Summary -- finally!
Here is a really long summary of all the posts on this thread about pool cleaners. I've also included the type of cleaner and an approximate price (the number that popped up in a Google search -- you can probably get it for less by shopping around).
Aquabot Turbo (three posts). Robot. $900
- picks up pollen
- climbs steps, walls really well
- can’t stop it from climbing walls!
- lasts a long time
- inexpensive to run
- works perfectly
AquaBot Turbo 2 (three posts). Robot. $1000
- excellent job of cleaning
- climbs the walls with ease
- tried to eat the cord; easy to fix
- would purchase another one
- gets itself unstuck from the stairs
- picks up leaves, sand, dirt, algae, pollen, frogs, seed pods
- does not scrub pool ledge, steps
- cleans in about two hours
Aquabot Turbo C. Robot. $1000
- wouldn't recommend for Grecian pools; doesn’t clean all parts of pool
- picks up all items
- filter bag is easy to clean
- easy set-up
- great customer service
- eats its own cord
- does not climb steps
Aquabot Turbo T. Robot. $1200
- use for many leaves
- will clean about 1/3 the pool with micro-fine bag, then stops, due to bag plugged
Barracuda. Suction. $300
- very unhappy
Blue Diamond (four posts). Robot. $1200
- lightweight
- moves fairly quickly
- operates silently
- remote control is a waste of the extra money
- great performance
- power supply quit a couple of weeks ago
- long warranty
- only misses steep, angled spots
- picks up large and small debris
- scrubs the liner
- easily climbs walls
- automatically shuts itself off
- nearly perfect
- expensive, but 4 year warranty
Dolphin Diagnostic Advantage. Robot. $800
- does great job
- three year warranty
- climbs walls
- has a sophisticated "brain"
- power cord twists around itself, must be untwisted occasionally
- motor didn’t burn up when twine stuck in drive pulley
Dolphin Dynamic. Robot. $1050
- picks up lots of stuff
- climbs walls
- expensive initial cost
- works great
- uses regular 110v power
Dolphin Explorer. Robot. $800
- does everything really well
- scrubs walls, floors, steps, waterline, no problem with corners
- picks up everything – fine debris, leaves, rocks
- when bag is full, won’t climb walls
- might be slow if under 65 degrees
- 5 year warranty
Dolphin Pro. Robot. $800
- recommend it to others
- does everything well
- 1hr 45 min to clean everything
- leaves, nuts, shells, pebbles are no problem
- expensive.....but worth it in my opinion
Hayward Navigator. Suction. $400
- got stuck on main drain covers
- so-so job
- got caught on the drain a lot
- smallest rocks would stop it from working
- pain to take in and out
- usually wasn't working well
- difficult to adjust suction
Hayward Phantom. Pressure. $900 (w/pump)
- replaced parts (warranty covered)
- skims top, but inclined to break this way
Hayward Ultra (two posts). Suction. $400
- ran for about 6 years
- replaced wings once a year (about $15), shoes every other year ($8)
- leaves, stick, acorns would stop it up
- requires too much suction
- doesn’t work under pool cover
- constantly needs un-jamming
- constantly gets stuck in the corner for 8 hours
iRobot Verro (two posts). Robot. $600
- equivalent of the Aquabot Turbo T
- use fine bag, but fills up quickly
- quite happy with it
- appears to be very robust
- one full season, no problems
Jacuzzi Tracker 4x (two posts). Suction. $250
- great job at lots of debris
- gets stuck under ladder
- low price
- not fast, but does a good job in 8 hour running
- good job on leaves, sticks and acorns
- replace tires each year, $60 a set
- pretty good customer service.
