Jacuzzi J-335 or Jacuzzi J-345 or Marquis Wish

[Quickbeam]

My wife and I are now getting pretty serious about purchasing our first hot tub. We are putting the tub on a roof deck so we have both a size and weight restriction. The largest the tub can be is 84” x 84”. We have narrowed it down to three possibilities, those being the Jacuzzi J-335; Jacuzzi J-345 and the Marquis Wish.

We will be wet testing the Jacuzzi tubs early next week and are in the process of trying to set up a wet test on the Marquis Wish.

Without wet testing we were seriously leaning towards the Jacuzzi, but I just found out that the Jacuzzi used to have one, two speed pump and one single speed pump, and this year they have changed it so that both pumps are single speed. Quite honestly, I don’t know how big a deal this is, but it certainly seems like a downgrade to me. We are also wired for 50 amp service, so with the 2014 Jacuzzi, I can only have one pump running at a time with the heater on. It used to be that with 50 amp service you could have your heater running with both pumps on, as long as the one pump was running at low speed. Now you can't have the second pump on at all. It is also a possibility though that we upgrade our wiring to 60 amp, which we are looking at.

The other reason we were leaning towards Jacuzzi is that we really liked the dealer. The Marquis dealer is also a good guy, it’s just that we have been dealing more with the Jacuzzi dealer and he really has gone out of his way for us.

So, all that being said, does anyone have any opinions on which is the better tub? It is very important that we get a tub that we are going to enjoy and I’m sure the wet test will help us with this part of the decision. It is also really important that we get a tub that is reliable as I don’t want to have to rent a crane every time it needs to be serviced. So again, any thoughts or preferences?

Thanks so much for your suggestions.

[mkymitts]

Me and my wife just wet tested the j-345, j365 and the j-lx( which was a floor model which was being sold for $7k. which is a steel). My wife is 5'2" and she found that in the j-345 it was cramped and that with her feet on the foot dome her knees where in her chest.  I too felt a little cramped in this tub.

If by and chance you can get the j-365 or j-375 fit in with that extra 1/2 foot yo won't be disappointed. Big $$$$ difference but you won't be sorry.

We eventually put a down payment on a j-365

[Topline Mike]

You are looking at two of the better spa makers in the market.  I would put some emphasis on your dealer service plan.  Ask what the cost will be if you need service, will mileage be charged, labor, any of that.  I was close to buying a Marquis Epic, mainly because we really liked the layout, but also because the dealer was only 20 minutes away from our house.  He assured me there would be no cost whatsoever for any service calls when the tub was under warranty.  That to me was piece of mind that these tubs are built rock solid and have very few problems.  And then I go and buy a jacuzzi on craigslist.  Happy with the purchase, but no warranty.  I did save a shipload of money, however! 

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Both are nice spas, but you cant call the lack of a 2spd pump a down grade, the Jacuzzi does offer a Circulating pump where as the Marquis does not.  Pro's and cons both ways.  In many ways the circ pump is and can be quieter on a deck vs a bigger 2spd main pump kicking off and on to heat the spa.   The Jacuzzi also offers 2 divertors and some fantastic jets along with Clear Ray std.  Just some food for thought!      Really overall they are both nice spa's.

 On a side note if you are worried about a spa breaking down and needing a crane to get it down, maybe you shouldn't buy a spa.   Not saying the spa you buy will break down, but don't be bummed if it has an issue and you have to deal with it.    And it doesn't matter what brand you buy or how much you pay for it, a spa can have an issue. 

[Hottubguy]

I will agree with Jim on all of his points.  Both tubs are excellent choices. I'm a marquis dealer and have been extremely happy with their products.  I really like the lounge in the wish. Great jet therapy in that seat.  The wish also has 2 diverters and also two 2 speed pumps.  The hot zone in the lounge is amazing. I also like the unique look of the wish. Besides marquis jacuzzi makes a product that I consider one of the best. Good luck in your search!

[MarKee]

I'm a big fan of the Marquis Wish.  The captain's chair is awesome, you can get up and down your back with jets, and stretch over to a very powerful foot geyser jet.  It also has a really comfortable lounge that has the high-powered HK40 jets for your shoulders and upper back.  The cool down seat is also very comfortable in that spa.  Make sure to take a look at the insides (under the hood), look at where the equipment is and how everything is put together.  The Marquis is second to none in my opinion.

