Envoy?, Soverign?, Envoy?, Soverign?

[aduvall]

I'M SECONG GUESSING MYSELF.  :-/ :-/

I have a 2008 Soverign on order right now. Am I going to regret not going with the bigger tub (the Envoy) since they are so identical? I love the way the Soverign feels, but I see so many people have the Envoy.
This tub will mainly be just for the two of us and we are both 5'10.

I believe the envoy would cost me about another $1-2000. Is it worth it?

Right now I'am paying $7000 for a floor model 2008 Soverign, steps, cover butler, and start-up kit here in Michigan.

I forgot to ask: Can I still change my mind and take the deposit and put it towards the Envoy if I decided to change?

[Vanguard]

The Envoy is a great tub.  If it is in your budget, I say go for it.  Most folks don't regret getting a bigger tub.

I'd hope the dealer would be willing to work with you on the bigger tub.  It is, after all, more money in their pocket.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

I'M SECONG GUESSING MYSELF.  :-/ :-/

I have a 2008 Soverign on order right now. Am I going to regret not going with the bigger tub (the Envoy) since they are so identical? I love the way the Soverign feels, but I see so many people have the Envoy.
This tub will mainly be just for the two of us and we are both 5'10.

I believe the envoy would cost me about another $1-2000. Is it worth it?

Right now I'am paying $7000 for a floor model 2008 Soverign, steps, cover butler, and start-up kit here in Michigan.

I forgot to ask: Can I still change my mind and take the deposit and put it towards the Envoy if I decided to change?

   Couple of things I have learned over the years is??



A women always has the right to change her mind, and my wife always has a way of changing my opinion!  

[Bonibelle]

I have a large tub and I can honestly say as much as I love it, it is usually only me and my husband. We rarely have more people in the tub. You might want to talk to the dealer and ask to wet test both tubs side by side. Just because lots of people on here have an Envoy doesn't mean you have made the wrong decision. If Term reads your post, he will definately be able to help you here. I know he loves the Envoy.

[Spatech_tuo]

I have a large tub and I can honestly say as much as I love it, it is usually only me and my husband. We rarely have more people in the tub. You might want to talk to the dealer and ask to wet test both tubs side by side. Just because lots of people on here have an Envoy doesn't mean you have made the wrong decision. If Term reads your post, he will definately be able to help you here. I know he loves the Envoy.

Ignoring the extra cost I tend to be on the side of "if in doubt get what you TRULY want" because you have one chance to get it right for the next 10 years. I’d also lean toward "go a little bigger versus smaller" because I've seen people regret it both ways but the people wishing they went bigger usually seem to have more buyer’s remorse than those who realize they could have gone smaller.

[Gomboman]

Both are fine tubs. Like spatech said get the model you really want. Once you get the spa the little extra money won't matter much. I would wet test them both and then decide.

[aduvall]

Everyone,
Thanks for all your advice. I think I'm going to go ahead and stay with the Soverign. I really like this model and the the depth should be just fine for us. ** That was really my own concern. (we are both 5"10)

Plus thier are other things that I need to buy for this tub, so I'm going to use this money for that instead of upgrading the tub and not getting the other little luxuries.
Thanks again- YOU ALL HAVE BEEN SO HELPFUL!
Angie

[Bonibelle]

Sometimes just talking it through on here helps a lot. You will love your tub and you are right, there will be plenty of things to spend the extra money on.

Good luck!

[aduvall]

This site and the people on here have been a heaven send...  This site is addicting! I have read all post from the 524 pages. And the bad part about this is.... I want more !!lol

Does that mean I'm WTBHT.com addicted?
 :)Angie

Sometimes just talking it through on here helps a lot. You will love your tub and you are right, there will be plenty of things to spend the extra money on.

Good luck!

[Bonibelle]

Yes...and it only gets worse after you get your tub!!

[zroger73]

This is my opinion of my Sovereign...

