Hayward Ecostar VS vs. Pentair Inelliflo VS Pump

[jk7228]

One of our pool builders quoted us Hayward products and the other Pentair. Both of the quotes feature the same size cartridge filter of each respective brand and the variable speed pumps of each brand.

Which is considered the "best" pump or brand of equipment. The bids are only about $500 apart (the Pentair bid is $500 higher than the Hayward bid).

All other things being equal, which should I choose?

 

[PSW]

Honestly, both of those brands and models are solid! It is a matter of personal preference, and I am pretty sure the members here will be split down the middle.

If you are installing (or planning to install) an automation system, then the biggest consideration is just making all of the equipment match. Which it sounds like you have under control.

 

[jk7228]

I had kind of come to the conclusion that they were both good, but the last pool builder I met with said that Hayward equipment is only seen on "lower-end" pools and that they only use Jandy and Pentair. Also, out of the 5 pool builders we met with, only 1 of them is recommending Hayward. This whole process is stressing me out

 

[SteveK]

I mixed & matched brands on pump/filter (Intelliflo pump & Hayward Swimclear cartridge filter). I went with the Hayward filter strictly because of the location of the filter drain outlet -- it is 180 degrees opposite the connections to/from the pool.

With my plumbing/equipment setup, having the drain directly under the filter inlet/outlet (as in the Pentair cartridge filters)didn't make sense and would be awkward to access. YMMV.

I had kind of come to the conclusion that they were both good, but the last pool builder I met with said that Hayward equipment is only seen on "lower-end" pools and that they only use Jandy and Pentair. Also, out of the 5 pool builders we met with, only 1 of them is recommending Hayward. This whole process is stressing me out

Must be a regional thing...sounds like :blah: :blah: :blah: to me.

 

[JasonLion]

Pool service techs do seem to have something against Hayward more often than not. But pool owners find Hayward and Pentair to have very similar products with similar features and quality available from both.