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Which Caldera Spa did you wet test?
I was wondering if he wet tested a Marino or a Vanto?
As a dealer of both Caldera and Hot Spring, I am surprised that you were unimpressed with the jet pressure of Caldera. I don't display the Florence and haven't received my Reunion yet but I have sat in the Salina and I thought it had good, if not almost too much power for me. The Limelight Pulse I think would be a good option except the waterfall runs with one of the jet pumps. I'm 5'8" and my wife is 5'5" and we are fine in it with the 38" depth. Based on what you are saying, I would probably remove the Prodigy and Beam from your list. They are nice spas but compared to the other larger spas you are looking at, they are going to be slightly lacking in the performance category. Side note, glad you liked the Aria, it's my favorite Hot Spring.If you are 100% decided on a circulation pump, then remove Marquis, they don't use one or offer it as an option. If you can look past the circulation pump and can go 90" x 90" then add the Marquis Euphoria to your list.My opinion, worry less about the lights and waterfall and concentrate more on comfort and therapy. All the brands you listed are quality brands.
Quote from: Hottubguy on April 16, 2019, 07:54:42 pmWhich Caldera Spa did you wet test? We wet tested the Geneva and then tested the HS Aria immediately afterwards and it was a huge jump in jet strength.
Quote from: castletonia on April 16, 2019, 10:06:41 pmAs a dealer of both Caldera and Hot Spring, I am surprised that you were unimpressed with the jet pressure of Caldera. I don't display the Florence and haven't received my Reunion yet but I have sat in the Salina and I thought it had good, if not almost too much power for me. The Limelight Pulse I think would be a good option except the waterfall runs with one of the jet pumps. I'm 5'8" and my wife is 5'5" and we are fine in it with the 38" depth. Based on what you are saying, I would probably remove the Prodigy and Beam from your list. They are nice spas but compared to the other larger spas you are looking at, they are going to be slightly lacking in the performance category. Side note, glad you liked the Aria, it's my favorite Hot Spring.If you are 100% decided on a circulation pump, then remove Marquis, they don't use one or offer it as an option. If you can look past the circulation pump and can go 90" x 90" then add the Marquis Euphoria to your list.My opinion, worry less about the lights and waterfall and concentrate more on comfort and therapy. All the brands you listed are quality brands.Thank you for your reply and we are locating a different dealer to wet test the Caldera tubs because if they have the comfort and therapy then we like the lights and waterfall and hand grip and looks more than other tubs, if that makes sense? We are hoping to find a tub that checks all of our boxes but if not therapy and comfort are tantamount and the other areas we can compromise on. We are 5'5" and 5' so a bit shorter and so far 5' has equated to more of a drowning experience although booster seats in the hot tub could address that. Talk to me a bit more about circulation pumps - we think they are a needed feature but if so, why do none of the Marquis and many of the mid range tubs in the quality lines not have it? I am curious if I am making a big deal over something that in the long run will not matter.
Quote from: unixfairy on April 17, 2019, 11:39:51 amQuote from: castletonia on April 16, 2019, 10:06:41 pmAs a dealer of both Caldera and Hot Spring, I am surprised that you were unimpressed with the jet pressure of Caldera. I don't display the Florence and haven't received my Reunion yet but I have sat in the Salina and I thought it had good, if not almost too much power for me. The Limelight Pulse I think would be a good option except the waterfall runs with one of the jet pumps. I'm 5'8" and my wife is 5'5" and we are fine in it with the 38" depth. Based on what you are saying, I would probably remove the Prodigy and Beam from your list. They are nice spas but compared to the other larger spas you are looking at, they are going to be slightly lacking in the performance category. Side note, glad you liked the Aria, it's my favorite Hot Spring.If you are 100% decided on a circulation pump, then remove Marquis, they don't use one or offer it as an option. If you can look past the circulation pump and can go 90" x 90" then add the Marquis Euphoria to your list.My opinion, worry less about the lights and waterfall and concentrate more on comfort and therapy. All the brands you listed are quality brands.Thank you for your reply and we are locating a different dealer to wet test the Caldera tubs because if they have the comfort and therapy then we like the lights and waterfall and hand grip and looks more than other tubs, if that makes sense? We are hoping to find a tub that checks all of our boxes but if not therapy and comfort are tantamount and the other areas we can compromise on. We are 5'5" and 5' so a bit shorter and so far 5' has equated to more of a drowning experience although booster seats in the hot tub could address that. Talk to me a bit more about circulation pumps - we think they are a needed feature but if so, why do none of the Marquis and many of the mid range tubs in the quality lines not have it? I am curious if I am making a big deal over something that in the long run will not matter.Circulation pumps are tricky, as not all are the same. The benefits of a circulation pump is that it takes the heater, ozone, and filter system offline, freeing up your first pump so that it doesn't have these items slowing down the flow of the water. And obviously - it has less amperage it pulls on average, over a year, than the first pump on low speed (if a circ pump is ran 24/7/365 at .5 amp or the likes, it is still more efficient than, say, the general low speed of approx. 3 amps/8hrs a day average that the non-circ pump units run). Therefor it is more efficient. Additionally, it takes the first pump off the heat cycle, lessening the wear and tear over time. The key is this: The better quality circulation pumps run 0.65 amps, as they will hold up better long-term, and last as long as your therapy pumps. Some brands use a much smaller circulation pump that will fail in a few years. That is where the non-circ pump companies point to how the heater, filter, etc. are all tied to the same thing and if something was to go wrong, then you're in trouble if it is the winter time (Same happens to pump #1 if you don't have a circ pump, but that is not something pointed out in that argument, but I digress). Mid-range tubs don't carry them usually to meet a price point. That is why you rarely see one on low-end or mid-range series, regardless of the brand. Marquis doesn't at all which is a shame but overall that is a great brand, and all brands are different. Lost in the whole point of a circulation point is what is not taken at face-value: What is your climate? How many gallons of water do you have? What is your electric plan - does it cost more to run during the day or night? If you have a smaller tub, your savings are marginalized vs a larger tub that might require more energy to maintain heat. Same with climate - cold vs warmer areas. And electric (peak vs off-peak) all factor in. As with many things in the hot tub industry - there are no direct answers. Its more nuanced and requires both some layered thinking and the specifics to you and your family, and your situation. I hope this helps. Good luck moving forward.
Quote from: unixfairy on April 17, 2019, 11:34:01 amQuote from: Hottubguy on April 16, 2019, 07:54:42 pmWhich Caldera Spa did you wet test? We wet tested the Geneva and then tested the HS Aria immediately afterwards and it was a huge jump in jet strength. The Geneva is no slouch. It should have at a minimum adequate jet power. The Florence and Reunion use the same pumps and have fewer jets, so they should have more power.
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Topic: Wet testing pointers - when you cannot test exact model? (Read 8316 times)
