IL Parrothead

To me, not low enough of a price for a damaged tub.

asharerin, you're starting to sound a little like another member who stopped posting around the time you joined. Let's be clear on being "ahead of the major brand names i.e. a good value." While you may think that, others may disagree. Yes, the Costco tubs are cheaper. But, by your own admission, you'll get significantly less life expectancy. By everyone else's experiences, you'll pay more per month in electricity. You won't get to wet test the tub before you by it to see if you like it. You won't get the delivery and set-up you'd get from a dealer tub. You won't get the follow-up care or level of service on repairs. And it's questionable whether you'll get the same quality of therapy, if that's important to you. And you'll typically get a lot more than 6-8 years out of a major brand. I have several friends with tubs 15+ years old. So, all in all, you may feel you're ahead of the game. I just ordered my tub (not from Costco), and I'd rather be with a dealer -- even with the price difference (and I'm not a gazillionaire) -- any day.

I'm a soon-to-be owner (waiting for my delivery) -- there are a lot of owners, AND a lot of dealers/reps.

Pretty tub, and pretty land! What's the difference between the standard and Classic? I forget.

Amy, I've followed pricing on used tubs for the last 6 months or so. From what I'm seeing/reading, it would probably be worth $4000-$5000 now, although most buyers (if they don't know you real well) would want to see it full and operational to pay in that price range.

Nikolaus, you were quoted about what I was when I looked at those two tubs a few months ago. I liked both the HS jets and the Sundance jets, whereas my wife only liked the HS jets. Spatech's right -- test them....you'll never know otherwise which you like better.

Nikolaus, you were quoted about what I was when I looked at those two tubs a few months ago. I liked both the HS jets and the Sundance jets, whereas my wife only liked the HS jets. Spatech's right -- test them....you'll never know otherwise which you like better.

That is a pretty tub! What did it cost you?

Jan, these are only my thoughts, and I wet tested a lot. I'm glad to see you're wet testing too. In my opinion (and it's been formed after reading the comments of hundreds of people on this and other forums, and by wet testing), D1 and Sundance would be the best quality and reliability of your list. The D1 price you quoted seems a bit high to me, but you're Maxxus price looks about right. If it's last year's model, you might be able to wiggle them down a tad more. LA Spa, I don't know much about, but I did read some so-so reviews. At that price point you listed, I wouldn't go there at that price. Master Spa -- I'm not going to bash, because I have no first-hand experience. I will tell you that they probably get the most negative posts of any manufacturer on these forums -- although a lot of it is over their marketing and sales approaches (as it appears you've already experienced, with a $4300 swing between two dealers). And at that price point, I -- as a consumer -- wouldn't want to put up with that. IF you look at Chicagoland Craigslist, there's a Master dealer that constantly posts his spas and will put something like "$12,000 spa -- clearance now for $6800" -- except that clearance sale goes on all year! For what it's worth.

There are a bunch of threads here that spell it out. It's not that hard. On the first page -- Forum Introduction -- there's a thread that tells you how.

Bear, Congrats! I ordered my Epic last week. Closely watching the weather forecast. I'm hoping late next week we can get our patio in, becaues the tub should be in shortly thereafter. Post pics and we'll compare!

And keep in mind....Tiger River is typically a lesser featured Hot Spring, whereas Caldera is a sister company of HS, but still fully featured. My vote would be the Geneva, for what it's worth.

Yeah, Jan, I don't know where you live, but near me (Chicago area), you're looking at 10-12 grand for a full-size, full-featured spa -- tax and delivery and everything included.

The Epic has one lounger, called the Adirondack chair. It's a little more upright than some loungers -- somewhere between a lounger and a captain's chair. My wife and I liked it. Our favorite seat, though, is the deep therapy seat in the corner on the other side of the filter/waterfall. The determining factor for us was therapy. Felt great. Had the therapy pillar, which my wife fell in love with and which I thought really offered some neat variations on therapy. Hopefully, you'll get to test one.

IMO, Sundance is a better tub.

bduggan, when I was searching, I thought The Great Escape had pretty fair prices.

Orlando, thanks for the tip! Anyone else have that issue with the Tri-Zone controller?

Dime, I think the Arctic cedar cabinets are gorgeous. I didn't wet test them, because there isn't a dealer anywhere near me. I did wet test Marquis (they have cedar available AND a synthetic -- Durawood), and just ordered an Epic this past Saturday. I went with the Durawood. I already have a deck to stain every couple of years. I didn't want more maintenance. I opted for nothing overhead as well. And I'm with you -- I think I'm going to get one of those offset umbrellas, so I can swing it over the tub in the rain or direct sunlight.

Yeah, that helps....I still think you're looking at a 4 or 5 year old tub versus an 8 or 9 year old tub. I think I'd still go Marquis.

Thanks guys! Yeah, I'm pretty happy with the deal I got. We were pricing a couple of different packages, and decided at the last minute to not go with the Adagio stereo system. We wrote up the deal, and the manager forget to put in the cover lift. He then threw in a Covermate III, when my wife said she sometimes has difficulty with a cover lifter without a gas strut. I could have saved a little if the color options weren't important to my wife. Another dealer had a couple of '07's left, but she's very particular. Ordered a tub from scratch. Should be delivered right around the time my prep work is done -- 2nd week of April. And I will post pics. The cool thing is, I can take the small deposits I had put down on a HS & a Jacuzzi and use them to start outfitting the patio with new furniture and/or accessories! lol

Throw some pictures up, if you can!

Well, they're not all made in the same place, although there are many brother/sister or parent/subsidiary brands out there. I just finally made my choice, after 5 or 6 months of shopping. Here are some great brands to check (and that doesn't mean that the other tubs are junk, but these are the ones I always hear people happy with): Hot Spring, their subsidiary Tiger River and their sister company Caldera; Jacuzzi and their sister company (sort of), Sundance; Marquis; Dimension 1; Artesian....there are a few others. Go to their websites and they all have dealer locators. Find the dealer near you and go look at the tubs. But Brad, I've got to tell you what everyone told me -- and they're 100% right -- go wet test. Get in the tubs when they're filled. No matter how they look to you, or no matter what the salesman tells you, how it feels when you're in it with hot water really should be the deciding factor. They all feel a little different, and nobody can tell you which will feel best for your body size and shape. All in all, the search is fun. Enjoy!

I finally pulled the trigger! My wife and I were driving around and found a new store nearby that was having a Grand Opening! Ordered a 2008 Marquis Epic -- Cedar Durawood cabinet, Almond Pearl shell, new Constellation lighting. Landscapers are doing the patio work the 2nd week of April. Should be soaking within a month! Finally!!!!!

Gorgeous! What area of the country are you in?

They're both good tubs. I'd vote for the Marquis for 2 reasons -- 4 years newer and still under warranty. If you get it to your house and set up, if there are any issues, you can get them fixed then without having to pay. As to the circ pumps, read some of the threads on this site. There are arguments for and against circ pumps. As to being deeper, don't let exterior dimensions fool you. If you can, sit in both tubs. I've wet tested D1 and Marquis and don't recall one feeling any deeper than the other.