Trying To Decide Between Marquis, Caldera And Hot Springs

[brumkus]

We are currently shopping for our first spa. We are looking for a good quality, dependable spa with jets that can target the upper back, neck and shoulders. We have wet tested the Caldera Hawaiian ($6495), the Marquis Reward ($8400), the Marquis 530 Ultimate ($6400), and the Hot Springs Accolade ($7395).

The Marquis 530 Ultimate didn't target the shoulders/upper back enough, and the neck jets were under-powered. We really liked the Marquis Reward, but it's more than we want to spend. We were told that the Marquis Destiny ($7995) would be comparable and little cheaper, and the Marquis Quest ($6500) would also be a less expensive option that has comparable neck jets. Our local dealer didn't have either of these filled for us to test. The things we liked about the Marquis: we were told that water maintence is really easy with the Spa Frog, and the jets are apparently plumbed to be between 13 and 17 PSI which we were told is the ideal pressure to provide all the benefits without nerve irritation.

We felt that the Caldera jets were too strong and didn't hit exactly where we wanted them to, but we would be open to trying other Caldera spas.

The Hot Springs Accolade jets hit all of my problem areas perfectly (upper back, neck and shoulders), but the jets seemed really strong. I got a pins and needles feeling after a few minutes and the jets made my husband's back itch. The Marquis dealer told us that this is because both Caldera and Hot Springs plumb their jets at a higher PSI and that's why they were irritating us.

Right how, we're leaning towards a Marquis spa, but really don't want to spend more than $7000 or $7500. Both of the Marquis spas that meet our needs (Reward and Destiny) are more expensive than that. We were also told that both the Caldera and Hot Springs spas use a 24 hours circulation pump that is much less effective than the type the Marquis uses.

Given the above, we have a few questions we were hoping someone could help us answer:

1) Does the Marquis filtering system really work better?

2) Is there validity to the PSI idea?

3) Are these good prices?

4) Which of the spas we've tried would you recommend?

5) Are there any others that we should consider?

6) Any other advice?

[Roger]

1) Does the Marquis filtering system really work better?

All of those mentioned will filter adequetly for your needs

2) Is there validity to the PSI idea?

If it feels better it feels better, I find it hard to believe you couldn't adjust the HS or Caldera to meet your needs though

3) Are these good prices?

They seem reasonable

4) Which of the spas we've tried would you recommend?

All three are good brands with stellar reputations.

5) Are there any others that we should consider?

There are several other top notch brands, what's in your area though?

6) Any other advice?

Which dealer did you like the best?

Comfort on your backside is the most important thing when choosing the right tub for you. Comfort in your dealer and his reputation is number 2 and comfort in the price is number 3.

[Chas]

I agree with Roger's statement that you should have been able to adjust the jets down on the Caldera and Accolade. The Accolade is the most powerful of the HotSpring line for a couple of simple reasons: it has more horsepower per jet than the other models, and that can happen because it does not have the Moto Massage jet which has to have a very narrow range of power in order to work well. But the Accolade also has a diverter valve, so it is very easy to modulate the pressure to all the jets in addition to the fact that all of the jets have air adjustments to mellow them down. Further, you can put in spin nozzles in the smallest and the larger hydromassage jets to give you less 'pinpoint' feeling and more of a pulsing massage feeling.

If you like the Accolade, I would go back and try to get the dealer to show you these adjustments in greater detail. You can do this part of the test with your hands and arms if you don't wish to get in and wet test the tub again. Please - understand that I fully appreciate your statement about too much power. I have watched as many makers have put in larger and larger pumps so that the numbers on the brochures get larger and larger. But as you discovered, that doesn't translate into a more comfortable spa for most folks. I just don't usually hear this associated with HotSpring. Caldera yes, but as I say, you can easily adjust it down.

As to the Caldera Hawaiian - it does have a bit of power. But again, it can be moderated quite easily. You can add the closed-faced jets in place of the adjustable jets by just popping them in. The spa doesn't ship with these jets, but your dealer should be willing to add a couple in to the deal for you, and then if you want to buy some more they are available. They are on other Caldera models, so trying them out in the showroom should be a simple matter of taking a pair out of one spa and placing them into the wet one. They are designed to be easily interchanged for your comfort and to allow you to get just the 'right' amount of massage action.

