Hydropool Aquatrainer or Marquis ATV Swimspa Opinions/Experience

[michaelz]

Thanks in advance if anyone can answer this. Does anyone have a Hydropool Aquatrainer, Executive Trainer or a Marquis ATV Swimspa and could you tell me about the experiences you have had with it, for instance if you had to repair anything how smoothly did that go, how is the swimming experience in it, how is the maintenance, how long have you had it?

Also any opinions on them even if you don't own them either brand wise or because you took a test swim?

[MarKee]

In my opinion the Marquis ATV is built quite a bit stronger and will hold up better over time.  The Marquis uses a fiberglass gusset frame, which makes it so about 90% of the frame is fiberglass which is impervious to rotting or rusting.  The Hydropool uses a thin gauge metal frame that I’ve seen flex when lifted with a fork lift.  Last time I saw a Hydropool being craned in to place, they had a wide open bottom that exposes the insulation and internals to moisture, the Marquis ATV has a sealed bottom.  The bonded polymer shell of the Marquis ATV is also superior in my opinion.  I’ve never swam in the Hydropool, but swimming in the Marquis ATV is very easy as soon as you get the hang of swimming against a current.  The tether that comes with the swim spa is a good training tool for getting used to the current. It’s also important to buy some goggles so that you can open your eyes underwater, and I prefer to swim with the air off, so that you’re only swimming against water.

[michaelz]

Thank you for the information.

I have another question that maybe you can help me with.  I took a test swim in the marquis kona.  I actually thought it was pretty strong out of the jetted models I have tried(tidal fit pro-15, cal spa commander).  I however forgot to check if the atv can be incrementally dialed up or down.  Most of the newer models like the tidal fit have variable speed pumps with an electronic control to dial between 0 and 100.  Does the kona have a diverter to do that with?

Also just for anybody else that might ever read this thread I can give you some of my experiences so far.

Cal Spa Commander
Tested an older Commander felt that the current was weaker than the tidal fit Pro EP-15.  The newer model has more gpm so it's possible the newer model is better.  I felt the current at max was very uneven and tossed the swimmer around a lot.

Tidal Fit Pro EP-15
Great current but a step below the Marquis Kona.  For the price/value its a very good model.  It had the best massage seats between the Cal Spa and Marquis.  It also had some great features including a combination of physical buttons and touchscreen.  With all the more used functions as physical buttons. Also an electronically controlled variable swim current that didn't use diverters.

Endless Pool E550
Overall the swim was fantastic very smooth and certainly in a different league from all the jetted swims we tried.  The massage seats were standing only.  The E700 has actual seats but the E550 did not.  The massage was ok better than Marquis but awkward since you have to stand.

Marquis Kona
Had a pretty smooth swim for a jetted model.  Very powerful and you felt the current throughout the pool.  The massage seats were lacking but they were at different heights to accommodate multiple sizes of people.  I like this current 2nd to the Endless Pool at least so far.

It's also worth noting that even though I haven't tried these they could possibly be good on paper as well.
Hydropool AquaTrainer 17 fX
The gpm for the AquaTrainer is supposed to be 1400 where as the Marquis Kona is only 1000 so it's possible if you are a strong swimmer the Hydropool might be worth trying.

The Endless pool for a comparison puts out 5000 gpm in the current, but the pricing is up there so for anyone trying them it might be about the best value for you.

[MarKee]

You will have 6 different pump speed settings (2 speeds per each pump) with the Marquis ATV, and 3 air control settings.  You also have a diverter that gives you the ability to take power from the therapy seats and add it to the swim jets.

[michaelz]

I noticed on the Marquis ATV Kona, that I tested the composite boards that made up the cabinet, on the outside were warping and didn't sit flush is that something you have ever seen?

  It might have just been they moved it around a lot which was true because I asked them before bringing up the warping.

It's also worth noting that it's put together using composite boards and are not a full panel which might be why it would bend and twist if the unit was moved in the wrong way. 

[MarKee]

I haven't seen that before, and I've been around a lot of them.  Moving the ATV shouldn't really mess with the cabinet.  Usually cabinet panels can be unscrewed and adjusted if something is not sitting flush.

[michaelz]

I got to try the Hydropool Sport today and since there is so little first hand review information I will keep posting my reviews for anyone else that might need them.

