Royal Spa Tubs

[david46]

My wife and i are looking into buying a spa and have two choices to chose from,they are royal spa tubs and hot springs tubs.The royal will cost 4995 with a 6 year parts and labor warranty and 40 year warranty on the shell.The hot springs tub around 5500 with a 7 year shell warranty and 3 or 4 year parts and labor warranty.The royal has operating control box does not have a pc board which to me would be better in maintanence than one with a pc board would be.The water jets seem to work the same on both brands,I dont know what the differnce between the two are.I see a lot of posts about hot spring on the forum and not much about royal.The royal dealer seeems to like he wants my business more than the hot springs dealer.If anybody knows anything about these spas please give me your opion about them.
Thanks

[UnderTheStars]

Hi david46 and welcome!  I haven't seen any postings about Royal spas, but FWIW there are two reviews here (click the "reviews" link at top of this page)  Both seemed to give high marks.  Personally, I bought a HotSpring (Vanguard) and absolutely love it - meets our need perfectly.  (Of course I've only had it 2 months, so ask me again in a couple years!  You might consider that when reading reviews as well - most people are pretty euphoric when the new tub arrives but how do they feel after several years with it? - was the review written right after purchase or a couple years later?)

I agree with the direction Mr. Happy went with his questions - consider lots of brands before "locking in."  Finally, if you read the forum at all you'll hear, "WET TEST!"  Everyone here will tell you, "I was going to buy ___ brand until the wet test. . .first choice then became last. . ."  You get the idea, you won't believe how different any tub feels "wet" compared to sitting in it dry.
Good luck, and as Mr.H says, ask lots of questions!
Stars

[david46]

Hi Mr.Happy,The models we are looking at are the princesss for royal and jetsetter for hot springs which are for 3 people.We were comparing these models while at the state fair.The spa will be used mostly for relaxation with some smoothing action on the upper body.The spa will be placed in a small back yard next to a mobile home.There is about 3 or 4 dealers by the phone book.

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Personally I like 4 wheel drive, however, it should be noted that with such, a very tight fitting cover is recommended. A roof rack might come in handy, but, the tow package is rarely needed.

[spahappy]

Personally I like 4 wheel drive, however, it should be noted that with such, a very tight fitting cover is recommended. A roof rack might come in handy, but, the tow package is rarely needed.

Right back at you Dr. Spa I drive a 2002 Suburban with three 2 1/2 Horse Power two speed pumps powering 53 jets Oh wait! Thats my Coleman 706 Spa sorry!! I get confused lol
Spahappy

[david46]

Hi Happy,There is an option of 220 on the royal and i think the hot springs is 110 but not sure.I know the hot spring tub has hydro massage but not sure on the royal.The royal has 25 jets where the hot springs has 11.

[Brewman]

Go for the Hot Springs.  Can't go wrong there.  Nobody complains much at all with them.
Brewman

[iggythewetcat]

Hi Dave,

I just got the Jetsetter and my wife and I are very happy with it. Would I rather have a larger tub? Well everything has its trade offs. It is certainly big enough for the two of us to move around, change positions, etc. A couple of points; everyone here says to wet test. That’s certainly boiler plate advice you can’t argue with. However, people that are into a subject enough to participate in a forum tend to also tend to obsessive a little on the subject (me too). I used to be into bicycling and it was the same thing. There would be reviews discussing the merits of one type of wheel or another. Bottom line is look around but what ever tub you get, assuming it’s a reputable brand, won’t suck. Additionally I went with the 230V option (the jetsetter can be either). It would have cost almost as much to run a 110 line. While on that subject I can’t believe some of things I’ve read here. One person was saying her electrician was recommending she upgrade to 400 amp! That probably makes sense if you have electric chairs in your dining room. I have 100 amps and even with central air (I live in NE—it’s not used all that much) my electrician said I was fine. He says electricians often over sell 200 amp upgrades, because you would have to be running several large items in your house simultaneously to have a problem. Even IF you do find it problematic you can always up grade your service later. Why pay extra in anticipation of a problem? Please let me know if you have any specific questions regarding this tub. Most people here use larger ones.

[autoplay]

David,avoid MR. Happy!

He's only trying to sell you a hot tub,and will offer his own cherry flavor to it,in order for you to purchase from him.

I highly suggest you avoid purchasing anything off of the internet,as far as spas/hot-tubs are concerned.  

