A Complete Review: Hydropool’s Signature and Serenity Hot Tub Collections
Hot tub builders offer many different lines, collections, models and types. Sometimes, it can feel like too many. How is anyone shopping supposed to understand what they are looking at? How do you know what you’re buying and what the difference between each line is?
At Hydropool, we are asked this question a lot. Or rather, what we often do when we meet with a customer is ask them questions, such as what they want to do with the hot tub, how often they want to maintain it, and what price do they want to pay. And then we show them a model we think might work best for them.
That works best in the store. But online, this article is meant to flip that process around. In this article, we want to explain each of the types of hot tubs we offer at Hydropool, so you can have a clear idea of what you’re looking for before you come into the store.
We’re going to look at the Serenity and Signature collections. In general, the difference between the two lines is this:
• Serenity has a lower upfront cost, with industry-competitive pricing, filtration and features.
• Signature has premium filtration and hydrotherapy, along with a wide array of customizable options and features, at a higher initial price.
With each we’re going to go over:
• What’s in each collection
• Standard features
• Pricing
• Options
We are proud of both our Serenity and Signature collections of hot tubs. And while we hope we have a model that suits everyone, we know that people will not find what they want in our lineup. By telling you exactly what we are, what we make and why we think it is best way to build a hot tub, we hope this article helps you decide if Hydropool has the right hot tub for you.
What is the Hydropool Signature Collection?
Let’s back up. First of all, what is a “collection”? Essentially it is like a herd of cows or a pride of lions. A collection of hot tubs is a variety of hot tubs that are all linked, but all different at the same time.
The following 13 hot tubs are in the Signature Collection:
• 395 Gold, 495 Gold, 495 Platinum, 570 Gold, 570 Platinum, 670 Gold, 670 Platinum, 695 Gold, 695 Platinum, 720 Platinum, 770 Platinum, 790 Platinum, 970 Titanium
Here’s a quick guide to Hydropool’s naming convention:
• The first number is the number of seats in the hot tub.
• Note there are two classifications, either Gold or Platinum (and one Titanium, which we will deal with separately). This refers to the number of pumps: Gold has one pump, while Platinum has two and Titanium three. We will explain why that matters a little further down.
What Comes Standard in the Signature?
• Advanced hydrotherapy, which features Zone Therapy, a system that allows you to move around the hot tub in sequence and get a massage for your entire body.
• Steel frames and insulation are on all Signature hot tubs, with a thermal blanket designed to seal heat in the cabinet. You can read more about insulation here.
• But the biggest standard feature is self-cleaning: Signature Collection hot tubs are all connected by their self-cleaning capabilities, which Hydropool has patented. It is a feature that is unique to the company, so no other line of hot tubs in the world has it. More on it in a minute.
What’s the Pricing on Signature?
All prices were current at the time of writing and may change. For Signature hot tubs, prices typically start around $12,995 (Cdn) for the four-person 395G and go up to $25,985 for the 970T.
If you look at the collection on our website, you’ll see prices are marked on each page for each hot tub. Not every hot tub company puts its actual prices out there for the world to see, but at Hydropool we believe in transparency.
What Options Are Available on Signature Hot Tubs?
Many hot tub companies only sell in packages. The effect is that it works like this: “You buy hot tub X and it comes with the following features. Do you want it?”
That is an entirely fine approach. There are many people who want to shop that way. But at Hydropool, we offer as much choice as possible, so you can customize your hot tub.
Options include two cabinet shells in Midnight Black and Driftwood Grey, and six acrylic colors:
• Alpine Mist
• Pure White
• Silver Marble
• Black Opal
• Midnight Canyon
• Tuscan Sun
Other popular options include:
• a smart phone app that allows you to control your hot tub
• an ozone system that helps kill bacteria before it starts
• multiple lighting options
• an advanced hydrotherapy package
• a choice of covers.
