Aquatron Aquabot Viva = Best There Is?

[dlimanov]

Hello,
I'm new here, so please forgive me if this has been asked before, I did a search but found no references to Viva. A little background: we have a 20x40 L-shaped pool with vinyl liner; being in Western Mass and surrounded by pine trees, we do get a fair amount of pine needles, cones and other debris in. Also, sometimes we don't get to open a pool EVERY year for various reasons, and spring cleanups tend to get pretty heavy. I have a suction-side Hayward Navigator that is nowhere near capable to handle such task, and as a result every late spring/early summer cleanups become a nightmare of a manual vacuum, constant backwashing and skimming.
In order to make our lives easier, I bought Aquabot Classic at BJ's, mainly because of a no-risk return policy. It's been running for over a week and overall did a decent job at cleaning the pool, but it's nowhere near what I need it to be: it has very little power and after even a little cleanup, it's unable to climb the walls or even get out of the deep end of the pool. Also, cleaning out the nastiness from the bags is a huge pain, it also appears that bags get clogged up easily, a disposable bag would be a much better option.
After doing a fair amount of research, I narrowed it down to the following three cleaners:
- Dolphin Dynamic 5 Plus
- Water Tech Blue Diamond RC
- Aquatron Aquabot Viva
My goals is to buy the best, most reliable cleaner on the market, that can handle heavy initial clean-ups as well as lighter daily/weekly cleanings. I don't mind paying extra for a better warranty and some additional functionality that makes a difference in everyday life; I consider it a long-term investment. Since there doesn't seem to be a lot of reviews for either one of these, I compares specs, warranty and overall reputation and it appears that Viva is the best option in my case. Does anyone have first-hand experience with either one of these, or has any thoughts on the options, or any and all input or suggestions?
Thanks in advance, this forum seems to be the best source of information on the Web for everything pool-related, I'm VERY happy I came across it!

Dimitri

 

[JasonLion]

The Blue Diamond has the best reviews. None of the robots are perfect, some percentage always have problems, regardless of brand.

 

[dlimanov]

Jason, thanks for your reply! I almost bought Blue Diamond, but found out that their warranty is pro-rated. Viva has 4 years of full bumper-to-bumper warranty, or so is listed on the website..

 

[DigitallyChallenged]

Repair costs for any of those remote cleaners soar vs the non-remote versions due to the extra motor. Something to consider....

 

[dlimanov]

Repair costs for any of those remote cleaners soar vs the non-remote versions due to the extra motor. Something to consider....

Wow, I didn't know remote control added an extra motor! Thanks, DC!
P.S. How's Polaris 9300 in your signature? I looked at it initially but wasn't sure if it was capable doing heavy cleanups. Sure looks sexy though!

 

[robl45]

as far as i know, brava and VIVA were only sold outside the USA. at any rate, they are exactly the same as the blue diamond and blue diamond RC. but with a different case.

Your aquabot is getting stuck because it doesn't have a way to turn on the bottom and once the bag gets a little full, it can't get up the walls so it can't do much but go back and forth. blue diamond and such viva, bravo non remotes can turn on the bottom but they do it by pulsing the motors which works great if the bag isn't full, not so much once the bag is clogged. remote bots are best in that regard because with two motors, they simply turn, but they are a nightmare to fix. believe me, I had a blue diamond remote that was constantly in the shop. now i'm using it again because my other robot broke and I'm sure its just a matter of time before its dead. The repair costs would be astronomical with it out of warranty.

Blue diamond is 2 years on everything I believe and 4 years on motors or 500 (maybe 400) cycles. that means you could run the thing twice a week for 4 years.

at any rate, if the pool is really dirty, your just asking to destroy your robot, they can handle quite a bit of dirt and they work well when they work, but in your case, you might be better finding a hammerhead like the pool guys use.

 

[dlimanov]

Thanks robl45! I was hoping something like Hammer Head cleaner existed, there was no way I had to do it with a manual vac! Maybe Hammer Head vac is a better solution for a heavy cleanups, and then purchase a less expensive robotic cleaner to maintain the pool is a better solution overall.
Thanks guys, this forum rocks!

 

[jreillynj]

I purchased an Aquabot Viva pool cleaner this year after using an Arneson Pool Vac for 25 years. The Pool Vac had to be replaced because it could not cope with the anti vortex drain cover that I was required to install when I replaced my liner last year. The Viva is absolutely amazing! It cleans the entire pool as advertised. I run it on the 2.5 hour cycle and my pool is spotless. If it does miss a small spot, I direct it to that spot with the remote control. The transformer- controller is compact and light. sets up in minutes. None of the appurtenances in the pool cause any problems for this unit. It was expensive, but if it lasts, it was well worth it!