Great chart link!!!
Gotta love those comparisons!!!
They must sell only the CircuPool brand, since it is the highest rated.
If I were to rate them for a value score, I would just look at cost and production only.
If I had an automation system, I would look at compatibility, too.
But for a stand alone unit most of the "features" that they rate are marketing selling points that give the pool owner little benefit, if not a reduction in benefit.
Here's my view of their chart items (not that anybody asked for it)-
Average price - looks like MSRP, if you can't find it for less then this, you didn't even try!!!
Chlorine Production - What you want to know!!!
Warranty - They don't tell you how much it is pro-rated, years at less then 100% are only a sales tactic, IMHO.
Cell replacement - see warranty above.
Salinity range - once you get in it, you should stay there, barring large leaks and floods.
Controls - if it works, it works - oh, wait, digital must be better! Tell that to the Hi-Fi nerds with tube amps and vinyl records!!
Self-cleaning - they tell you that you eventually have to manually clean it, but they don't tell you that polarity reversal reduces cell life. Adjustable cleaning intervals would be a feature.
Lo/Hi salt indicators -\
Salinity Test -/ more of a "I have a dirty cell" or "I'm broken" then a useful salinity test. Ignorant users will just keep adding more salt before they realise the ECG is incorrect.
Super Chlor - not a useful thing, unless you sell cells.
Clear cell - OK, this is a useful feature, and it is fun to show off!
Ph controls - they say the benefits are arguable, and the added equipment very expensive. I'll agree. It's only found on the high end units, and is probably listed as a way of discounting them.
Vector Jet - most pools have adjustable return eyeballs, don't they?
Flow sensor - if it an in-line unit it HAS to have one, so why list it?
Winter mode - physics steps in when the temperature drops, I think most people turn them off, but maybe it matters to some?
Still, a great place to start for those interested in a Electronic Chlorine Generator, to see the production numbers that are often so buried in the sales literature that you can't find them! (Atlantis?)
What do the other users think of my assessment of the features? Can you not live with out "Super Chlor" or "Lo/Hi salt indicators/salinity test"? (The chart mistakenly lists the latter as missing on the Intex, but it does test salinity, and alarm on Lo/Hi salt, as that is the main reason for most of the help needed posts.)