Hotsprings Jesetter LX vs Catlina Kennedy?

[Aryia]

Hello all,

I finally bought a place and can own a hot tub (yay!), though shopping for a hot tub has been a true nightmare with availability and pricing being inflated.

I was quoted 12.5k for a Jetsetter LX, deliverable before Christmas, or 9k for a Catalina Kennedy deliverable in 6-8 weeks which is preferable to me since I have friends coming over in November. 

BUT I want to get a hot tub that I will enjoy. The Jesetter LX has the Hot Springs proprietary moto-massage jet, how do you all like it? The Kennedy comes with more jets, and more fancy gimmicks like waterfalls, fire, and theatrics which is cool but not strictly necessary. Also the Hot Springs spas are salt-water compatible which the Catalinas are not advertised for. 

To summarize Jetsetter LX vs Kennedy:
(1) Jet power and hydrotherapy comfort
(2) Salt water?
(3) Pricing, do these seem like fair prices?

Thanks in advance!
Aryia

[ratchett]

Hotspring is one of the top brands in the industry. Their Highlife series is built to compete with Jacuzzi's flagship products.  The Jetsetter LX is one of the most powerful luxury three seaters on the market, you'll be hard pressed to find anything better in that size.

Catalina is an LPI brand product.  LPI is known to sell the same inferior grade products under multiple brand names to obfuscate the customer reviews making it harder to research feedback from previous customers (seriously, look on Catalina's website - they make no indication they are built by LPI Inc).   Construction wise, it's not even in the same ballpark as a Hotspring Highlife spa (I should know, Catalina was one of the brands I viewed in person when searching for my spa in 2019).   There are other 3 seaters worth considering from brands such as Jacuzzi, Sundance, Caldera, Nordic, and Marquis, but I would seriously suggest you avoid Catalina, and every other brand listed on this site - https://lpiinc.com/shops/

 

7 hours ago, Aryia said:

(1) Jet power and hydrotherapy comfort

Hotspring's motomasager is unlike any other jet in the market.  I highly suggest you try to wet-test a Hotspring Highlife spa you sou can experience this jet. The oscillation speed and jet pressure can be varied by closing other jets around the spa.  I like to send full pressure to the lounger seat with the diverter (AND closing off the jets in the other seats) for a deep tissue massage which is awesome to work out knots after exercising.   Although truth be told - my wife hates the neck jets in the lounger seat (too strong) - so she always turns those off, but I like them.

 

7 hours ago, Aryia said:

(2) Salt water?

I say skip it - more of a PITA than it's worth.  I am a big fan of an ozonator setup.  Shoot me a message if you'd like to see my dealer's cheat sheet for the Jetsetter running with an Ozonator +  Silver mineral cartridge setup.

7 hours ago, Aryia said:

(3) Pricing, do these seem like fair prices?

Prices vary greatly from dealer to dealer as they are responsible for warranty labor costs (in most cases).  Your dealer won't care if you found a friend who bought the same spa for $5k less last week across the country (or even across the state) - they might be out of business at those margins.     The Jetsetter price is on the higher end, but if the dealer is reputable it might be worth it.  I personally got quoted a similar price for a Jetsetter in 2019 but really got a bad vibe from the dealer so I visited another dealer equidistant from my rural location and saved 20% - no haggling needed, just very different business models and operating margins. 

Based on what I was quoted for a 3-seater Catalina in 2019 (around $6k), that $9k price is insane for the low quality product it is (mid-range off-the-shelf electronics, thin grade shell material, cheap pressure treated lumber framing, no ABS baseframe, etc).  Again, do your research on the LPI brand -  I highly suggest you avoid them.

That said, I am a Hotspring Highlife fanboy - I love my jetsetter, but I still suggest you try wet-testing to see if you like the Motomassager jet, as that's Hotspring's real claim to fame.  If you don't care for those jets, there are many other brands worth considering for a 3-seater.  

[gwmac]

I have had my Jetsetter LX for a little over 4 months. I wrote a pretty detailed review here if you want to read it and it answers a lot of FAQs. 

I paid right at $10,000 for mine which included a really generous startup kit and also spa steps. I took delivery in April but bought it about 8 months before that. But $12.5K seems a bit steep over what I paid. 

I strongly advise you get the saltwater option. I love mine! I wrote all about it in the article above but suffice it to say I barely do anything besides test weekly and the water is as clear and balanced as it can be. My old hot tub was ozinator/bromine and it was a PITA the keep the water balanced.  My salt cell cartridge has been working for 18 weeks now and still doesn't need replacing yet. 

