hot springs vs. jacuzzi - no wet test!

[cstanger]

Hello everyone,
I have just started my search for a tub.  we have 2 local dealers and neither has wet test as an option.  so it seems that unless i want to take a very long trip/wait a long time to do this, I have to pick a tub "dry".  given that, one local store has the jacuzzi and I like the J 345.  they are giving me a price of 9359 with a cover and nothing else.  i think i prefer no lounger.  we are a family of 5, but children are college age and in 2 years we will be empty nesters.  kids do come home a fair amount and we would like to be able to all fit in to the tub when everyone is home.  other dealer has hot springs.  they have the glow for 7900 - and they seemed more likely to throw in the cover lifter and steps with all their tubs.  flair was 9500 - but don't love the seating arrangement? i didn't get a price on the vanguard but that might be a good option for us? prodigy was quoted at 8400.  is that comparable to the j345?  am i crazy to consider doing this without wet test?  I feel bad doing a wet test somewhere I have no intention of buying?  any thoughts would be appreciated!
thanks.
Cathy

[amy2421]

I would also take a look at the J-365. It has the same layout as the J-345 but it is a little bigger so it will have more space for when the kids come home and everyone is in the tub. We wet-tested the J-345 and even with just myself and husband in it, it felt cramped.

We ended up getting the J-470 because we were offered a great deal on it but otherwise we would have gone with the J-365. We're very happy with our decision to buy a Jacuzzi and we've had it for about 2 months now.

[Spatech_tuo]

Hello everyone,
I have just started my search for a tub.  we have 2 local dealers and neither has wet test as an option.  so it seems that unless i want to take a very long trip/wait a long time to do this, I have to pick a tub "dry".  given that, one local store has the jacuzzi and I like the J 345.  they are giving me a price of 9359 with a cover and nothing else.  i think i prefer no lounger.  we are a family of 5, but children are college age and in 2 years we will be empty nesters.  kids do come home a fair amount and we would like to be able to all fit in to the tub when everyone is home.  other dealer has hot springs.  they have the glow for 7900 - and they seemed more likely to throw in the cover lifter and steps with all their tubs.  flair was 9500 - but don't love the seating arrangement? i didn't get a price on the vanguard but that might be a good option for us? prodigy was quoted at 8400.  is that comparable to the j345?  am i crazy to consider doing this without wet test?  I feel bad doing a wet test somewhere I have no intention of buying?  any thoughts would be appreciated!
thanks.
Cathy

A wet test is always the best way to go especially if you're considering a lounge spa because its a crapshoot as to how you all will fit the lounge, will you float... so if you don't wet test for whatever reason I'd highly suggest you go lounge-less!

[Quickbeam]

We've had the Jacuzzi J-345 for about 1 & 1/2 years now and find it has plenty of room for just my wife and I. Actually don’t think I’d want anything much bigger for just the two of us. We’ve had four in the tub a number of times and while it’s O.K., it’s definitely not as comfortable as with just the two of us. It’s not that you’re on top of each other so to speak, there’s just not as much room to move around. Have had five in the tub at least once and again, it’s doable, but definitely cozy. For us, we love the tub and love the size, but if you’re regularly having four or more in the tub you might want to go bigger.

[icenogle]

We bought our J-345 back in August of this year.  Price after taxes was $9,749 with chemicals, cover, lifter, steps, booster pillow, and a yellow duck - delivered.  It is plenty large enough for 2 people.  I would have taken a J-365 but I think it was another $1,800.  Not worth it for two people unless you have the money to blow - I didn't. 

[icenogle]

If I was going to have 3 children in mine I would go with the larger one though. 

[wmccall]

If I was going to have 3 children in mine I would go with the larger one though.

Children may not be an accurate assessment if I read her post right.  BTW, Welcome to the forum Cathy.  As an empty nester, I wouldn't buy a tub for the maximum number of people you think you might have in it once in awhile.  Most people over estimate the number of people they are inviting over.  Kids coming back from college rarely want to sit around the house much.   A Vanguard is a nice sized tub for 2 people that still allows you room for 2-3 other people on occasion.