The Marquis is also made in Oregon, rather than Mexico if that makes any difference to you.

With that being said, you're looking at two of the best brands in the industry, good luck in your search.

[Sam]

I wouldn't look at the lack of a 2 speed pump as a negative necessarily.  Some manufacturers are switching to single speed pumps because they are more reliable.  You can only do this though if you have a dedicated circulation pump.  This is why marquis has to use 2 speed, they don't do a circulation pump.  That's not necessarily a bad thing as circ pumps are the most common failure in the industry, to the best of my knowledge.  As Jacuzzi Jim said, there are pros and cons to both systems. 

You are looking at 2 great brands.  Don't let pump speeds factor in on your decision.  Use the wet test and dealer vibe as your compass here.  Both tubs are well made.

Good luck!!

[dunecritter]

I actually enjoy having a 2 speed pump...My wife and I can sit in the tub and have one of the two pumps on low only and have a gentle amount of water movement and also run our water feature for a nice relaxing soak and actually talk and catch up due to our overlapping work schedules. When a pump/pumps on high the db level gets to be a bit to talk over.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

save yourself some money and look at the Hot Spot Rhythm made by Hot Springs, cheaper 7' x 7' with better insulation than both mentioned

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Cheap is a good way to describe it 

[Hot Spring Ace]

save yourself some money and look at the Hot Spot Rhythm made by Hot Springs, cheaper 7' x 7' with better insulation than both mentioned

Hot Spots are a great option for what you get including excellent insulation and for what you pay.

[Hottubguy]

save yourself some money and look at the Hot Spot Rhythm made by Hot Springs, cheaper 7' x 7' with better insulation than both mentioned

Spoken like a true hot spring brainwashed salesman......We all know they are the best and we are just fighting for the leftovers. My advice if you're gonna buy a hot spring avoid the hot spot line. You get what you pay for!

[Quickbeam]

Hot Spring is definitely not in the equation. I'm sure Hot Spring makes a very good tub, but if there are two things I've learned on this forum, one is to wet test and the second is to make sure you are comfortable with the dealer. We wanted to look at Hot Spring. There are two dealers in our general area. The first guy just didn't impress me at all, with either his knowledge or the way he came across (this was all over the phone). We went out to visit the second dealer and he would not allow wet tests of any of his tubs! Compare that with the Jacuzzi dealer. Not only is he allowing us to wet test, he is bringing in a tub for us to wet test, with no obligation on our part to purchase. We haven't dealt as much with the Marquis dealer, but he is taking us over to one of his customers homes so we can wet test the Marquis Wish. I feel a little bit funny about going to someone elses' home to wet test, but I told him I would not buy a tub that I couldn't wet test and he promised me his customer is fine with it. So again, compare the customer service we got from Hot Spring, to what we experienced with both Jacuzzi and Marquis. So again, to repeat, the only tubs we are considering right now are the Jacuzzi J-335; the Jacuzzi J-345 or the Marquis Wish.
And also a big thanks to all of you for your thoughts and insights. I must admit I'm still not sure about not having a two speed pump on the Jacuzzi. I was convinced it wasn't a big deal until I read Dunecritters post, and his thoughts kind of made sense to me - anyone else have any thoughts on not having the two speed pump?

[Topline Mike]

quickbeam, we bought the jacuzzi J375 model.  We've been in it 7 days now, so not much for use.  Pump 1 has the hi and low speed, pump two has just the one speed.  I will say that we don't use the low speed on pump one.  If you go in for a massage, the low speed doesn't do it for you.  We turn it on high, get in a good massage, and then off for some peaceful soaking and talking.  Maybe down the road we'll use the low speed more, but it gets passed up now. 

On another note, look at the forums for problem posts, which I'm sure you have.  You will see which brands have the most trouble, and the two you are looking at are not in there.  I also used searchtempest to find my tub.  There weren't many hits for a jacuzzi or marquis, but other brands were everywhere.  That's my 2 cents. 

[meriflower]

I actually enjoy having a 2 speed pump...My wife and I can sit in the tub and have one of the two pumps on low only and have a gentle amount of water movement and also run our water feature for a nice relaxing soak and actually talk and catch up due to our overlapping work schedules. When a pump/pumps on high the db level gets to be a bit to talk over.

Ditto!