New to hot tubs - need Hot Springs advice

[Buzzbomb1]

My wife and I are in the market for our 1st hot tub and we have narrowed it down to the Hot Springs High Life collection. Most of the time it will be just me & my wife and I but we have 2 young boys who are excited they are getting a “pool”. We also entertain occasionally so we want a true 4 person tub. Here are the 3 models we are considering:

1. Aria - I loved the idea of the lounger so I was disappointed we couldn’t stay put in it during our wet test. The reason the Aria is still a contender is that the rest of the seats were awesome and figure we can buy a weighted pillow to help us stay in the lounger.
2. Vanguard - The Vanguard was in the showroom but we couldn’t wet test. We both enjoyed the Moto massage from the wet test in the Aria and liked the extra space since no lounger. We did have some concern about committing half the seats to the Moto massages (would it get old?)
3. Prodigy - This was not in the showroom but on paper the configuration and size seem good. It doesn’t have the waterfall (we don’t care about) and no foot jets (would be nice but not a deal breaker) but at $3k cheaper than the Vanguard, it is a serious contender. Our biggest concern is the size (can it realistically fit 4 people?) and the lack of power from the jets (I will be using the tub for therapy and want all the pressure I can get). Our sales rep seemed to want to steer us away from the 1 pump tubs but would Hot Spring make a High Life with inadequate pressure? The Prodigy has a 1-speed, 1.65 HP Continuous Duty, 3.5 HP Breakdown Torque pump which is smaller than the Jetsetter NX pump which is a smaller tub. Can I realistically expect the same jet pressure as the Aria or Vanguard that have 2 pumps that are both bigger than the 1 pump in the Prodigy?

[d00nut]

The Prodigy is an amazing little hot tub.  I use to have it, and sold one to my inlaws, who also use it for hydrotherapy needs.

The deal with the Jet pressure, is since it is a 110V convertible tub, the diverter is absolutely necessary to really get the full pressure required to move that moto jet.  For instance, on the Vanguard and the Aria, the diverter can sit in the middle and the moto jet will still go up and down, but on the Prodigy, due to the pump size... it won't. 

Meaning if you do have 4 people in there, you won't get the jet action you otherwise would on one of the 220V models.

4 people is a stretch, you will certainly be touching each others feet more in the Prodigy just due to the height of the overall model.

My last two hot tubs have been the Grandee and the Vanguard.  Two moto jets, which is our preference for my wife and I.  We both enjoy it (I like moving jets way more than stationary.)  I like the extra space in non-lounger spas, but again, this is personal preference.

[Spatech_tuo]

My wife and I are in the market for our 1st hot tub and we have narrowed it down to the Hot Springs High Life collection. Most of the time it will be just me & my wife and I but we have 2 young boys who are excited they are getting a “pool”. We also entertain occasionally so we want a true 4 person tub. Here are the 3 models we are considering:

1. Aria - I loved the idea of the lounger so I was disappointed we couldn’t stay put in it during our wet test. The reason the Aria is still a contender is that the rest of the seats were awesome and figure we can buy a weighted pillow to help us stay in the lounger.
2. Vanguard - The Vanguard was in the showroom but we couldn’t wet test. We both enjoyed the Moto massage from the wet test in the Aria and liked the extra space since no lounger. We did have some concern about committing half the seats to the Moto massages (would it get old?)
3. Prodigy - This was not in the showroom but on paper the configuration and size seem good. It doesn’t have the waterfall (we don’t care about) and no foot jets (would be nice but not a deal breaker) but at $3k cheaper than the Vanguard, it is a serious contender. Our biggest concern is the size (can it realistically fit 4 people?) and the lack of power from the jets (I will be using the tub for therapy and want all the pressure I can get). Our sales rep seemed to want to steer us away from the 1 pump tubs but would Hot Spring make a High Life with inadequate pressure? The Prodigy has a 1-speed, 1.65 HP Continuous Duty, 3.5 HP Breakdown Torque pump which is smaller than the Jetsetter NX pump which is a smaller tub. Can I realistically expect the same jet pressure as the Aria or Vanguard that have 2 pumps that are both bigger than the 1 pump in the Prodigy?