Stick with the major players in this industry,and they will honor you,when and if the time arises. Lastly,WET-TEST.

[Wisoki]

Take a VERY close look at the Royal warranty. It is not what it is presented to be. The technology in the royal spa is 30 years behind the times. Your comment about circuit boards vs. pnumatic mechanical controlls is basicly a direct quote froom the royal sales pitch. I sell spas in the state that they are built and the vast majority of my service calls are from owners of that brand that need a repair and cannot get service from them. Additionally, they count air injectors as jets. they are not jets, they are precisly air injectors that have no proven theraputic value. If water doesn't flow through it, it's not a jet. at least 1/2 of what they are telling you are jets are nothing more than air injectors.

My wife and i are looking into buying a spa and have two choices to chose from,they are royal spa tubs and hot springs tubs.The royal will cost 4995 with a 6 year parts and labor warranty and 40 year warranty on the shell.The hot springs tub around 5500 with a 7 year shell warranty and 3 or 4 year parts and labor warranty.The royal has operating control box does not have a pc board which to me would be better in maintanence than one with a pc board would be.The water jets seem to work the same on both brands,I dont know what the differnce between the two are.I see a lot of posts about hot spring on the forum and not much about royal.The royal dealer seeems to like he wants my business more than the hot springs dealer.If anybody knows anything about these spas please give me your opion about them.
Thanks

[Zoo]

Hi David,

  I am unfamiliar with Roya; but in my research in the past year I firmly believe that the Watkins line of spas (Hot Spring, Tiger River, and Caldera) are an excellent, well made product. There are a lot of other very good manufacturers that you could check out if they were local (e.g. Jacuzzi/Sundance, Marquis, Beachcomber). Between the two I would definately get the Hot Springs. These guys have a very good reputation for honouring their warranties. Its not just what is written in the warranty; its also the spirit with which the manufacturer honours it.

      My two cents!

[tazman]

Mr. Happy,
For the most part I've stayed out of your debates as I labeled you as a "James Groupie" and find it useless to try and convert the brainwashing involved in what gets people there as most are lacking a bit in common sense in the first place. For the few that are just confused, they usually see the light shortly before or after dealing with James and it doesn't require a debate to get them to "see the light".  I'm throwing my 2 cents in here however simply because I'm sure that no matter how polite your questions are and no matter what David answers your recommendation will be the spa line you spend so much time cheering for (and you do seem alone in that for the most part).

I hope that you don't quit your "lucrative day job" as spending all of the time you do to push the SS tubs cannot be a good career move. I'm not sure of your connection to the SpaDeceptionist however it is very apparent that you have something at stake here, that, or else your extremely bored and have nothing better to do with your life than hang out on spa forums and promote substandard product!

Many of us here have something to gain by posting on this forum; for those of us in the spa business it's industry knowledge, potential sales, product positioning, competitive comparisons and keeping abreast of shopping trends. For those that are shopping it would be product knowledge, pricing, 3rd party endorsements and general spa education. You don't seem to fit in either of these profiles so I have to guess that your either a plant for the product your touting or a very bored and confused person that needs a life!

Either way I have to steal a statement from my friend Stuart; “buying and owning one spa or even 2 for that matter does not make you an expert nor does it give you the right to try and sway new shoppers with your opinion.”. Simply state your experience with your spa and try not to make it sound like the experience of the masses! I’m happy you’ve had a good experience with Jim and your spa. I would rather you share the joys of spa ownership than someone who has had a bad experience pushing people away from owning a spa because it didn’t work for them but, come on, do you really think James is an industry “icon” and the Spa Messiah?

Here is a thought for you;
could it really be that out of a few hundred spa manufactures some of which spend millions on engineering, the only one who really “gets it” is a guy working out of a warehouse in Colorado? If that’s true don’t you think that one of these multi-million dollar corporations would make him an offer to come onboard  and “revolutionize” the industry for them?

BTW, I love the way you inadvertantly threw the website in, do you also PM most new shoppers here and direct them there like JA does?

[rocket]

David,

Wisocki is absolutely correct with his evaluation of Royal.

Go with the Hot Spring, better qualitya and value.

[UnderTheStars]

Hi David46!  I agree with the group - Mr. Happy has a hidden agenda.  Doesn't sound like he's telling you how to find what best fits you.  He's asking a lot of questions so he can tailor a sales pitch.  Steer clear.

Back to the tubs you've looked at, have you wet tested any yet?
Stars