Kreepy Krauly. Pressure (no pump). $300
- have to adjust pressure continually
- got stuck on side, on its own hose
- constant clicking sound
- good budget priced cleaner
- navigates around the ladder, up the wall, in creases/corners
- picks up everything, except the worms
- a bit noisy
- hoses are a bit flimsy, need careful storage
Kreepy Krauly Legend. Pressure. $750 (w/pump)
- goes everywhere, even safety ledge, no problem with corners
- does not climb walls/steps, but could be due to small pump
Letro Legend. Pressure. $575 (w/pump)
- high energy use
- works and works
- picks up everything
Letro Legend II. Pressure (no pump). $450
- 7 yrs old
- replaced some small parts recently
- bag wears out about 1-2x/year, new bag is $25
- Velcro on bag wears out; now have seamstress re-sew it with better thread
- hose tangles like a phone cord
Nitro Wall Climber. Robot. $600
- works great
- picks up EVERYTHING
- simple machine
- completely serviceable with a phillips screwdriver
- doesn’t climb all the way to the tile in deep end
- service dept very responsive
- cleaning is simple - rinse bag with hose
Paramount PCC-2000 (four posts). Built-in. $2000
- does everything well
- outstanding job for 10 years
- best money ever spent
- for the first seven or eight years, I thought it was the best thing ever
- pop-up heads wear out, lifetime warranty, but service guy tries to clean them first
- cheaper to get the robot than make repairs
- but helps with circulation for an algae bloom, pool heat, etc.
- can swim while operating
- minimal daily maintenance
- distributes heat and chemicals
- cleans steps and spa
- long run time, lots of electricity.
Polaris 165. Pressure (no pump). $250
- had to replace just about everything
Polaris 180 (two posts). Pressure. $750 (w/pump)
- lasted 15 years
- got hung up in corners
- is at least 20 years old
- have replaced bearings, tires, floats, top cover, housing to backup valve
- did replacements myself
- replaced booster pump last year
- well-built
- easy to maintain
Polaris 280 (nine posts). Pressure. $700
- picks up most everything – leaves, pollen, sand, twigs, acorns, etc.
- uses different bags for different messes
- gets caught on PoolSkim
- doesn’t clean shallow steps, tight corners, swim-outs
- doesn’t get in tight corners
- replacement parts are expensive
- hose comes off sometimes
- picks up everything
- 3 years, only one part needed replacement
- stays in the deep end too long
- pick up rocks, acorns, nuts & bolts
- climbs the walls and steps and it never gets hung up anywhere
- pressure relief valve doesn’t work well – replaced with PVC plug
- does not clean recessed steps
- bags, wear rings seem to wear out quickly in gunite pools
- unhappy since day one
- spending $30-$40 every 4 months or so
- doesn’t pick up finest sand, silt, mud using any Polaris bag
- going on its forth season, haven’t had to repair or replace anything
Polaris 360 (three posts). Pressure (no pump). $450
- broke down after 8 months
- loose connector fittings
- water temperature sensitive
- burned a mark into my vinyl liner
- doesn’t back up well
- cleaned absolutely nothing in my pool
- Polaris did not return calls
- rides wheelies, gets stuck in corners, on stairs, doesn't reverse.
- tried to fine tune repeatedly, but won’t work
- Polaris sent replacement parts
- don’t recommend
Polaris 380 (three posts). Pressure. $1000 (w/pump)
- bag fills up quickly
- gets stuck on steps
- picks up almost anything
- bag is nuisance to empty, velcro wears out/gets dirty, opens up in use
- bag fills up and causes unit to fall over and do "donuts"
- parts are expensive, tail sponges don't last
- booster pump runs up electric bill.
- hoses come apart and disconnect several times
- doesn't seem to get the shallow
The Pool Cleaner, 2-wheel (two posts). Suction. $400
- doesn’t get stuck
- doesn’t clean steps/benches, or in shallow water
- climbs the walls well, until filter needs cleaning
- had to disassemble and clean the gears to get wheels to turn
- works perfect
The Pool Cleaner, 4-wheel (five posts). Suction. $400
- low energy use
- small bag
- gets stuck in deep end, on edge
- cleans everything but the steps
- best cleaner ever owned
- amazes me
Pentair Pool Shark. Suction. $400
- pleased so far
Pentair Great White. Suction. $300 - $400
- very useful
Tigershark QC (two posts). Robot. $900
- climbs walls well
- cleans very well
- extremely happy with it
- self contained filters - just hose off
- cleans every square inch except the first step
- climbs walls well
Zodiac G4 (two posts). Suction. $375
- nightmare trying to get it to work correctly
- but now works fine
- climbed walls
- stayed at water line all the length of the pool
- sometimes got stuck at the corner step
- used it over 2 years now
- had to replace the diaphragm
- *highly* pressure sensitive
- your sand filter needs backwashing if the G4 slows down
- rarely get stuck on the 2nd step
- happy with it
- haven’t replaced a part in 24 months
Here is a really long summary of all the posts on this thread about pool cleaners. I've also included the type of cleaner and an approximate price (the number that popped up in a Google search -- you can probably get it for less by shopping around).
