take the deal any day of the week.    Why let them go to another dealer, specially if they are ready to dance right then and there..      Still doesn't matter if you don't like the guy though.

[DamSam]

Jacuzzi Jim - that was one of the things I mentioned about customer service… we did not really talk price. I pointed to the sale plaque on the side of the tub and asked, so is this the price or is there any wiggle room and he said that is what we sell them for. If I were a dealer, I would have at least asked what range I needed to be in!

[dunecritter]

I wouldn't let having a circ pump or not having one sway me in my buying decision.  They work good but are usually the first thing that goes on a tub.  If you buy a tub with a shorter warranty I would always skip that.  Any reputable brand should be able to maintain water clarity with proper filtration with or without a circ pump.  What particular questions do you have about lazy boy?

I would almost always agree with this but some times not as example to where the tub is located...If I had it on the patio just outside my bedroom window or my newborn children's room I certainly wouldn't want to listen to the main pump kick on and off to cycle and clean when it needed to....It also needs to run anytime the tub requires to be heated. That's something that is often overlooked and all my personal earlier tubs I've owned did not have circ pumps but all the later Jacuzzi's and Sundance and both my High Life Hot Spring tubs have small Circulation pumps and I do like that I never have to listen to my tubs cycle on and off. I like the water movement/filtering 24/7 personally. It's arguable as to if its actually more efficient with a small Circulation pump but I believe it is.

[richierich]

Isn't the way the heater is plumbed in different when there is a small circulation pump. It seems that my circulation pump and heater are separate from the 2 main pumps therefore the heating element never has to have large amounts of fast flowing water going across it. If this is the case I would think having a circulation pump is a  definite plus. 

[DamSam]

I have had viable arguments about the circ pump pros and cons. As someone else stated before, I will not let it be a deal breaker. But I like to be an informed buyer, so thank you!

[Ryan VSO]

what would be the negative aspect of a circ pump?

[DamSam]

Ok, I am on my rant again. I promise this will come to an end soon.
These are what my current options are. Please feel free to give feedback, Rack and Stack, send personal messages, call me ignorant (for lack of knowing) and consider price range. ( I am only putting price within +/- average. I feel as I am getting rapped by some of these dealers and some I legitimately offering me a good price but more than I can go for. But I may bite the bullet and go a little over planned to get a quality product. My reasoning for these models are; size and depth (tall guy) / seating arrangement / 2 pump system / warranty / affordability / availability and dealership relationship.

These are not in any certain order.

La-Z-Boy Relieve - aprox $7000 - still working price, very comfortable and great looking warranty - http://www.lazboyspas.com/lazboy-spas-hot-tubs-signature-collection/relieve/
Marquis E545 - aprox $7400 - still working price, great dealer, seat sits a little straight up would like a little more recline other than that it is Perfect. http://www.marquisspas.com/hot_tub/models/545.asp
Celebrity Hollywood model - $5900 -  Marquis dealer said almost same as E545 if I needed to cut cost. Same shell. http://www.celebrityhottubs.com/hollywood-hot-tub.asp
Clarity Spa (Master Spa) CLS738L - $5600 - Nice. Is it worth it? I like it but some have said beware. Closest to budget. http://www.clarityspas.com/cls738l.php
Hot Spot Relay - $5600 - for $450 more I an have an Ozanator installed. Sold as a Hot Spring, but it's not! Even dealer did not seem as enthused about its quality. http://www.hotspring.com/shop-hot-tub-models/hotspot/relay
Last but not least,
Sundance 680 series Peyton - $5900 but not negotiated - Just found this one by accident in my travels on Saturday.  http://www.sundancespas.com/680series/peyton/

Again no bashing but would like constructive criticism.

Thanks.

[DamSam]

what would be the negative aspect of a circ pump?

Some told me that it is a pump that runs 24/7 , burns out quicker, has to work harder to keep tub warm making heater work more. Again I just try to take in all the comments which usually ends up flushing out the BS. So what I have come up with is it would be a nice thing to have but it is not a make or break item of concern.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

Ok, I am on my rant again. I promise this will come to an end soon.
These are what my current options are. Please feel free to give feedback, Rack and Stack, send personal messages, call me ignorant (for lack of knowing) and consider price range. ( I am only putting price within +/- average. I feel as I am getting rapped by some of these dealers and some I legitimately offering me a good price but more than I can go for. But I may bite the bullet and go a little over planned to get a quality product. My reasoning for these models are; size and depth (tall guy) / seating arrangement / 2 pump system / warranty / affordability / availability and dealership relationship.

These are not in any certain order.

