For those of you with experience with higher-end cleaners, what are some of the most important or critical features you've found? Are there features that you don't have but wish you did? Conversely, are there other features that you thought would be super important but you don't really use? IE remote control, delay start, bluetooth enabled, etc. Thanks!
Cleaner robot - most important features?
- Thread starter Aspencreek
- Start date
Remote control and Bluetooth are gimmicks. Performance, basket capacity and ease of cleaning are my priorities.
Delay start and timer functions may matter to some but I just want to drop it in, fish it out when it's done, clean and put away. I can't envision any scenario when I want it to start when I'm not around.
Delay start and timer functions may matter to some but I just want to drop it in, fish it out when it's done, clean and put away. I can't envision any scenario when I want it to start when I'm not around.
skylar18
LifeTime Supporter
What Geebot said! I looked for how well it cleaned, how easy to clean and empty basket, and how well it climbed walls and cleaned waterline. Anything else was bonus that I might or might not use.
Cleaning power, slash quality, filter type flexibility meaning fine or coarse filtration. Over quality is very important, and I like having a remote with programming/scheduling options.
I do have to say that sometimes I wish I had a remote. When my robot is finished, there is inevitably a leaf or something left behind.
With my old robot we would just "coax" it into position to get the stray bits by moving the cord to re-orient its path.
I use my remote control to "park" my robot on top of the stairs which makes it easy to pull the robot out of the water without further messing up my bad back or yanking on the power cable.
Wow, great feedback! Remote sounds pretty useful but timers and bluetooth not so much. What about the cable length? Seems that most cleaners are around 50-60 foot, wonder if longer would be nice to have? Oh, and the full bag indicator, does that get used much? Thanks.
One caveat about Bluetooth is that the Bluetooth provides the remote function, so if you get a Bluetooth-enabled unit it uses a phone app to provide a virtual joystick remote. The full-bag indicator seems nice but you'll get the best performance out of your robot if you clean and empty it after every use, so full-bag is less relevant.
Kdfoust
0
A cart to move the robot around. Dolphin Triton is what I have and I would not wish to carry it very far.
The remote is not important to me, I don't really want to interact with it that much .
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The remote is not important to me, I don't really want to interact with it that much .
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I am planning to buy a Dolphin S-100. Does anyone here own one or have any good or bad feedback on this unit?
Having owned 2 or 3 fairly basic to middle of the range models now, my thoughts are in no specific order:
1, Cord length, this may be more of an issue with larger pools, I have a 20x40 ft pool and some robots only have cords long enough for 36-38 ft pools.
2, Quality of cleaning, my Aquabot Turbo T does a much better job of cleaning than my old Dolphin Diagnositc's, it moves much faster too, I attribute much of the better cleaning action to the cleaning jets.
3, Ease and cost of replacing treads, they wear out and on some designs are MUCH easier to replace than others. This is particularly important if you are a DIY type.
4, An adjustable timer is nice, my Dolphins had fixed run time only which worked most of the time, however my Aquabot has a variable digital timer as well as a continuous run option and sometimes it is nice to be able to increase or decrease the run time to do either a basic cleaning or a much more thorough one.
5, I have yet to buy a robot with remote control, but if I did I would want one that had full steering, not just back up and go forward.
6, My pool does not have many obstacles, but if it did I can see the potential benefit in a dual track robot with better steering
7, like others have said, water line cleaning, this really should be near the top of the list, but as I said it is in no particular order.
8, This is one I WISH mine had, but don't know how well it works in reality, and that is a swivel cord to prevent tangling
9, Ease of filter cleaning, and filter capacity
Ike
p.s. there are probably little features I also find I like, like the easy plug computer cord style connector on the Aquabot vs the screw in pin cable on the Dolphin, as unhooking it to untangle the cord is much easier.
1, Cord length, this may be more of an issue with larger pools, I have a 20x40 ft pool and some robots only have cords long enough for 36-38 ft pools.
2, Quality of cleaning, my Aquabot Turbo T does a much better job of cleaning than my old Dolphin Diagnositc's, it moves much faster too, I attribute much of the better cleaning action to the cleaning jets.
3, Ease and cost of replacing treads, they wear out and on some designs are MUCH easier to replace than others. This is particularly important if you are a DIY type.
4, An adjustable timer is nice, my Dolphins had fixed run time only which worked most of the time, however my Aquabot has a variable digital timer as well as a continuous run option and sometimes it is nice to be able to increase or decrease the run time to do either a basic cleaning or a much more thorough one.
5, I have yet to buy a robot with remote control, but if I did I would want one that had full steering, not just back up and go forward.
6, My pool does not have many obstacles, but if it did I can see the potential benefit in a dual track robot with better steering
7, like others have said, water line cleaning, this really should be near the top of the list, but as I said it is in no particular order.
8, This is one I WISH mine had, but don't know how well it works in reality, and that is a swivel cord to prevent tangling
9, Ease of filter cleaning, and filter capacity
Ike
p.s. there are probably little features I also find I like, like the easy plug computer cord style connector on the Aquabot vs the screw in pin cable on the Dolphin, as unhooking it to untangle the cord is much easier.
I have a Hayward Phantom that is controlled by a booster pump, and a Aqua Bot that has an electric cord in it. I prefer the Phantom WAY better.
