Caldera vs. D1

[NewTubber]

Hello all,

I think we're narrowing our search for our first tub.  So far we've looked at Caldera, HS, D1, Jacuzzi, Marquis, Artesan.  We're primarily looking for a good therapy tub for the two of us - lights, music, waterfalls really count for nothing for us.  For my wife, good jetting for the feet and legs is critical.  For me, it's the back.  We're looking for something with no lounger - while wet testing some Calderas, we discovered that my wife floats away.

So, we like the Caldera Niagra but are also considering the Caldera Hawiian.  We're planning to wet test the D1 Nautilus.  Any feedback on D1 vs. Caldera?  They seem to be within a couple hundred bucks of each other and both dealers have long-standing, good reputations in the area.  We're also considering the Caldera Hawiian.  It's about 2K cheaper but not quite as nice.

We weren't impressed by the local Jacuzzi/Marquis dealer (completely steered us away from Marquis but only carried lower priced Jaczzis) or the Artesan dealer.  HS seemed alright, just pricy and missing the good jets for the legs.  Any other spas we really need to check out before making a decision?

Thanks!

[hottbpete]

Just bought A Niagra.

Here is link to the info I gave when I bought it.
Hope it helps

http://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1159537942/0#0

 

[tomsem]

      I also just bought a Niagra.  Looked at and wet tested  the HS Grandee, Marquis Destiny, D1 Nautilus, and Jacuzzi, Coleman brands.  Also wanted something with no lounger.  As everyone says wet testing is the only way to tell if it is comfortable and comfort is definitley a personal feeling.  My wife and I knew right away we liked the Niagra and it happened to be the last one we tested. We also looked at the Hawiian and it is nice but it is smaller and we have two kids that will be in with us frequently so went with the Niagra.

     To me the main difference between the Nautilus and the Hawaiin would be the (D1)footdome vs the (Caldera)raised footwell and the Euphoria/footjets.  Personally, I was not a fan of the footdome.  It was nice to have multiple foot jet positions but I found the dome to be kind of clumsy. You may not though!  I like to strech out and move around and also exiting the tub was just not favorable with the footdome. I much preferred the raised footwell and love the Euphoria jet.  My wife's favorite seat is the 1/2 lounger in the Niagra with the sole soothers. Mine is the Ecstaseat.  The Niagra especially has flexibility between the Euphoria jet on the bottom and the whirlpool jet on the side.  With positioning, there isn't any part you can't get a good massage on that the other seats don't cover.  The Nautilus and Hawaiian both look to be great, well made tubs that probably a wet test can make up your mind. I highly recommend wet testing the Niagra if you haven't already. It is more expensive but bigger and has more goodies.   Something we did that was recomended here on the forum(I think it was Chas)-I like my massage softer so I took out the inserts of the smaller "bullet" jets and made for a much softer massage.  Much more enjoyable!  Something to think about if you like that sort of thing.

       I saw you said your wife floated out of some Caldera tubs.  Would that be lounger models?  I found that interesting because mine didn't at all in the Niagra but did in most if not all others.  

       Good luck with your decision!  

[NewTubber]

Thanks for the detailed comments on the differences between the footwells.  We'll pay particular attention to those when we wet test the D1 tomorrow.

Yeah, it was the Caldera Tahitian specifically that had my wife floating.  She was fine in the mini recliner in the Niagra but really struggled in the full size lounger of the Tahitian.  Which was too bad because they had an '05 Tahitian available at an outstanding price.

I think we'd probably be fine with the size of the Hawiian as it's just the two of us but I do like the additional jets of the Niagra.  

I had a follow-up call with the dealer this morning to follow up on pricing.  When we wet tested on Saturday, they were running a sale tied to a local home show. We're doing some other business with this company so we asked if there might be any additional discounts.  Since the guy in the show room was just the service manager filling in while the rest of the guys were at the show, he said he needed to talk with the sales manager.  So whadda ya know?  When I call today I find out that not only are there no additional discounts but the price on the Niagra is $500 more.  That pushes it up out of my comfort range price-wise.  They'll still do the original price on the Hawiian but I'm just not feeling the love here.  If they're going to weasel on a quote, what's next?  If the D1 doesn't seem to suit our needs, I may push a little harder for the original price or we may just move on to another brand.  I don't have to have a tub now, it's just a good to do it if we can find one we like at a price we like.

What did you think of the Marquis or Jacuzzi?

[MarKee]

I would wet test the Marquis Epic.  I'm curious as to why your local dealer would steer you to a Jacuzzi over a Marquis.  There are several happy Epic owners on the board, it is definitely the most comfortable spa I have ever sat in.  

[NewTubber]

I was very interested in the Marquis Epic.  We saw the tub at a home show in a neighboring town several months ago and had a great visit with the dealer.  Now that we're ready to buy, we stopped in at the dealer.  They had a single Marquis tub in the showroom.  The owner's wife started by showing us Jacuzzis.  I asked about Marquis but she said they don't like to sell those as they're too expensive for what you get - "Jacuzzi's a much better tub and much less expensive."  So we got to see several Jacuzzis, all well under $6K, but not at all what we were looking for.  Oh, and wet testing didn't look like an option.  There wasn't water in a single tub and no sign that they'd ever had a working tub.  I think the dealer's been there for quite awhile but I can't understand how.  The dealer's in a smaller size town so maybe their market is different.

