My 2nd Polaris 280 (in 12 years) needs to be replaced. A friend recommended the Nautilus, but I’m hesitant. I feel 6 years for a cleaner that stays in the pool 24/7 and is on 2 hours a day, the Polaris 280 ( for $579) is a good investment. Although it has it’s problems (getting stuck a lot, needing replacement parts a lot, etc). But I’ve seen good reviews on the Nautilus ($649) too, although I don’t know how long they last, or anything about them for that matter. Any ideas?
New Polaris 280 or Dolphin Nautilus cc robot
- Thread starter Maddie
- Start date
I had a Polaris 380 for the first 14 years of my pool. Then I bought a robot. One of the things I really love about it is that it picks up the fine dirt. With the Polaris, it just goes through the mesh collection bag and back into the pool. That is really important when pollen season starts around here.
jark87
Silver Supporter
- Jun 5, 2011
- 1,180
- Pool Size
- 25500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
Although I can’t say that I’ve noticed the fine dirt in my pool, I’m sure it’s there, as my cleaner is also a Polaris. It’s in its 16th year and seems to be going strong, so I don’t have any desire to replace it. If it ever dies, I’m sure I’ll give the robots a look, but I still don’t know if I can give up the convenience of the pressure side cleaner. Maybe they make them now with a finer debris bag and better suction. I just can’t imagine storing a robot and pulling it out when I want to vacuum. I know that MANY people will say they just leave theirs in the pool, but I’ve reviewed documentation on several, and they all said to remove from pool when not in use. But I don’t have the personal experience that many people on this forum do.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,440
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
For $100 more I would get the Polaris 380. The 380 is more powerful with three venturi jets moving it while the 280 has two venturi jets.
That would be the Polaris Quattro. It picks up finer dirt than any of the 3-wheeled units I had before. Uses a dual filter basket with 2 screens, not a bag. It's harder to clean but does get smaller particles.
I’m impressed that y’all have had your Polaris that long! I thought 6 years was good! I intend to leave any vacuum I buy in the pool, unless we are swimming! Maybe the Polaris is better for that! I’ll check out the 380. Thanks!
It was more accurate to say I used a Polaris 380 for 14 years. I bought the rebuild kit twice over the years and rebuilt it.
i've used my polaris 360 for 16 years with at least 3 rebuilds replacing most of the internal working parts, the blue outer shell has broken several times but superglue keeps it together - i leave mine in the pool all the time, for the last 10 years i've used a ladies stocking instead of a filter sac, held in place with an elastic band and i clip it into the back of the adjustable float to get that arc shape - everything gets collected from the bottom of the pool. my polaris is like an old buddy which has provided years of splendid entertainment - keeping the pool water ph value at 7.4 to 7.6 helps keep all those working parts in good shape
jark87
Silver Supporter
- Jun 5, 2011
- 1,180
- Pool Size
- 25500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
Relax…my old man is a television repair man. He has this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.
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