Personal Observations on Common Spa Features

[cappykat]

Duffman...We wanted to see the Artesians but the closest dealership was 100 miles away and when we went on a Saturday, he was closed.

We narrowed it down between a Jacuzzi 385 and the Marquis Epic.  We chose the Epic because both my husband and I felt it had better therapy.  I have severe neck and back problems and we liked the larger jets--you can sit in front of them for longer periods of time without getting "needled".  Another thing we liked about the Epic is it has several seat configurations.  Some very deep and others higher.  The aidirondack seat is somewhat like a lounger but different and has great therapy.

Epic has a excellent warranty and it's even transferable.  

Just IMO...but I'd look at the Marquis line.  We bought ours fully decked out for $7900 plus tax.

 

[mark_2550]

Regarding the recommendations on the Artesian spas...

I called the local Artesian dealer who also sells Caldera. Unfortunately for me the owner said he doesn't put the top end Artesians on his floor any more since they compete with the Caldera line, which apparently is his main sales focus. He currently stocks the Island level Artesians. I suppose can't fault a dealer for stocking models with the best profit margin.

Bad luck for me.   :-/

P.S.  I just found out that there is an Artesian factory outlet in Baltimore, MD. It's about an hour and a half away but is the only other option.

Also, I found a Marquis dealer about 10 miles away and will try them out this week. I'll update my wet test observations after I'm done.

Duffman,
               My local artesian dealer also carries the caldera line and like your dealer he has a couple of the island and platinum in stock but has the full line of caldera in his showroom from what I understand  the gold and platinum line has larger jet's and he suggested the artesian line to my wife and I due to our height said the caldera would be to deep don't know haven't wet tested yet since the model we liked isn't in stock as of yet.

 

[Alex1]

Duffman,
   Do you have a Master Spa dealer in your area? I looked at a LS800 model and was impressed with the seat variations and power. They also have 2 of what they call  "Master Blaster" jets for your feet on its own pump with 15 outlets on each one. It was moving some serious water. I will wet test this one soon. Also will be looking at the Marquis Epic this Thursday.

 

[Bill_Stevenson]

Duffman,

It sounds to me like you have a fairly well thought out list of features.  As you wet test, you will discover that some of your criteria are somewhat in conflict with others, but that is the way of it.  In addition to those brands mentioned by others, I suggest that you add Marquis to your shopping list, as I think they have a model that might be what you are looking for.

Happy hunting and let us know how it goes.

Regards,

Bill

 

[Duffman]

Wet Testing Update: I wasn't able to wet test an Artesian gold or platinum spa but I was able to try out the Artesian Island Grand Cayman model.  I had three major issues with this spa.

1) The power level of the two motors was unsatisfactory to me. If I had 5-6 people in the spa and balanced the diverter valve settings, only the person in one of the corner chairs would get decent pressure. The pressure was fairly mild everywhere else and the large diameter foot jet was almost worthless.
2) The diverter valve design was very disappointing because the pump that drives the foot jets also powers three of the four corner seats and at least one of the side seats. As a result, if you want decent pressure in 3/4 of the tub you practically have to turn the foot jets off. If you want foot jets then 3/4 of the tub's seats must be turned way down. The kicker is that if you do want to divert power to the foot jets and use the captain's chair under power from the separate motor, you better be at least 6' tall. The large foot jet is just too far away for most people to use.
3) For the two corner seats with neck jets in two of the corner chairs your shoulders are positioned underneath the spa shell. The hard shell was actually molded so that it wraps over your shoulders. Even with the padded headrest, my shoulders bumped/rubbed against the overhang of the shell.

My next visit is to the local Marquis Dealer. From the positive feedback I have read I look forward to trying their spas.

 

[Spatech_tuo]

Duff,
That's why you wet test. I'm sure the spa looked great dry and maybe even seemed to fit well dry. Keep wet testing till you find the best fit for you.

 

[Vinny]

Wet Testing Update: I wasn't able to wet test an Artesian gold or platinum spa but I was able to try out the Artesian Island Grand Cayman model.  I had three major issues with this spa.

1) The power level of the two motors was unsatisfactory to me. If I had 5-6 people in the spa and balanced the diverter valve settings, only the person in one of the corner chairs would get decent pressure. The pressure was fairly mild everywhere else and the large diameter foot jet was almost worthless.
2) The diverter valve design was very disappointing because the pump that drives the foot jets also powers three of the four corner seats and at least one of the side seats. As a result, if you want decent pressure in 3/4 of the tub you practically have to turn the foot jets off. If you want foot jets then 3/4 of the tub's seats must be turned way down. The kicker is that if you do want to divert power to the foot jets and use the captain's chair under power from the separate motor, you better be at least 6' tall. The large foot jet is just too far away for most people to use.
3) For the two corner seats with neck jets in two of the corner chairs your shoulders are positioned underneath the spa shell. The hard shell was actually molded so that it wraps over your shoulders. Even with the padded headrest, my shoulders bumped/rubbed against the overhang of the shell.

