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When we sold Bullfrog, we brought in a couple R5L's in on a 110V. Keep in mind, that they just put a smaller pump in the spa, as they don't actually change anything else.Also, their 110V is 15A, so a true plug n play versus the Hot Spring 110V 20A.We thought it would sell really well but you really do need to turn off 2 jet packs in the A5L or 1 in the R5L in order to get pressure even somewhat close to the 220V version. As with everything, wet test if you can. I agree, HSS doesn't have the most powerful jets compared to other spas I've sat in, but they are consistent. A Jetsetter feels exactly like a Jetsetter LX... minus the calf jets and hip jets in certain positions
Make sure to consider the Marquis Spirit, in my opinion the best looking small/medium size 110v on the market with the curved front side. Sounds like you’ve checked out a lot of the brands, but try to see the Spirit model in person if you haven’t already.
Quote from: MarKee on November 01, 2019, 01:56:20 amMake sure to consider the Marquis Spirit, in my opinion the best looking small/medium size 110v on the market with the curved front side. Sounds like you’ve checked out a lot of the brands, but try to see the Spirit model in person if you haven’t already.For sure I did look into the Marquis Spirit as I'd heard some good things about it. Personally I don't care for the aestetics of the Spirit. However the Vector21 series from Marquis was much more attractive to me - the Vector21 65L looks pretty slick, but I'm getting a sense that the Vector21 series is not the premier product from Marquis, but more of a step down mid-grade level product. Also I'm noticing most 110AC tubs are 15amp which make sense given that's what most people would have in a home. A dedicated 115AC 20-amp service for a tub seems to be limited to the HotSpring Jetsetter. Which has me curious - why did the Hotspring engineers decide they absolutely needed a 20-amp service? Is that extra 5amps used for additional electronics? To handle the power of the pump? I'm honestly curious since I know a 110AC spa is going to have serious limitations compared to other tubs with multiple pumps and whatnot running on a 220
Quote from: d00nut on October 31, 2019, 05:29:14 pmWhen we sold Bullfrog, we brought in a couple R5L's in on a 110V. Keep in mind, that they just put a smaller pump in the spa, as they don't actually change anything else.Also, their 110V is 15A, so a true plug n play versus the Hot Spring 110V 20A.We thought it would sell really well but you really do need to turn off 2 jet packs in the A5L or 1 in the R5L in order to get pressure even somewhat close to the 220V version. As with everything, wet test if you can. I agree, HSS doesn't have the most powerful jets compared to other spas I've sat in, but they are consistent. A Jetsetter feels exactly like a Jetsetter LX... minus the calf jets and hip jets in certain positionsAwesome! Thanks for your feedback! I noticed that most every other tub is a true 110V/15amp AC. The Jetsetter is the only one I noticed which is rated for 115/20amp which luckily my house seems wired for - they had a box with a blank plate about 18 inches off the ground using proper conduit and everything. My dealer said they are supplying/installing the outlet which the Jetsetter will plug into, so I don't even need to worry about installing a GFCI outlet or anything which is awesome.Since it's just myself 99% of the time, I plan on turning off all the jets aside from the one I'm sitting in to maximize pressure if necessary. But like I said, I'm looking for more of a soak as opposed to a deep tissue massage so I'm not all that worried about that aspect (although wrist/palm massagers would be nice since carpal tunnel seems to run in the family)Good to know the Jetsetter and the LX have the same pressure from the jets which are common on both, I was hopeful that would be the case. In reality this is a starter spa for me to ensure I really like them before I splurge on a fully loaded top of the line model once I know exactly what I do and don't like in a spa.That said, I'm still a bit concerned about the lounger. Seems like it's a love it or hate it..... Would wet testing a different hotspring lounger one time tell me if I'll like it or not enough to use it all the time? The Prodigy seems quite appealing, if I can get over losing the lounger! hahaDo you find many service calls on the Jetsetter NXT models? My dealer would be about 50 miles away so they cannot guarantee next-day warranty service and that does have me a bit concerned (although they are really an excellent company which I have a good feeling about - small family run business, dealing/servicing exclusively with HotSpring and nothing else)
Well you have waited 20 years I won’t suggest you wait 5 more years until the addition is built just to have the benefits of a 240V tub. On the other hand a five year old 120V tub doesn’t have much resale value and a quality tub regardless of voltage should last 20 plus years if taken care of. We bought our first tub about 5 years ago and when shopping for it I was the cheep one and suggesting a starter tub maybe even a 120V to keep things simple and she wanted to go with what we both knew we wanted and enjoy it for as many years as we can. So my suggestion might be bite the bullet and get the 5 year tub now and just move it when the addition is on.
In my years of being in this industry, I do caution that a lot of plug & play units tend to be the least of the quality in terms of what a brand offers. This is indeed a broad, generalized statement so I understand the self-apparent issues in noting that. Regardless, I'd be sure to continue to research the build, quality of components, build techniques, etc. that are available in that line and ask how it may differ from the more standard lines that are offered by the brand. As an engineer, I am sure you're already on top of that!
it basically comes down to the size of the pump and heater and how the manufacturer decides to allocate the power....it appears the Jetsetter uses a 1.65HP Pump so they need all of that 20 amps, even the Nordic line I sell uses a 1.5HP pump and needs 20 amps as well...don't quote me on this but I believe the only way to get a 15 amp 110v tub is to use a pump size smaller than 1.3HP which is what the 110v A5L uses at 15 amps...anything larger will require 20 amps which makes sense for the Jetsetter, they wanna get the biggest pump they can on 110v to move that moto-massage jet which is a high GPM jet.
Highlife spas, in general, have low service returns but in all fairness... so does everything else you are looking at. If they are upfront with how fast they can get to you, and what co-pays if any are there... I would be happy with that. I would just want to make sure that if there is an issue, you would not be abandoned
(continuing reply because of character limit lol - I like to type)uckily I found another HotSpring dealer north of me who is just awesome - family run business selling HotSpring exclusively for decades. Hundreds of positive customer reviews online to research, and they have their own in-house service technicians with a high employee retention rate. My sales rep knew the HotSprings Highlife series inside and out. Not once has she given me an inaccurate statement (or trash-talked any other brand), and their prices were much better than the other dealer. Honestly out of all the spa dealers in my region which I have encountered, they are the one dealer I like the most because it seems like they genuinely care about the satisfaction of their customers before and after their investment.
That's a rare find. I think that's the best way to get business though. Not trashing others, being honest, being knowledgable... but just caring. We do our best to follow that model... which is probably why I have a hard time finding employees that fit our mold