But like the Accolade, the Hawaiian has a diverter - in fact it has two. You should notice that the one diverter sends water to one or the other of two seats. You can put it in the middle to run all the jets in those two seats, but you can also bias it toward or away from the seat you are in to get the right amount of power for your comfort. I have sold HotSpring since 1986, so I was not ready to show this properly when we first added Caldera to our store - but after a couple of wet tests of my own I understand what you are saying, and I also discovered that the Caldera system is a viable way to give more power than you need everyday, but room for vast adjustability to get it just right. And when you want lots of power - like I do right now after going waterskiing Friday morning and still being a bit stiff - it is there in reserve.

Try the closed-face rotary jets if you can. Talk the dealer into swapping one in for a hand-test, or see if they have another Caldera model running with a pair of those jets in place.

Below is what the closed-face jet looks like. It is called the "OrbiSsage Jet" and interchanges with the VersaSsage Jet. Go here to see more detail and a better selection of the jets. The Marquis site also has a good explanation of their various jets.

OrbiSsage

Here is the Euro-Pulse, which interchanges with the Euro Jet The smallest jets:

[trebla]

Have you checked out Three Rivers Spas - they are great to water test - superb quality and at a great price. We purchased one a month ago, after a lengthy search for the best tub at the best price. After all our research, we went with a Three Rivers Spas - and we have been pleased so far. Just another choice you might want to check out.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

We were also told that both the Caldera and Hot Springs spas use a 24 hours circulation pump that is much less effective than the type the Marquis uses.

I'd suggest you skip the circ pump angle altogether. Some will say you'll filter better with a 2-speed pump. I'd say that's correct but both filter fine. Others will say a circ pump is advantageuos because it allows for ozone to work 24/7 rather than 4 to 5 hrs per day that the low speed filtering runs. That is correct as well though both will do fine. Don't allow one salesperson to evaluate the competitor's product and then take his story as gospel. That is something for you to do and I'd ask the salesperson who sells it if you have questions. It is good to get feedback from the opposing salesperson but take it with a grain of salt.

BTW, all the brands/models you are looking at are good options so you'll do fine with any of those choices.

[thestallion]

Congratulations as you are looking at three very good brands that are similar in cost and quality. Marquis spas do use larger jets than do most and many people do find them to be very therapeutic without giving you that "itchy" feeling you get in some spas. As it has been said the wet test is what you need to do to see what works best for you. Also all will keep your water clean, I do like the Marquis higher turn over of water that they do but the others work fine and have their supporters as well. The nice thing is you really are looking at spas that are made from some of the better company's in the industry.

[Brulan1]

We are currently shopping for our first spa. We are looking for a good quality, dependable spa with jets that can target the upper back, neck and shoulders. We have wet tested the Caldera Hawaiian ($6495), the Marquis Reward ($8400), the Marquis 530 Ultimate ($6400), and the Hot Springs Accolade ($7395).

The Marquis 530 Ultimate didn't target the shoulders/upper back enough, and the neck jets were under-powered. We really liked the Marquis Reward, but it's more than we want to spend. We were told that the Marquis Destiny ($7995) would be comparable and little cheaper, and the Marquis Quest ($6500) would also be a less expensive option that has comparable neck jets. Our local dealer didn't have either of these filled for us to test. The things we liked about the Marquis: we were told that water maintence is really easy with the Spa Frog, and the jets are apparently plumbed to be between 13 and 17 PSI which we were told is the ideal pressure to provide all the benefits without nerve irritation.

We felt that the Caldera jets were too strong and didn't hit exactly where we wanted them to, but we would be open to trying other Caldera spas.

The Hot Springs Accolade jets hit all of my problem areas perfectly (upper back, neck and shoulders), but the jets seemed really strong. I got a pins and needles feeling after a few minutes and the jets made my husband's back itch. The Marquis dealer told us that this is because both Caldera and Hot Springs plumb their jets at a higher PSI and that's why they were irritating us.