Gold vs Platinum vs Titanium Series
When buying a Signature hot tub there are classifications: Gold or Platinum, plus one Titanium model. This refers to the number of pumps: Gold has one pump, while Platinum has two and Titanium has three.
Pros and Cons of One Pump Versus Two in Hot Tubs
It’s easy to say that two pumps are better than one, and when it comes to hot tubs they are. You will get a better massage as your jets will have increased power and capabilities with two pumps as opposed to one. With one pump, your water’s circulation and the jets are being powered at the same time, and with two, you simply have more power available for your jets, which improves your massage. Two pumps also allow you to have more jets.
Many people are happy with either system though. It depends on how important massage is for you. This is the kind of thing that a good retailer will let you try before you buy – you should be able to climb into either hot tub to appreciate the difference.
There’s one other element to the decision:
• One pump will be cheaper to pay for upfront, but it will cost you more on an ongoing basis.
• Two pumps is the opposite: It costs you more when you buy the hot tub, but is cheaper to operate, as the pumps are not taxed as hard. One pump runs your jets, and the other circulates the water.
To give you a sense of the cost, the difference between a Signature 570 Gold and a 570 Platinum is about $2300 (Cdn), at the time of this writing.
Essentially, Gold allows people a less expensive way to get into the self-cleaning line of hot tubs. Platinum offers a top-of-the-line massage, along with self-clean and reduced operating costs.
Titanium Stands Alone: Meet the Signature 970 With Three Pumps
There’s one Signature hot tub that Hydropool sells which has three pumps, so it’s neither Gold or Platinum. That’s the 970, which features 70 jets, the most we have on any hot tub. It also has seating for nine, which includes a lounger. In short, it is a massive hot tub, and something this big at the luxury level requires three pumps. As with any Signature, it comes with Hydropool’s patented self-clean technology.
What is Hydropool’s Self-Cleaning Feature in Hot Tubs?
It’s the defining element of the Signature hot tub line. It’s a patented feature, designed to work exactly how public pools work. Public pools, or commercial pools, are held to a much higher regulated standard than hot tubs and swims spas.
But Hydropool began in this business as a commercial pool company. So it was only natural that Hydropool adapted the method of cleaning its hot tubs from commercial pools themselves. Then it patented the process, which is why Hydropool is the only hot tub builder that offers it. In short, Hydropool’s self-clean system is built to the same standard as commercial pools, which far exceeds any regulations or standards set for hot tubs.
Our self-cleaning feature has three defining elements:
• First, one filter removes everything on the surface of the water, with the jets and pumps circulating the water to encourage it to head toward the filter. This type of filter is commonly used in the hot tub and swim spa industry.
• Second, on the bottom, a vacuum filter removes anything that falls to the bottom of the pool. This is not common. It is common in public and residential pools, where it is often referred to as a drain but unique to Hydropool in hot tubs.
• Third, the tub or spa’s cleaning filter is placed after the pump, which causes the pump to push the water through the filter in a pressurized canister environment. It’s forced that way for a reason. It’s so the water can’t go anywhere but through the filter, to ensure 100 per cent of the water is filtered through the cleaning system.
The benefits of self-cleaning to the owner are clear:
• The more cleaning the hot tub can do on its own, the less you must do as an owner. So one major benefit is that it is less work for any hot tub or swim spa owner.
• Self-clean is an easier way to get into hot tub spa ownership if it’s your first time buying. It’s one less thing to worry about once you have bought it.
• The other, more hidden benefit is that the hot tub or swim spa components don’t have to work as hard. Think about it this way: The more cleaning you’re able to do, the less cleaning is required each time. Your Mom or Dad might have said that to you about cleaning your room growing up, and they were both right – at least when it comes to cleaning hot tubs and swim spas. Over time, self-cleaning will cost you less in electricity as your power needs are less.
You will still have to drain your hot tub from time to time if you buy a self-clean system. Hydropool doesn’t say it’s 100 per cent maintenance free or anything like that. But it will make your life easier.