Aquabot Turbo (three posts). Robot. $900
- picks up pollen
- climbs steps, walls really well
- can’t stop it from climbing walls!
- lasts a long time
- inexpensive to run
- works perfectly
AquaBot Turbo 2 (three posts). Robot. $1000
- excellent job of cleaning
- climbs the walls with ease
- tried to eat the cord; easy to fix
- would purchase another one
- gets itself unstuck from the stairs
- picks up leaves, sand, dirt, algae, pollen, frogs, seed pods
- does not scrub pool ledge, steps
- cleans in about two hours
Aquabot Turbo C. Robot. $1000
- wouldn't recommend for Grecian pools; doesn’t clean all parts of pool
- picks up all items
- filter bag is easy to clean
- easy set-up
- great customer service
- eats its own cord
- does not climb steps
Aquabot Turbo T. Robot. $1200
- use for many leaves
- will clean about 1/3 the pool with micro-fine bag, then stops, due to bag plugged
Barracuda. Suction. $300
- very unhappy
Blue Diamond (four posts). Robot. $1200
- lightweight
- moves fairly quickly
- operates silently
- remote control is a waste of the extra money
- great performance
- power supply quit a couple of weeks ago
- long warranty
- only misses steep, angled spots
- picks up large and small debris
- scrubs the liner
- easily climbs walls
- automatically shuts itself off
- nearly perfect
- expensive, but 4 year warranty
Dolphin Diagnostic Advantage. Robot. $800
- does great job
- three year warranty
- climbs walls
- has a sophisticated "brain"
- power cord twists around itself, must be untwisted occasionally
- motor didn’t burn up when twine stuck in drive pulley
Dolphin Dynamic. Robot. $1050
- picks up lots of stuff
- climbs walls
- expensive initial cost
- works great
- uses regular 110v power
Dolphin Explorer. Robot. $800
- does everything really well
- scrubs walls, floors, steps, waterline, no problem with corners
- picks up everything – fine debris, leaves, rocks
- when bag is full, won’t climb walls
- might be slow if under 65 degrees
- 5 year warranty
Dolphin Pro. Robot. $800
- recommend it to others
- does everything well
- 1hr 45 min to clean everything
- leaves, nuts, shells, pebbles are no problem
- expensive.....but worth it in my opinion
Hayward Navigator. Suction. $400
- got stuck on main drain covers
- so-so job
- got caught on the drain a lot
- smallest rocks would stop it from working
- pain to take in and out
- usually wasn't working well
- difficult to adjust suction
Hayward Phantom. Pressure. $900 (w/pump)
- replaced parts (warranty covered)
- skims top, but inclined to break this way
Hayward Ultra (two posts). Suction. $400
- ran for about 6 years
- replaced wings once a year (about $15), shoes every other year ($8)
- leaves, stick, acorns would stop it up
- requires too much suction
- doesn’t work under pool cover
- constantly needs un-jamming
- constantly gets stuck in the corner for 8 hours
iRobot Verro (two posts). Robot. $600
- equivalent of the Aquabot Turbo T
- use fine bag, but fills up quickly
- quite happy with it
- appears to be very robust
- one full season, no problems
Jacuzzi Tracker 4x (two posts). Suction. $250
- great job at lots of debris
- gets stuck under ladder
- low price
- not fast, but does a good job in 8 hour running
- good job on leaves, sticks and acorns
- replace tires each year, $60 a set
- pretty good customer service.
