Dolphin s300i OK on rough pool surface?

[sultanoswing]

We are trying to decide which dolphin robot for our 10m x 4m, 35000L kidney-shaped pool.


I've been advised by our local dealer, who carries both the S and the M lines that the S are not meant for rough pool surfaces, and he is recommending the m400 over the s200 or s300i.

Our render is not rough like pebblecrete, but is more like a fine quartzon finish, or like fine sand mixed in paving slabs to make them non-slip.

I've been leaning to the 'S' series due to the larger, single filter basket design and the fact our pool gets a lot of leaves in it. Price-wise you get a few more features relative to the 'M' series.

So: is the Dolphin / Maytronics s300i OK to use with a very slightly rough plaster rendered surface? Thanks!

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I think your dealer is trying to upsell you using scare tactics. I'm almost positive you'll have no problems with the s300/300i.

Maddie

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I just finished my first season with my S300i in my PebbleTec pool. No issues whatsoever. Check out the link in my signature for pictures.

 

[PoolguyinCT]

I think your dealer is trying to upsell you using scare tactics. I'm almost positive you'll have no problems with the s300/300i.

Maddie

The profit margins are about the same on each unit.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Probably just trying to move older stock.

Get the S300i. Better filter basket and more advanced control options. Low end M series does not have smartphone app control.

 

[PoolguyinCT]

Ahh ... rotating stock, good call joyful- I forgot that play lol
To be fair, the dealer may be a true believer..
I stopped selling robots until the 300i & 200i came to market- I just couldn't deal with the failures both real & perceived..

I must say I love the 300 & 200 Matronics units!!

 

[texasbluesguitar]

I own a 300 or 200 unit and have a mildly rough kidney shaped pool with a hot tub and a water feature. I have been 70% satisfied with it, even am in process of replacing the motor after 4 years of daily use. However, I do think it has some problems with small stair entrances and also with big leaves over 6 inch long. I also think the rubbery brush on it has caused our pool plaster to become tougher and kids that like to kick the sides of the pool and walk in it for hours usually end up with blisters.

 

[sultanoswing]

Update: I phoned Maytronics local office and they confirmed the 'S' series is not only fine, but well designed for concrete/plaster pools. So, I have ordered the s300i, and will report back on impressions in due course. Was tempted to pay a few hundred more and get the m500, but the larger single basket and filter sold me on the s300 for our pool. The s300 also now (apparently) comes with the swivel power cable.

Thanks for everyone's input!

 

[bmoreswim]

I’m glad you reached your decision. I expect you will be quite pleased.

We’ll need to see verification of the swivel to believe it. The Dolphin’s features are quite the topic of discussion here because of their highly confusing marketing strategy and promotional materials.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You're going to love te S300i ! It's a great pool cleaner and it's packed with features. Also, the fully integrated basket where you get both coarse screen filtering and ultrafine cartridge filter is amazing. I have pictures in my signature link that shows the fine sediment that is captured with use of the ultrafine filter screens. It amazes me that I can put my cleaner in my sparkling pool (TFP clear where I can call heads/tails in the deep end) and, every time, the robot will come up and I'll wash brown/grey colored silt off the the fine filter cartridges. I even cleaned up a DE burp with it once.

And while many don't really care about the caddy, I love it. It keeps everything organized and easily transportable when the bot is not in use. Good to know that they have finally pushed the swivel cable tech down to the S series. I guess if I ever need a cable replacement, that'll be an "upgrade". I personally feel that Dolphin has the right mix of products - M series for deep and/or complicated pool and the S-series for your everyday pool. Dolphin just needs to do a better job of communicating options and features better on their website.

 

[sultanoswing]

Agreed re: marketing materials and models (an oft-commented issue with Maytronics).

Here is the reference for NZ: https://www.mydolphin.co.nz/compare-all-models/ which indicates the s200 has a swivel cable (and, in typical Maytronics/Dolphin fashion I can't find the reference for s300i, but remember seeing it somewhere).

As you all say though, nothing like actually confirming it first hand! And I don't want to hear any of you North Americans complaining about how much these robots are in your part of the world. We get *seriously* marked up, even accounting for exchange rates, shipping and sales taxes. Joys of a smaller & cornered market, I guess.

 

[bmoreswim]

I figured it out. It must be because your hurricanes spin in the opposite direction. Maytronics wasn’t able to account for that difference so they installed a swivel instead.

I see the marketing material is dated mid 2016. I don’t think I’ve heard that quoted up north.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Switch back to English/US units, it’s cheaper than metric ...

 

[sultanoswing]

An update: received the s300i on Friday and it's already been through the pool several times.

It seems to be doing a great job on the walls, waterline and floor, with suitably thorough coverage. While it doesn't get the entry shelf area in our pool, that's a 1 minute job with the brush anyway. It's brilliant at picking up the small bottlebrush stamens we're getting at this time of the year. The bluetooth app is nice for selecting programme modes - just now I've got her running on "floor only", having done "ultra clean" the past two days. Using the app to drive is slightly clunky, since the unit turns by firing a jet of water to re-align itself, rather than the tank-like turn ability of the m500 (not that I've driven an m500 tho...). The only possible curiosity I'd have comparing to the more expensive m500 would be the dual drive system. That said, the single, large, combo fine/ultrafine filter basket of the s300i is a winner.

Oh - and it does come with the swivel cable these days. The swivel cable "icon" on the box is a sticker, in contrast to the other features which are printed on the box, which shows they're still using the original boxes despite now upgrading to the swivel cable. Good on ya' for the upgrade, Maytronics.

All in all very pleased and I am happy to confirm - as the tag line goes - "my pool has never been cleaner".

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Thanks for the update.

Yeah, it looks like Maytronics has pushed its swivel cord technology down the product line. There was a recent post about Dolphin offering a new T series robot which is like the S series but with a lot of features stripped out and a single cleaning mode. Interestingly enough, it has the swivel cord.

I wonder if they are sufficiently confident in the swivel technology to basically push it out to all the units as it may reduce cord damage / warranty claims from people that don’t wrap their cords well or leave the robot in the pool all the time