My next visit is to the local Marquis Dealer. From the positive feedback I have read I look forward to trying their spas.

If you look at the Artesian Island series, you need to look at their 3 pump versions. Most of the Island series comes in a 3 pump model. I agree that the 2 pump models have to power a lot of jets - the three pump Cayman has a pump strictly for the foot jets and the seat between the deeper captain's seat and the shallower quasi-lounger. The 3 pump Cayman has amazing power, so much so that I have to alternate between air on and air off so that I get a gentle message and sit at the jet longer!

I also agree that it seems the whirlpool jet is useless, but I equate it to any big jet stuck in the middle of a tub and a lot of manufactures do it. I don't use it at all but I do need to play around with it to see if it does provide any whirlpool effect. The neck jet seats are a different story - yes they lock you into the seat - gets you closer to the jets without floating away and then you can scoot yourself forward and get a neck message on top of your neck/shoulders. When I'm working on my neck, I float between the seat in between the captain chairs and the deeper captain's chair - it really works nice!

At 6', my torso is long so for me the captain's seat doesn't work the way it is supposed to but I could see that if I was a few inches shorter it would work out nice. But given my experience with the captain's seats, for my next tub if I could find a tub with great neck message without the molded neck, I probably would buy one.

Everyones expectations are different and everyone wants something different in a tub, that's why you need to find YOUR tub!

Good Luck!

 

[Duffman]

Hi Vinny,

Perhaps I could have made it more clear that I was trying the 2 pump version. Unfortuntately, the dealer did not even mention a 3-pump option.

Given your feedback I am sure I would have been much happier with the power level if I did try the three pump version. I'll update my wet test observations post accordingly.

Thanks  

 

[Backpains]

Can I ask something here? Why isn't it that I hear except from me and spahappy that the Coleman tub is a good high end tub too...I mean I was looking at a couple that I would...If I had the money......love to buy!!!

 

[Vinny]

Can I ask something here? Why isn't it that I hear except from me and spahappy that the Coleman tub is a good high end tub too...I mean I was looking at a couple that I would...If I had the money......love to buy!!!

My issue was the dealer - Coleman was/is a nice tub! I looked at the 480 (no lounger) and thought it was very nice AND affordable.

 

[jnolan]

Absolutely.  I looked at the Coleman too and really liked it but couldn't get the saleperson away from his pool game.   I was the only customer in the store so I wasn't impressed with the dealer at all.

 

[Duffman]

Hi Vlady,

While wet testing the Marquis Epic today I noticed that the dealer also had Colemans in stock.

Coleman Spas don't have all of the bells and whistles as some other brands but they certainly seem to have a more favorable price range. After inspecting the tub, warranty, and then wet testing a couple models, I concluded Coleman makes an all-around good quality spa.

 

[HotTubMan]

As a former Coleman salesman I will have to agree that it is a solid product. I have sold a few brands and I dont feel that way about all of them.

From a dealers perspective, I found Coleman to be a great compnay to work with too.

 

[Backpains]

I guess I'm the lucky one here then huh.....my dealer has been the most personable, considerate guy..he listened to my needs in a tub..what features I wanted and what I thought was a don't really need and we came to the 461 deluxe..I can't say enough about it either!

 

[tony]

We have a good Coleman dealer in my area.  I have lots of friends with Coleman spas, including three neighbors and a cousin.  All of these spas are older than mine.

 

[kent]

Absolutely.  I looked at the Coleman too and really liked it but couldn't get the saleperson away from his pool game.   I was the only customer in the store so I wasn't impressed with the dealer at all.

sounds like 1 REEEALY expensive game of pool.....

 

[jnolan]

Yes it was.  I have since heard that they are going out of business.  I guess you have to have your priorities straight.

 

[Duffman]

After receiving a request to review a Master Spa I found a local dealer and was able to wet test the LSX model. I and was literally blown away by a couple of its features. Unfortunately, $10,500 is a bit out of my price range.

If I could pick any spa from those I have tried, the LSX, or more likely the lounge-free LS2X model would probably be at the top of my list. I just don't know if I could justify the price. I'll have to think very carefully about the cost/performance trade-offs.  :-/