One person has total freedom.
Two people presents no problem.
Three people are perfectly comfortable (one in the lounge, two on the opposite corners).
Four people (one in the lounge and 3 on the opposite side) are okay, but there might be some leg bumping.
Five people are getting crowded, but everyone can still be neck-deep in the water.
Six people are definitely crowded (the last one won't have a comfortable seat and can't completely submerge)

I supposed you could begin "layering" after five people, but that usually requires a few beers and really close friends!

In hindsight, I might have gone for the next size up just for that extremely rare occasion I have more than five people in the tub at one time, but considering how rare that is I'm PERFECTLY happy with my Sovereign. Even when I have a party, not everyone stays in the hot tub the whole time. People tend to rotate, so it hasn't been a problem. If money is no object, by all means go for the biggest thing out there. After all, this is America and we generally do things to excess. However, unless you have a specific need for more than five people at a time, I'd suggest staying with the Sovereign. It's not too small to be useless and not too big to be unmanageable. For me, it's just right.

[Spatech_tuo]

I supposed you could begin "layering" after five people, but that usually requires a few beers and really close friends!

Any spa that says its a 4 person is really a 3 person. If it says 6 person its really a 5 person and so on.

[aduvall]

This is my opinion of my Sovereign...

One person has total freedom.
Two people presents no problem.
Three people are perfectly comfortable (one in the lounge, two on the opposite corners).
Four people (one in the lounge and 3 on the opposite side) are okay, but there might be some leg bumping.
Five people are getting crowded, but everyone can still be neck-deep in the water.
Six people are definitely crowded (the last one won't have a comfortable seat and can't completely submerge)

I supposed you could begin "layering" after five people, but that usually requires a few beers and really close friends!

In hindsight, I might have gone for the next size up just for that extremely rare occasion I have more than five people in the tub at one time, but considering how rare that is I'm PERFECTLY happy with my Sovereign. Even when I have a party, not everyone stays in the hot tub the whole time. People tend to rotate, so it hasn't been a problem. If money is no object, by all means go for the biggest thing out there. After all, this is America and we generally do things to excess. However, unless you have a specific need for more than five people at a time, I'd suggest staying with the Sovereign. It's not too small to be useless and not too big to be unmanageable. For me, it's just right.

**********************************************************
This is exactly what I was looking for and you could'nt have summed it up any better.
  *You were reading my mind!
                  THANK YOU.. THANK YOU...

This tub is mostly going to be for me and my husband 95% of the time.
We may have a set of friends in this tub a couple times a year.
And as for our children they may join us on occassion.
We are a close family so if we had a tight squeeze, we could. But I honestly don't see this happening too often. -Besides like you said, rotate and go in at different times.

When we choose the Soverign we were actually going in to "Just look around".
 
We dry tested the Prodogy and it was too small for us, then dry tested the Soverign and felt very comfortable.
Then we went to another HS location where they had the Soverign running. They offered to allow us to wet test but decided not to. We stuck our hands in and everything felt just right.
Then we checked out the Envoy (just found out this is $2000 more) and the Grandee (way out of our range) and decided we wanted the Soverign. It was our first choice and it was within our price range.

Then a few weeks later we found this site and seen that wet testing isn't out of the ordinary. So now we were second guessing this whole situation.
I guess we just were worried how the comfort levels of 2-4 more people in this tub was going to feel and you certainly answered that. --- Thank you!!!!

The only other questions that I have are:
1. How are the jets for the swirling and bubbling action with two people in this tub?

2. When you set in the seats (Just two of you) does the water level come at least even with the top of your shoulders? Or do you have to slouch down a little? How tall are you if you don't mind me asking. Because we both are 5'10.
  
Thanks again for the in-depth detail I really appreciate you writting about your experiance and given me all information on the Soverign!

 :)Angie

[zroger73]

The only other questions that I have are:
1. How are the jets for the swirling and bubbling action with two people in this tub?

2. When you set in the seats (Just two of you) does the water level come at least even with the top of your shoulders? Or do you have to slouch down a little? How tall are you if you don't mind me asking. Because we both are 5'10.