Kreepy Krauly. Pressure (no pump). $300
- have to adjust pressure continually
- got stuck on side, on its own hose
- constant clicking sound
- good budget priced cleaner
- navigates around the ladder, up the wall, in creases/corners
- picks up everything, except the worms
- a bit noisy
- hoses are a bit flimsy, need careful storage
Kreepy Krauly Legend. Pressure. $750 (w/pump)
- goes everywhere, even safety ledge, no problem with corners
- does not climb walls/steps, but could be due to small pump
Letro Legend. Pressure. $575 (w/pump)
- high energy use
- works and works
- picks up everything
Letro Legend II. Pressure (no pump). $450
- 7 yrs old
- replaced some small parts recently
- bag wears out about 1-2x/year, new bag is $25
- Velcro on bag wears out; now have seamstress re-sew it with better thread
- hose tangles like a phone cord
Nitro Wall Climber. Robot. $600
- works great
- picks up EVERYTHING
- simple machine
- completely serviceable with a phillips screwdriver
- doesn’t climb all the way to the tile in deep end
- service dept very responsive
- cleaning is simple - rinse bag with hose
Paramount PCC-2000 (four posts). Built-in. $2000
- does everything well
- outstanding job for 10 years
- best money ever spent
- for the first seven or eight years, I thought it was the best thing ever
- pop-up heads wear out, lifetime warranty, but service guy tries to clean them first
- cheaper to get the robot than make repairs
- but helps with circulation for an algae bloom, pool heat, etc.
- can swim while operating
- minimal daily maintenance
- distributes heat and chemicals
- cleans steps and spa
- long run time, lots of electricity.
Polaris 165. Pressure (no pump). $250
- had to replace just about everything
Polaris 180 (two posts). Pressure. $750 (w/pump)
- lasted 15 years
- got hung up in corners
- is at least 20 years old
- have replaced bearings, tires, floats, top cover, housing to backup valve
- did replacements myself
- replaced booster pump last year
- well-built
- easy to maintain
Polaris 280 (nine posts). Pressure. $700
- picks up most everything – leaves, pollen, sand, twigs, acorns, etc.
- uses different bags for different messes
- gets caught on PoolSkim
- doesn’t clean shallow steps, tight corners, swim-outs
- doesn’t get in tight corners
- replacement parts are expensive
- hose comes off sometimes
- picks up everything
- 3 years, only one part needed replacement
- stays in the deep end too long
- pick up rocks, acorns, nuts & bolts
- climbs the walls and steps and it never gets hung up anywhere
- pressure relief valve doesn’t work well – replaced with PVC plug
- does not clean recessed steps
- bags, wear rings seem to wear out quickly in gunite pools
- unhappy since day one
- spending $30-$40 every 4 months or so
- doesn’t pick up finest sand, silt, mud using any Polaris bag
- going on its forth season, haven’t had to repair or replace anything
Polaris 360 (three posts). Pressure (no pump). $450
- broke down after 8 months
- loose connector fittings
- water temperature sensitive
- burned a mark into my vinyl liner
- doesn’t back up well
- cleaned absolutely nothing in my pool
- Polaris did not return calls
- rides wheelies, gets stuck in corners, on stairs, doesn't reverse.
- tried to fine tune repeatedly, but won’t work
- Polaris sent replacement parts
- don’t recommend
Polaris 380 (three posts). Pressure. $1000 (w/pump)
- bag fills up quickly
- gets stuck on steps
- picks up almost anything
- bag is nuisance to empty, velcro wears out/gets dirty, opens up in use
- bag fills up and causes unit to fall over and do "donuts"
- parts are expensive, tail sponges don't last
- booster pump runs up electric bill.
- hoses come apart and disconnect several times
- doesn't seem to get the shallow
The Pool Cleaner, 2-wheel (two posts). Suction. $400
- doesn’t get stuck
- doesn’t clean steps/benches, or in shallow water
- climbs the walls well, until filter needs cleaning
- had to disassemble and clean the gears to get wheels to turn
- works perfect
The Pool Cleaner, 4-wheel (five posts). Suction. $400
- low energy use
- small bag
- gets stuck in deep end, on edge
- cleans everything but the steps
- best cleaner ever owned
- amazes me
Pentair Pool Shark. Suction. $400
- pleased so far
Pentair Great White. Suction. $300 - $400
- very useful
Tigershark QC (two posts). Robot. $900
- climbs walls well
- cleans very well
- extremely happy with it
- self contained filters - just hose off
- cleans every square inch except the first step
- climbs walls well
Zodiac G4 (two posts). Suction. $375
- nightmare trying to get it to work correctly
- but now works fine
- climbed walls
- stayed at water line all the length of the pool
- sometimes got stuck at the corner step
- used it over 2 years now
- had to replace the diaphragm
- *highly* pressure sensitive
- your sand filter needs backwashing if the G4 slows down
- rarely get stuck on the 2nd step
- happy with it
- haven’t replaced a part in 24 months
