Robot Recommendations?

[ukchris]

So I'm in the market for a robot, my pool is 20x40, steep slope shallow to deep, plastic liner over concrete. I live in the Northeast (NH) and tend to get leaves and dirt accumulating in the pool. I was at the store and they were trying to sell me a $1000 wall-climbing aquabot - I am averse to impulse buys so wanted to see if I could get some advice here.

Looking at the aquabot the catch area seemed very small, is this common? It felt like a handful of sunken leaves and it'd choke it - or maybe I was just looking at a portion of the filter?

While a wall climber may not be a necessity I think it'd be nice to have, especially considering the slope is very sleep, it's pretty much a climb from the deep end to the shallow.

So... any recommendations you could share while I continue reading...?

 

[bmoreswim]

Our resident robot service tech is quite unimpressed with Aquabot reliability over time. He sees much better reliability of Dolphin robots.

The fine filtering capability if properly equipped and basket capacity of the Dolphin S series and twins is impressive to me personally. I get a lot of fine dust like debris in my pool and our pressure side Kreepy Krauly was poor at removing it or covering the pool in general. Not to mention getting arm deep in the water to hook it up every time. Our Active 20 S twin is great for us.

 

[ukchris]

There's a "[FONT=&quot]Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus[/FONT]" on Amazon for $699, it seems like there are an awful lot of variations that are hard to compare, is an "twin" different to a non-twin(?).

Who'd a thunk it'd be so hard to but a cleaner! What would folks recommend in the $600-$1000 range?

 

[bmoreswim]

There are twins of every level of the S line of Dolphins. Twins are identical except for name and color.

The Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus is slightly older design. The S is newer. In my mind, there is no reason to go with that model because the two basket design is both smaller and less convenient than the S.

I have and Active 20 (same as S200) and it's great for us. Least options but same cleaning ability as the highest (though I did add a drop-in mesh filter from the higher version) to get dual filtration.

I recommend looking at one line, say the S200/S300/S300i and deciding on what features match your requirements. THEN you can see if there is a twin at a lower price (or better color)! Focusing on price up front is challenging. All 3 are in your price range.

 

[Thurston]

I have a similar pool and bought a Dolphin M400 this spring I think it was $1000 with the caddy and shipping. It does a really good job and there are a lot of other on this forum that you can lean on for advice with operation, maintenance and service.

 

[bmoreswim]

Agree that the M's are the other highly recommended models here. Pricing for them will start where the S's leave off.

 

[ukchris]

I have a similar pool and bought a Dolphin M400 this spring I think it was $1000 with the caddy and shipping. It does a really good job and there are a lot of other on this forum that you can lean on for advice with operation, maintenance and service.

Would you mind sharing where you chose to buy? I have searched and seem to get confused quickly, there are either dozens which don't seem to match what I'm looking for or a limited set again none of which match.

Google shopping for example comes up with two links, $1099 at Pool Partz and $1399 at EZ-Pool-Supplies, then however there are a bunch that look similar but have different names like Maytronics Oasis Z5 or Dolphin Triton Plus - seriously confusing!!

I don't think I need bluetooth, would that suggest a lower model in the "M Series"?

 

[pooldv]

The Dolphin Triton is the same as the maytronics S200, Dolphin Active20 and Doheny's Discovery. The Triton Plus is the same as the S300, Active30 and Doheny's Mercury.

More here, Doheny's Discovery, S200, Active20, Triton owners club - Page 53

Marina Pool seems to be the best place to buy. My brother bought an Active20 today from Marina and the price was better than Doheny's. You have to call them, can't order online. The number is listed throughout the thread I linked above.

 

[Thurston]

Marina Pool, call them and order, painless and quick/free shipping.

 

[ukchris]

So I talked to Margaret at Marina, she is very helpful. We discussed the Active 20, 30 and 30i plus the M400. It seems the story is that the Active 20 does it all maybe without some bells and whistles. The 30 adds the "app" and the cart but not a lot of real advantage, similar story with the 30i.

The M400 it seems is a step up, no point in buying an Active 30 when the M400 is in the ballpark it cleans better and has a better warranty but in a "regular" pool may be overkill.

I think this leaves me choosing between the Active 20 @ $699 les a $75 rebate or a M400 at $999 less a $74 rebate, my instinct is that the M400 doesn't give me a lot that I'd benefit from for the $300 difference, does that make sense?