My 3 sons were about 2,4 and 6 when we got our first hot tub so I know how this works (and the youngest basically learned to swim in it). They're not going to be sitting in it relaxing like you and your wife. With all other things being equal, I'd say of the 3 spas you're looking at get the one with the most internal real estate, you'll need it if the kids are going in even semi-frequently!

[BullFrogSpasMN]

Aria and Envoy were by far my favorite Hot Spring models to soak in so if you can manage to enjoy the lounge and/or the Captains Chair in the Envoy I'd look at either of those, Vanguard similar except the lack out lounger...Prodigy is a dog with fleas I would avoid, if you're over 5'11" you'll stick out of the water, the pump is undersized, no foot jets and the thing still costs 9-10k spend a little more and get a much better model like Aria/Envoy imo...Good Luck!

[wmccall]

My wife and I are in the market for our 1st hot tub and we have narrowed it down to the Hot Springs High Life collection. Most of the time it will be just me & my wife and I but we have 2 young boys who are excited they are getting a “pool”. We also entertain occasionally so we want a true 4 person tub. Here are the 3 models we are considering:

1. Aria - I loved the idea of the lounger so I was disappointed we couldn’t stay put in it during our wet test. The reason the Aria is still a contender is that the rest of the seats were awesome and figure we can buy a weighted pillow to help us stay in the lounger.
2. Vanguard - The Vanguard was in the showroom but we couldn’t wet test. We both enjoyed the Moto massage from the wet test in the Aria and liked the extra space since no lounger. We did have some concern about committing half the seats to the Moto massages (would it get old?)
3. Prodigy - This was not in the showroom but on paper the configuration and size seem good. It doesn’t have the waterfall (we don’t care about) and no foot jets (would be nice but not a deal breaker) but at $3k cheaper than the Vanguard, it is a serious contender. Our biggest concern is the size (can it realistically fit 4 people?) and the lack of power from the jets (I will be using the tub for therapy and want all the pressure I can get). Our sales rep seemed to want to steer us away from the 1 pump tubs but would Hot Spring make a High Life with inadequate pressure? The Prodigy has a 1-speed, 1.65 HP Continuous Duty, 3.5 HP Breakdown Torque pump which is smaller than the Jetsetter NX pump which is a smaller tub. Can I realistically expect the same jet pressure as the Aria or Vanguard that have 2 pumps that are both bigger than the 1 pump in the Prodigy?

Welcome to the forum!   Many hottub manufactures sort of overstate the occupancy or their tubs so I would look for a 5-6 person tub.  Most time the occupancy in terms of # of seats only works if you have close intimate friends.  My 5 person tub seats 3 comfortably, but can do 5 if 4 of them are supermodels and I am the 5th!    I've enjoyed the Vanguard.

[Maine-iac]

I agree - the Prodigy will fit 4 adults but you will not be as comfortable in it as you would be in the Aria or the Vanguard. When you look at them again look at the height of the seats.  The Prodigy seats are practically on the floor and the seats of the V and A are much higher.  Its like sitting on a pillow vs sitting on the couch.  Your knees bend and take up less space in the area for the feet. Plus there are no foot jets in the Prodigy, these are my personal favorites.  When I bought my HotSpring Envoy 10 yrs ago the dealer filled the hot tubs so that I could test soak and compare.  Is that an option?  Don't worry about the kids right now, they won't sit down much at that age.  Later on when they are older and bigger you may be glad you got the roomer Vanguard. My 10 year old Envoy is still like brand new - looks and works great! 

[Buzzbomb1]

Our local Hot Spring dealer did not have a Prodigy in the showroom so we are strictly going off of what we have seen online. Given the feedback on this thread though I think we are going to scratch this one off the list. They had a Vanguard in the showroom but it wasn't filled and that's our current dilemma (parting with 14k for something we have never sat in). Our sales rep explained though that the Vanguard is an Aria with no lounger so if we liked the Aria during our wet test that we can expect the same satisfaction with the Vanguard. We went ahead and put a deposit down on the Vanguard to lock in our price but he will move the deposit to the Aria if we feel it would work better for us.

[hottubdan]

Ask them to fill the Vanguard.  They might be able to just move the water from one spa to another with a sump pump.  Just sit in it without power to get the feel of the seats. Jets will be about the same.  You will love either one!

[Buzzbomb1]

Thanks everyone for the advice. We put our order in for the Vanguard and it should be delivered in 4-6 weeks.