Dolphin Pool Cleaner Decision

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robl45

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2007
918
Parkland, FL
My Blue Diamond Remote has finally died, it was on its last legs and now one of the motors seized. I've planned on getting a dolphin as I like the swivel in the cable, but now the question is which one to get.

I can get the Primal X3 for 600 dollars which is basically the dx3 or m3. Has cartridge filters which is a plus and 2 year warranty.

Then there is the dolphin discovery. Appears to be same as dolphin triton but includes remote for 650 refurb and 1 year warranty.

I can get a brand new dx4 for 800 dollars with 2 year warranty.

or I could go nuts and get the Oasis Z5 for 1200 with 3 year warranty and top loading which I really like.

I've always had the top of the line robots, but would rather save money if possible. Right now I have a decent size pool for South Florida but we are moving in a couple of months and based on what I've seen so far, the pool will be smaller so I'm thinking I probably don't need a crazy cleaner.

How different is the 3 series from the higher up robots. I understand the 3 series doesn't clean the water line, but other than that, they should all climb the walls? I've never seen any of them do a spectacular job on the waterline anyway.
 
$$$ Equal cleaning power. Get the Z5 or the M5 and you'll never regret it. I have the M5 and my buddy has the Z5. We both live in the same area and have been extremely impressed with these units. I cannot imagine one that works better than mine.
 
Brushpup said:
$$$ Equal cleaning power. Get the Z5 or the M5 and you'll never regret it. I have the M5 and my buddy has the Z5. We both live in the same area and have been extremely impressed with these units. I cannot imagine one that works better than mine.
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I'm sure they do, turn on a dime as well, they also cost a lot too. My blue diamond remote control was excellent too, it just broke all the time. My main issue now is whether I really need to spend double the money instead of getting an m3/x3/dx3 type model. Pools in Florida typically aren't very big, mine is one of the bigger ones and the next house will likely have a smaller one. I've never had one of the cheapo models, always go for the top of the line, but thinking it may be overkill for 5 foot smallish pools.
 
I have had an M5 for about a year, and it works very well. If you don't clean for a while, and silt builds up on the bottom, the filters will need to be cleaned about every 45 mins until the silt is removed.

That's the only gripe, how quickly the filters fill up. But the end result is very good.
 
Just purchased and started using a Dolphin Nautilus. Bought it online via Amazon (Marketplace seller, not Amazon itself) for $545 plus free shipping (and no sales tax!!). Couldn't be happier! It is my first robotic pool cleaner. I had been using a Poolvergnuegen suction pool cleaner which did a pretty good job, but I didn't like that I had to attach it into my skimmer and removing it, storing it and re-inserting it into the pool was a bit of a hassle. The Dolphin is quiet, does a great job, and is relatively easy to put in and remove from the pool. The filters are easy to remove and clean, though you have to turn the unit upside down to access. I know the Dolphin product line has more expensive units, but I can't imagine that they will clean that much better, though they would have more "bells & whistles".

I did lots of research on robotic pool cleaners and based upon my research, the Dolphin Nautilus really give the best "bang for your buck". I can't imagine spending $1000+ for a cleaner when there are models in the $500-$700 range that give great results and get great reviews. So I really don't know anything about the other models in the Dolphin line, but I can vouch for how good the Nautilus is. Check out the overwhelmingly positive reviews on Amazon.com and other sites that have reviewed the Nautilus. Good luck!!
 
To the OP,
If cleaning the tile line isnt a huge concern, then, +1 for the Nautilus, I have one too, so my opinion is biased because I LOVE mine! The Nautilus also does not have a handle on it, which is nice for pulling it out of the pool. I can manage just fine though.

However to be fair, I dont think you can go wrong with any of the Dolphin cleaners. Im sure you will love whichever one you end up with.


Bill in SoCal said:
Just purchased and started using a Dolphin Nautilus. Bought it online via Amazon (Marketplace seller, not Amazon itself) for $545 plus free shipping (and no sales tax!!). Couldn't be happier! It is my first robotic pool cleaner. I had been using a Poolvergnuegen suction pool cleaner which did a pretty good job, but I didn't like that I had to attach it into my skimmer and removing it, storing it and re-inserting it into the pool was a bit of a hassle. The Dolphin is quiet, does a great job, and is relatively easy to put in and remove from the pool. The filters are easy to remove and clean, though you have to turn the unit upside down to access. I know the Dolphin product line has more expensive units, but I can't imagine that they will clean that much better, though they would have more "bells & whistles".

I did lots of research on robotic pool cleaners and based upon my research, the Dolphin Nautilus really give the best "bang for your buck". I can't imagine spending $1000+ for a cleaner when there are models in the $500-$700 range that give great results and get great reviews. So I really don't know anything about the other models in the Dolphin line, but I can vouch for how good the Nautilus is. Check out the overwhelmingly positive reviews on Amazon.com and other sites that have reviewed the Nautilus. Good luck!!
Click to expand...
 
Divin Dave said:
To the OP,
If cleaning the tile line isnt a huge concern, then, +1 for the Nautilus, I have one too, so my opinion is biased because I LOVE mine! The Nautilus also does not have a handle on it, which is nice for pulling it out of the pool. I can manage just fine though.

However to be fair, I dont think you can go wrong with any of the Dolphin cleaners. Im sure you will love whichever one you end up with.
Click to expand...

I've had an original dolphin a couple of other high end cleaners and none of them seem to be that great on the tile line. But the one question I haven't been able to figure out, is what is the difference between say the triton with the handle and the nautilus without the handle as far as cleaning the tile line. Both climb the walls from what I can tell, is it that they just climb the wall and don't kind of move along it at the top?
 
I'm not sure what significant benefit the handle on the Triton provides. I suppose it would make it a bit easier to pull the unit out of the pool. Here's a link to a very thorough review of the "Dolphin Premier", which I think is pretty much the same as the Triton. Reviewer really did a great job:

http://youtu.be/rOZMebaXztA


If the link doesn't work, try searching "Dolphin Nautilus" at YouTube. The reviewer's name is "Rick Escalante". I know when I bought my Nautilus, I considered the Triton, but the price difference didn't seem worth it for getting the handle model. I'm sure I read a zillion reviews (as I usually do....) of both units and figured that for my needs and pool setup the Nautilus would be better suited. My Nautilus does climb the walls and randomly seem to run for short lengths along the water line (I don't have tile). As other posters have said, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Dolphin cleaners. I think many of the Dolphin machines are very similar in their abilities and cleaning performance, just differentiated by added "bells and whistles". I'm just a bit cheap and don't like to pay for features that I probably wouldn't need or use anyways. Good luck with your decision!

robl45 said:
I've had an original dolphin a couple of other high end cleaners and none of them seem to be that great on the tile line. But the one question I haven't been able to figure out, is what is the difference between say the triton with the handle and the nautilus without the handle as far as cleaning the tile line. Both climb the walls from what I can tell, is it that they just climb the wall and don't kind of move along it at the top?
Click to expand...
 
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