[cstanger]

thanks for all the great info and ideas everyone.  so, here is where i am today:  the jacuzzi people pressured me to buy today to get $400 off and are badmouthing the hot springs spas.  the hot springs guy does have 1 tub with water i can go try today at closing time.  it's an envoy.  but at least i will get to sit in a hot springs - seems like the best i can do at this point.
i told him i prefer no lounger.  this is what he says he has to offer: Highlife Prodigy - $8400
Limelight Glow - $7900 Vanguard - $10,900.  he says i'm getting $1000 off by paying cash.  are those reasonable prices?

am i right that the prodigy and the j345 are comparable??  glow i think is too small.  don't think i need the vanguard? will i get any sense of the prodigy by sitting in the envoy??

thanks everyone!
Cathy

[amy2421]

thanks for all the great info and ideas everyone.  so, here is where i am today:  the jacuzzi people pressured me to buy today to get $400 off and are badmouthing the hot springs spas.  the hot springs guy does have 1 tub with water i can go try today at closing time.  it's an envoy.  but at least i will get to sit in a hot springs - seems like the best i can do at this point.
i told him i prefer no lounger.  this is what he says he has to offer: Highlife Prodigy - $8400
Limelight Glow - $7900 Vanguard - $10,900.  he says i'm getting $1000 off by paying cash.  are those reasonable prices?

am i right that the prodigy and the j345 are comparable??  glow i think is too small.  don't think i need the vanguard? will i get any sense of the prodigy by sitting in the envoy??

thanks everyone!
Cathy

IIRC, the Envoy is in the premium line and the Prodigy is in the mid-line. That would be like wet-testing a Jacuzzi 400-Series to buy a J-345. We did that, and in my opinion no it was not an accurate wet-test. We tested both and there were obvious differences (to us) which we probably would have been slightly disappointed in the 300-Series if we expected it to feel like a 400-Series we wet-tested.

[d00nut]

thanks for all the great info and ideas everyone.  so, here is where i am today:  the jacuzzi people pressured me to buy today to get $400 off and are badmouthing the hot springs spas.  the hot springs guy does have 1 tub with water i can go try today at closing time.  it's an envoy.  but at least i will get to sit in a hot springs - seems like the best i can do at this point.
i told him i prefer no lounger.  this is what he says he has to offer: Highlife Prodigy - $8400
Limelight Glow - $7900 Vanguard - $10,900.  he says i'm getting $1000 off by paying cash.  are those reasonable prices?

am i right that the prodigy and the j345 are comparable??  glow i think is too small.  don't think i need the vanguard? will i get any sense of the prodigy by sitting in the envoy??

thanks everyone!
Cathy

Actually, the Prodigy is in the Highlife line, same as the Envoy.  It is just a smaller 110V 20A tub, so it is probably closer related to a hybrid of the J325/J425. 

I own the Envoy, and I don't think the Prodigy and the Envoy would be super similar in terms of overall feel.  The seating is so wildly different between the two since the depths are way different, and the footwell is so much bigger in the Envoy.  Jetting should be pretty similar, but with the different depths, seat angles, and the added second pump on the Envoy, there is going to be a lot more in the Envoy.

Personally, I don't think the J345 compares well with anything in the Hot Spring line.  It would say the closest it would compare to is a hybrid of the Flair and the Glow, since they are in the middle line, and have 2 Jet Pumps, being 220V. 

You could argue that the J345 might also compare with the Vanguard, but highlife is more in line with the 400 series.

Don't let the bad mouthing sway you.  Both are great options, as long as the dealers provide good service.  Take a look at their online google reviews each.  Bad mouthing is typically done by pour sales people... maybe he/she is new and is uneducated on their own product? ... or they are just a sleezy type of person?!  Shame... 

