All -

The folks gave my wife (our pool girl) a 'voucher' of sorts for a Hayward 925ADV. Basically they talked to their friends who were over the moon about that cleaner, and my folks said they'd buy it for us (or we could pick another for around $400 or less).

Their friends live in Florida and have a screened in pool, so their situation is very much different than ours http://www.troublefreepool.com/my-before-and-after-pics-t30362.html.

As you can see, we have large trees surrounding our pool and as much as my wife loved having our own pool for the first time this past summer, she absolutely hated having to manually vacuum it every day.

We have a single skimmer in the middle on the side, but we are not plumbed for a separate cleaner. This Hayward says it can be used just on a skimmer which is appealing, although we also have electric outlets nearby that we could use for an electric model.

So, does anyone have any experience with the Hayward 925ADV? And if not, what would you get with $400?

As always, I couldn't have restore our pool without the help I've received here. An amazing resource for pool owners everywhere!

The Baracuda G3 is much more popular, also connects directly to a skimmer, and is less than $300. They'll occasionally need a replacement diaphragm, but that's usually it.

The Navigators can sometimes rack up higher parts costs over time (according to reviews we've received), and is about $70 more. However, as it's not driven by a diaphragm, it runs basically silently, compared to the pulsing sound the G3 and similar will make.

Overall, I hear more from happy G3 owners than I do from any other suction-side cleaner.

Roy - Thanks for that info! I checked out reviews on Amazon and it definitely seems like a smart option. I like that it seems to be a far more common cleaner so replacement parts would be easier to come by than with the Hayward.

The one thing that the Hayward seems to have going for it over something like the Baracuda is it's claimed 'intelligent' cleaning path. The Baracuda is completely random, so I wonder if that would increase the likelihood of it puttering around in circles in the deep end rather than covering the entirety of the pool.

$100 cheaper is nice! I wonder how it compares to the Kreepy Krauly?

If your trees drop acorns or other nut-like debris it will get stuck in the diaphram of cleaners such as the Baracuda and the Ranger. I think you would be happier with a robotic cleaner that can handle that type of debris. Also the Hayward 925 does not have a separate debris catcher so you will need to keep an eye on the pump pot and clean it frequently when you have a lot of debris.

There are several threads discussing the merits of various pool cleaners. You can read through them and get a better idea of what is available. Make a list of what you want a pool cleaner to do and then find one that can handle the job.

My $0.02 would be to spend a little more money and get an Aquabot.

Have had 4 during the past 27 year pool ownership and have never used any manual vacuum, suction, etc. Picks up acorns, leaves, sticks, etc. You could probably get a refurbished for $400 - $600. The Dolphin is more expensive but works on the same principle.

Friends that have had skimmer suction units have all complained about one thing or another. Especially the having to backwash the filter after any heavy duty cleaning.

Good luck with your choice.

The Pool Cleaner. Either the 2 Wheel or 4 wheel, depending on the pool size, is another high quality and reliable product that works very well.

An in line leaf catcher is strongly encouraged to avoid debris clogs.

Scott

I have a Smart Pool Nitro SmartKleen the base line model. No fancy bells or whistles and have been happy with its performance.
smart-pool-nitro-smartkleen-universal-review-t35445.html?hilit=smartkleen

Thanks all for the suggestions. I've dived deep into this sub forum and there is a wealth of information, but it is also frustrating. Each time I find a good option I read another thread or review thrashing it. May just need to commit and pull the trigger on one and hope for the best.

We have a vinyl pool with large trees that drop leaves, pine needles, and helicopters/whirleybirds plus the occasional twig or branch. I like the SmartKleen in that it doesn't require big cumbersome hoses and can run without the pump running. But I'm concerned about the complexity of such a unit and the greater risk of it breaking. I like the simplicity of the Baracuda G3 and the Kreepy Krauly but not sure if they'll be as effective.

Decisions decisions! Thanks again for the input all.

Not uncommon. There is no ONE miracle cleaner that is head and shoulders above all the others......if so, the others wouldn't exist.

Just like cars, if you asked which one is the best, you would likely get 50 answers.

Do keep in mind that a $100 dollar cleaner will not be effective on a pool your size but that a huge commercial cleaner will be a waste of money. I really believe you pay mostly for cleaning power.....a $500 cleaner has more cleaning capability than a $200 cleaner.

For the size of your pool, $400 seems about right but you will likely not clean the pool as effectively or quickly as a $700 robot.

Like you say, lot's of decisions.