I have a Hayward Phantom and it works great -- when it works. As has been mentioned here and elsewhere, it's fragile and subject to periodic failure.
Among other problems, mine has failed in "stuck in top mode" twice, now. If you remove the top of the cleaner and inspect the mechanism inside, the key component is a manifold assembly. This has an internal piston that moves laterally in a chamber that is capped at either end (side) by two snap-on plastic caps. These caps have to withstand the pressure of the booster pump, and eventually, they crack and the cap no longer seals tightly. As a result, the cleaner can stick in one mode or another. In my case, the same cap failed twice, and the cleaner was stuck in top mode, which is pretty much useless, as you really need it to clean the bottom of the pool, rather than the surface.
The first time this happened, I ordered a replacement manifold assembly (it's sold as a single component - you can't just replace the failed cap, of course) at a cost of $110.00 and installed it myself. Problem solved.
Last week (after only one year), the cleaner was stuck in top mode again, and upon disassembly, I found what I expected -- the same cap had cracked and wasn't sealing. Well, that's it for this cleaner. As I said, it does work very well and does what it claims to do, but the upkeep is both expensive and time-consuming.
So, I am going to replace it with most likely a Polaris 280, which seems to come highly recommended by both pool owners and pool technicians alike.