Still deciding

[spahopeful]

I'm still deciding between a Marquis Epic and a Jacuzzi 385.  I have resolved the questionable dealer issue by finding another dealer.  The J385 is a 2005 floor display and is considerably less $, but I don't want that to influence me too much.  I'm really concerned about a good foot/ankle massage AND reliability.   I have wet tested both and like the feel of the Epic seats and love the therapy tower that allows me to get jetting on any part of my body, including knees and ankles.  My biggest concern with the Epic is that I can't have foot jets on at the same time as back jets.  The J385 has 3 pumps(4 with the circ pump) and one is dedicated to the foot area.  Here are some other minor questions I have based on comments from the two dealers:
1.  Is it really better to have a separate circ pump as found in the J385?
2.  Is Marqui's solid state ultraviolet ozone really better than the 385's CD ozone?
3.  Are Marqui's smaller, but stronger HK40 jets better therapeutically than the larger Jacuzzi jets found in the feet areas?
4.  Is it true that comparing these two spas is not really "apples to apples" since Marqui is a superior spa?

Any help is appreciated.  

[MarKee]

I will try to be as unbiased as possible and explain some differences.

1.) Marquis has a high flow system, a circulation pump is a low flow system.  Marquis used to use a circ. pump, but found it more effective to use the jet pumps to filter the water.  When you use jet pumps you are able to churn up a lot of water and actually get movement on the surface.  The surface is the dirtiest part of the water, so doesn't it make sense to skim the whole surface area?  On the Jacuzzi if you watch the circulation pump it is basically trickling water out of the spa... you will not see much surface movement at all.  That means if there is hair or debris floating on the surface, it is unlikely to be filtered out.  Marquis is able to filter more gallons of water in just 4 hours of the day, than the Jacuzzi can in 24.  The circulation pump was also Marquis' number one warranteed item when it was put in our spa.  Think of your car, could it run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and not fail?  

2.) Marquis solid state ozonator requires no maintenance and has an average life of 5-7 years.  Corona discharge ozonators typically have to have yearly maintenance.  

3.) The HK40 has no 90 degree turn in the back of it, allowing it to put out 40 gallons per minute.  Even the large HK16 jets in the Epic don't come close as far as water output.  The looks of a jet face can be decieving.  Be sure not to mistake pressure as being stronger.  Marquis believes in high flow, low pressure, allowing for deep tissue massage.

4.) You will have to be the judge as to which manufacturer is superior.  Jacuzzi is a respectable brand.  I will point out one HUGE thing- warranty.  Marquis has the only transferrable warranty in the industry.  You will also not find exclusions such as water chemistry in the Marquis owner's protection plan.

Good luck, it's obvious I sell Marquis, but like most other Marquis salespeople, I passionately believe in the product.

[Vinny]

Here's my take on the whole thing.

Buy the one you like the most with the dealer you like the most. They ALL produce hot water, they ALL have jets and they ALL have clean water.

Whatever you buy, it'll be GREAT!

[tony]

I will try to be as unbiased as possible and explain some differences.

1.) Marquis has a high flow system, a circulation pump is a low flow system.  Marquis used to use a circ. pump, but found it more effective to use the jet pumps to filter the water.  When you use jet pumps you are able to churn up a lot of water and actually get movement on the surface.  The surface is the dirtiest part of the water, so doesn't it make sense to skim the whole surface area?  On the Jacuzzi if you watch the circulation pump it is basically trickling water out of the spa... you will not see much surface movement at all.  That means if there is hair or debris floating on the surface, it is unlikely to be filtered out.  Marquis is able to filter more gallons of water in just 4 hours of the day, than the Jacuzzi can in 24.  The circulation pump was also Marquis' number one warranteed item when it was put in our spa.  Think of your car, could it run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and not fail?  

2.) Marquis solid state ozonator requires no maintenance and has an average life of 5-7 years.  Corona discharge ozonators typically have to have yearly maintenance.  

3.) The HK40 has no 90 degree turn in the back of it, allowing it to put out 40 gallons per minute.  Even the large HK16 jets in the Epic don't come close as far as water output.  The looks of a jet face can be decieving.  Be sure not to mistake pressure as being stronger.  Marquis believes in high flow, low pressure, allowing for deep tissue massage.

