Hot Tub Review
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Caldera
Manufacturer: Watkins Manufacturing
Avg. Price: $0
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wmccall
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This is my very 1st hot tub and so far it has been a great experience. The water care has been easier than I expected. The only dowside is there is no stereo. We were stuck between the Elation and Geneva and ultimately chose therapy over music. I thought I would just play my boom box...doesn't work so good.
The only problem with our tub is the kids getting mad at us because it only seems to open at their bedtime!
Date Purchased: 8-04
Price Paid: $8500
Recommend: Yes |
Pros:
awesome lighting, and waterfall
room for company, foot ridge keeps you from blowing away, always waiting for me
Cons:
lack of beverage holders
stereo is not a geneva option |
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wmccall
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I owned this spa for almost 1 year and sold it with our previous house. The only thing that prevented us from just getting another one for our new house was a delivery mix up.
The Geneva is a very comfortable spa for both my wife (5-feet) and for me (6-feet). The bump on the bottom aids footing and helps the user to stay firmly seated. The lounger has multiple grooves for the user's heels to help stay planted. Each foot gets 4 jets when in the lounger. The neck jets on the lounger are strong and not easy to adjust. Skin itch if you stay in the lounger too long.
The whirlpool jet is really strong and excellent for hamstrings and an old athlete's injuries. All of the seats are good and by moving from station to station the whole body recieves well balance thearpy. The pumps are STRONG on this spa. Regulating the prssure requires the use of the diverter valves and they get noisy probably because of the powerful pumps.
The Geneva gets full marks for the little details. Lights are standard on both inside and out. Controls are lighted for night time us and very intuititive. The water is always sparkling clean, no different than our new Envoy with 5 versus "only" 1 filter in the Geneva. The Geneva was easy to maintain and cost me about $10 per month for electricity. It got daily use. We had no trouble at all with the Geneva, it was very reliable and well built. A solid investment that is highly recommended.
Date Purchased: March 2004
Price Paid: $8500
Recommend: Yes |
Pros:
Strong jet therapy
Raised bump on the bottom to stay put
Well designed lounger
Whirlpool jet
Very comfortable
Cons:
Diverter valves can be noisy
Pumps strong enough to cause itching
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wmccall
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We recently purchased the Geneva Utopia after owning a Beachcomber 578 for a short (very short) period of time.
We ran into some problems with the 578 and more so with the dealer and wound up returning the tub and buying the Geneva Utopia. You can see either my review of the 578 under the review section or my post "Beachcomber 578 Disappointment" on the message board for more detailed information.
The Geneva is a very nice tub, which is perfect for family and entertaining. The tub seats 6. It has five seats plus a lounge seat. My FiancÈ and I have two girls, a 16 year old and a 10 year old. I'm tall (6') but my fiancÈ is on the shorter side at 5' 2". While my fiancÈ likes the tub she finds the lounge and the "Ecsta-seat" are a bit too deep for her to enjoy without using a spa pillow. The kids both enjoy the tub and with its varied seat heights and configuration they can always seem to find a comfortable spot.
The tub has excellent power, but in addition by manipulating the diverter valves and air controls you have seemingly endless control of the power, so you never feel over powered. The number of jets and ability to modify each jetís massage characteristics is nice, but takes some tinkering with, but to me, thatís fun!
The SpaGlo lighting is very nice and can be dimmed or tuned off which is nice, but we had to have ours replaced shortly after we bought the tub. Even the new unit flickers a bit when switches from blue to purple (I think) but only when it is on the brightest setting.
I have also noticed that the temperature control can be a little quirky. I have found I have to keep it set 1 degree higher than what I actually want, but once the jets start to run I sometime have to turn it back down that same 1 degree.
The manual does an excellent job of outlining the operating controls and features. It also does a good job of explaining the water chemistry and care.
Our tub has the coastal gray exterior and the champagne shell.
Overall we are very happy with the tub and look forward to many years of enjoyment.
Date Purchased: 08/03
Price Paid: $7600
Recommend: Yes |
Pros:
Comfortable
Quiet (overall)
Great power
Assorted specialized seats
Deep
Cons:
Diviters a little noisy in some positions
SpaGlo lighting can flicker a bit
Some seats a bit deep for shorter folks |
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wmccall
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The spa has been absolutely wonderful. It has been all that I could have hoped for and more. The ease of maintenance and the therapy is a God send. Best purchase I've made in a while.
Date Purchased: 12/02
Price Paid: $7500
Recommend: Yes |
Pros:
Extremely comfortable
Quiet when running
Easy maintenance
Great therapy from foot to neck
All out "GREAT SPA"
Cons:
NONE |
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wmccall
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Overall it's a great spa. Me,wife,and kids love it.
For the value and comfort,it was the best spa for us.
Date Purchased: 3-10-03
Price Paid: $7295
Recommend: Yes |
Pros:
Large tub,ample room/seating
Great lower back massage
Great foot massage
Lights are nice at night
Cons:
Doesn't come with a built in refrigerator
Makes going to work depressing
No cup holders
Diverters tad noisy when in a certain position |
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