Is there a big difference between the various Pool Blaster Max models?

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Vital Signs

Well-known member
Jul 27, 2020
49
Portland OR
I've got an attached spa in the corner of my pool and am getting some annoying sand/silt buildup in the spa at the base of the bench as well as at the entry stairs of the pool. I've got a Pentair Warrior robot that works great for everywhere in the pool except around the entry stairs (when I try and brush the stairs the stuff always just settles back in the edges eventually) and when I've tried putting the robot in the spa it doesn't really do much since there's not much room for it to maneuver with so many 90 vertical edges with the bench that goes around the perimeter (and the dirt builds up in these corners).

Am wanting to find something to clean this stuff up that keeps it out of my pools filter and that I can also ideally use without getting in the water. At first I thought one of those tube squirt gun looking cleaners (like the Zodiac pool wand) would work good since it's just sediment type debris I'm worried about.....anything larger in the spa and I can just get it with my skimmer net. But some of the reviews on quality or effectiveness didn't look too good on those so then I thought maybe I should look at the battery powered types and the Pool Blaster ones seemed to be the main brand to go with. There's various versions though so I was just wondering if there's that big a difference between the Pool Blaster Max Li, the Pool Blaster Max Li HD, and the Pool Blaster Max Li CG (commercial grade). These things are a little more than I wanted to spend (initially wanted something sub $100) but if it's gonna work well for what I want it to then I'll shell out the cash. There's about an $80 difference between the standard Max version and the CG one (with the HD about halfway in-between). Just wondering if anyone has any experience with these two higher level ones and if they're worth the extra $ over the standard Max Li.

Or am I over thinking and there's a different cheap non electrical powered item out there that'd work for what I need it to do? I thought of actually just getting a tube type squirt gun but I don't think they make one long enough for me to reach (would need like a 3' barrel) where I need to without getting in the water.
 
I think the difference between Pool Blaster Maxes can be easily googled. For a spa, the regular Max should be sufficient. It certainly is in mine. No need for the greater capacity of the other models.
 
Or get a Pool Blaster Catfish. Much cheaper and for a spa, would be fine. Of course, I’m assuming they still sell them, mine is a few years old now. I have had the PB Max (2 of them) in past years and they only lasted about 2 years, so very expensive. The Catfish seems to work fine for my spa and small pool touch ups and much cheaper.
 
jorivesud said:
Does it still work fine? I've read many stating it dies after 1-2 years.
Asking since I'm considering getting ones, but would like to see it last more than 1-2 years.
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My pool is still frozen so I haven't used it yet this year, but I just turned it on in the basement and it's still running fine. [I'm impressed the battery wasn't dead either, it hasn't been plugged in since September].

This will be my 3rd Summer with it.
 
Are these Pool Blasters good enough to replace a robot vacuum? I realize they're harder to use since they are manual vs automatic, but there's a huge price difference so I'm considering getting one of these Pool Blasters instead of a robot cleaner. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

My in-ground pool is small (less than 30 feet across, kidney shaped).
 
soundslike said:
Are these Pool Blasters good enough to replace a robot vacuum?
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No. They are for smaller pools that wouldn't need the traditional pump run vacuum or robot. But, if your pool was a similar size, It would work great for the same reason. My 20X40 was worth the 5 mins it took to set up the pole/hose vac because the little one would have taken many times longer to vac the pool with a much weaker tool. For a smaller pool that only took 15 mins to vac, then it would be silly to spend 10 mins on the rig alone.

If you already have a pool blaster then it is priceless for the hot tub with no such vac options.

Robots do a 1 hour manual vac job in 2 hours, but all you have to do is toss it in the pool. That convenience is costly.

Please take a min and Fill out your signature so we dont have to ask questions about your questions. :)
 
soundslike said:
My in-ground pool is small (less than 30 feet across, kidney shaped). Does that help?
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Yes. It's a bit big for the small but oh so convenient pool blaster. Think of it like comparing a dustbuster to an upright vac. They each serve a great purpose. But it would take forever to dustbust your whole house. The dustbuster price sure is tempting tho. :)
 

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Newdude said:
Yes. It's a bit big for the small but oh so convenient pool blaster. Think of it like comparing a dustbuster to an upright vac. They each serve a great purpose. But it would take forever to dustbust your whole house. The dustbuster price sure is tempting tho. :)
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I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. What does "It's a bit big for the small but oh so convenient pool blaster" mean? Thanks!
 
The pool blaster is a great tool for a smaller pool. You need a bigger tool for a bigger job. It's tricky here as we have some folks with 7000 gallon in ground pools that would be great for the pool blaster, and 30k above ground pools that wouldn't. So it's rarely a one size fits all (above grounds/in grounds). You have a larger pool so it would be like buying a dustbuster to use as a full vacuum for your whole house.
 
Newdude said:
Yes. It's a bit big for the small but oh so convenient pool blaster. Think of it like comparing a dustbuster to an upright vac. They each serve a great purpose. But it would take forever to dustbust your whole house. The dustbuster price sure is tempting tho. :)
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soundslike said:
I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. What does "It's a bit big for the small but oh so convenient pool blaster" mean? Thanks!
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My pool is a 24' round, which is ~ 452 square feet. If yours is 29 x 15, that's ~ 435 square feet, so similar in size.

With my Pool Blaster Max LI it takes probably 45-60 minutes to vacuum my pool. It's worth it to me to not have to lug out and mess with the big hose.

A robot wouldn't require me to spend that 45 minutes. A robot would also cost me $800, which is an expense I'm not willing to take on to prevent me from vacuuming 12 times over the course of a season. If I had a longer season I might feel differently.

The moral of the story is that it works well, but it's not a robot. It still requires human work, the amount of which is dependent on the surface area of your pool.
 
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magiteck said:
My pool is a 24' round, which is ~ 452 square feet. If yours is 29 x 15, that's ~ 435 square feet, so similar in size.

With my Pool Blaster Max LI it takes probably 45-60 minutes to vacuum my pool.
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It would take half that with the extra suction of the traditional manual vac. It would capture more debris/dust through the filter or send it to waste instead.
magiteck said:
It's worth it to me to not have to lug out and mess with the big hose.
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This right here !!!! It's the solar cover debate but for vacuums. Everyone agrees they work. Whether or not the PITA of the hoses/solar cover is worth it is split down the middle. Nobody is wrong :ROFLMAO:
 
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