4.) You will have to be the judge as to which manufacturer is superior.  Jacuzzi is a respectable brand.  I will point out one HUGE thing- warranty.  Marquis has the only transferrable warranty in the industry.  You will also not find exclusions such as water chemistry in the Marquis owner's protection plan.

Good luck, it's obvious I sell Marquis, but like most other Marquis salespeople, I passionately believe in the product.

A little bit of misinformation here.

Although the J385 has a circ pump, it also filters using the jet pumps just as Marquis does.  The circ pump does provide constant low flow filtering, but the jet pump does the heavier duty filtering.  It also allows the spa to heat without the jet pumps activating and allows ozone to be used 24/7.  The 385 controller makes all of this user programable.  It is very flexible.

The circ pump Jacuzzi uses costs 160.00 retail and takes a whole ten minutes to change.  Not a good reason to eliminate it, IMO.  Starting and stopping a pump causes more wear and tear and uses more power than a constant pump.  My circ pump is going on four years with no signs of trouble.

The cd ozone that Jacuzzi uses is good from five to seven years with no chip to change and no maintenance.

Jets are a personal preference.  Only you can tell.

Sundance/Jacuzzi is the no. 2 spa manufacturer in sales in the world.  Both Jacuzzi and Marquis are fine products and you won't go wrong with either, but the J385 with all it offers is a lot of spa for the money, IMO.

[LtDan]

I will try to be as unbiased as possible and explain some differences.

1.) Marquis has a high flow system, a circulation pump is a low flow system.  Marquis used to use a circ. pump, but found it more effective to use the jet pumps to filter the water.  When you use jet pumps you are able to churn up a lot of water and actually get movement on the surface.  The surface is the dirtiest part of the water, so doesn't it make sense to skim the whole surface area?  On the Jacuzzi if you watch the circulation pump it is basically trickling water out of the spa... you will not see much surface movement at all.  That means if there is hair or debris floating on the surface, it is unlikely to be filtered out.  Marquis is able to filter more gallons of water in just 4 hours of the day, than the Jacuzzi can in 24.  The circulation pump was also Marquis' number one warranteed item when it was put in our spa.  Think of your car, could it run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and not fail?  

2.) Marquis solid state ozonator requires no maintenance and has an average life of 5-7 years.  Corona discharge ozonators typically have to have yearly maintenance.  

3.) The HK40 has no 90 degree turn in the back of it, allowing it to put out 40 gallons per minute.  Even the large HK16 jets in the Epic don't come close as far as water output.  The looks of a jet face can be decieving.  Be sure not to mistake pressure as being stronger.  Marquis believes in high flow, low pressure, allowing for deep tissue massage.

4.) You will have to be the judge as to which manufacturer is superior.  Jacuzzi is a respectable brand.  I will point out one HUGE thing- warranty.  Marquis has the only transferrable warranty in the industry.  You will also not find exclusions such as water chemistry in the Marquis owner's protection plan.

Good luck, it's obvious I sell Marquis, but like most other Marquis salespeople, I passionately believe in the product.

Sounds unbiased to me...

[Bonibelle]

It's funny, but I also narrowed my search to these two tubs. Ultimately, I picked the Epic. Until you actually get into the Epic long enough to know it, you can't imagine
how versitile it really it. what I mean is, the controls for the trizone can be moved between the numbers and by adding the air, you can get a lower back massage and foot massage in the deep therapy seat. I do that.  You can also sit in the right cool down seat and get your feet, the back of your calves and your back. I asked the same questions about the circ pump and if I remember correctly, the answer was don't discount a tub because it doesn't use a circ pump. I don't think it would be accurate to say Marquis is a better manufacturer and many folks on here who have Jacuzzi's will agree. You just have to see what fits you best and what will give you the therapy that you want.  I think what helped our decision was a sales person who knew the Epic trizone very well and the fact that the Epic fit my entire family.
Good luck!

[drewstar]

Hideaway King, you mention that CD Ozinators need yearly matianance?

How so?  That doesn't seem to agree with the majority of folks who have CD units around here.  I'd be curoius to learn more.  Thanks.

It's my understanding that the CD ozinators produce significantly more O3 than the UV style are considered to be a superioir technology and system over the older UV method.  I've been led to belive to expect 3-5 years (or longer) out of my CD unit.

