Help with choosing marquis vs caldera. Also, is microsilk worth the cost?

[Riggs224]

Hello all,

I am trying to decide between going with caldera or marquis.  Within marquis, the V94L, The Reward, The Resort.  If I go V94L, I was planning on upgrading to inline sanitation and full foam.  Cost would be about:

$9,850 for the V94L with foam and in-line sanitation
$11,800 for the Reward
$11,500 for the Resort

Is adding microsilk to these worth the extra ~$2,000 in any of these tubs?  (I haven't asked the dealer about the exact cost yet, but I will today).

My local dealer for marquis, who gets excellent reviews and is only 2 miles away, only has the V94L available for wet testing, which we are going to do today.  Unfortunately they do not have any signature spas for wet testing.

We are also going to wet test some calderas today.  That dealer is 15 miles away and also gets excellent reviews.  I was looking at the Makena, Martinique, Tahitian, Geneva.

I live in the san francisco bay area, so prices are probably higher than other areas.  Weather is also mild.

Is the extra ~$2000 for the Reward and Resort worth it?  I am a paramedic firefighter and my teenage kids are both very active in sports, so use of the hot tub will often be for therapy.  Do the HOT zones (or anything else) in the higher priced models (both for caldera and marquis) give much of a theraputic benefit?

The $10,000 cost is already topping out what I was hoping to spend.  I can spend more if it is justified.

I don't care about the different lights, waterfalls, etc.  Function and therapy is my focus.

Thank you for any help.

[The Wizard of Spas]

When I was a dealer of Artesian Spa (who also carried MicroSilk)- I asked about the tangible merit of the statistics that MicroSilk offered.  I thought it was a neat idea, but I wanted proof.  I never was given any and my sales rep confirmed that no- there is no actual data given to them from MicroSilk to confirm what they claim.  This may have changed int he last 2 years but I'd be surprised. 

As I now work for a manufacturer at an actual production facility, I understand better the sales process and how sales pitches are sculpted, and then fed to dealers from manufacturers, to frame the arguments for or against something.  Knowing that, I would say MicroSilk is not worth it. 

Furthermore (and I will admit that this specific piece of data may be outdated), MicroSilk tends to limit you on the number of jets and motors and units.  I did hear rumblings that some brands that carried it were opening up their product line to better accommodate model variation, but I haven't seen it.

I hope this helps.  Good luck moving forward.

[HT34]

I think for the prices you are quoted, the v94 is the best bang for the buck.  Also, if you are going to have 4 adults in the spa most of the time, the v94 will feel more roomy compared to the resort/reward. 

Plus, if you decide to get microsilk, the v94 price will still only be around the other 2 without microsilk.  I haven't sat in a tub with it, but from what I've read on this forum and others, marquis does microsilk the best.

Best of luck on your decision.

[castletonia]

I think the Marquis prices you are getting are fair prices.  When I sold Marquis, I did well with the Resort, but never brought in or sold the Reward.  My thought was that the Epic wasn't a lot more than the Reward but also the lounge on the Reward was a little narrow for my liking.  I changed jobs last year and never got a chance to sit in a filled V94L.  The few times I sat in the V94, I liked it, but I think the comfort is better in the Signature Series.  I definitely agree with adding full foam and inline sanitation to the V94L.

As for Microsilk, I would expect you to pay $1,700 - $2,000 extra depending on the dealer.  I think Marquis does a great job incorporating it.  If you have specific skin conditions where it actually benefits you, then yes, I think it is worth it.  Otherwise, save the money.

As for H.O.T. Zones, I really liked the upper back HOT Zone.  The Epic and Resort are the only ones I sat in with low back Hot Zone and it would cause me to float in either the lounge or adirondack chair.  The Reward might be better having the low back HOT zone on a corner seat.

On the Caldera side, the Makena best lines up with the V94L and I think the Tahitian is best to compare to the Resort and Reward.  I like the Martinique, but I think you are going to be cozy with more than 3 in it. 

[Riggs224]

So I just got back from a wet test.  Tested Marquis V94L and Caldera Martinique.  Besides the obvious size difference, I noticed with the V94L that we often had to choose which seat to power otherwise the jet strength wasn't very high.  With the Martinique, the power was on to all seats and it still had plenty of power, we sometimes had to turn off the air to make it comfortable.  Has anyone else noticed this?

