Reflection versus Jayco Eagle HT

[AUImagine]

Good evening all,

We're considering the Reflection 31MB and comparing it to the Jayco Eagle HT 31MB. This is a new floor plan for Jayco but is identical to the Reflection. We've looked at both Eagle HT and Reflection in person and honest can't tell a quality difference. The Eagle HT is appealing as it can be optioned with a 12v fridge and a king bed. Recognizing this is a Grand Design forum, I'm curious what the general thought is on comparing these two lines? I can live without the king bed but I'm not sure about the RV fridge in the Grand Design versus the 12v in the Eagle HT. We live in Florida and will be camping in a lot of hot places. This is our first RV and I keep reading horror stories about gas/electric absorption fridges.

So to sum up...

What are the real differences between Jayco's Eagle HT line and Grand Design's Reflection line?
How concerned should we really be about an absorption fridge in hot climates?

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

-MGP

We just bought a Reflection 31MB and looked at the Jayco too. Both are really solid options. I give Jayco(Thor) the better warranty with that extra year, but honestly unless it’s for something big or pricey, you’ll probably just fix yourself than rely on the ultra slow dealer repair.
Our dealer sells Jayco and Grand Design and they strongly supported the Reflection as higher quality. (Maybe there was a GD sales kickback that month). I shopped them both and I think they are both very high quality trailers.
I’ve been very pleased with my current and previous trailer’s gas/electric fridge. The Furrion unit is strong. The one I would be nervous on longevity is the residential fridges (not offered in either 31MB).
One plus to the Reflection is the fit and finish on their laminated sidewalls and matched slides.
Grand Design also recently upped the game with Moryde Cre3000 suspension, tirelinc, and Goodyear Endurance tires.

[Rmathews951]

We had a Jayco White Hawk for 3 years and made 28 trips in 36 months. The only issues I had with it were the refrigerator and the a/c because we live in Southern California and we camp in areas where temps routinely reach 110 degrees. I know that's a lot to ask of any trailer but I've found the Reflection handles those temps a lot better than the Jayco did. We loved the Jayco but we had to consider the temps before we booked anything in the Summer months. On a side note we sold our Jayco to a couple in LA and now we go camping together so I'm still camping with our old trailer.
Ron

[Spike32]

I have to admit I looked long and hard at Jayco Eagles before buying GD. Jayco offers more standard amenities and a larger selection of options. For me it boiled down to the dealer...Jayco was 3 hours away and not so keen on any large discounts. The GD dealer is 10 minutes away and extremely easy to deal with. I believe the Jaycos are equal in workmanship, but not so sure on factory support...I've heard horror stories on getting Jayco support.

[dishow]

Warranty. We had Jayco Eagle. I did a lot of crawling around to investigate a leak. Build quality was less. Lots of left over screws, one shelf fell off held by three screws that missed the "studs", lots of construction debris, very large holes drilled for ducts. Worst was warranty. We were told absolutely no mobile service so we had to find friends to stay with while snowbirding. Also if something is fixed wrong they wont pay for another fix. You have to rely on the shop to honor their work. Unfortunately we were 3000 miles away from the shop after snowbirding. Traded in for Reflection. Warranty seems better so far.

[MachWun]

My 11 year old daughter did as much research as I on brands. She, on her own, refers to Jayco as Junko. Out of the mouths of babes.

[Roadtrip31MB]

We have a GD 31MB but after looking at the Eagle, it would have given us pause.... That said, like others have stated, the infloor heat ducts on the Eagle are a horrible idea. I do like the Niche by the bunk room when you walk in, hate the divider between the TV and stove as we use this extended counter space all the time when prepping meals. I see Eagle added an outdoor kitchen? Not sure how extensive that is but having a sink outside would be nice when washing up the kiddos etc...

Regardless, not sure you can go wrong but I will say we love the GD and have not had any MAJOR issues after 1000 miles or so

[Nitnelion]

We just bought the GD 31MB, but like others have said, would have given the Jayco 31MB serious consideration if we had learned about it in time due to the larger fridge option. Hard to find many pictures/videos of the Jayco..... looked like it might have a shower curtain instead of glass.... is that true? Any idea what the outdoor kitchen looks like? That, along with the smaller fridge, were the two areas that GD fell a little short for us.

[Rgkeaney]

We just bought the GD 31MB, but like others have said, would have given the Jayco 31MB serious consideration if we had learned about it in time due to the larger fridge option. Hard to find many pictures/videos of the Jayco..... looked like it might have a shower curtain instead of glass.... is that true? Any idea what the outdoor kitchen looks like? That, along with the smaller fridge, were the two areas that GD fell a little short for us.

Agreed 100% from what I saw. Did look like a shower curtain to me. I never quite understood the outside small fridge on the 31mb. Would love to see a true outdoor kitchen also.


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[1carguy]

I too, am looking at both the GD and the Jayco. So far we are leaning toward the GD, more storage and more counter space. Our last FW was a Jayco HT and it was okay, Typical flimsy interior trim work and the front cap had to be repainted after 18 months. I read that GN uses automotive clear coat which lasts a lot longer. My Jayco did a lot of "chucking" but I've read that GD owners had the same problem with the GD 31MB. I installed a Morryde pinbox and it helped big time. I also found out that the Jayco was a couple thousand more than the GN which surprised me.
Good luck and let us know which one you selected.

[Newman]

Last time I looked at Jayco their A/c units did not open up like older models. They have small vents only in the ceiling. It's a quieter system but you loose alot of cold air. When I looked at Grand design their units are open in the ceiling where you can get all the cold air dumped into the rv to cool it quickly or close it off to run through the vents. If it is 98 degrees outside it will make a big difference. Just a thought-happy shopping!

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FWIW, on the Jayco Eagle HT 25.5REOK and similar models, the main air is as you described above for the purposes of quietness. However the second unit (BR) is a typical dump option unit.