I want to buy a Dolphin Robotic cleaner but confused.

[Pbatton]

Okay everyone recommends the Dolphin robotic cleaners. We are in Winter Haven, Florida. We went to look at these today and could not find a single Dolphin in any pool stores in our area. Here is what we are looking for. We just spent 40k having our pool and patio remodeled and we want to keep it clean and stain-free. We have a stonescapes mini finish, a 14X30 rectangular sports pool. We have had several pools through the years and have taken care of them ourselves but now we are in our 70’s and we would like a pool cleaner that cleans the walls and waterline well so we don’t have to work so hard! Our drain sticks up a bit and we need a cleaner that doesn’t get stuck on it, as well as one that does the walls and waterline tile very well and is reliable. Our pool is caged so we don’t get many leaves but we do get lots of very tiny bugs and sand (Florida) so we need a micro-fine filter type that is easy to clean out. I have no idea which Dolphins are newer or older models? Online I was looking at the M600, the Explorer 70 and the Active 60, but maybe we are missing some? We will need one that has a caddy or will need to buy that separately. I called Maytronics and they told me the M600 is only sold in stores, not online, but I cannot find it in stores? Does anyone have any good recommendations for us?

 

[Jimrahbe]

P,

Maytronics makes bunch of different Dolphin robots that are almost identical expect for the color and name. The problem is coming up with a good cross reference.

They all have a base model that is just the basic cleaner and then (like buying a car) you can get additional options for more money. In almost all cases, the robot does not clean any better with all the bells and whistles, it just costs more.

Normally this would be a no-brainer... I'd tell you to call Margaret at Marina Pool and Spa and she could ship you a robot the next day. But lately, the robot supply has been severely impacted by the global logistics issue.

I have three Dolphin S200 Robots. This is the base model with no bells or whistles that I do not need or want. They work great. This is what they look like..

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=2ff3f79324d152fdb59c045ad75c655376a7e617b9b8e8933335f6ee83563f73JmltdHM9MTY1MzYwNzQwOSZpZ3VpZD01OTA0ZTc2My1hMTgxLTQyMjktYTY1OS1hNzYxMTI4ZWRjYTMmaW5zaWQ9NTE3Ng&ptn=3&fclid=d9a3e3d1-dd4a-11ec-84c3-0e6693f199f8&u=a1L3ZpZGVvcy9zZWFyY2g_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&ntb=1

Margaret Mills
Marina Pool, Spa & Patio
7777 West Jewell Avenue
Lakewood, Colorado 80232
303-985-0077
[email protected]
They do not open until 10 am Colorado time

I still think you should contact Margaret, tell her what you want the robot to do, and see what they have in stock.

If you run your selection by us first, we can double check that it is the right fit for you.

Also keep in mind that for all practical purposes, robots are consumables. They last about 5 years or so before they fail. You can get them fixed, but the repair cost is often about 3/4 of the price for a new one.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Katodude]

+1 on calling Marina. It might take a while but it is worth it.

So just two points to consider.

The M600 has more active brushes and certainly more bells and whistles. In theory it might do a better job scrubbing. However, it is about 26lbs. You mentioned that you were in your 70’s so that might be a little hard to pull out of the pool.

The S series, you will want the S300 or 40 model or equivalent. That weighs only 16ppm so will be a little easier to pull out of the pool. Less active brushes, but I have never heard anyone complain about its cleaning or brushing.

 

[.ben]

I can confirm that the M600 is amazing at cleaning but is a bit heavy when water logged. Not a problem for most middle aged people, but it may be a struggle for older people.

 

[Pbatton]

I can confirm that the M600 is amazing at cleaning but is a bit heavy when water logged. Not a problem for most middle aged people, but it may be a struggle for older people.

I guess I still don’t think of us as elderly…lol….but definitely getting there quickly now. I think my issue is that all the people that speak of their’s getting stuck on the drain seem to have the one with the one big roller brush, so was looking for one with the split brush as we do have a drain cover that sticks up. Also definitely want the ones that easily climb and do the best job on the walls and waterline. That and easy to clean top loading filters. Those are really my big requirements if we are going to spend the big bucks for a Dolphin. If it doesn’t do those things, I might as well keep my Mr. Pool which does a great job on the floor of the pool.

 

[kimkats]

This is a bit pricy but solves the problem of stuck cleaners:
https://intheswim.com/p/5820-unicov...utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_content={16591018468}_{}_{}&utm_term={32060}&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIs6LBxfn_9wIVBMmUCR1ILw90EAQYAyABEgLeFPD_BwE

 

[Jimrahbe]

P,

The idea that all robots get stuck on the main drains is just not true. It is more a function of how the drain is installed than the robot itself. My guess is that 90% of robot owners do not have that problem.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Pbatton]

I spoke with Margaret at Marina Pools and Spa and just purchased the Dolphin Explorer E70. She assured me that it was basically the same as the M600 that I had been searching for but the E70 was available, where the M600 is not. I am anxious to get it! It comes with a caddy and has many nice features! Thank you everyone!

 

[kimkats]

Make sure to come back with a review!

 

[Pbatton]

So far so good. It seems to do a good job but we can’t get it to do the “pick me up” thing where it climbs the wall to the surface and stays for 3 minutes for you to pick it up. We did want that feature and cannot get it to work. It responds to WiFi if we manually move it so not sure what the problem is. Everything else works fine. We cleaned the pool then took it out. I will post if we get the “pick me up”mode to work.

 

[Aroul]

Another strong recommendation for Margaret at Marina Pools and Spa. She was very informed and very helpful. She said that M600, Active 60 and E70 were very similar except for few bells and whistles. The 370 does have a sensor for water temperature and another sensor to let you know if the robot gets out of water. Her price was $400 cheaper than Amazon plus she said there is no sales tax since I am in Arizona...where they don't have a store presence.

Margaret for as 300% more informed and helpful than Maytag's customer service.

 

[Newdude]

She talked me out of the expensive model. (Err. Emailed me out if it ?). Seriously who does that ?