I am leaning towards the Caldera.  Here are the prices I was quoted:

Makena: $9750 with ozone.
Tahitian: $10,750
Geneva: $11,250.

I would have loved to have tested these three, but they didn't have a wet test available for them.

I'm guessing the jet power will be lower in these models based on horsepower/jet ratio.  The Geneva, with the most jets, has a ratio of .091 hp/jet compared to the martinique with 0.117.  The Geneva ratio is roughly 77% of the martinique.

For those of you that have a Geneva, how do you feel the power is?  If the jet power is acceptable, then I would probably go with the Geneva.

What do you guys think?  Do you think these prices are reasonable?

Thank you again for any help.

[castletonia]

The prices on the Geneva and Tahitian are really low.  The Makena price is what I consider a fair price. Between those 3, I would do the Geneva based on the price and interior space over the Tahitian.

The Martinique has a ton of power, might be the most powerful Caldera.  It's been over a year since I sat in a Geneva and almost a year and a half since I sat in a Marquis V94.  I think the Geneva has a more comfortable layout personally.  The power if I remember will be more than the Marquis, but not what the Martinique has.  Hottubguy sells both and will be able to give a more accurate answer than I though.

You're a serious buyer.  Tell the dealer to fill the Geneva for you to try.  If the wet test goes well, be willing to buy.  It may be an inconvenience for the dealer to fill another hot tub, but they can and should do it.

[Hottubguy]

Out of the tubs you mentioned I would probably rule out the Resort (which coincidentally I own) only because I don’t think it has the room you will need. Out of your other option I would either go Reward, Tahitian or Geneva. My best selling tub lately has been the Tahitian. They revamped it a bit for 2018 and added the touchscreen controller and the atlas neck jet seat. The power on the Reward is great but getting it’s more zone controlled with the HK40 jets so you need to pick and choose which seats gets good jet power. I think Microsilk in a Marquis is worth the price especially with how low you are being quoted on the Reward. I have that priced more then a Genava on my with step, lifter and constellation lights for right around $13k. Geneva is a couple hundred less. You are getting very good prices on these tubs. The only one I’m online with is the Makena. I’m a bit more but like $100-$200. Which ever way you end up you are getting a solid tub backed by a great warranty. Did your Caldera dealer have a Geneva in stock?  Marquis have a Reward?  Tell them to fill them up and let the wet test decide it for you. My biggest issue with Marquis is here very long wait times from the factory. Caldera usually ships in 14 business days where Marquis is about 7 weeks right now. Either way I think you are making a solid choice

[Riggs224]

What's the power like in the Geneva?  Do you find it can run all seats and provide good power?

Dealer can't wet test it due to shop limitations (they can only have one hooked up at a time).

[Hottubguy]

It’s got good power in all seats. You can also adjust so you get full power in each of the captains at each time. Very comfortable tub with good power. Does he have one dry anyway?  It does sit a a lot deeper then the Martinique

[Riggs224]

Thank you for the responses!

He has a dry one.  My son and I are over 6' and sat in it.  Wife and daughter are 5'4".  My concern is that the water level will be too high for them.  The owner of the store just called me and guaranteed that I would like it, stating he'll take it back and refund my money if I don't.  He also had a good point on the height of the girls.  5'4" is average for a woman, and caldera wouldn't make the seats of one of their flagship hot tubs too deep for the average woman.  What are your thoughts on the size issue?

[castletonia]

Everyone is different, but at 5’5” my wife was able to sit in all seats of the Geneva without drowning 

[Hottubguy]

Again everyone is different but I think you should be fine. I would sit in it to make sure. If it’s too deep sit in Tahitian.

[hottubdan]

Go for that Geneva.  Great deal!  I am in NoCal also.  Wondering where you live?  Sounds like Sonoma County. 

[Riggs224]

Got the Geneva.  It looked a little close for the height with the recliner chair, but the other seats all looked fine.  We're very excited.  Thank you everyone for all the help!

[hottubdan]

Great choice.  Great spa!