I think I read some suggestions on asking for a different basket/filter when ordering, any thoughts on that would be welcome.

 

[MannyT]

The Active 30i comes with the multiple layer filtration system that the Active 20/30 doesn't come with, Marina was adding coarse basket and changing the filters in the outer basket to the fine pleated filter making it the same filter combination that comes in the Active 30i/S300i. The Active 30 app doesn't add many advantages other than remote control, but the Active 30i gives you the additional ability to change the different cleaning modes (floor only, waterline only, etc.) it also gives you the ability to change the cycle time. It also includes the caddy which can be bought separately for about $110.

 

[bmoreswim]

I think this leaves me choosing between the Active 20 @ $699 les a $75 rebate or a M400 at $999 less a $74 rebate, my instinct is that the M400 doesn't give me a lot that I'd benefit from for the $300 difference, does that make sense?

An Active 20 gets you a really clean pool and doesn’t leave your wallet as empty.

 

[fatcat07]

I just bought the "Dolphin Nautilus Plus CC Robotic Pool Cleaner with Pro Caddy" from Pool Zoom.

I was shopping and comparing for robotic cleaners for about 3 months, I almost lost my mind with the chooses. So many different brands and models, it is mind boggling.

So I just did a google search for "Best Robotic cleaners" and the out of 5 best cleaners list 3 of them had the "Dolphin Nautilus Plus CC Robotic Pool Cleaner with Pro Caddy" listed as number one.

So I'm waiting on the delivery now, wish me luck ....

Who would have thought that shopping for a pool cleaner would be so nerve racking, but it is an expensive purchase and I tell myself it will make my life easier because dragging out the hose and vacuum head is weighing on my soul at this point. It has gotten bad, sometimes the kids are swimming in a pool with leafs on the bottom.

I don't want to vacuum and I don't want the kids swimming in a pool with leafs in it, hopefully this cleaner does the job and last for a decent amount of time.

 

[Eddie_C]

Chris, I have the same size pool and have had 2 Aquabots. Neither were very durable (3 summers for one and 4 summers for the 2nd, after a repair bill for the drive motor).
I'm switching to a Dolphin this summer. Your assumption that catch bag is not convenient on the Aquabot is accurate.

 

[justinS]

I can not believe how hard this is. IF anyone would have said, the hardest part of building your pool would be deciding on which robot cleaner to get..

How important is it to buy a pool cleaner at a store instead of online?

 

[MarkJ]

I had a SmartPool NC 60 for a couple years and the float just came apart. I think it got stepped on and broken. No matter. when I called SmartPool, they explained that they were no longer in the pool cleaner business. Oh well, I did get a couple years' use out of it.

I can buy a new cable and float assembly on line for about $140 - $200. Problem is that I don't know if this will fix my issue or not. I am not one to throw good money after bad.

I am thinking about an Aquabot S300. Looks like it may be a good unit and I know that Aquabot is a good brand.

Thoughts?

- - - Updated - - -

I think it is a matter of knowing what you are getting. Do your research and decide.

"Ya pays your money and ya takes your chances!"

 

[Geebot]

I can not believe how hard this is. IF anyone would have said, the hardest part of building your pool would be deciding on which robot cleaner to get..

How important is it to buy a pool cleaner at a store instead of online?

Not really that hard. After struggling with an old-style canvas-bag Dolphin for a couple of seasons I knew I wanted something with good capacity that was easy to clean. The S-series hit all my targets and I haven't had a moment of regret since.

 

[justinS]

Not really that hard. After struggling with an old-style canvas-bag Dolphin for a couple of seasons I knew I wanted something with good capacity that was easy to clean. The S-series hit all my targets and I haven't had a moment of regret since.

I went through Marina, purchased the s200, ran it for the first time yesterday. two cycles, just to catch up.

 

[Mindflux]

I've got an Aquabot Breeze 4WD. The swivel has come apart twice in 2 years. Once under warranty and once out of warranty. I cannot recommend an Aquabot product now. $600 bucks and I got 2 seasons out of it. I've fixed the wiring in the swivel but I imagine I am on borrowed time now.

 

[mdogan]

while buying robot, think about your pool drains. Most of them are stuck in there.