[wmccall]

thanks for all the great info and ideas everyone.  so, here is where i am today:  the jacuzzi people pressured me to buy today to get $400 off and are badmouthing the hot springs spas.
Cathy

They are both great tubs, but I've walked out on other dealers who exhibit that type of behavior.  I bought my Sundance tub from a respected Jacuzzi/Sundance dealer, but in your case I might run over to the HS one.   I'm fortunate to have two good dealers in my area, but the dealer was a prime factor in my choice.

[Spatech_tuo]

thanks for all the great info and ideas everyone.  so, here is where i am today:  the jacuzzi people pressured me to buy today to get $400 off and are badmouthing the hot springs spas.  the hot springs guy does have 1 tub with water i can go try today at closing time.  it's an envoy.  but at least i will get to sit in a hot springs - seems like the best i can do at this point.
i told him i prefer no lounger.  this is what he says he has to offer: Highlife Prodigy - $8400
Limelight Glow - $7900 Vanguard - $10,900.  he says i'm getting $1000 off by paying cash.  are those reasonable prices?

am i right that the prodigy and the j345 are comparable??  glow i think is too small.  don't think i need the vanguard? will i get any sense of the prodigy by sitting in the envoy??

thanks everyone!
Cathy

Don't let anyone pressure you into a decision and I'm pretty sure the same offer will be good the next day but if by leaving you really won't get that same price the next day then maybe that's a kind of pressure sales dealer you wouldn't want to get involved with. Keep in mind when it comes time and you're ready to say yes to their "best price" you can still make a last minute counter offer (or even agree to the price but ask for some store credit for after sales purchases, a common deal finalizer), all they can say if "no that's really our best price" and then you can feel good that you didn't leave any $$ on the table.

West testing gives you two basic things: The concept of how the seating will work for you and how the jets feel. Because you're testing a different spa than the one you're considering purchasing you're not going to get an idea of how the seating will work for you but if the spa is in the same product line and therefore typically uses the same jets then you'll get a good idea of how you can expect the jets to feel even though one may have more jets than the other since they really optimize plumbing per jet. It would obviously be ideal to wet test the one you're looking at but in the end its better than not wet testing at all.

[orlando1]

A dealer that bad mouths another "premium" brand is an untrustworthy dealer imo. IIt's on thing to trash a costco tub, but another to trash another premium brand. I remember a hotspring dealer who said that the best tub sundance makes isn't even on par with their midtier lines...really? The sundance dealer on the other and had nothing but nice things to say about hotspring. He said they both make some of the best tubs available just chose the one that feels best.

But don't let the dealer be the only guide to making your decision, but a great dealer does go a long way. My dealer has held my hand since owning the tub, even calls me from time to time just to make sure I'm enjoying my tub with no issues.  But most importantly, given what I know now, I would never invest thousands in a tub I couldn't try out first. You will never know how it feels until you get in it wet. In my process of buying a tub, a few of them fit me like a glove dry, but when filled with water, I floated out of the seats. So take you time, show the dealer you are very serious about giving them your money, and insist on doing a wet test. It's really the only way you will know before buying.

[wmccall]

A dealer that bad mouths another "premium" brand is an untrustworthy dealer imo. IIt's on thing to trash a costco tub, but another to trash another premium brand. I remember a hotspring dealer who said that the best tub sundance makes isn't even on par with their midtier lines...really? The sundance dealer on the other and had nothing but nice things to say about hotspring. He said they both make some of the best tubs available just chose the one that feels best.

But don't let the dealer be the only guide to making your decision, but a great dealer does go a long way. My dealer has held my hand since owning the tub, even calls me from time to time just to make sure I'm enjoying my tub with no issues.  But most importantly, given what I know now, I would never invest thousands in a tub I couldn't try out first. You will never know how it feels until you get in it wet. In my process of buying a tub, a few of them fit me like a glove dry, but when filled with water, I floated out of the seats. So take you time, show the dealer you are very serious about giving them your money, and insist on doing a wet test. It's really the only way you will know before buying.

Well said.