[tomsem]

      Marquis also makes a great product.  We felt the Destiny was too shallow in the front four seats. The two rear seats were great.  We live in South Dakota so I wanted a deep tub that you can stay submerged in for winter time.  We didn't test the Epic due to price and it had a lounger.  

I found the Jacuzzi brand to be more expensive so didn't even wet test them.  

[Spatech_tuo]

I would wet test the Marquis Epic.  I'm curious as to why your local dealer would steer you to a Jacuzzi over a Marquis.  There are several happy Epic owners on the board, it is definitely the most comfortable spa I have ever sat in.  

Many dealers that carry 2 brands think of one as their main brand and the other one is more of the red-headed stepchild (intentionally or otherwise) so it's no surprise to me. In a case like that I'd be more worried as to how long they'll have the Marquis around if they aren't even actively trying to sell it.

All the brands you mention are good and as far as the 2 specific one's you're posting about, I'm sure you'l find happy customers of each so you'll need to heavily weigh the wet testing along with how comfortable you are with each dealer.

[NewTubber]

Well, that was easy.  We wet tested the D1 Chairman II, Nautilus, and Californian.  The Chairman II and Californian were both ok - my wife didn't float away like she did in the Tahitian - but the lounges didn't do much for me.  But the Nautilus was great.  The variety and placement of the foot jets were just right.  I'm getting what I wanted for the lower back and more.  The stark white of the tub is very different but, to me, not a bad thing at all.  There's no stereo, no waterfall, no light show.  Just what I wanted.  The dealer offered us a very reasonable price on a dry floor model, threw in the lift cover, and split the delivery charge.  These guys knew their tubs and there was never a bit of pressure.  What a pleasure.

And thanks to the folks on this board for their comments and opinions.  There's so much good info here.  It really helped to be able to approach these different dealers and at least have a clue as to what I was looking at.

[longshot]

Newtubber - how did you decide on the Nautilus? Who makes that one?  My wife and I are in the same boat (tub? :-?)  - don't want/need all the whistles/bells - and she wants foot massage and neck jets, I just want to be able to stretch out and relax.  A local dealer recommended a Caldera tub that would fit the bill - the Martinique, I believe. Haven't tried it yet.

Anyway - nice thread - helping us navigate this decision.
-Tom

[pg_rider]

Hello all,
We're primarily looking for a good therapy tub for the two of us.  For my wife, good jetting for the feet and legs is critical.  For me, it's the back.

Wish I'd seen this before -- I'd have highly recommended the Sundance Optima (and not just because I own one! .  The foot dome in this thing is amazing, and trust me it's not just a "foot" dome.  You can easily position yourself in a number of different, comfortable ways to hit all your leg muscles with some serious therapy.  I couldn't find a tub that had anywhere near the leg options.  As for your back, the AccuSage seat is also incredibly powerful and comfortable...  Anyway, happy tubbing with the Nautilus!

[wesj53]

I have nothing against any of the mfgs you are looking at , but I wouldn't necessarily rule out Artesian. They are a solid brand with seemingly few complaints raised here or with the BBB and I liked them better than the others mentioned because IMHO they give me more for your $$$. We especially liked the Piper Glen which would run you around $9500-10500 depending on options or drop down to the Island series for about $7k. If you like lots of jets, you'll like Artesian!

[NewTubber]

Longshot - The Nautilus is made by Dimension 1.  We picked it for a couple of reasons - the tub just felt like it was made for us when we got in, we liked the dealer (been around forever and low sleaze factor), the price was right (not a steal, just in line with similar tubs).

wesj53 - And I've got nothing against Artesian, just didn't like the local dealer.  They do pools & spas and have just recently picked up the Artesian line.   They seem to change spa manufacturers every year or so.  That didn't sit too well.  And the place just felt kinda "off".  When we walked out, my wife said she didn't want to do business with them.  I trust her instincts.  I know we could've saved some money but we just didn't like the tubs as much and there were any other local dealers.

pg_rider - Enjoy your Sundance.  Maybe we should've checked them out but I'm happy.  Or will be once the electrical is done.  They came out today but got interrupted by the weather.  It was our first rain of the season and it really came down.

[longshot]

Or will be once the electrical is done.  They came out today but got interrupted by the weather.  It was our first rain of the season and it really came down.

You in the Bay Area??  We're in Marin - and it was our "first rain of the season" here today, too.  Aren't a lot of places that work that way.

[NewTubber]

Nope, we're over in Sacramento.  The rain tends to head follow 80 right over to us once it leaves your neighborhood.

Where are you located in Marin?  I grew up just off Lucas Valley Road.  We were in the area this last weekend and had a chance to head out to the coast via Point Reyes and up to Bodega.  The weather was perfect.