Circ pumps do the job in keeping a tub clean. They work. A A larger pump will , as stated churn the water more, but it's not  necesarrry.

Does the Marquis offer 24 hour filtering or does it have pre  set filter cycles that turn off and on througout the day?  I prefer the 24 circ pump to the timed filter cycles.

Also keep in mind, larger pumps for circulation = more energy consumption and are more exspensive to replace.

Also (and I think this could be key)  Using the larger pumps for filtering  maybe noisey.  If the tub is going on a deck that might transfer some of the sound, or if the tub is going near a bedroom window, I'd pay close attention to the noise factor.   If you are like me, the slightest noise when trying to sleep can get annoying.

Where hydrotherapy is concerned, (HP, jets, etc)  that's easy: Wet test.   Simple.  

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[Guzz]

 Marquis is able to filter more gallons of water in just 4 hours of the day, than the Jacuzzi can in 24.  

This also means that your ozone system is only working 4 hours out of 24. In my unbiased opinion.

[MarKee]

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't HotSpring require yearly maintenance on their CD ozone injectors?  I would assume all CD ozonators would require the same maintenance.

I challenge you to find a considerable difference in energy consumption, Marquis has independently tested energy wizards for every model.  The spas range from $8-18, the Epic is about $18 per month.

Noise is not an issue when running a Marquis jet pump.  The jet pumps actually use shock absorbers, they are not directly mounted to the frame of the spa.

Circulation pumps are not bad, Marquis had them in their spas for years, but they found a better way to keep the water clean.

[Spatech_tuo]

This also means that your ozone system is only working 4 hours out of 24. In my unbiased opinion.

Both types filter just fine and for argument's sake we can assume they cost about the same to run but I like circ pumps for the same reasons; 24-hr ozone and you can't hear them running.

To each his/her own.

[cappykat]

Our choice came down to the Jacuzzi and Marquis also.  If I could have bought 2 spas I'd have them both...

It comes down to which one "feels" the best to you.  I don't think you can go wrong with either one.  As many have said...they both make hot water.

We went with the Epic.

[oldersparepairguy]

Uhhhhhhhh, I do warranty service for a Hot Springs dealer. Can sombody tell me what"yearly maintanence you have to do to HS CD ozone sy ;)stems?? I must have dozed off when the Watkins guys were covering that one.  

I also do Jacuzzis, and the newest models have a new filtration/circ pump design. The new circ pump is moving plenty of water through the new improved filter.

Oops! I think I just gave a biased opinion!

[MarKee]

Here is a Jacuzzi dealer reccomending 2 year and 3 year maintenance on CD ozonators:

http://cdabilliards.com/spas/spa-maintenance/

Sorry, their website is giving a biased opinion

[oldersparepairguy]

Hideaway King, My post asked about Hot Spring ozones because if you scroll up to your post it reads, " Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't HotSpring require yearly maintenance on their CD ozone injectors?  I would assume all CD ozonators would require the same maintenance". As for that link, I went to it, and noticed it is a dealer site, and there is nothing to indicate that this is what Jacuzzi says. It appears to me to be his opinion of a maintanence time frame. Here is the quote:
"  Ozone Maintenance: If you have the Delzone ultraviolet unit; replace ozone bulb cartridge (or call for service). If you have the Freshwater II Corona Discharge unit, please bring it into our store for routine service (or call for service). "
I would not be willing to make the assumption that the unit goes bad every 3 years based on this statement.
As for the injector tee clogging, I have seen this on several spas, but it takes five minutes to correct, and is very simple to do. The UV units do not need to be cleaned (as often, if ever) because of the LOW amount of ozone they produce. BTW, UV units use a lamp that also has a limited lifespan.

[tony]

Here is a Jacuzzi dealer reccomending 2 year and 3 year maintenance on CD ozonators:

http://cdabilliards.com/spas/spa-maintenance/

Sorry, their website is giving a biased opinion

"Check the ozone tubing and check valves every two years."  Doesn't sound like much maintenance to me.  Spa owners should be visually checking everything in their equipment compartment on a regular basis.  This sounds more like good advise.

"Clean ozone injector if needed."  Have you ever opened up one of their ozonators?  There is nothing to clean.  You may be able to blow on it a couple of times.

I know you are biased, but this is really reaching.