Hi I'm in Canada but live near the border so I can purchase a robot in the US and import into Canada if the pricing/selection is better. At my pool store, they only carry the Dolphin Encore $799 Can (which is perhaps too small for my 76000L kidney shaped pool that has a deep end ~9 ft deep; maybe 30-35 ft long) and the Dolphin Premium (1399 Can). I'm looking online at the Dolphin S200 and Dolphin Active, not sure about US pricing but the features seem similar to the Premium. I'm looking for a cost-effective way to easily and reliably clean my pool. I don't want to leave it in the pool when it's not cleaning, I don't need a caddy, and I don't need app/bluetooth stuff as I'll be putting it in to clean and then taking it out to store in my shed when it's done.
please help select most cost-effective dolphin robot Encore, S200, Active, Premium?
- Thread starter candent99
- Start date
I’ve got the doheny discovery which I think is a rebranded s200 for a 24k gallon pool and have been happy with it. I don’t have/need apps or Bluetooth either. Drop it in and a few hours later it’s pretty clean
- Jan 4, 2016
- 5,291
- Pool Size
- 44000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
Sorry, I'm little help on this, but there's a fairly active thread. It's very long but you could just read the last dozen pages and then post the same question there and I bet you get great responses.
www.troublefreepool.com
Welcome to TFP! Good to have you here
Doheny's Discovery, S200, Active20, Triton owners club
Pretty excited, I just ordered my first robotic pool cleaner. I chose the Doheny Discovery, which appears to be the same model as the Maytronics Dolphin S 200 / Active 20 models. As of today, the Doheny's Discovery was on sale for $649.00 with free shipping and no tax, which helped smooth over...
www.troublefreepool.com
Welcome to TFP! Good to have you here
Dolphin seems to make a ton of models but I think a lot of them are basically the same machine with a slightly different plastic housing. There seem to be four ‘trim’ levels for most model types. The top trims you’re paying for Bluetooth and apps which you may not use.
- May 3, 2014
- 58,767
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
For the basic Dolphin call Marina Pool Spa in Denver, Co. Order the S200 or Active20. They take phone orders only. Have it shipped to your mail drop and go pick it up.
Ask for the combo filter. It is a no charge upgrade.
Ask for the combo filter. It is a no charge upgrade.
I am waiting for Marina to call me back (has been a week but I understand that is normal for them) to get a recommendation for the most appropriate Dolphin robot for my IG kidney shaped vinyl-liner pool (19x33 ft 9 ft deep end). I currently only have a manual cleaner and am considering a robot or automatic. I have no gas heater and solar Enersol system. The bottom drain was closed off a few years ago when we had a new liner installed so I'm worried about a cleaner getting stuck on it and wondering if that affects the job an automatic can do. Being in Canada, my local store only sells the Dolphin Encore ($799), T45 ($1329), and Premium ($1399). Although I can purchase from Marina and import a Dolphin, I don't want to have the same issue it seems recently happening with Marina/Dolphin units where they stop working and need to be sent back/warrantied/serviced. That will make me crazy. Can anyone chime in with a recommendation for a cheaper automatic cleaner (if it will work given my setup) and the best choice of these 3 Dolphin for my pool? I'm thinking the Encore (which looks similar to the Echo or Solo) will get hung up on that deep-end drain...but is it worth almost double to get the Premium? Would there be a more cost-effective automatic cleaner that will still work ok? Our season is pretty short and these things seem to die fairly quickly. I am not interested in anything fancy or a caddy. We have to take the cleaner in and out and store it in a shed regardless of what we purchase
The Encore appears to be comparable to the S20, it says it cleans floors and walls, so for a basic unit it's probably ok.
Not sure how you reach the conclusion that "these things seem to die fairly quickly," my previous Dolphin is over 15 years old and still works.
The caddy is not essential but is useful for cord management, keeping the control unit elevated and at a useful height and for storing the robot without flattening the rollers. If you put it in a shed make sure to store it on its side.
When I am reading the most recent posts in the large 85 page thread and even other posts on cleaners, there seems to be a fair amount that are under warranty or even new and showing signs of failure. That is a red flag to me regarding longevity. Hopefully it’s a simply a bad batch. But I find many things today aren’t made to last much beyond a warranty and/or when they fail, the cost to repair is prohibitive and it makes more sense to buy another one. So do I spend double to get the Premium? Or consider an automatic?