I have a Polaris 280 with assist pump in a 18 x 36 Salt pool. At best the Polaris performance is spotty and on bad days - a joke. Repairs at about $35 each are frequent and it is just 2 years old. I have been looking at the electric robotic cleaners and I am convinced they will clean just fine. What I am concerned about is how reliable is each model. I would like to hear what experience people have with using this type cleaner. I am leaning to Hayward Tiger Shark just because they replaced a color logic light at the edge of warranty and were helpful with the process. I have read most of the features and have decided I dont really want the remote control - I AM NOT GOING TO SIT AND WATCH THIS THING CLEAN. Thanks for taking the time to read and hopefully you will give me the benefit of your experience
May move to Robotic cleaner from Polaris
- Thread starter minus200
- Start date
Polaris is about to come out with a new robotic cleaner in about a month that is supposed to be far superior the 9300. It is called the 9400 sport and while it looks like the 9300 it is different in a few key areas. First it is 4-wheel drive so it climbs walls and over objects where the 9300 couldn’t. Second it does not come with or need a remote. It has some new technology that is supposed to track the cleaners position in the pool and changes it when necessary. It is supposed to be a great cleaner but as it hasn’t come out yet I can’t attest to this. If that sounds like something you might be interested in then keep an eye out for it.
Good Luck,
Tom
Good Luck,
Tom
If you have a major dirt issue in your pool, you'll want a remote. I don't have one for my pool and right now I wish I did after the guys finished remodeling my pool coping.
I have just finished a try "before you buy" on 3 robotic cleaners. First I had a few weeks with the new Polaris as pictured on the post above. It performed really well actually, nothing at all bad to report - scrubbed the walls well managed the swim out large steps but just clambered up the small steps - cant ask for anything more really as they are quite small. I would give it a 9/10. It lost 1 point because in Australia (where I am) it costs $2,400 which is top dollar for a robotic & that has no remote nor a swivel on the cable and only 2 functions (not that these are inadequate). I later learned from the Maytronics rep that the scrubbing brush is positioned in a way so that it actually doesnt touch the bottom of the pool, but skims approx 1mm above it. The scrubber does however scrub the wall tiles. If this is atually true, what is the point Mr person who designed it !? ...
Next I tested the Admiral wall scrubber. I tried this one after finding quite a few positive reviews on the net which advised it was cheap and worked well. I dont know what the price in Australia is but it wouldnt want to be much..it was hopeless. There was no swivel on the cable, no caddy, only had one standard cycle and worst of all, when pulled from the water, most of the fine dirt it just sucked from the pool washed back into it - what the!!! We tried taking it out of the pool in different ways - quickly, slowly, sideways etc but it still lost much of it's load back into the pool
And lastly we are now trying the Dolphin M5. it costs the same as the Polaris here - around $2490 RRP (aust) and has so many functions i am still confused - but very happy so far. How great that you can direct it to one last leaf before you remove it from the pool. I'm keeping it. Hope the Maytronics after sales service in Australia is as great at the rep who spent a few hours with me when delivering the demo.
Next I tested the Admiral wall scrubber. I tried this one after finding quite a few positive reviews on the net which advised it was cheap and worked well. I dont know what the price in Australia is but it wouldnt want to be much..it was hopeless. There was no swivel on the cable, no caddy, only had one standard cycle and worst of all, when pulled from the water, most of the fine dirt it just sucked from the pool washed back into it - what the!!! We tried taking it out of the pool in different ways - quickly, slowly, sideways etc but it still lost much of it's load back into the pool
And lastly we are now trying the Dolphin M5. it costs the same as the Polaris here - around $2490 RRP (aust) and has so many functions i am still confused - but very happy so far. How great that you can direct it to one last leaf before you remove it from the pool. I'm keeping it. Hope the Maytronics after sales service in Australia is as great at the rep who spent a few hours with me when delivering the demo.the major problem with robotic cleaners with remote is they cost an arm, 2 legs and a few other body parts to repair, the other robotics are expensive, but the remote ones are rediculous, the cable, power supply, motors etc are all more expensive, usually double the price. So it better have a Dang good warranty and you better have a Dang good reason for needing it.
the only thing that is really useful about the robotic cleaners with remote is unlike the non remote models that have to pulse or use some other method to turn, the remote units can just turn on their own with the two motors. not really worth it imho and I have a rather difficult pool to clean.
the only thing that is really useful about the robotic cleaners with remote is unlike the non remote models that have to pulse or use some other method to turn, the remote units can just turn on their own with the two motors. not really worth it imho and I have a rather difficult pool to clean.
cleans in reverse too, looks pretty cool and has the nice cartridge which is much easier than cleaning bags. if mine breaks and I'm sure it will go soon, might look at this. but only 2 year warranty kind of sucks compared to the blue diamond.BlazeRegulator said:
so it really comes down to do I pay more for this or less for the nitro pool scrubber that still has 2 year warranty and pieces I can buy if need by and swap out.
We've been testing the 9400 for a week or so, and it does seem more agile than the 9300. It's the successor to the 9300, not the 9300xi, so if you're in the situation RobbieH is describing, and need a remote, the xi is still the only Polaris in the family with one.
Hey minus, what type of pool do you have? Different cleaners will do better with vinyl, gunite, and fiberglass pools. Also, does your pool have a toe-kick (small 1-2" ledge about halfway up the wall)? Do you want your robotic cleaner to clean your stairs or do you plan to brush them by hand? All of these will play a role in choosing the best cleaner for your pool.
The 9400's 4WD showed improvements in performance over the 9300. I can't wait to test the 9100!
