Any reason not to replace my old worn out Polaris w/ Legend?

[dabaxter]

My old Polaris 380 is wearing out. Rather than rebuild it again, I looked around and found a new Legend for $374 on poolsupplyworld and found a mfg rebate of $100 on top of that. It seems like a no-brainer from an economics stand point.
I can't seem to find any really bad reviews of the Legend vs the number of bad reviews on a Polaris.

Can anyone give me a good reason not to buy the Legend, vs rebuilding, vs buying another Polaris 380 for $300 more or buying the Polaris 280 for $100 more than the Legend?

 

[speifer]

Re: Any reason not to replace my old worn out Polaris w/ Leg

I originally had a Pentair Legend and recently switched to a Polaris 280 for the same reason as you (worn out parts more expensive to replace than buying new). Here is my opinion so far:

Pentair Legend
Pros:
- 4 wheel design climbs better
- Seemed to tangle the hose less
Cons:
- Wheel gear drive is finicky and needs frequent adjustment
- Debris bag wears out quickly and tears
- Tail lodges between wheels and frame then loosens the bearings making the problem worse

Polaris 280
Pros:
- Design seems more robust than Legend
- Parts are easier to find in stores, although many can be used on Legend (ballast, back-up valve, etc)
- Debris bag seems more durable and is easier to clean out
Cons:
- Doesn't climb very well at all
- Tangles hose more than the Legend


Overall, I think I prefer the durability of the Polaris 280. I haven't had it very long, but the design seems more robust. Even though the Legend seemed to clean better, it was always needing replacement parts.

 

[dabaxter]

Re: Any reason not to replace my old worn out Polaris w/ Leg

After getting this recommendation in a PM and considering the large difference in price, I went ahead and ordered a legend. I really don't want to sink a bunch of money into my old polaris again. We'll see how it goes with the Legend.

I had to go re-read the post and did notice that the post was four years old. So in the four years, I have not replaced any parts on my Legend. I think I am on my third bag. It does as good a job as any of the other cleaners I have had (Polaris, Phantom). For the cost, it has been exceptional.

I will say, I really miss the Phantoms ability to clean the surface and do find myself contemplating looking at a phantom in the future, only if they have improved the reliability or manifold design.

The fact that I have lost track of time for how long I have had the Legend says a lot.