Some background:
I had the Aquabot Turbo cleaner for about 9 years. It was an excellent unit and served me very well. I was able to use it in any temperature water which was important to me as I used it when the pool was first opened in the spring, at temperatures of about 45 degrees.
The positives of that unit were that it was reliable, and trouble-free for all those years. The only thing I ever did was buy a pair of new belts and a couple of the small plastic parts which were easily available online.
The only negative was that it took about 7 hours to clean the pool, and it did not have a remote.
Four years ago I decide to buy a robot with a remote, also to use as a backup thinking that the Aquabot couldn't last forever.
I went with a Dolphin Diagnostic 2002, with remote and caddy.
Well, the Dolphin worked fine for me. It was able to be set to just clean the floor of the pool without climbing, a feature I liked as my walls don't usually get too dirty(20X40 vinyl pool)
The pros to the Dolphin were that it did the job of cleaning the floor in less time than the aquabot, and the remote worked well for spot cleanups.
The cons were that it was heavy, and didn't work in cold water....it barely moved.
The biggest con of all was that it broke this summer...after only 4 years of use. Just died.
I opened it up, and found that water had made it's way in to the motor box. I was quoted $475 for the part. No thanks.
Then, as luck would have it, my trusty aquabot somehow got tangled in it's cord, which led to the drive motor gears being stripped. To put any money into a 9+ year old aquabot made no sense to me, so it was time for a new robot.
From previous experience I knew what I liked and what I wanted in a robot which led me to the Aquabot Viva. This unit is essentially the same as the Blue Diamond remote model.
The Viva comes with a remote and caddy. It is able to be programmed to do the floor only or floor and walls.
I have used it a few times in my pool. When set to do floors only, it cleans the whole pool easily in one hour. It travels much faster than the other robots I had, and turns itself randomly on the floor to change direction. The pump seems to be very powerful as well.
Basically I look at the Viva as the latest version of my old Aquabot...a newer, improved version.
Pros-
Not as heavy as the dolphin
can be set to clean floors only
cleans pool in one hour floors only, or 3 hours with climbing walls.
easy to change the bag and clean it.
Four year full warranty...not pro-rated.
Cons-
the caddy is not as good as the dolphin's, and the power supply sits under the unit.
heavier than the aquabot was
remote not as good as dolphin's joystick, but still acceptable.
it comes with extra floats, and instructions on how to install them, but it never tells you when you might need them-the manual could be better.
Price -wise, I bought it on ebay for $1299, including remote, caddy, delivery(to Canada),and extra filter bags
A very good deal!
Overall I am very happy with the unit even at this early stage.
Any questions, ask away. :-D
I had the Aquabot Turbo cleaner for about 9 years. It was an excellent unit and served me very well. I was able to use it in any temperature water which was important to me as I used it when the pool was first opened in the spring, at temperatures of about 45 degrees.
The positives of that unit were that it was reliable, and trouble-free for all those years. The only thing I ever did was buy a pair of new belts and a couple of the small plastic parts which were easily available online.
The only negative was that it took about 7 hours to clean the pool, and it did not have a remote.
Four years ago I decide to buy a robot with a remote, also to use as a backup thinking that the Aquabot couldn't last forever.
I went with a Dolphin Diagnostic 2002, with remote and caddy.
Well, the Dolphin worked fine for me. It was able to be set to just clean the floor of the pool without climbing, a feature I liked as my walls don't usually get too dirty(20X40 vinyl pool)
The pros to the Dolphin were that it did the job of cleaning the floor in less time than the aquabot, and the remote worked well for spot cleanups.
The cons were that it was heavy, and didn't work in cold water....it barely moved.
The biggest con of all was that it broke this summer...after only 4 years of use. Just died.
I opened it up, and found that water had made it's way in to the motor box. I was quoted $475 for the part. No thanks.
Then, as luck would have it, my trusty aquabot somehow got tangled in it's cord, which led to the drive motor gears being stripped. To put any money into a 9+ year old aquabot made no sense to me, so it was time for a new robot.
From previous experience I knew what I liked and what I wanted in a robot which led me to the Aquabot Viva. This unit is essentially the same as the Blue Diamond remote model.
The Viva comes with a remote and caddy. It is able to be programmed to do the floor only or floor and walls.
I have used it a few times in my pool. When set to do floors only, it cleans the whole pool easily in one hour. It travels much faster than the other robots I had, and turns itself randomly on the floor to change direction. The pump seems to be very powerful as well.
Basically I look at the Viva as the latest version of my old Aquabot...a newer, improved version.
Pros-
Not as heavy as the dolphin
can be set to clean floors only
cleans pool in one hour floors only, or 3 hours with climbing walls.
easy to change the bag and clean it.
Four year full warranty...not pro-rated.
Cons-
the caddy is not as good as the dolphin's, and the power supply sits under the unit.
heavier than the aquabot was
remote not as good as dolphin's joystick, but still acceptable.
it comes with extra floats, and instructions on how to install them, but it never tells you when you might need them-the manual could be better.
Price -wise, I bought it on ebay for $1299, including remote, caddy, delivery(to Canada),and extra filter bags
A very good deal!
Overall I am very happy with the unit even at this early stage.
Any questions, ask away. :-D