Let’s Talk Dimension One (D1)

[aug0211]

Many of you know (from another thread I have here) that my wife and I are in the market as first time purchasers (both of us grew up with Hot Spring and Sundance).

I’ve gathered a bunch of great info in our search process so far, mostly on other brands besides D1. Dimension One continues to be of great interest to us. We read lots interesting info in their marketing and I consistently see positive reviews when I search online. That said, most threads/reviews are years old. There are a series of videos on YouTube posted by Wild Rose Hot Tubs with nice promotional footage for D1.

So, let’s talk about D1. Their Bay collection is exotic. They’re going for it, and they’ve piqued our interest. It’s a 1.5 hour drive for us to go see them in person and wet test, so I want to get the skinny before we commit to a trip. The Executive from the Reflections collection is also interesting to us in case we love D1 but decide we don’t like Bay.

The tubs on our list from D1 are (in order of “paper rank”):
•Sarena Bay
•Amore Bay
•Executive
•Lotus Bay

So, time for some questions:

•What would you pay for each of the above tubs?

•Would you buy a D1 with the dealer being 1.5 hours away?

•Their marketing indicates that the water effects are interchangeable. Is that accurate?

•5 pumps is a lot - is this a good thing in that we don’t have to divert power as much and have less stress on each pump? Or is it a bad thing in that we have more parts to fail?

•What’s the deal with Echo switches? Gimmick or nice? Do you use them?

•Topside controls - the new glass panel seems really nice (I’m a tech guy). Any experience? What’s the mobile app like from your iPhone?

•Water sanitation technologies - they have 3 levels, how do they stack up against the competition? Is the jump to UltraPure Plus noticeable?

•Ultra Loungers - how do they compare to loungers in other tubs in terms of positioning/angles? Hug you more or less? How about the massage sequencers? Anyone use them?

•What other differentiators are in D1 that I’m missing?

•How about other features like jet power, longevity, brand support, etc?

Would love to hear any and all feedback you have to share. I have included a bunch of photos I took highlighting key points from their marketing material, for reference.

Marketing guide:
https://201172-608420-raikfcquaxqncofqfm.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/D1-Catalogue-2018-Web.pdf

Specific areas of interest:
https://imgur.com/gallery/1iMGk41

[Sam]

D1 are really nice spas.  The Amore Bay is one of my favorite spas out there.  I'm a little fuzzy on their pricing but I would guess $15k to $17k range for it depending on a few factors. 

The jets are very good.  The sequencer is pretty cool.  The switches to me are a bit gimmicky but certainly a neat design.  The fountains are indeed interchangeable but personally, I think they are silly.  Who wants water fountains shooting in the air and splashing while soaking in a hot tub?   The do look pretty darn cool though. 

The 5 pump thing doesn't necessarily correlate to stronger jets because only 3 are jet pumps and 2 of them are small circulation pumps.  One is for filtering and the other is for the fountains.   The contours to the loungers are fantastic and super comfortable.  Maybe my favorite "loungers" though they are more like adirondaks than true loungers.  This is a great thing for people who float in normal loungers.  They are also sort of "his & hers" since one is a little longer than the other.

They do a lot of little things really well that are hard to appreciate until you have one.  For instance, they have air bleeders up top to relieve an airlock.  Trust me when I say this is a godsend to a homeowner who isn't very handy and gets an airlock.  Honestly, even if you are handy it's still super nice to have.  They have always been an engineering kind of company and constantly innovating really cool stuff.  They have some ridiculous amount of hot tub patents.

All in all, D1 makes an amazing hot tub that is absolutely gorgeous and very user focused.  I really want to love them and on paper they should be my favorite.  Unfortunately, in my experience they are a bit overpriced and we had too many service issues.  Also, it takes forever to get parts and their support in that regard could be very frustrating.  I suspect this has a lot to do with being bought out by jacuzzi group and moving production to mexico. 

They also use (or at least did) gecko electronics which I really don't like at all.  Overly complicated and some really dumb design decisions.  I don't recall the specifics but there was something that would happen occasionally requiring a "factory reset" which required the customer to remove the access panel and find a button that was not really obvious.  Sorry my memory is fuzzy but I just remember it being unreasonably complicated and difficult for customers to figure out but not covered under warranty to send a tech out to do.