Right how, we're leaning towards a Marquis spa, but really don't want to spend more than $7000 or $7500. Both of the Marquis spas that meet our needs (Reward and Destiny) are more expensive than that. We were also told that both the Caldera and Hot Springs spas use a 24 hours circulation pump that is much less effective than the type the Marquis uses.

Given the above, we have a few questions we were hoping someone could help us answer:

1) Does the Marquis filtering system really work better?

2) Is there validity to the PSI idea?

3) Are these good prices?

4) Which of the spas we've tried would you recommend?

5) Are there any others that we should consider?

6) Any other advice?

If you are interested in Marquis tell the salesman that you are looking at hotsprings and they have a tub cheaper that is compribable and if you ask them to drop 1,000 dollars for the sale they will give you the spa for what it is worth (1,000) cheaper.

[JREwing]

My five year old Marquis Reward spa is two months out of warranty. I've had four motherboards replaced. Now the pump goes out. BTW: the pump # is 630-6101. The dealer said that he has never seen anyone with as many problems as me.

I called Marquis to see if I could get any help on this pump. They told me that the warranty on the spa was five years, and they would not give me any help.

I would never ever recommend Marquis Spas. This brand has been a headache from day one.

If anyone is interested in a nice hot tub, it's got a brand new cover, looks great, but needs a pump. I just want to get rid of this thing.

We are currently shopping for our first spa. We are looking for a good quality, dependable spa with jets that can target the upper back, neck and shoulders. We have wet tested the Caldera Hawaiian ($6495), the Marquis Reward ($8400), the Marquis 530 Ultimate ($6400), and the Hot Springs Accolade ($7395).

The Marquis 530 Ultimate didn't target the shoulders/upper back enough, and the neck jets were under-powered. We really liked the Marquis Reward, but it's more than we want to spend. We were told that the Marquis Destiny ($7995) would be comparable and little cheaper, and the Marquis Quest ($6500) would also be a less expensive option that has comparable neck jets. Our local dealer didn't have either of these filled for us to test. The things we liked about the Marquis: we were told that water maintence is really easy with the Spa Frog, and the jets are apparently plumbed to be between 13 and 17 PSI which we were told is the ideal pressure to provide all the benefits without nerve irritation.

We felt that the Caldera jets were too strong and didn't hit exactly where we wanted them to, but we would be open to trying other Caldera spas.

The Hot Springs Accolade jets hit all of my problem areas perfectly (upper back, neck and shoulders), but the jets seemed really strong. I got a pins and needles feeling after a few minutes and the jets made my husband's back itch. The Marquis dealer told us that this is because both Caldera and Hot Springs plumb their jets at a higher PSI and that's why they were irritating us.

Right how, we're leaning towards a Marquis spa, but really don't want to spend more than $7000 or $7500. Both of the Marquis spas that meet our needs (Reward and Destiny) are more expensive than that. We were also told that both the Caldera and Hot Springs spas use a 24 hours circulation pump that is much less effective than the type the Marquis uses.

Given the above, we have a few questions we were hoping someone could help us answer:

1) Does the Marquis filtering system really work better?

2) Is there validity to the PSI idea?

3) Are these good prices?

4) Which of the spas we've tried would you recommend?

5) Are there any others that we should consider?

6) Any other advice?

If you are interested in Marquis tell the salesman that you are looking at hotsprings and they have a tub cheaper that is compribable and if you ask them to drop 1,000 dollars for the sale they will give you the spa for what it is worth (1,000) cheaper.

[d1dennis2009]

What about the D1 Spas products, we have alot of really great options in that price range. I owuld suggest you check out the Venture or Wayfarer.

If you have any questions shoot me a pm.

[spatech (the unreal one)]

What about the D1 Spas products, we have alot of really great options in that price range. I owuld suggest you check out the Venture or Wayfarer.

If you have any questions shoot me a pm.

The poster was specifically looking at the 3 brands mentioned in the thread topic but if they were to look for another then I agree, D1 would be a good addition to consider along with others like Arctic, Artesian, Beachcomber, Jacuzzi, Sundance ... all of which have good options in that price range.

However, while this thread was responded to today by someone commenting about their Marquis spa its actually a 3 year old thread so the poster probably already decided.