Dolphin S300I vs Dolphin M500

[mmirav]

I had a new liner put in on 7/2014 the liner was pristine when I bought the Z. After three months of use with the Z I had 22 holes in my liner and numerous scratches and gouges. The majority of my holes are in a row down in the cove. The plastic guards one the sides line up perfectly with the holes. The whole perimeter of my pool has scratches from the hard plastic tracks.

It is a fine robot, it just was way too rough on my pool. Lots of people use it and have no issues, I guess I was just one of the unlucky ones.

How did the exchange go with maytronics in case i need to go that route. I do see some small print scratches in my pool but the liner is 10 years old. Ill be paying close attention to the cleaner and liner scratches. Thanks.

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[Chrissykr]

How did the exchange go with maytronics in case i need to go that route. I do see some small print scratches in my pool but the liner is 10 years old. Ill be paying close attention to the cleaner and liner scratches. Thanks.

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It is a long drawn out process. Lots of back and forth, and they ask for a lot of documentation. I really jumped through hoops. Not an experience I care to repeat anytime soon.

 

[Chrissykr]

I just want to give a little update now that I have used Daisy a few times.

I just love her to death. She is everything I had hoped for in a robot and more. She is so much easier on my liner, she does a fantastic job on cleaning my pool and I cannot say enough how much better I like the basket than the cartridges on the Z5. The Bluetooth works well and the lighter cord handles so much better than the thick ones. Even though she doesn't have the tangle free thingie her cord has never tangled.

I highly recommend the s300i. Maytronics did a really nice job on this one.

 

[jprny]

I just want to give a little update now that I have used Daisy a few times. I just love her to death...

You should get a commission on the S300i I just ordered .

Thanks to all for the discussion on models, etc. It sure is a PITA navigating the manufacturer web sites, etc.

Getting it on Wednesday from my local dealer. He stocks the S200, but I wanted a model that has the option to do just the bottom of the pool. He was willing to sell for the $1200 mentioned above.

I'll post again after we've played with it for a bit.
-jpr

 

[simplemind]

A couple of questions:
1) I read somewhere the reason that Maytronics offer 2 yr vs 3 yr warranties is the expected life. 2000 hrs vs 3000 hrs usage. Is that true?
2) Given the warranty, what are the reasons I would choose the S30i over the M500?

 

[Geebot]

A couple of questions:
1) I read somewhere the reason that Maytronics offer 2 yr vs 3 yr warranties is the expected life. 2000 hrs vs 3000 hrs usage. Is that true?
2) Given the warranty, what are the reasons I would choose the S30i over the M500?

If warranty is your sole factor then your reasoning is sound. I bought for my desired features and my credit card extends the warranty to 3 years.

I wouldn't bet on the 2,000 vs 3,000 hour theory.

 

[wmmallette]

Im curious,
i too am looking at both of these cleaners. I have seen the differences in each and have a few questions for those who own either?

1. Is the increased suction on the M500 a negative? is that something that can be hard on your liner?

2. How responsive is the bluetooth directional capability of the s300i? is it practical to drive around your pool to vac in specific areas that you see to be dirty? or does is have a lag/delay?

 

[Geebot]

Im curious,
i too am looking at both of these cleaners. I have seen the differences in each and have a few questions for those who own either?

1. Is the increased suction on the M500 a negative? is that something that can be hard on your liner?

2. How responsive is the bluetooth directional capability of the s300i? is it practical to drive around your pool to vac in specific areas that you see to be dirty? or does is have a lag/delay?

The difference in the water filtration isn't all that big a deal, roughly 4,200 gallons vs 3,700. I doubt that even with the higher rate it will be noticeable.
The bluetooth joystick has some lag, but the point is to send it to specific areas, which it will do, but it's not an immediate response.

 

[Ocgasman]

I have the s300i. The Bluetooth works well as long as you're near the control unit. Takes a bit of back and forth to finally get the s300i to go where you wanna go but definitely works. Slight lag but does not affect functionality at all. I don't really use Bluetooth to manually control the s300i that much as the robot pretty much picks up everything in my pool at the 2.5 hour regular setting.

 

[wmmallette]

I gotcha. Thanks for the input. It helps for sure. I have been weighing these two or possibly the aqubot T4RC. I know that an iphone app seems great, but I dont know how useful that would be in reality. what drew me to bothe the aquabot and the M500 is the remote control that would probably be more responsive than bluetooth control.