If you want to read more about self-cleaning, we have this article devoted to explaining it in detail.
Why Don’t All of Hydropool Products Have Self-Cleaning If It’s the Best?
The simple answer is that the industry standards for the hot tub and swim spa industry aren’t as high as the commercial and residential pool industry, given that both contain less water and are used by fewer people each time out.
So, there are other ways to clean hot tubs and swim spas than the way we have just explained – and these ways are also less expensive. In the most common method, the vacuum filter doesn’t exist and the filter is placed in front of the pump, with the top skimmer doing most of the work. That combination is the industry standard.
Without question, it works. We have a line of hot tubs that uses the same system. It just can’t do everything as effectively as the self-clean system.
What is the Hydropool Serenity Collection?
We just mentioned we had a line of hot tubs that uses the industry-standard method of cleaning. That’s the Serenity Collection. It has its own unique shell and other defining characteristics but carries many of the same options as the Signature.
Here’s one way to think of them: The Signature is a premium-priced product, with a unique cleaning system. The Serenity line offers industry-standard cleaning and market-competitive pricing.
At the time of this writing, prices range in the Serenity from $10,795 for the Serenity 4300, the smallest in the collection to $14,895 for the 6900, the largest in the lineup.
The Serenity collection includes six models:
• Serenity 4300, Serenity 4500, Serenity 5900, Serenity 6600, Serenity 6800 and 6900.
As with Signature:
• The first number is the number of seats in the hot tub.
What comes standard:
• Thermal blanket insulation and steel frames are standard on all Serenities.
• A waterfall feature, with two pop-up waterfall jets, plus corner cabinet lighting
• A traditional hot tub filtration system features a skimmer on top, and a substantial grill to haul in all the debris that enters your hot tub. Dual filters keep your water clean, while a pump that moves 87 gallons per minute keeps them busy. When it comes to filtration, the single biggest difference between Signature and Serenity is the lack of a floor vacuum in the Serenity line, which Signature models have.
• Zone Therapy jets massage
• Serenity collection models all run on one pump for both the jets and circulation, so there’s no Platinum or Gold option here.
Serenity Hot Tub Options
As with Signature, Hydropool is committed to offering you as many options as possible so that you can customize your hot tub. Options include:
• an app for your smartphone that gives you control of your hot tub from anywhere in the world
• an ozone system that kills bacteria before it begins in the hot tub
• an ozone and UV system that is even stronger as a preventative measure
• six acrylic colors: Silver Marble, Pure White, Alpine Mist, Tuscan Sun, Midnight Canyon and Black Opal
• two cabinet colors in Harbor Grey and Driftwood.
Serenity versus Signature Hot Tubs: Which is right for you?
Hydropool sells two main lines of hot tubs: The Serenity and the Signature Collections. It’s not a surprise then that one of the most common questions we are asked is, “What’s the difference between Serenity and Signature collections?”
As with many of the decisions you have to make when buying a hot tub, there is no one “best” that wins out every time. There’s only what is best for you.
• Serenity offers a lower upfront cost, with industry competitive pricing, filtration and features.
• Signature offers premium filtration and hydrotherapy, along with a wide array of customizable options and features, at a more premium price.
Hydropool offers both these lines because it believes in offering as much choice as possible for each customer. We want people to get the hot tub that is right for them, and you can’t do that if you only make one model with a standard set of options.
We try to offer as much customization as possible, even though we know it can be initially confusing for buyers when they first start considering us because of the multiple choices available to you, particularly in the Signature line.
Customization does make production more difficult, and this in part explains our cost structure, and why the Signature, our more premium line, costs a little more than the Serenity.
We wrote this article to help you understand what each collection had to offer, so you could consider what makes the most sense for you as a buyer. We believe both collections are good hot tubs for you to buy but ultimately, you have to decide which is best.
• Ready to talk to a Hydropool dealer? Find one closest to you now.
