Deciding Between Maquiss 545 And Evolution Key West

[vince805]

My wife and I are planning to purchase our first spa. We were going to go with the Costco Evolution Key West, but decided we should go into a local store first and at least see what they have. The local store we have is Marquiss, so we went in yesterday and looked at a few spas and ended up getting an offer of $5000 for the Marquiss 545. So now I am trying to decide if the Marquiss would be worth spending the extra $1000 on. I know with the Costco spa we would need to get spa movers to put it into position, so that will add a few hundred dollars I think to the overall price, where with Marquiss they will deliver it and put it in the location all included with the purchase price.

I guess what I am asking you guys, are these 2 spas even an apples to apples comparison? I have read a lot of threads on this forum about the customer service from Evolution, and have read great things, but what about spa quality. Is Marquiss the next level compared to Evolution, or would they be similar?

A big + for Marquiss I just noticed is the warranty... they offer 5 year parts/labor where Evolution is 2 years for all mechanical and solid-state components and 1 year labor.

Thank you for any input.

[gman]

I'm not familiar with either of these tubs, but the warranty on each tub should tell you a lot about the quality of materials, construction and workmanship. Read the entire warranty for the specific tub you are considering...the "fine" print as well as the "bold" print. Read the warranties very carefully and thoroughly (they're usually available from the manufacturers website).

If you've read a lot of threads on this forum as you've stated, then you already know you should wet test your hot tub before you purchase. The Evolution Spa will not be available for wet testing from Costco, but perhaps you could find a distributor of that tub elsewhere. Experience first hand the hydrotherapy, sound levels, vibration, etc., of each tub, then make a comparison.

Presumably, the Marquis dealer will service their own brands. But who will provide service support for the Evolution Spa? Will the Marquis dealer in your area be willing to service the Evolution Spa in the event you purchase the Costco tub?

Once you've considered the above and resolved any related issues, you should be able to decide for yourself whether the $1000.00 difference is a value to either tub.

Good luck,

narukami

[vince805]

Reading through the owners manual online for the Marquis it looks like the warranty is not for 5 years like I was told, 5 years for the structure and 1 or 2 years for everything else. I will have to see what the salesman says about this.

[Roger]

My wife and I are planning to purchase our first spa. We were going to go with the Costco Evolution Key West, but decided we should go into a local store first and at least see what they have. The local store we have is Marquiss, so we went in yesterday and looked at a few spas and ended up getting an offer of $5000 for the Marquiss 545. So now I am trying to decide if the Marquiss would be worth spending the extra $1000 on. I know with the Costco spa we would need to get spa movers to put it into position, so that will add a few hundred dollars I think to the overall price, where with Marquiss they will deliver it and put it in the location all included with the purchase price.

I guess what I am asking you guys, are these 2 spas even an apples to apples comparison? I have read a lot of threads on this forum about the customer service from Evolution, and have read great things, but what about spa quality. Is Marquiss the next level compared to Evolution, or would they be similar?

A big + for Marquiss I just noticed is the warranty... they offer 5 year parts/labor where Evolution is 2 years for all mechanical and solid-state components and 1 year labor.

Thank you for any input.

While Strong makes a fine value line product IMO having seen how both the marquis and the Strong are built I would put the Marquis one step above.

[THE SPA GUY]

Marquis is a very good brand,, The Evolution is a decent spa, we just delivered one of those 2 weeks ago for a Costco customer... the biggest thing is service after the sale,,, delivery , setup, ,, the Evolution seemed to bilt fine, except for the maifold on the model we saw the manifold was on one side of the spa , i believe the manifold( which had multiple manifolds glued to together on one side ,, ithink if there was an issue there it would be a lot of work ,, they also had a manifold glued up high with really no suport.. but again the point here is the service aspect of it, that is why you would be paying a little more,, but if you figure it out, its a lot closer than you think, add delivery from the driveway to the backyard, add 300.00 there if you want a lifter add 250.., chemicals for start up 50.00, add ozone 250.00 so the price actually gets to be a lot closer .....

[spawn]

vince805 - The key west is a bit odd in that it has 1 pump to move water to 60 jets and 1 pump to add air to add more power to the jets. Many manufacturers use the addition of air to add more power but using an air pump for the purpose is not common as far as I know. Usually an air pump has different jets that are air only and most feel that they don't really do much but cool the water.

The 545 has two separate pumps to provide water to 45 jets - spec wise it would seem to suggest more power is available to the jets but there are many variables. Both tubs probably filter adequately but it looks like the marquis has more filter surface area which may mean that you don't have to maintain the filter as often.

Most of us consumers who have gone through the spa buying process agree with the advice to wet test the tubs. It seems particularly critical in this case because 1) Loungers generally only work for a relatively small % of users and you don't know if it will be right for you until you try it. It would be a bummer to buy a lounger spa and find that you float out of it or have to wedge yourself in with feet and back. And 2) It seems that the hydrotherapy differencs between thes tubs could be significant. If you just want a big tub of hot moving water - which, by the way is good enough for many - then maybe the hydrotherapy differences are not so important. If hydrotherapy is important to you, then wet testing should also be important. Wet testing the 545 at the dealer should be fairly easy and is part of the reason that the 545 costs what is does. Wet testing the key west may not be easy, but is probably worth the effort to find one in your area and check it out.

Maybe the Marquis dealer has a little room in his price - maybe not. If he can't come down, maybe he would be willing to give you a second set of filters to close the deal. They would cost him less than the retail price of the filters and having a second set is very handy. When i change my tub water I remove the filters and soak them in dish washer detergent overnight, then go thorugh a thourough rinsing process that may mean another day or two changing water multiple times in the cooler I soak them in. Having a second set of filters means that I can rotate one set in and get the tub ready to go while the other set is cleaned, rinsed dried and ready for the next water change.

[vince805]

Thank you everyone for your replies and input. We are going to be going for our first wet test in about 2 hours. They are getting the spa heated up right now.

[Roger]

Thank you everyone for your replies and input. We are going to be going for our first wet test in about 2 hours. They are getting the spa heated up right now.

Wet test them both on the same day so you get a good comparision.....oh wait, never mind.

[vince805]

We both enjoyed the wet test, but I am pretty sure we would have enjoyed any hot tub. The lounger worked well for me, but not so much for my wife. She got pushed out of it a bit. Also the guy working there was not the owner, who we talked to the first time we went in, so he wasn't able to make any kind of deal with us on the price. So I told him that if the price was lower we would be willing to write a check for the full amount.

I also found out we have a local dealer that sells Hot Springs, Limelight and Hot Spot spas, so we will be going to see that store tomorrow to further complicate our decision!

As of now we are leaning towards the Marquis, but it will be fun to do some more wet testing!

[spatech (the unreal one)]

We both enjoyed the wet test, but I am pretty sure we would have enjoyed any hot tub. The lounger worked well for me, but not so much for my wife. She got pushed out of it a bit. Also the guy working there was not the owner, who we talked to the first time we went in, so he wasn't able to make any kind of deal with us on the price. So I told him that if the price was lower we would be willing to write a check for the full amount.

I also found out we have a local dealer that sells Hot Springs, Limelight and Hot Spot spas, so we will be going to see that store tomorrow to further complicate our decision!

As of now we are leaning towards the Marquis, but it will be fun to do some more wet testing!

You're doing the right thing by checking out a couple and wet testing. Lounges are great when they fit you but if not its a waste of space. If in doubt, skip the lounge.