Looking to make first ever purchase of robotic cleaner

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mhosborn said:
One downside of those new "s" models is their lack of power cord swivel. With my DX4 having a tendency to spin around on the main drains, no swivel could be a huge problem.
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Lack of a cord swivel is definitely not an issue. Whatever they have done with the s300's brain it really does know not to tangle the cord. I was watching it do it's thing this weekend and it would occasionally make a 90degree or 180degree turn to avoid tangling.
 
dclynds said:
Do you just spray the Dolphin filter cartridges out with a garden hose after each use? How long do these cartridges last before needing to be replaced?
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This is a helpful video. Filter cleaning starts at the 1:35 mark:

Dolphin S-series - quick user guide - YouTube

The backflow filter is very sophisticated (insert eye roll here). It's pretty much a fabric sock that covers the intake opening for the vacuum from the inside and it has a flap that acts like a heart valve. With suction applied the stuff you vacuum up gets through. Once the power is off it slams shut so no gunk comes back into the pool.
 
Geebot said:
This is a helpful video. Filter cleaning starts at the 1:35 mark:

Dolphin S-series - quick user guide - YouTube

The backflow filter is very sophisticated (insert eye roll here). It's pretty much a fabric sock that covers the intake opening for the vacuum from the inside and it has a flap that acts like a heart valve. With suction applied the stuff you vacuum up gets through. Once the power is off it slams shut so no gunk comes back into the pool.
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Thanks Geebot. I'm doing research on the Maytronic website and cannot find mention of the backflow filter in the comparison table. How can I know if the models I'm looking at has that feature?
 
Good article. Commented in another thread on this, but it was hilarious to me that after reading the article, I then shopped on the sunplay website and they had some drastically different prices for the models they just finished telling us were identical :)
 
What is the situation on warranties if bought online? Do any / all the pool cleaners offer or void warranty for online purchases? Anyone know?
 
I have owned two robots. I currently have an Z5 and I love it, the top loading filter cartridges are a huge improvement over the bag my last Dolphin had. I paid $1024 to my door from Epic Pool Supply. Before I purchased it, I contacted Maytronics and they said they will fully warranty the Z5 no matter where I purchased it. IIRC, the M5 is a different story.
 

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M5 totally is. You cant even buy it online. I got mine from PoolSupplyWorld (my fav website) using Paypal Credit and paid it off in installments. Cant beat that!

If you go to the Dolphin website, it would mention if the model is backed up by warranty if bought online. You just have to find your model.B

But you know how warranties are! If its a 3 year warranty, it would fail on 3 years and 5 days. :)
 
hellstorm2004 said:
M5 totally is. You cant even buy it online. I got mine from PoolSupplyWorld (my fav website) using Paypal Credit and paid it off in installments. Cant beat that!

If you go to the Dolphin website, it would mention if the model is backed up by warranty if bought online. You just have to find your model.B

But you know how warranties are! If its a 3 year warranty, it would fail on 3 years and 5 days. :)
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If you have a credit card that provides warranty extension you can get another year added.
 
Geebot said:
As an FYI, the s300 and s300i are essentially the same machine but the s300i adds delayed start and a 3rd option of a 2.5hr clean cycle (in addition to the 1 and 2hr cycles). So if you can get a better deal on the s300 than the s300i, you lose next to no functionality.

Comparison
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Thanks for the Comparison link!!! That really helps out a lot. A few follow-up questions for anyone that may know:

I was wondering the big difference between the "2 Level Filter Basket" (equipped on S200 and s300) vs the "Multi-Layer Filter Basket" (equipped on s300i). Is it just the extra fine mesh filter that slips into the basket? Couldn't you presumably buy that additional filter for the S300 if you later decided you wanted the additional filtering (and does it make that big of a difference?)?

Is the additional 2.5 hour cycle that beneficial? Does it just slow the unit down and/or create more suction and thus a better cleaning?

At the local pool store yesterday, they had the S300i for $1250 and the S200 for $874.00. I am now considering asking them to order the S300 for me, but I was not sure how much the price different between the s300 and the s300i would be.

I think the included caddy and the Bluetooth have me leaning toward the 300 or the 300i. I am just trying to determine which one is worth the extra $$.

Also, this will be my first automatic cleaner.

Thanks!
 
lsuxtremist said:
Geebot - the 300 shows it is also Bluetooth capable. It can connect to your smartphone via the mydolphin app just like the 300i? Any thoughts regarding the functionality of the Bluetooth capability etc?

Thanks.
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As already mentioned in this thread the two models are essentially identical with only minor differences. The Bluetooth gives you the same control capabilities as the power supply (on/off, short/long cycle) as well as a virtual joystick for manual override. Used the manual mode exactly once so far. And on one occasion I could not get the Bluetooth to connect at all although it worked fine the other times I tried to connect.
 
Ordered the Polaris P9550 the other day from Amazon. Got it today and dropped it in my pool that had not been vacuumed since Sunday. The rain and my live oak have provided abundantly the past couple days plenty of nature junk for the robot to clean up. It did it like a champ. When I pulled the thing out after a 1:45 hr:mn cycle, it was full of fine white sand, sticks, leaves, and other junk. I also used the remote to move the little guy around to grab a couple pieces of loose debris and was completely satisfied with the responsiveness of the remote. It would not run along the bench under the waterfall or along the patio, but by manually setting it at one end of the benches and using the remote, I was able to successfully clean them. There was nothing it passed over that it did not pick up, including about a 5" twig with a bunch of leaves on it. It's a good unit and will save me lots of time in the future.
 
Looking forward to hearing how you like it after a few more cleanings. Does it have a large debris bag? Does the cord have a swivel? Just curious.


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