I haven't used the new control panel yet, so no comment.  It looks damn nice though.

Their water treatment system at the top end was fine but didn't seem any better than any other companies best systems.  Arguably worse than some I've seen, though they certainly talk like it's the best.

So to answer your question regarding purchasing from a dealer 1.5 hours away, I would personally be nervous due to the amount of service issues we have.  I admit that my experience is sort of anecdotal in that I only sold them a year or so and I haven't heard much bad about them from other people.  I've also seen quite a few pretty old D1's out in the field but again, I suspect things changed for the worse after the buyout.  I say check them out because their bay series are truly incredible spas.  Maybe express your concerns about service and the fact that they are so far away and see how the dealer handles it.  They also may have finally settled into a rhythm with all of the changes and all of the issues that I experienced may very well have been temporary and resolved.

[aug0211]

...
The fountains are indeed interchangeable but personally, I think they are silly.  Who wants water fountains shooting in the air and splashing while soaking in a hot tub?   The do look pretty darn cool though. 
...

First - awesome response. I almost didn’t highlight this above portion because there is so much helpful info in your response that cutting it out doesn’t do it justice Thank you for sharing such great feedback.

On the highlighted portion above, I agree. Those fountains look great in a picture. My toddler would like them. Wife and I? Hmmm.... Actually, that’s why I ask about the interchanging. Some of the other water features from D1 are actually really attractive to us. The Babbling Brook and Gieser (sorry I don’t remember the exact names) seem to give some nice background noise based on videos on YouTube, and they also seem to look pretty nice - without being as intrusive as the massive fountain effects.

We will be sure to ask about service when we visit. The price is a jump, and it would for sure need to be worth it.

Your info on the recliners was exactly what I suspected and was hoping someone could confirm. That sounds exactly like what we’ve been looking for in our search.

[Hottubguy]

Can’t really add much more then Sam.  He did a great job on his post. The Sarena Bay to me is one of the most comfortable tubs I have ever sat in. Lots of power. D-1 has always made a great tub. Like Sam said they did ha e some usurps when they were first acquired by the Apollo Group. That was 5 years ago give or take so I would assume they took care of those issues. Definetely worth a visit and a talk with dealer. One of the things I would stress would be on travel charges for both in warranty and out of warranty. Another thing I remember about the Bay series is the price. I’m on the East Coast so obviously shipping charges are considerably more out here but I think that Sam probably you figures that maybe a bit low on that series. I have seen some quotes approaching 18k-19k on some of those tubs. Good luck in your search

[swilly1000]

Fountains generally are gimmicky.

Not my bag.

[Hottubguy]

Fountains generally are gimmicky.

Not my bag.

I never use mine when I’m in tub. They are pretty cool to look at when I’m
Entertaining with the lights on and stuff. Nice ambience.  Other then that they are useless

[Spatech_tuo]

Fountains generally are gimmicky.

Not my bag.

I'm with you 100% BUT that's just us, others really care when shopping as they can be a point of sale eye-catcher, whether they care later is debatable  .

[aug0211]

Fountains generally are gimmicky.

Not my bag.

I'm with you 100% BUT that's just us, others really care when shopping as they can be a point of sale eye-catcher, whether they care later is debatable  .

Right, I’m with you guys. Hence, the interchangeable question. We like the ambient noise of water (not just in a hot tub, even in an indoor fountain, for instance). But we think the babbling brook, for instance, would be more practical in the tub than the massive fountains. For instance, we prefer the Sundance and Jacuzzi waterfalls over the Hot Spring design - we want the audible effects (and the visuals are nice), but not so much the actual fountain itself.

I guess the kids may like it though

[Sam]

The babbling brook one is actually really cool and I should mention that I really like that one.

[aug0211]

The babbling brook one is actually really cool and I should mention that I really like that one.

Thanks, Sam. I’m stil not quite 100% clear on this - if I don’t like the spraying fountain things, can I swap them out for a babbling brook or another water feature of my choice?