P.S. When i was in the shopping phase I also looked at that Catalina. It is garbage! I recommend you get the Jetsetter. Close seconds are jacuzzi and Bullfrog but stay away from Catalina. They are the guys that have those hot tub sales in the parking lots of shopping malls. 

[CanadianSpaTech]

On 8/29/2021 at 7:14 PM, ratchett said:

obfuscate

You just made that up...lol

[cranbiz]

12 hours ago, gwmac said:

P.S. When i was in the shopping phase I also looked at that Catalina. It is garbage! I recommend you get the Jetsetter. Close seconds are jacuzzi and Bullfrog but stay away from Catalina. They are the guys that have those hot tub sales in the parking lots of shopping malls. 

Actually, they are not those dealers. That's Master Spa and their reputation with the mall sales is horrible. On the other hand, LPI, Inc.  AKA Aqua Living, AKA Catalina, AKA Dr. Wellness, AKA Hudson Bay or whatever name they are using this year to hide the fact that they build junk, do have store fronts in strip malls and warehouse districts. They employ high pressure sales, push high interest financing and won't you look under the hood to actually see how poorly they are constructed.

I too, did extensive visits to dealers, exhaustive research and hours of comparison of various brands, construction and features. My most disappointing waste of time was the visit to the Aqua Living showroom, my second one was a visit to the Hot Tub Extravaganza which falsely advertised Hot Tubs from multiple manufacturers and was in fact, only Master Spa with salesmen in 2 toned shoes.

Anyways, if the OP is set on only those two tubs, get the Hot Springs and leave the Catalina in the dust. 

[Ewood]

Aryia,

My first hot tub was a Hot Springs Aria (a little larger than the Jetsetter LX) which was also equipped with a lounge seat featuring their double barreled Moto massage jet with quartet neck jets above. 

After 8 years of enthusiastic, problem-free ownership, we purchased a new home, and the indoor Aria passed with the sale. Much love and no regrets for that tub.  That said, my hot tub ownership experience has since expanded to include another brand, that features a similarly compact 3 seat layout as the Jetsetter LX. 

I can offer a couple of observations that may help:  ‘To lounge, or not to lounge’ (that is the question).  You hadn’t mentioned conducting a first-hand wet test of the spa …that matters significantly.  You may have heard people dismissing the utility of a lounge seat, due to their aggravating experience of ‘floating’ in the lounge seat, buoyancy and jet turbulence affecting their ability to remain ‘anchored’ in the lounge.

My wife, while still enjoying the lounge …routinely battled the floating effect. A weighted belt can help (provided the contents remain securely enclosed), and don’t enter the water.  The pleasurable relaxation of hydrotherapy (requiring substantial financial investment), could be subdued to a degree, by distraction related to a persons compatibility with the lounge seat.

Individual body composition, percentage of lean body mass affect buoyancy, as does the use of leg jetting that generates ‘lift’.  Only a wet test can determine how your body will react to such vital factors.  I benefited most from the Moto massage & neck jetting, my wife would have preferred a tub with wrist jetting (for carpal tunnel syndrome).

Many on this forum have determined that ‘floating’ steered them toward non-lounge spa designs, that typically require less floor space, enable larger footwells, and are often equipped with a massive ring of foot jets.  A captains chair with wrist jets (Hot Springs Envoy) would be a great alternative. Odd, that only the Envoy has that feature.

Watkins (parent company of Hot Springs) has numerous spa product lines under several brands. Hot Springs enjoys the prestige and vast market share within the industry, but the well-deserved reputation for build quality and reliability, comes at a higher cost of admission to the consumer.

Some other top tier spa manufacturers are working hard to earn similar reputation, (but don’t yet demand the same profit margins). In my opinion, Artesian, Marquis and Dimension One currently represent the greatest value.  Before investing more than $10K on a luxury item purchase, I would first consider if any top-tier spa dealership options exist in your vicinity,(Catalina would honestly, be nowhere near that quality level). The dealer I purchased from is 90 minutes away, but had what I wanted and they have a long history of satisfied customers.

How one views the distinction between a Honda Pilot SUV, versus its Acura sibling, (Honda’s luxury line equivalent model) may help identify a spa shopper’s likely best options and preferences. Personally, I cannot justify the added initial purchase price of an auto maker’s ‘luxury line’, nor the increased cost of maintenance or replacement parts. (Toyota and Subaru in our garage)

Good luck!