La-Z-Boy Relieve - aprox $7000 - still working price, very comfortable and great looking warranty - http://www.lazboyspas.com/lazboy-spas-hot-tubs-signature-collection/relieve/
Marquis E545 - aprox $7400 - still working price, great dealer, seat sits a little straight up would like a little more recline other than that it is Perfect. http://www.marquisspas.com/hot_tub/models/545.asp
Celebrity Hollywood model - $5900 -  Marquis dealer said almost same as E545 if I needed to cut cost. Same shell. http://www.celebrityhottubs.com/hollywood-hot-tub.asp
Clarity Spa (Master Spa) CLS738L - $5600 - Nice. Is it worth it? I like it but some have said beware. Closest to budget. http://www.clarityspas.com/cls738l.php
Hot Spot Relay - $5600 - for $450 more I an have an Ozanator installed. Sold as a Hot Spring, but it's not! Even dealer did not seem as enthused about its quality. http://www.hotspring.com/shop-hot-tub-models/hotspot/relay
Last but not least,
Sundance 680 series Peyton - $5900 but not negotiated - Just found this one by accident in my travels on Saturday.  http://www.sundancespas.com/680series/peyton/

Again no bashing but would like constructive criticism.

Thanks.

Out of that list the 'Relay' an the 'Peyton' will be your best value/bang for your buck....Marquis would be 3rd on the list but for 8k w/ tax I'd like to see more than a 2 yr component warranty which is what the peyton and relay have for ~$1,700 less

edit: always wet test, it can easily sway you one way or another

[Ryan VSO]

what would be the negative aspect of a circ pump?

Some told me that it is a pump that runs 24/7 , burns out quicker, has to work harder to keep tub warm making heater work more. Again I just try to take in all the comments which usually ends up flushing out the BS. So what I have come up with is it would be a nice thing to have but it is not a make or break item of concern.

A circulation pump have a 40 gallon per minute flow rate , you normally have  400 gallons in your tub . If you dont have a circulation pump in your spa it does mean that you will have a 2 speed pump , first speed will do the filtration at 4 amp  average . You can set your circulation pump to run 2,4,6,8,12 or even 24 hours a day if you want , we do recommend 8 hours of filtration a day while other member over here would suggest 4 hours .

Your heater wont be used more with a circ pump or a 2 speed pump , a 2 speed pump wont last longer than a circ pump if used on the same cycle ( same quality pump ) .

The facts are that a circ pump will cost less to run ( 1.5 amp compared to 4 amp ) , since its the pump you will use the most it will cost you less to replace it once it broke ( 150 $ compared to 350 $ ) and It will produce a lot less noise .

Why would someone say otherwise ? He was maybe selling cars 4 months ago and just jump in into the spa market  .. or maybe he had to find something to say against it because the brand he sell doesnt offer it .

Why would a manufacturer not include a circ pump ? Some spa controller doesnt allow it and if you want to it enabled you must upgrade the pack and it cost more money to the manufacturer , you have to keep all those pumps in inventory. Some manufacturer just doesnt care if it cost you more money to run it or replace it .

That being said , When all those facts are showed to the custumers , the additional cost for the manufactuer is worth it because it give an additional value to the product .

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

what would be the negative aspect of a circ pump?

Some told me that it is a pump that runs 24/7 , burns out quicker, has to work harder to keep tub warm making heater work more. Again I just try to take in all the comments which usually ends up flushing out the BS. So what I have come up with is it would be a nice thing to have but it is not a make or break item of concern.

A circulation pump have a 40 gallon per minute flow rate , you normally have  400 gallons in your tub . If you dont have a circulation pump in your spa it does mean that you will have a 2 speed pump , first speed will do the filtration at 4 amp  average . You can set your circulation pump to run 2,4,6,8,12 or even 24 hours a day if you want , we do recommend 8 hours of filtration a day while other member over here would suggest 4 hours .

Your heater wont be used more with a circ pump or a 2 speed pump , a 2 speed pump wont last longer than a circ pump if used on the same cycle ( same quality pump ) .

The facts are that a circ pump will cost less to run ( 1.5 amp compared to 4 amp ) , since its the pump you will use the most it will cost you less to replace it once it broke ( 150 $ compared to 350 $ ) and It will produce a lot less noise .

Why would someone say otherwise ? He was maybe selling cars 4 months ago and just jump in into the spa market  .. or maybe he had to find something to say against it because the brand he sell doesnt offer it .

Why would a manufacturer not include a circ pump ? Some spa controller doesnt allow it and if you want to it enabled you must upgrade the pack and it cost more money to the manufacturer , you have to keep all those pumps in inventory. Some manufacturer just doesnt care if it cost you more money to run it or replace it .

That being said , When all those facts are showed to the custumers , the additional cost for the manufactuer is worth it because it give an additional value to the product .

I'll play devils advocate (mind you I sell Hot Spring so I'm a fan of 24hr silent circulation) buuut not all customers see nor care about the "additional value" to the product that a circ pump adds....as long as a standard pump on low speed provides enough turnover to keep the water clear (along with proper chemical maintenance of course) is all that really matters to some.  They would rather avoid the additional cost of the pump, extra plumbing and labor involved in putting one in, etc.

With all that said I would love to see  the majority of manufactures at least "setup" their tubs so that it could be easily added as an option....just my .02

[Ryan VSO]

Yeah thats sad , I sell Vortex and every spa we build does include a programable circ pump , that should be a standard .