If yes, is that something that has to be done when I place my order, or is it something I can do myself at home after taking delivery (and/or repeatedly over time, if we want to make adjustments down the road)?

[Sam]

There are 3 "fountain" locations.  One is meant to be the babbling brook and the shell is molded to facilitate that.  The other 2 are actual arcing fountains that have interchangeable heads.  You can turn on just the brook and leave the fountains off independently. 

[aug0211]

There are 3 "fountain" locations.  One is meant to be the babbling brook and the shell is molded to facilitate that.  The other 2 are actual arcing fountains that have interchangeable heads.  You can turn on just the brook and leave the fountains off independently.

Thank you. What is interchangeable with the heads? What is the result of changing heads? What options are there when changing these heads?

[Sam]

It changes the pattern of the water spray and number of spouts I think.  It's been awhile and I don't remember exactly. 

[BullFrogSpasMN]

D1 are really nice spas.  The Amore Bay is one of my favorite spas out there.  I'm a little fuzzy on their pricing but I would guess $15k to $17k range for it depending on a few factors. 

The jets are very good.  The sequencer is pretty cool.  The switches to me are a bit gimmicky but certainly a neat design.  The fountains are indeed interchangeable but personally, I think they are silly.  Who wants water fountains shooting in the air and splashing while soaking in a hot tub?   The do look pretty darn cool though. 

The 5 pump thing doesn't necessarily correlate to stronger jets because only 3 are jet pumps and 2 of them are small circulation pumps.  One is for filtering and the other is for the fountains.   The contours to the loungers are fantastic and super comfortable.  Maybe my favorite "loungers" though they are more like adirondaks than true loungers.  This is a great thing for people who float in normal loungers.  They are also sort of "his & hers" since one is a little longer than the other.

They do a lot of little things really well that are hard to appreciate until you have one.  For instance, they have air bleeders up top to relieve an airlock.  Trust me when I say this is a godsend to a homeowner who isn't very handy and gets an airlock.  Honestly, even if you are handy it's still super nice to have.  They have always been an engineering kind of company and constantly innovating really cool stuff.  They have some ridiculous amount of hot tub patents.

All in all, D1 makes an amazing hot tub that is absolutely gorgeous and very user focused.  I really want to love them and on paper they should be my favorite.  Unfortunately, in my experience they are a bit overpriced and we had too many service issues.  Also, it takes forever to get parts and their support in that regard could be very frustrating.  I suspect this has a lot to do with being bought out by jacuzzi group and moving production to mexico. 

They also use (or at least did) gecko electronics which I really don't like at all.  Overly complicated and some really dumb design decisions.  I don't recall the specifics but there was something that would happen occasionally requiring a "factory reset" which required the customer to remove the access panel and find a button that was not really obvious.  Sorry my memory is fuzzy but I just remember it being unreasonably complicated and difficult for customers to figure out but not covered under warranty to send a tech out to do.

I haven't used the new control panel yet, so no comment.  It looks damn nice though.

Their water treatment system at the top end was fine but didn't seem any better than any other companies best systems.  Arguably worse than some I've seen, though they certainly talk like it's the best.

So to answer your question regarding purchasing from a dealer 1.5 hours away, I would personally be nervous due to the amount of service issues we have.  I admit that my experience is sort of anecdotal in that I only sold them a year or so and I haven't heard much bad about them from other people.  I've also seen quite a few pretty old D1's out in the field but again, I suspect things changed for the worse after the buyout.  I say check them out because their bay series are truly incredible spas.  Maybe express your concerns about service and the fact that they are so far away and see how the dealer handles it.  They also may have finally settled into a rhythm with all of the changes and all of the issues that I experienced may very well have been temporary and resolved.

Not much to add since I don't sell against nor have I ever sold D1 but I can confirm the control panel is very nice, I believe it is called the A1000 and you'll be seeing it a lot this year and next on a lot of premium brands (excluding those that use proprietary parts of course) Bullfrog will be using it on their A-Series, I got to play around with it in Vegas last month at the trade show and it was very nice!

[Summit]

I think you will be thrilled with D1, problems in the past are exactly that now,  in the past...