Most durable cleaner for IG, vinyl pool with pollen/leaves?

[singerteacher]

Okay, pool pros ... I need your help! Here's my list of needs for a pool cleaner (must be compatible with an IG, vinyl pool), in order of importance:

1) Durable. I don't want something that might break in two years. This is an investment for me, so I want it to last. That said, I won't be leaving it in the pool 24/7, I will be checking it occasionally as it runs, and I will take good care of it.

2) Capable of filtering pollen, and picking up multiple leaves.

3) Easy to use. I like the drop-in-and-go idea.

4) Under $1000, ideally under $700. But, I'm okay with brushing the sides and steps, so it doesn't need to climb walls (but it does need to climb up the steep slope from deep to shallow end).

Any ideas?

 

[arvil]

My pool's in its 8th season, came with the Polaris 65, and it's still going just like new. It hooks up to the eyeball return, uses return pressure to move it with an internal ball to give it random motion, and a bottom hose with a net; the hose is pressurized with jets and a net which catches leaves and debris. It'll blow the silt off the bottom even though the net can't catch it, it'll eventually get picked up by the skimmer. With the 4 water jets in the head and two in the bottom hose, it distributes water from the return throughout the pool. I really like it, it does a very nice job. The only thing I found is that if I store the long hose coiled up in a tub, it tends to curl up and trap the head. I hang it straight on hooks on the back of the deck. That way it allows the head to move all around the pool just fine. When the head changes direction, the catch net tends to move off the bottom and come up to about halfway up to the surface then go back down to the bottom so it eventually catches those floating leaves half-way to the bottom. I just saw it online for about $200. btw, we call it 'Nessie'. We hand vacuum once every couple of weeks to pick up any residual silt and stuff. My wife usually does this, takes about ten minutes.

 

[singerteacher]

I think the Polaris 65 that is now manufactured is for above-ground pools. Did you mean the 165?

 

[arvil]

No, mine is the 65 in my AG. Never thought of it, I guess it wouldn't work at the deep end of an IG. The net hose wouldn't be long enough.