Hydropool vs American Whirlpool: Which is the Right Hot Tub for You?

Searching for a new hot tub and you have American Whirlpool in your area. And you have Hydropool too? Great news, but how do you decide between the two? Or does it even matter?   

Just because two companies have established themselves in the hot tub business doesn’t mean the products they are making are the same. Our products are different and we get asked about American Whirlpool at our retail outlets because people want to know the differences.

That’s why we decided to write this article. We know it’s a bit unusual for one company to write about another’s products and compare the two. But we know that people are going to do it on their own! 

So we thought this would help. We know we are biased, but we’re going to write in the most unbiased way possible. We want to show the differences between the brands, so you can see which is best for you. 

In this article, we will look at:

• The hot tub product lines of the two companies
• How each brand looks
• The maintenance for each
• Massage
• Costs

We hope that by the end, you’ll know which hot tub you’ll want to check out!  

 

 

What are the Product Lineups of American Whirlpool and Hydropool?  

We will do this as best as we can! The product lineups don’t match up perfectly, because Hydropool has two lines and American Whirlpool has three. 

• American Whirlpool 100 Series: These are mostly comparable to Hydropool’s Serenity
• American Whirlpool 200 Series: Comparable to Hydropool’s Serenity
• American Whirlpool 400, 800, 900 series: Mostly comparable to Hydropool Signature collection

The difference between Hydropool’s Serenity and the Signature collections for Hydropool is that Serenity has an industry-standard filtration system while Signature has the company’s patented self-cleaning system. 

For American Whirlpool, all the hot tubs appear to be set up close to the same way. The main differences appear to be the sizes of the hot tubs, with larger numbers referring to larger space for seating.   

American Whirlpool vs Hydropool: Which Hot Tub Looks the Best?  

Both companies take a conservative, classic approach to hot tub styling, with neutral cabinets in browns, blacks and greys. Acrylic shell colors are almost identical as well, with whites and silvers joining the darker colors as options. 

The acrylic molds are different between the brands, but the choice is going to be in the eye of the beholder. 

One thing worth pointing out is that American Whirlpool has a range of sizes and shapes that Hydropool doesn’t have. The 160 model has a continuous bench around the entire hot tub, with 16 jets – we have never seen a hot tub built like that. The company has a three-person corner unit, a variety of two-seater options, and a few others with bench-style seating. 

So if you’re looking for something more unusual when it comes to seating, then American Whirlpool might work for you. Hydropool’s hot tubs are the more common squares and rectangles, fitting from three people to eight.

American Whirlpool vs Hydropool: Which is Easier to Maintain? 

1) The weir door traps debris and shatters the water surface tension, making it move. 2) Then they have a microfilter and 3) a basket for larger pieces. 4) Lastly, an oversized spa filter permits the high flow of water to be cleaned and returned to the spa.   

This is a similar system to Hydropool’s Serenity system. 

Hydropool’s Signature self-cleaning system is different and unique to the company as it has been patented. It features a top skimmer, floor vacuum and no-bypass filtration, which means all of the water in the hot tub is pushed into the filter about every ten minutes. 

American Whirlpool has an optional ozone system and an optional AOP, which is an advanced cleaning system that combines UV light with ozone. Hydropool has an AOP standard on Signature.  

American Whirlpool vs Hydropool: Which Costs Less?  

To some extent we are making guesses on price here, because we looked but couldn’t find pricing on American Whirlpool’s website. Hydropool does put its pricing on its website for each model. 

Across the board, we expect American Whirlpool to cost less than Hydropool though. This is in part due to how the hot tubs are built and the options available, such as Hydropool’s self-cleaning system. 

Where you live matters too when it comes to price. They will be cheaper in southern U.S. as they are made in Arizona. But that price variance should decrease when you get to the Northeastern part of North America, as Hydropool is made in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.   

American Whirlpool vs Hydropool: Which is Better at Massage?  

On massage, both companies use the concept of “Zone Therapy” and both companies offer full body massage. American Whirlpool also offers a shoulder massage and a comfort collar, which are designed to give extra attention to that area. 

Hydropool has never offered that kind of device or massage therapy. We have found if it fits you, then it’s great. But most people don’t have the exact body type to fit the seat. Instead of focusing on any one area, Hydropool’s Zone Therapy is designed to offer a massage for all the major areas on your body, so you can move from seat to seat to focus on whichever area you need.  

American Whirlpool vs Hydropool: Which is More Energy Efficient?  

Both companies do this in a comparable way. Steel frames with perimeter-style insulation that traps heat in and is easy to service. There are small differences, such as American Whirlpool uses an ABS pan at the bottom that helps keep in heat and keep out moisture. We don’t have anything like that at Hydropool. They sound great but we have found they just end up trapping water and creating swamps under your hot tub.  

American Whirlpool vs Hydropool: Which is the Right Hot Tub for You?  

If you’re comparing these two brands, you’re looking at two brands that go back a long way, more than 40 years. It’s no surprise then that they have evolved in a similar fashion in some respects, with similar approaches to massage and insulation. 

They do differ significantly in some respects, especially on the wider range of hot tubs offered by American Whirlpool and on how they approach maintenance, with Hydropool’s self-cleaning system providing unique capabilities. 

We hope this rundown helped you decide which hot tub is right for you. We’re asked about American Whirlpool in our retail outlets, and we wanted to make it easier for people to understand the difference between the two brands, in the most unbiased way possible. 

If we haven’t answered a question here, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us by finding the closest retailer to you.