New EVO 614i Robot Pool Cleaner Review

Louis,

Try this...


Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Hi all, I bought the Evo614iQ back in Nov 2023 from Marina after my Dolphin M600 gave out. So far been pretty happy with it. It cleans well with the standard filter, although I’m curious if the fine filter might catch stuff I can’t see. However, my main concern with it now is that the unit simply spins around in a tiny area. I have the unit set on a 7 day wall/floor clean schedule to clean every morning. I’ve never really watched it because it’s kept my pool clean until recently. What I see is the unit operates in a 3-4 foot square only. I watched it do this multiple times. This last time I watched it for 15min and it literally spun in a complete circle many times went a few feet, spun another way, then back the first way, goes a few and so on. I snapped a vid of it to better describe it( will see if I can figure out how to upload here). Curious if anyone else has this issue and what they did to resolve. And for what it’s worth, I ran a manual clean and it does the same tiny pattern. I used the manual controls via the app and the robot responds fine to the forward/reverse and turns commands. It’s just when I run a clean cycle it goes into tiny square mode; regardless if I start the clean via schedule, from manual, or from the controller box. Thanks!
 
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Mine started doing that recently when the cord became tangled. I took it out of the pool, unplugged the cable from the controller, straightened it and let it sit stretched out in the sun for a while. It has been operating normally the last couple of times.
 
Does anyone have this with a 6" depth sun shelf? This was suggested to me from Marina, but the one review on Amazon says they had an issue with their sun shelf. Ours is 18x7
 
Mine started doing that recently when the cord became tangled. I took it out of the pool, unplugged the cable from the controller, straightened it and let it sit stretched out in the sun for a while. It has been operating normally the last couple of times.

Thanks for the detail. I’ve ensured the cord isn’t tangled/twisted but hadn’t tried the ‘dry out’. Tried it yesterday and ran the robot afterwards. It did a couple of long passes in the pool but soon found its way back to going in a spinning circles.

Guess I’m going to have to go the warranty route. From earlier posts, it doesn’t sound like people have had success with Fluidra or Leslie’s. The closest authorized company per the Fluidra site is 2.5hrs away, which is crazy. Can anyone share any advice here on best warranty support?
 
Getting ready for its maiden voyage, will report back in 2.5 hours.

While watching it for a few minutes, I thought it was pretty aggressive on the walls/tile. Thought it was gonna try to jump out of the pool!
 

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Early returns are pretty good.

I have not vacuumed my pool since July 4th- I wouldn't say the bottom was a mess but it had an average amount of small debris and few leaves from recent storms.

On Floor+Walls mode, I'd say the robot picked up about 85-90% of the debris and the basket filter captured a good bit of silty/dirt. I may run it again this weekend on just "Floor" mode to see if it does a little bit better.

Re: The app- It was more functional than I expected. The connectivity was good, but I'm not sure if it was using wifi or bluetooth..(I thought our pool was out of wifi range) but I was able to use the "Lift" mode to retrieve the cleaner. To be honest, I'm not sure if my phone was connected to the control unit or the actual robot itself. Either way, positive first experience.

One more note, this robot is definitely lighter than my Warrior SI and pulling it out of the water was easier than I expected.
 

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Thanks for the detail. I’ve ensured the cord isn’t tangled/twisted but hadn’t tried the ‘dry out’. Tried it yesterday and ran the robot afterwards. It did a couple of long passes in the pool but soon found its way back to going in a spinning circles.

Guess I’m going to have to go the warranty route. From earlier posts, it doesn’t sound like people have had success with Fluidra or Leslie’s. The closest authorized company per the Fluidra site is 2.5hrs away, which is crazy. Can anyone share any advice here on best warranty support?

Moved my topic here: EVO 614 iq Warranty Work - Spins and Stays in Small Area
 
For those that have bought this - is it worth the US$100 or so to get the 614 vs the 604? Do you find the app useful at all? I assume that the only difference is the app/wifi connectivity.

Looking at an online store here in Canada it looks like the EVO 604 is about CAD$150 less than the Dolphin Premium 20 which seems to be a comparable robot. So it seems like a good deal, assuming that it lasts as long as the Dolphin.
 

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I feel like my 614i might not have normal suction. How much suction should the 614i have compared to a suction side cleaner? I can barely feel anything when I put my hand on the port underneath.
I have never put my hand underneath to feel, however, it climbs the wall well and adheres well, better than my Active 30i. Be sure the filter basket is clean as that could reduce suction.

For those that have bought this - is it worth the US$100 or so to get the 614 vs the 604? Do you find the app useful at all? I assume that the only difference is the app/wifi connectivity.

Looking at an online store here in Canada it looks like the EVO 604 is about CAD$150 less than the Dolphin Premium 20 which seems to be a comparable robot. So it seems like a good deal, assuming that it lasts as long as the Dolphin.
I do not find app very useful at all, however, as I have said several times in previous posts, if they would upgrade so you could program it to run through the night or several times a night it would make it well worth the cost. It takes 2-3 cycles to get all of my pool. Not familiar with Dolphin Premium 20, but if same as Active 20 or S200, you can use "Automation Mode " with a smart outlet and accomplish any schedule you want. If you are asking me to choose between Evo 614 or 604 & Dolphin active 20 (or analogous) as they stand now it is a very tough decision. If they had a scheduler that allowed several times a day, hands down Evo 614, provided they both last as many years. If you are asking me between Evo 604 & 614 as they stand now it would be 604, but as soon as I would buy it, they would upgrade the scheduler software which would make the 614 the winner.
 
Anyone run these cleaners when you have the solar cover on your pool? I used to run my Dolphin cleaner like that and when getting to the waterline it would pop through the cover for a bit.
 
Anyone run these cleaners when you have the solar cover on your pool? I used to run my Dolphin cleaner like that and when getting to the waterline it would pop through the cover for a bit.
You can set the Evo to “floor mode” and it won’t do the walls.

If you see my photo from a few posts back, it gets “aggressive” on the walls near the tile line, which is good, but probably not what you want with a cover on
 
Wayner,

I have the 614, but almost never use the app.. I only have to put it in my pool once or twice a week, so it is easier to just push the start button on the power supply.

The only advantage to the app, in my opinion, is you can schedule it to run each day at the time you want. Something I don't do..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Wayner,

I have the 614, but almost never use the app.. I only have to put it in my pool once or twice a week, so it is easier to just push the start button on the power supply.

The only advantage to the app, in my opinion, is you can schedule it to run each day at the time you want. Something I don't do..

Thanks,

Jim R.
Jim have you tried using the “Lift” feature with the app? I’ve found it works pretty good for that- don’t need to tug the cord to remove it.
 
Jim have you tried using the “Lift” feature with the app? I’ve found it works pretty good for that- don’t need to tug the cord to remove it.
Ray,

I did try it and it does work.....

But... I can pull my robot out of the water, faster than you can get your phone out of your pocket.. :mrgreen:

Just not at all needed..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
For those who have this robot, has anyone else had issues with the power unit getting fried? Bought our unit in March and our second power unit died this past week during a storm. Our prior robot's power unit never had this issue. I have it tied to a surge protector, but likely need a stronger one.
 

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