Hydropool Aquasport 14fx
The current was fairly good maybe better than the Marquis Kona ATV however it's been so long I can't fully remember the difference. I was pushed to one side but it was manageable and nothing like the Cal Spa or the Tidal Fit. 
On current alone I would probably go with it, but I felt the cabinet and insulation were not that great.
I felt the cabinet panels to be a little flimsy, they were bowed out very slightly in some spots.  The Structure is all steel and seems quite sturdy.  The bottom is abs plastic but it doesn't wrap around the bottom edges so I don't believe it provides any insulation value, and is mainly just a floor for the spa to sit on.  The very bottom layer is just a sheet of reflective bubble wrap material, which is also what a lot of the cabinet is wrapped in as well.  It does have full foam but it seems it's not insulated thoroughly all the way around.  I don't know how much it matters or not and it may not matter at all.

Now that I have seen it I can confirm a lot of what Markee said above.  I do think the Marquis ATV Kona is built better.  However structurally I don't see much of a problem with it as it uses steel.  It's the materials around the frame that seem to be lesser quality. 

If anyone has questions I can try to answer.  I also have a spreadsheet with a great comparison on several brands.

[swilly1000]

You're right.  The Marquis is built better.

[BrwDistribution]

Thank you for the information.

I have another question that maybe you can help me with.  I took a test swim in the marquis kona.  I actually thought it was pretty strong out of the jetted models I have tried(tidal fit pro-15, cal spa commander).  I however forgot to check if the atv can be incrementally dialed up or down.  Most of the newer models like the tidal fit have variable speed pumps with an electronic control to dial between 0 and 100.  Does the kona have a diverter to do that with?

Also just for anybody else that might ever read this thread I can give you some of my experiences so far.

Cal Spa Commander
Tested an older Commander felt that the current was weaker than the tidal fit Pro EP-15.  The newer model has more gpm so it's possible the newer model is better.  I felt the current at max was very uneven and tossed the swimmer around a lot.

Tidal Fit Pro EP-15
Great current but a step below the Marquis Kona.  For the price/value its a very good model.  It had the best massage seats between the Cal Spa and Marquis.  It also had some great features including a combination of physical buttons and touchscreen.  With all the more used functions as physical buttons. Also an electronically controlled variable swim current that didn't use diverters.

Endless Pool E550
Overall the swim was fantastic very smooth and certainly in a different league from all the jetted swims we tried.  The massage seats were standing only.  The E700 has actual seats but the E550 did not.  The massage was ok better than Marquis but awkward since you have to stand.

Marquis Kona
Had a pretty smooth swim for a jetted model.  Very powerful and you felt the current throughout the pool.  The massage seats were lacking but they were at different heights to accommodate multiple sizes of people.  I like this current 2nd to the Endless Pool at least so far.

It's also worth noting that even though I haven't tried these they could possibly be good on paper as well.
Hydropool AquaTrainer 17 fX
The gpm for the AquaTrainer is supposed to be 1400 where as the Marquis Kona is only 1000 so it's possible if you are a strong swimmer the Hydropool might be worth trying.

The Endless pool for a comparison puts out 5000 gpm in the current, but the pricing is up there so for anyone trying them it might be about the best value for you.

Do you have happen to remember the approximate price for these units ?

[michaelz]

I don't really have accurate numbers because some of the prices I have are negotiated and some are the listed price.  Here are some of the numbers that aren't negotiated.  Honestly though I think the best thing to do is just call the dealer and ask them for the price.  Take that price as your starting price, then negotiate with them or try another dealer.   I felt this was a lot like buying a car where the listed price doesn't mean much, but the sales people are generally much nicer.

These prices could be regional, per dealer.  I have no idea so take these with a grain of salt.

Marquis Kona
35k is what it seems to be listed as at the store

Endless pool E700
This starts at 35k but truthfully it's really about 40k

Hydropool AquaTrainer 17 fX is about 35k

PDC Truswim is about 35k

H2X Challenger 18 D is about 35k

Cal Spa COMMANDER F-1681 29k

After you put the pad in the electrical and even if you do the bare minimum you are probably looking at 5-8k for installation.  We are putting a deck around it so add another 10k+.

[BrwDistribution]

pretty expensive , much more than the Canadian market , we get the same unit for much less .