No, gadgets aren't worth the money. I've found that whether the cartridge is cleaned parallel or perpendicular to the ground, the same time and effort is involved. As a personal preference, I like having the cartridge parallel to the ground in order to utilize gravity more to help the dirt get to the ground.
I use a medium-high water pressure with a regular hose nozzle - the closer it is held to the filter the better and you see it quickly cleaning the filter from grey to white. Some areas of the filter just will never get back to white again no matter what you do.
I've started using a filter sock in my skimmer basket to reduce the amount of schmutz that gets stuck in the filter - the time-consuming part is getting all those particles out.
I had bought a gadget that spins the filter clean. Picture this in actual usage: you have to drag it out of storage. It's rather heavy because you've had to fill the base with water or sand to keep it stable when in use. Bring it either near to the hose, or have to bring the hose to it . . depending on how far away that is, could be a hassle (is for me!). Bring the cartridges over. Find that the cartridges don't fit properly on the spindles provided . . if the spindle is too small, the cartridge spins unevenly rendering the spin action almost useless. And now, the assembly that holds the ball bearings has broken . . I have to figure out how and if I can get replacement parts. Bah!
Here's my solution: my own gen-u-wine filter cleaner. . . I spray with one hand, margarita in the other lololol:
:-D
