Bag or Cartridge filter

[bk406]

So after 5 years my Aquabot T2 finally bit the dust. Transformer is gone and the pump was starting to go as well, so i'm in the market for a new one. I've done some research but there are so many cleaners out there it's almost impossible to pick one. What I've noticed is most of the lines for all brands have gone to cartridge filters instead of the bags.
My question to those that have the top loading cartridge filter type.... where does the larger debris go? With the bag, any leaves, pieces of mulch, and general crud gets deposited in the bag. However, the top loader cartridge types dont seem to have anywhere for the debris to be kept. And even if it is just stuck in the top of the unit, how do you get it out?

 

[pooladdict]

Highly recommend the Dophin brand, stay away from bags, they are a royal pain to clean, I will take cartridges any day of the week now.

 

[bk406]

I was leaning toward the Dophin myself.

I still have the question about where the debris collects. I get the cartridge acts like the bag in that it allows water to pass through but not the fine particles. My concern is where does the larger debris get deposited? Leaves, mulch, hair, pollen strands, etc., etc. With the bag, i just take the bag out, turn it inside out and dump the junk in the trash. With a cartridge top load system, does the junk collect some place and you scoop it out with your hands? I'm just trying to get an idea how they work.

 

[Gregd]

http://www.maytronicsus.com/Residen...eSeries/DolphinSupremeM5.aspx#!prettyPhoto/0/
If you watch the video on this page it shows the filter boxes. The 4 cartridges form 2 small boxes about 2 inches thick. The boxes pop out and then you remove the cartridges. Hope that makes it clear.

 

[bk406]

Ok. Thanks for the link, that helps. Seems like if the pool was pretty dirty of more than a few leaves, you would have to stop and dump out the cartridges more often than a larger bag. But it looks like more cleaners are going the cartridge route.
On another note, it seems like the Dolphin line of cleaners is huge! I'm not sure why they offer so many. It's very confusing which one is the right one to get. I like the looks of the Hayward SharkVAC XL. Top loader, climbs walls, decent price. No remote but thats not that important to me. My dead Aquabot has a remote and I never used it in 5 years.

 

[EVChargeGuy]

I have only used Aquabot cleaners so I cant speak about other brands, My old AB Turbo used a bag and my new Ribids 4WD has a couple of baskets.
The baskets collect plenty of leaves as well as sand. Just before we closed the pool i was using the Bot a couple of times a day and i was amazed at how it packed in the leaves and acorns. I think you will be surprised at how much these basket systems hold regardless of brand

 

[pooladdict]

A few leaves is ok, but using your robot for regular leaf removal is a recipe for a damaged motor.

I have two dolphins and one aquavac, I always remove leaves manually.

 

[robl45]

If you want to spend the money, I would get the oasis z5. I didnt have the money to spend at this time and my new pool is relatively small so I got the primal x3 and its not a bad cleaner. Top loading cartridges would be nice though. The one thing I notice with the new dolphin though is the slots for debris at the bottom are much smaller than they were on the blue diamond.

Edit: the cartridges are much easier to clean than the bags used to be.

 

[Patrick_B]

The carts hold all the debris, so it does not get stuck anywhere in the unit.

They most definitely hold a surprising amount of debris too. They aren't designed to haul out major leaf fall of large leaves, but if you remove the bulk with a rake, then they can do the rest. I have little experience, but no one could talk me into even trying something besides the Dolphin M5 unless it was free.