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New to hot tubs - need Hot Springs advice

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Buzzbomb1:
My wife and I are in the market for our 1st hot tub and we have narrowed it down to the Hot Springs High Life collection. Most of the time it will be just me & my wife and I but we have 2 young boys who are excited they are getting a “pool”. We also entertain occasionally so we want a true 4 person tub. Here are the 3 models we are considering:

1. Aria - I loved the idea of the lounger so I was disappointed we couldn’t stay put in it during our wet test. The reason the Aria is still a contender is that the rest of the seats were awesome and figure we can buy a weighted pillow to help us stay in the lounger.
2. Vanguard - The Vanguard was in the showroom but we couldn’t wet test. We both enjoyed the Moto massage from the wet test in the Aria and liked the extra space since no lounger. We did have some concern about committing half the seats to the Moto massages (would it get old?)
3. Prodigy - This was not in the showroom but on paper the configuration and size seem good. It doesn’t have the waterfall (we don’t care about) and no foot jets (would be nice but not a deal breaker) but at $3k cheaper than the Vanguard, it is a serious contender. Our biggest concern is the size (can it realistically fit 4 people?) and the lack of power from the jets (I will be using the tub for therapy and want all the pressure I can get). Our sales rep seemed to want to steer us away from the 1 pump tubs but would Hot Spring make a High Life with inadequate pressure? The Prodigy has a 1-speed, 1.65 HP Continuous Duty, 3.5 HP Breakdown Torque pump which is smaller than the Jetsetter NX pump which is a smaller tub. Can I realistically expect the same jet pressure as the Aria or Vanguard that have 2 pumps that are both bigger than the 1 pump in the Prodigy?

d00nut:
The Prodigy is an amazing little hot tub.  I use to have it, and sold one to my inlaws, who also use it for hydrotherapy needs.

The deal with the Jet pressure, is since it is a 110V convertible tub, the diverter is absolutely necessary to really get the full pressure required to move that moto jet.  For instance, on the Vanguard and the Aria, the diverter can sit in the middle and the moto jet will still go up and down, but on the Prodigy, due to the pump size... it won't. 

Meaning if you do have 4 people in there, you won't get the jet action you otherwise would on one of the 220V models.

4 people is a stretch, you will certainly be touching each others feet more in the Prodigy just due to the height of the overall model.

My last two hot tubs have been the Grandee and the Vanguard.  Two moto jets, which is our preference for my wife and I.  We both enjoy it (I like moving jets way more than stationary.)  I like the extra space in non-lounger spas, but again, this is personal preference.

Spatech_tuo:

--- Quote from: Buzzbomb1 on March 11, 2019, 08:33:12 am ---My wife and I are in the market for our 1st hot tub and we have narrowed it down to the Hot Springs High Life collection. Most of the time it will be just me & my wife and I but we have 2 young boys who are excited they are getting a “pool”. We also entertain occasionally so we want a true 4 person tub. Here are the 3 models we are considering:

1. Aria - I loved the idea of the lounger so I was disappointed we couldn’t stay put in it during our wet test. The reason the Aria is still a contender is that the rest of the seats were awesome and figure we can buy a weighted pillow to help us stay in the lounger.
2. Vanguard - The Vanguard was in the showroom but we couldn’t wet test. We both enjoyed the Moto massage from the wet test in the Aria and liked the extra space since no lounger. We did have some concern about committing half the seats to the Moto massages (would it get old?)
3. Prodigy - This was not in the showroom but on paper the configuration and size seem good. It doesn’t have the waterfall (we don’t care about) and no foot jets (would be nice but not a deal breaker) but at $3k cheaper than the Vanguard, it is a serious contender. Our biggest concern is the size (can it realistically fit 4 people?) and the lack of power from the jets (I will be using the tub for therapy and want all the pressure I can get). Our sales rep seemed to want to steer us away from the 1 pump tubs but would Hot Spring make a High Life with inadequate pressure? The Prodigy has a 1-speed, 1.65 HP Continuous Duty, 3.5 HP Breakdown Torque pump which is smaller than the Jetsetter NX pump which is a smaller tub. Can I realistically expect the same jet pressure as the Aria or Vanguard that have 2 pumps that are both bigger than the 1 pump in the Prodigy?

--- End quote ---

My 3 sons were about 2,4 and 6 when we got our first hot tub so I know how this works (and the youngest basically learned to swim in it). They're not going to be sitting in it relaxing like you and your wife. With all other things being equal, I'd say of the 3 spas you're looking at get the one with the most internal real estate, you'll need it if the kids are going in even semi-frequently!

BullFrogSpasMN:
Aria and Envoy were by far my favorite Hot Spring models to soak in so if you can manage to enjoy the lounge and/or the Captains Chair in the Envoy I'd look at either of those, Vanguard similar except the lack out lounger...Prodigy is a dog with fleas I would avoid, if you're over 5'11" you'll stick out of the water, the pump is undersized, no foot jets and the thing still costs 9-10k spend a little more and get a much better model like Aria/Envoy imo...Good Luck!

wmccall:

--- Quote from: Buzzbomb1 on March 11, 2019, 08:33:12 am ---My wife and I are in the market for our 1st hot tub and we have narrowed it down to the Hot Springs High Life collection. Most of the time it will be just me & my wife and I but we have 2 young boys who are excited they are getting a “pool”. We also entertain occasionally so we want a true 4 person tub. Here are the 3 models we are considering:

1. Aria - I loved the idea of the lounger so I was disappointed we couldn’t stay put in it during our wet test. The reason the Aria is still a contender is that the rest of the seats were awesome and figure we can buy a weighted pillow to help us stay in the lounger.
2. Vanguard - The Vanguard was in the showroom but we couldn’t wet test. We both enjoyed the Moto massage from the wet test in the Aria and liked the extra space since no lounger. We did have some concern about committing half the seats to the Moto massages (would it get old?)
3. Prodigy - This was not in the showroom but on paper the configuration and size seem good. It doesn’t have the waterfall (we don’t care about) and no foot jets (would be nice but not a deal breaker) but at $3k cheaper than the Vanguard, it is a serious contender. Our biggest concern is the size (can it realistically fit 4 people?) and the lack of power from the jets (I will be using the tub for therapy and want all the pressure I can get). Our sales rep seemed to want to steer us away from the 1 pump tubs but would Hot Spring make a High Life with inadequate pressure? The Prodigy has a 1-speed, 1.65 HP Continuous Duty, 3.5 HP Breakdown Torque pump which is smaller than the Jetsetter NX pump which is a smaller tub. Can I realistically expect the same jet pressure as the Aria or Vanguard that have 2 pumps that are both bigger than the 1 pump in the Prodigy?

--- End quote ---

Welcome to the forum!   Many hottub manufactures sort of overstate the occupancy or their tubs so I would look for a 5-6 person tub.  Most time the occupancy in terms of # of seats only works if you have close intimate friends.  My 5 person tub seats 3 comfortably, but can do 5 if 4 of them are supermodels and I am the 5th!    I've enjoyed the Vanguard.

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