Best Cleaner for 750ish

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stslimited84

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Jul 3, 2011
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North East
Hey all,

About to open up and we are in need of a cleaner. We didnt have one last year due to budget and got by with a rover meant for an above ground pool. This year we want a proper cleaner for the full season. The budget is about $750 but can go either way a lil bit if the model is right. We don't need any fancy features like remotes etc, just want a solid cleaner that keeps the pool clean.

Thanks in advance!
 
Mr. Blue said:
We recently got the latest model Polaris (3900 Sport) for $699. They are currently offering a $200 rebate on the $899 price tag. Also came with a free extra cleaning bag.

It has been working great.
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Thank you for the quick reply! :)

I forgot to mention we were looking for a stand alone like a dolphin for example.
 
I have a Prowler 820 made by Pentair and absolutely love it! Although I have nothing to compare it too though so I don't know if there are better ones out there or not. All I know is I drop it in when I wake up in the AM and plug it in, and by the time we are ready to swim, the pool is spotless. The unit is very easy to clean too.

Amazon has for $910 right now, and you might be able to shop around and get it cheaper.
 
ssummer said:
I have a Prowler 820 made by Pentair and absolutely love it! Although I have nothing to compare it too though so I don't know if there are better ones out there or not. All I know is I drop it in when I wake up in the AM and plug it in, and by the time we are ready to swim, the pool is spotless. The unit is very easy to clean too.

Amazon has for $910 right now, and you might be able to shop around and get it cheaper.
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Thanks. I'm a fan of pentair products and will look around at this one. :)

Anybody else?
 
That seems like a great deal! I believe the only difference between the 830 and 820 is that the 830 gives you the ability to control it remotely. I remember looking at them last year and wondering why on earth I would ever stand there with a remote control and drive the thing around my pool. After a year of using the 820, I still can't imagine needing that feature.
 
I have a Polaris 9300. I like it pretty good and you can get it for less than $750. I think they have the 9400 ones out also. The canister takes 30 seconds to clean compared to the bags on other cleaners that are a pita.
 
Mr. Blue said:
kyle11 said:
I have a Polaris 9300. I like it pretty good and you can get it for less than $750. I think they have the 9400 ones out also. The canister takes 30 seconds to clean compared to the bags on other cleaners that are a pita.
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The bags are not hard to clean at all. They key is to let them dry first.
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Oh ok. I have never used them just have read others saying how hard they are to clean. Good to know.
 

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ssummer said:
That seems like a great deal! I believe the only difference between the 830 and 820 is that the 830 gives you the ability to control it remotely. I remember looking at them last year and wondering why on earth I would ever stand there with a remote control and drive the thing around my pool. After a year of using the 820, I still can't imagine needing that feature.
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seems like the 820 is the way to go so far. Has anybody dealt with the rebate process? I hate them but if this rebate actually will arrive I think this will be my purchase.
 
Mr. Blue said:
kyle11 said:
I have a Polaris 9300. I like it pretty good and you can get it for less than $750. I think they have the 9400 ones out also. The canister takes 30 seconds to clean compared to the bags on other cleaners that are a pita.
Click to expand...
The bags are not hard to clean at all. They key is to let them dry first.
Click to expand...

I could almost swear that I read that Dolphin recommends to NEVER let a dirty bag dry out as it can end up ruining the bag :?:
 
sorry to post so late. see my thread on estimated pool cleaner cost but to summarize, I think it's
cost per year = cost of unit/warranty period (years)

If this formula is even close to correct, the one year warranty for the 820 makes it a risky purchase. Hope it works out for you. also, if you search this forum for dolphin supreme, you'll see some comparisons to the supreme m4. I think someone surmised the unit might be made by maytronics.

luck!
 
vinouspleasure said:
sorry to post so late. see my thread on estimated pool cleaner cost but to summarize, I think it's
cost per year = cost of unit/warranty period (years)

If this formula is even close to correct, the one year warranty for the 820 makes it a risky purchase. Hope it works out for you. also, if you search this forum for dolphin supreme, you'll see some comparisons to the supreme m4. I think someone surmised the unit might be made by maytronics.

luck!
Click to expand...
.
Thanks for posting anyway. Im hopeful pentair put the same quality into this as they do their other products. I was debating between this and a dolphin but this was 100 cheaper upfront so I thought id give it a go. Hopefully it was the right choice!
 
if you look closely at the 820 and 830, it sure looks like the dolphin supreme line made by maytronics. the good news is that it's less expensive than the dolphin but the dolphin has a 3-year warranty. I'd guess just about the entire difference in price is due to the warranty. after rebate, you paid $634 and assuming you can get an extra year from your credit card, it works out to $317/year which is better than dolphin branded unit. I think you're in good shape and with luck you'll get more than two years.

please post a review, I may go the same way.

luck!
 
vinouspleasure said:
if you look closely at the 820 and 830, it sure looks like the dolphin supreme line made by maytronics. the good news is that it's less expensive than the dolphin but the dolphin has a 3-year warranty. I'd guess just about the entire difference in price is due to the warranty. after rebate, you paid $634 and assuming you can get an extra year from your credit card, it works out to $317/year which is better than dolphin branded unit. I think you're in good shape and with luck you'll get more than two years.

please post a review, I may go the same way.

luck!
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Took the cover off the pool today and put 820 to work. Initial impressions of it are good and it seems to be doing a solid job cleaning. We only had a cheap above ground cleaner for a portion of last season and didn't have one the last one prior to closing so it has its work cut out for it and is doing the job well. I'll update as time passes on it.

How do I go about extending the warranty with the credit card? I paid with Visa and have never used that feature before.
 
Update Day 2:

The pool bottom is about 70% clear of debris now. It climbs walls fairly wall and occasionally surfaces intriguing our pup, lol.

It has a cartridge filter as opposed to a bag which I find to be much easier to clean. It came with two styles of cartridges. One for more coarse items, such as during opening like leaves etc. and also a fine cartridge filter for every day use when the pool is open for normal operation.

The 820 is performing very well and I'm happy with it up to this point.
 
Also looking at the Pentair 820. It does seem to be "the same" cleaner as Dolphin Nautilus, which also has some good reviews. The main problems I've read is wall climbing. I take it these are not meant for waterline cleaning (not that mine really needs it). I see the Nautilus for $625 at Backyard PS, a couple bucks less than the Pentair after $100 rebate. I don't suppose the rebate is a generic "Maytronics" one that would be good for the Dolphin product. Both only have a 1 year warranty which isn't the greatest for this price range.

How "big" are the cartridges on these? The space in the little triangle seems very narrow (maybe 5 leaves?). I'm thinking I can do spring cleaning with my old Platinum Legend, then use a robot the rest of the summer (not many leaves after the spring oak drop). This bot looks to be a contender to the Aquabot XLS or 4WD.
 

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