Looking for Pool Cleaner Recommendations

[Budge]

Hi. This is my first post. I've been coming here for awhile to find answers to my pool questions. But now I have a question that doesn't seem to have a definitive answer, so I'm looking for all the advice I can get.

I have a 20k gallon in ground, gunite pool that's four years old. We've had a Polaris 280 ever since the pool was built and I HATE IT! I don't mean to upset anyone who has this cleaner and likes it, but it has been nothing but trouble for me. I could have bought two more of these cleaners for what I've spent in replacement parts. And it never goes to my pools deep end.



So I'm looking for a new pool cleaner: pressure or robotic. My two main concerns are (1) that I have a ton of leaves in the fall due to two overhanging trees, and (2) I want whatever product that needs the least amount of repairs. I have been told that for pressure cleaners, the Pentair Platinum has a much better track record than the Polaris as far as maintenance. I don't know if that's true. As for robotics, I can pick up a brand new Aquabot Pura 4X for $299, but I don't know how difficult they are to keep operational.

Any other options that you would recommend? Thanks.

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

I have no experience with pressure cleaners, but will point out that the Aquabot Pura 4X is listed as for an above ground pool with a flat bottom ... it would likely just get stuck in your deep end.

I initially got something similar that used water jet propulsion and as the bag gets dirty it would slow down and could barely ever get out of the deep end.

If you want a good robot, you are going to have to spend a good bit more than that.

 

[Drsafety]

We have a Polaris 380 and absolutely love it. We have only used it for a short time, but it does an excellent job. I hope maintenance doesn't become an issue.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[duraleigh]

There is no type of cleaner that will handle huge amounts of leaves. Maybe 50 white oak leaves and it is time to empty the bag. A bigger bag or one of those in-line leaf catchers will only partially help you.

I get hundreds of leaves daily in the fall and the only solution is a big, sturdy leaf net. You will be disappointed if you think an auto vac can handle that load.

I don't have enough experience to suggest the least maintenance free.

 

[cruzr]

I have a pentair legend 2 pressure cleaner that is on its 5th season without any problems. It has a bag filter that holds a fair amount of leaves&acorns. It is powered by a 3/4hp pump. My daughter replaced her old polaris with the pentair( same as mine) and said it does a much better job of cleaning her pool. I'm thinking about getting a robotic cleaner also, to be able to clean out the pool before opening each year. I think you can pick up the pentair legend 2 for $399 online.
I agree with Duraleigh also. You still need to pull out large amounts of leaves manually before using any cleaner.