Before I bought my Sovereign, the only other hot tub I've ever been in was a semi-public tub at an apartment complex over 15 years ago. I didn't wet test before I made my purchase. I bought based mostly off of technical specifications and reviews. I'm an electrical engineer by trade and I don't like to cut corners. I was comfortable with the Hot Spring brand and I have confidence in my local dealer. I'm very self-supportive and prefer to educate myself before making a purchase so that I rely as little as possible on outside advice or repairs.

I can't give an honest comparison about the jet performance considering I have so little experience with hot tubs. At my job, I sometimes deal with huge motors - FAR more powerful than the "little" 2.5 horsepower motor in the hot tub, but I have no complaints. The Sovereign's mechanicals seem well-matched. The beauty of the Sovereign to me was in its relatively simple jet system. Only one jet pump and just enough various types of jets for a different experience in each seating position. After 20 - 30 minutes, I often find the noise and water movement annoying, so I turn it off and enjoy the warm silence. I'm not saying the hot tub is loud. In fact, the internals are well isolated. The main source of noise is from the jets as the air is mixed in.

I'm 5'11". I have no problem with the water coming up to my shoulders at the recommended water level. Anyone shorter would certainly have no problem. If the water level is a tad low, I might have to crouch down SLIGHTLY, but nothing near uncomfortable. If you do find that it's a problem, just add another inch of water - it makes a huge difference. But, expect water to overflow if there are more than 2 or 3 people if the water level is above "normal".

My biggest fear as a first-time hot tub owner was water maintenance. I should have purchased stock in test strip companies when I got started! It took a few weeks to settle into a routine that worked for me. The effectiveness of the small quantity of ozone generated by hot tubs is debatable, but I feel comfortable with it there. Since the Sovereign comes with ozone standard, there's no decision to have to make there. I also use the Nature2 cartridge, although I'm no chemist, so I can't prove its effectiveness, either - but, it makes me feel good to think it might do some good. Otherwise, I shock weekly with a tablespoon of dichlor and add a teaspoon or two of dichlor after each use depending on how many bathers were in the water.

I silently discourage clothing in my hot tub. The very things that make people look good and smell good also make the water foamy. Ozone and dichlor will break it down eventually, but it takes a while. I always keep it covered when not in use and only clean my filters during every water/Nature2 change every four months. You may not notice the gradual decrease in water quality over time until you change your water. Fresh water has a very different feel, look, smell, and even sound.

I'm by no means a hot tub expert, but I've managed so far to keep my water from going bad since my purchase. Although I'm a skeptic and had trouble believing it at first, it's amazing how you will eventually be "in touch" with your water and have a "feeling" of what it wants. Water care technically is a science, but since most people don't have the equipment and accuracy of a chemist, it is arguable there is a certain "art" to water care. Don't get frustrated. It WILL come in time. Maybe weeks, maybe months, but you'll get it. If you screw up big time, just dump the water and start over. It's not the end of the world!

There are a lot of choices for maintaining clean, sanitary water and different people have different experiences and preferences. I like using plain-old, time-proven dichlor and letting the ozone and Nature2 cartridge help out a little bit.

[aduvall]

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There are a lot of choices for maintaining clean, sanitary water and different people have different experiences and preferences. I like using plain-old, time-proven dichlor and letting the ozone and Nature2 cartridge help out a little bit.
***************************************************************


I have been thinking whats the best way to go with maintenance.  So many different ways to go...

I know when the Soverign is delievered it will come with a "Baqua spa" starter pac which last 30 days. Also comes with a $50 coupon for Baqua spa bulk pack. -- I guess its a push for you to use Baqua Spa?

However I don't know if I want to mess around with using one type of treatment then switch over to another? And I have read that Baqua spa is way more expensive than going with simple diclor or bromine???

I'M SO CONFUSED. I know, I know it will take time.

Thanks again for the information. I'll keep you posted on how my Soverign is going. Have fun this winter in your spa!