The 9400's 4WD showed improvements in performance over the 9300. I can't wait to test the 9100!
i saw the video I believe on pool supply world showing the 9400 turning on its own on the ground, can the 9100 do this as well? IE, can it turn its two wheels in opposite directions?
robl45 said:
Good question! I'll have Blake find out, and schedule getting another video shot for it, as we just got our hands on them.
Alrighty guys, here is the latest update on the 9100!
A Zodiac rep told us (via online chat) that the front wheels do not turn independently, and the unit turns using the small wheel in back.
I was skeptical that the back wheel could do this, so I just called them. The rep on the phone said 'Yes, it turns the same way the 9400 does. Just using two wheels instead of four.'
Since we didn't get a definitive answer
..we are gonna toss one in the pool today! I will update you guys as soon as I know more!
A Zodiac rep told us (via online chat) that the front wheels do not turn independently, and the unit turns using the small wheel in back.
I was skeptical that the back wheel could do this, so I just called them. The rep on the phone said 'Yes, it turns the same way the 9400 does. Just using two wheels instead of four.'
Since we didn't get a definitive answer
..we are gonna toss one in the pool today! I will update you guys as soon as I know more!interesting, so if it can turn on the floor on its own, then really whats the need of the 9400?
at any rate did anyone notice that the OP posted this 3 years ago?
at any rate did anyone notice that the OP posted this 3 years ago?
The test went great! The unit did really well, and we got some cool footage. Roy is going to post videos very soon.
In short, the unit was able to turn (by stopping one wheel). The small wheel in the back does not turn or swivel at all.
In short, the unit was able to turn (by stopping one wheel). The small wheel in the back does not turn or swivel at all.
Rob, one major difference between the 9400 and the 9100 is cleaning pool walls. The 9100 can clean the cove (rounded corner between floor and wall), but not much higher. The 9400 can also clean a larger pool!robl45 said:
Ok, so we have two cell phone shots from Blake and myself, and our videographer was kind enough to toss together a rough demo using the actual underwater camera, just for the sake of this thread.
[youtube:3d9ukeaz]vYxCpf8MZCU[/youtube:3d9ukeaz]
[youtube:3d9ukeaz]evuhyyjHCb0[/youtube:3d9ukeaz]
[youtube:3d9ukeaz]aqvpRQ1SPtA[/youtube:3d9ukeaz]
After watching it a lot of times, I believe that all of it's maneuvering is only by halting one wheel at a time, and not actually counter-rotating. Overall it appears to use three types of turns: the halt-pivot (which is usually a small turn just to prevent patterning), the cove-as-quarterpipe skateboard turn, and kicking onto it's side temporarily. Overall, it looked like it had good coverage in our demo pool, but we'll get it into a real pool soon for a full video (like the 9400).
As for comparing to the 9400, the 9100 only cleans the floor and cove, not the walls or waterline.
And no... once the second comment was added this year, I certainly hadn't checked the date on the OP. Oops. But we shot cool videos for you all!
[youtube:3d9ukeaz]vYxCpf8MZCU[/youtube:3d9ukeaz]
[youtube:3d9ukeaz]evuhyyjHCb0[/youtube:3d9ukeaz]
[youtube:3d9ukeaz]aqvpRQ1SPtA[/youtube:3d9ukeaz]
After watching it a lot of times, I believe that all of it's maneuvering is only by halting one wheel at a time, and not actually counter-rotating. Overall it appears to use three types of turns: the halt-pivot (which is usually a small turn just to prevent patterning), the cove-as-quarterpipe skateboard turn, and kicking onto it's side temporarily. Overall, it looked like it had good coverage in our demo pool, but we'll get it into a real pool soon for a full video (like the 9400).
As for comparing to the 9400, the 9100 only cleans the floor and cove, not the walls or waterline.
And no... once the second comment was added this year, I certainly hadn't checked the date on the OP. Oops. But we shot cool videos for you all!
well i just realized it tonight so we all missed the original post date at any rate, none of the cleaners seem to clean the waterline very well, I've had 3 different ones and they are all to the point of they might as well be bottom only. however i have a rectangle pool that has a strange shape so on an oval or flowing kidney pool, it could probably do better on that.
i also have a deeper spot in the center of the pool and shallow on both ends. so bots that can't turn on the ground and pulse to turn like the blue diamond non remote do not work all that great at turning if they are on one of the inclines.
so does the 9100 actually turn on the bottom or is it more like a pulse hop kind of thing?
at any rate, none of the cleaners seem to clean the waterline very well, I've had 3 different ones and they are all to the point of they might as well be bottom only. however i have a rectangle pool that has a strange shape so on an oval or flowing kidney pool, it could probably do better on that.i also have a deeper spot in the center of the pool and shallow on both ends. so bots that can't turn on the ground and pulse to turn like the blue diamond non remote do not work all that great at turning if they are on one of the inclines.
so does the 9100 actually turn on the bottom or is it more like a pulse hop kind of thing?
The middle video is about as much as we saw it do, locking one wheel and driving the other. It looked pretty chaotic in our pool, as you can see, but I think that's just because it's just a 12' AG, which wasn't the cleaner's natural habitat.robl45 said:
I have the 9300 with a gunnite pool. When I place it in the pool, I usually run it on both cycles once and I'm done in about 2 hours. Everything is clean. I have a swim-out and a deck area that don't get quite as well, but have a vacuum cleaner that cleans those areas in minutes. I have not had any issue with my cleaner and it's on it's been going for about 2 1/2 years. It's not remote controlled and does a very good on the entire pool coverage when I run both cycles in one cleaning.