I tested the 2004 D-1 Chairman II and the 2005 Marquis Reward today.
D1 lounger has more jets, including jets on your feet and wrists. D1 also has tactile bumps for your hands in the lounger.
Marquis has no feet jets in the lounger. As a matter of fact, there is really only 1 seat in the Marquis where you can get good foot therapy, and it only has 4 jets down the center of your back along with 3 neck jets. This was a major disappointment.
The tri-zone therapy on the Marquis was a little disappointing. You can have full pressure on you upper back or lower... but not both.
Neck pillow in D-1 is more comfortable than no pillow in the Marquis. Dealer said pillow replacement is only $15, every 2-3 years.
In the D1 lounger, my legs and butt tended to float up a little... not so in the Marquis. D1 also has the "dynamic sequencer" where the jets cycle from head to toe... a nice feature.
The jets themselves are pretty even for both spas. I didn't notice much of a difference in terms of jet comfort or itchiness. The jets are the D1 easily interchangeable, and many of them can convert to rotating.
D1 rep was really emphasizing the 24 hour circ pump... said it ensures the water is always clean. Marquis rep says 24 hour circ is old technology, and only filters water from the middle layer of the spa. Also those pumps only last 2-3 years (5 year warranty on the D1 circ pump though) Marquis jet pump turns on twice a day for 2 hours to maintain cleanliness.... not sure who to give the edge on this one. Any opinions?
D1 has the big foot jet on the floor with tactile bumps, which is accessible from almost all the seats. Marquis has no floor jet.
Marquis has waterfall and 2 lights, and a floating remote. D1 has 1 light, no waterfall... no floating remote.
Both have ozonator with contact chamber.
D1 is about $3500 more than Marquis. I think I can get the D1 price down a little from $11000. What are others paying for the 2005 Chairman II?
What really made the difference for me was the max therapy seat in the D1. This seat is far better than the best seat in the Marquis. It has 16 jets on your neck, back and sides... all fully adjustable. And with the floor jet pumping at your feet, there was nothing comparable on the Marquis.
D1 also had a nice reminder feature for water testing and when its time to change the water.
I want to test the Marquis Epic when it arrives in the showroom, which I am sure I will like more than the Reward... but after my wet test today, I'm definately leaning toward the D-1. On a scale of 1-10, I give the D-1 Chairman II a 9, and the Marquis Reward a 7. I have also tested the Caldera Niagara and Geneva... both of which get a 6.
Any suggestions or recommendations??