Since the Phantom is powered of a booster pump, it can just be on a simple timer, so he stays in the pool all the time. The Aqua Bot must be manually turned on. I don't mind swimming with the Phantom in the water, but don't like to with the Bot, because the cord gets in the way. The Phantom move much faster, and also skims the surface, as well as the walls. So, after a storm, when we have a lot of leaves, the cleaner gets surface junk way faster than the skimmers. It also has a very large bag. Finally, the Phantom has a tail that moves high pressure water behind it. This tail gets into every nook that the Aqua Bot will not. I can run the Bot, and have all sorts of dirty areas, like in the wall to floor corner, but the Phantom gets everywhere.
The only advantage the Bot has is a very fine filter bag for catching algae, like a pool filter. So, he is better at pool open, to help filter. But, after that, that Phantom gets the call.
Since the Phantom is powered of a booster pump, it can just be on a simple timer, so he stays in the pool all the time. The Aqua Bot must be manually turned on. I don't mind swimming with the Phantom in the water, but don't like to with the Bot, because the cord gets in the way. The Phantom move much faster, and also skims the surface, as well as the walls. So, after a storm, when we have a lot of leaves, the cleaner gets surface junk way faster than the skimmers. It also has a very large bag. Finally, the Phantom has a tail that moves high pressure water behind it. This tail gets into every nook that the Aqua Bot will not. I can run the Bot, and have all sorts of dirty areas, like in the wall to floor corner, but the Phantom gets everywhere.
The only advantage the Bot has is a very fine filter bag for catching algae, like a pool filter. So, he is better at pool open, to help filter. But, after that, that Phantom gets the call.
Anything you buy w more bells & whistles that is not dedicated to performance and cleaning, your cost per cycle increases and your chances of something breaking increases. If someone has a bad back, then a remote to compensate for that is can see; but that is the exception, not the norm.
The main thing that any robot should do is clean your pool under normal circumstances of whatever debris is in your pool. I would focus on what it takes to operate and clean the device, then parts replacement and customer support thereof.
The main thing that any robot should do is clean your pool under normal circumstances of whatever debris is in your pool. I would focus on what it takes to operate and clean the device, then parts replacement and customer support thereof.
I wished I had a remote with my last robot. With the new one I got the remote, and I have not used it once.
Most important feature by far is ease of cleaning. If cleaning is difficult, you won't use it. Top loader baskets or filters are a must.
Most important feature by far is ease of cleaning. If cleaning is difficult, you won't use it. Top loader baskets or filters are a must.
I would have to say the most important feature is the robot not getting stuck in your pool, my old Dolphin Diagnositic would get caught in the corner by the ladder when the float handle was set to circle to the left, but not when set to circle to the right.
My Dolphin S-100 arrived today. 761.74 USD here in Thailand, not sure how that compares to USA prices.
They have a promotion here in Thailand now and they give you the extra fine filter basket (a 50-80 dollar value depending which shop you bought it in, if you had to buy it).
I am very happy with the performance, the pool had not been vacuumed in 3 days, so it needed it.
when it finished the cycle, I could not find a place that it missed.
The fine filter caught a lot of particles and debris.
Very easy to hose it off, washed the rest of the unit, dried it and ready for next use.
It outperformed my expectations.
if you are in the market for a robot, give Dolphin a try, they perform as advertised.
Captain
They have a promotion here in Thailand now and they give you the extra fine filter basket (a 50-80 dollar value depending which shop you bought it in, if you had to buy it).
I am very happy with the performance, the pool had not been vacuumed in 3 days, so it needed it.
when it finished the cycle, I could not find a place that it missed.
The fine filter caught a lot of particles and debris.
Very easy to hose it off, washed the rest of the unit, dried it and ready for next use.
It outperformed my expectations.
if you are in the market for a robot, give Dolphin a try, they perform as advertised.
Captain
The most important feature is.......an extra fine filter, if it is an option for the Model you choose to buy.
Dolphin does offer an extra fine filter for each model.
My pool already looked sparklingly clear when I put the Dolphin in for a cycle, even though it looked very clear, this extra fine filter was able to capture what is shown which I believe is pollen, dust from the air, perhaps dead algae, and the general fines that end up in the pool.
i don't think the glass media can capture and hold what is shown on the dirty 1/2 of this screen.
Another BIG positive for using a robot, they are self contained and what they capture, never enters your main filter, there reducing the need for backwashing significantly.
I am very happy with this robot and wish I had bought one long ago.
URL=http://s1042.photobucket.com/user/Bruce_Azzariti/media/image_zpse6ndda6e.jpeg.html]
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Dolphin does offer an extra fine filter for each model.
My pool already looked sparklingly clear when I put the Dolphin in for a cycle, even though it looked very clear, this extra fine filter was able to capture what is shown which I believe is pollen, dust from the air, perhaps dead algae, and the general fines that end up in the pool.
i don't think the glass media can capture and hold what is shown on the dirty 1/2 of this screen.
Another BIG positive for using a robot, they are self contained and what they capture, never enters your main filter, there reducing the need for backwashing significantly.
I am very happy with this robot and wish I had bought one long ago.
URL=http://s1042.photobucket.com/user/Bruce_Azzariti/media/image_zpse6ndda6e.jpeg.html]