 

[Chrissykr]

I use the app features all the time. The remote to drive the robot not so much. I usually will run my robot then go back a second time with a feature on the app. I use the ultra clean a lot and sometimes I have it just run over the floor one last time. Yesterday I ran a second round with the waterline feature. I just am picky and feel like since I have dragged Daisy out I might as well put her to work.

 

[Geebot]

I gotcha. Thanks for the input. It helps for sure. I have been weighing these two or possibly the aqubot T4RC. I know that an iphone app seems great, but I dont know how useful that would be in reality. what drew me to bothe the aquabot and the M500 is the remote control that would probably be more responsive than bluetooth control.

If you're buying a robot based on being able to control it manually then you're missing the point. You want it because it will simplify your life. Put a little faith in what it can do. Mine cleans about 99% effectively. Once in a while (maybe 1 out of 8 cleanings) it will miss a spot, in which case I add a cycle. I've used the remote exactly once and it seemed a little pointless. I bought the thing to work on its own and if the worst case scenario is running an extra cycle (or partial cycle) every now and then, so be it. I have other stuff to do.

 

[Road scholar]

I have the Active 30i which is the same as the S300i (different distributors have same units with mods to color and model number). Great product. Lightweight, top load basket with fine and coarse layers for leaf vs small stuff. Comes with caddy and remote. The two top end ones can be controlled by smartphone app. I've never had a bot before so I can't compare to the M series but it does the job. Simple, easy to use. All features work right out of the box, even the tech ones. I wish I had bought one years ago but the improvements and ease of use with the A30i/S300i are new and done well. No buyers remorse what so ever.

 

[trmiv]

Where is a good place to get the S300? I called a local place for the S200 and they wanted $1000 which seems really high to me for that model. Can't find anywhere else to look.

 

[wmmallette]

Agree that $1000 is too high for th e 200. I read that most people have to go through brick and mortar businesses, but there are a few retailers that may agree to ship. However, not many.

 

[Road scholar]

Trmiv, yes they sell the S300i/A30i through the brick and mortar stores but some will ship. I'd suggest using the Maytronics website and search dealers within 100 miles or so from your house. Call them and see what their selling price is. Some of these pool stores are willing to sell discounted if price is important vs closest store in case of repairs. Personally, I went for the best deal. I found a pool store in Jersey and he sold me an A30i at a very reasonable price. He was going to ship to me but I had to move a boat up that way so I picked it up. You're in NC, if you can't find something close to you call Atlas pools in Atlanta and ask for Brian. No warranty issues buying from a brick and mortar store, shipping is relatively cheap.

 

[trmiv]

Yea found another place further away, but still only 45 min drive that has the S300 for $944, or the S200 for $828. The 300 they carry in store, but the 200 they'd have to order. Much better than the first place. I know the S300 comes with the caddy and has bluetooth. I'd like the caddy, but I really don't care about the bluetooth part. Still trying to decide.

 

[Killer95Stang]

Did you look into the Doheny Discovery "Powered by Dolphin"? Supposedly it is the same model as the S 200 They currently have it on sale for $650.00 shipped and it carries the same 2 year warranty, and is serviced by Maytronics. I'm right on the fence about pulling the trigger on one.

 

[trmiv]

Did you look into the Doheny Discovery "Powered by Dolphin"? Supposedly it is the same model as the S 200 They currently have it on sale for $650.00 shipped and it carries the same 2 year warranty, and is serviced by Maytronics. I'm right on the fence about pulling the trigger on one.

Yea. I actually posted another thread about that one a few days ago. I called Maytronics today about it again and they said it's almost exactly like the S200, but there are few customizations like the way the casing is laid out. I confirmed with them that the warranty goes through Maytronics and you'd call them for any issues. Going to go ahead and order one.

 

[Killer95Stang]

Yea. I actually posted another thread about that one a few days ago. I called Maytronics today about it again and they said it's almost exactly like the S200, but there are few customizations like the way the casing is laid out. I confirmed with them that the warranty goes through Maytronics and you'd call them for any issues. Going to go ahead and order one.

Sounds good... My wife asked me today what I wanted for fathers day... and I said "a robot for the pool"... she looked at me funny, but knew I was serious, because every day around 2 pm our Roomba starts roaming around the living room. I might just pull the trigger on that Doheny model later today.