Hot Tub Review
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Hot Springs Envoy
Manufacturer: Watkins
Avg. Price: $0
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wmccall
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I wanted to review of the Envoy we got 4-1-2005 after 1 year but that time of the year is busy and I may not get it done so here is a 10 mo review.
1st off I want to say we really like the Envoy.
Jets and Seats:
We have been very happy with the performance of the spa and really like the jet power, and the ability to reduce the power at each jet, that is a nice feature. I don't like to be beat up to bad so I don't think I could take much more power, our feeling is, it has plenty. The jets don't give any stinging feeling like the SD bahia we wet tested before buying this one. One of the reasons we ended up with this one is it has 5 completely different seats plus some strong foot jets which can be used on your legs also. The therapy chair is my favorite it has a great foot jet, calf jets and strong back therapy. The seat next to the therapy chair is awesome on our shoulders and neck with the spinner jets I added. That same seat has great foot jets also. The other corner seat is nice and deep and has great lower back jets with the optional spinner jets and very strong upper back jets as well. It is also is kinda open so you can move around to get those jets to massage everything from your arms to your sides and back. It is the one I like when we are sitting with jets off because it has arm rests, that was a nice thought form the mfg. The soothing seven is used the least of any seat but it is used about every other soak. The lounger seat has grown on me with the dual moto. When we first got the tub that seat was my wife's favorite and my least favorite. After 10 MOS., her interest in that seat has been reduced a little bit and mine has increased. We both use it almost every soak. The neck jets at the lounger are pretty strong and do work well for us. Some people have complained about those jets (on this forum) but they work for us.
Color, Shell and water feature:
We got the Coastal with Pearl. It is very pretty and we like the smooth pearl inside. We don't find slipping to be a problem which we had a concern about at the purchase. It is very easy to clean and does look cool at night with the lights. The three streams of water from the water feature is ok I guess. (we don't use it much) When the lights are on the streams are the color of the light. Everyone likes it and we did like it the first few months, but find we don't use it much now.
Filters, Ozone and control panel:
The Tri-x are wonderful!! They are easy to clean and almost don't require anything. I spray them off with a hose about once per month and put them in the dishwasher at water changes. I feel like they will last a long time. If I would have bought a SD I would need a new filter about now at almost 100.00. It makes me think I am saving that 100.00 right now and over the next 15 years it may save 1500.00 or so. I also like the no bypass system, it seems to me that it is better to filter the water before it goes into the heater, pumps and ozone. I may be wrong but it makes me feel better. We got the HS ozone and I think it does help with the clarity of the water and allows a little less attention and concern when we are gone for a few days. We find the control panel easy to use after you understand how it works. It took a few soaks to get a good understanding of it, but now we both find it easy to use.
Parent Company:
We have had zero issues with the tub so far so it seems like the Q. C. at Watkins is high. We had 1 of the cover panel mounting plates come loose and a call to the dealer got it ordered and fixed in about 2 weeks which was fine.
A few changes I would like:
There are a few things that would be nice if they were different. Both diverter valves are on the same side by the lounger. It would be nice if the one that controls the therapy seat was near that seat. Another dislike is the other corner seat jets (top 6 jets) can't be turned down when pump 1 is on, they are always on full blast. It has no cool down seat but the lounger can work as one, so that's a toss up I guess. It came with 2 spinner jets. I think it should have 5 spinner jets so I bought 3 more for the corner seat lower 2 jets and the 3rd jet at the seat next to the therapy chair. For a premium spa it seems like it would have that standard. The seat next to the therapy chair can't have the foot jets on when the back jets are on. I wish that was different. It has only 2 pillows 1 at the corner seat and one at the lounger. I can't understand why the therapy chair has no pillow. It is a premium spa and seem like 5 seats would have at least 4 pillows, maybe the Soothing Seven could do without one. The soothing Seven jets are nice jets they don't seem to hit the right places on me unless I almost lay down in that seat. The control panel inside the tub cant change the heat setting. I would like it to have that option while sitting in the tub.
Stereo:
We didn't get the spa audio mainly because of the cost. We didn't feel it was any thing that took our breath away and at 1500 or more we thought it should. I added some killer outdoor speakers on the house and connected them to one of our home systems and that works well and sounds much better than spa audio IMHO. That also allows us to use the stereo on our back patio during cookouts and party's
Date Purchased: 4-1-2005
Price Paid: $8400
Recommend: Yes |
Pros:
strong
nice looking
low operating cost
Tri-x filters
Cons:
minor see review |
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