Seeking a recommendation on a list of pool cleaners

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q8670

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May 23, 2022
3
canada
Hi All,
Really appreciate this forum and any help I can get.
I can get these, prices in Canadian.
I have a cement bottom pool, 40 feet by 20 feet.
I really just want something that is reliable, does the job, and lasts! I don't need all the bells and whistles, etc. But willing to spend $ on quality.
I have a lot of trees and lots of large debris gets in my pool.

All prices in Canadian dollars.
1 Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Robotic Pool Cleaner with Wifi - 99996406-PCI (12001703) - $1,200
1 Hayward AquaVac QC Robotic Pool Cleaner - RC9730CTB (10004595) - $1,180
1 Hayward AquaVac 600 Robotic Pool Cleaner - RCH601CUY (12000600) - $1,500
1 Hayward AquaVac 650 w/ Remote Control Robotic Pool Cleaner - RCH651CUY (12000601) - $1,600
1 Polaris P825 Robotic Track Cleaner - WR000044 (12000557) - $950
1 Polaris P945 4WD Robotic Pool Cleaner - F945 (12000554) - $1,250
1 Polaris P955 4WD Robotic Pool Cleaner with Remote - F9550 (12000555) - $1,450
1 Polaris P965iQ 4WD Robotic Cleaner with iAquaLink Control - F965IQ (12000556) - $1,530
1 Pentair Prowler Inground Pool Cleaner - 360520 (12001396) - $900
 
q8670 said:
Hi All,
Really appreciate this forum and any help I can get.
I can get these, prices in Canadian.
I have a cement bottom pool, 40 feet by 20 feet.
I really just want something that is reliable, does the job, and lasts! I don't need all the bells and whistles, etc. But willing to spend $ on quality.
I have a lot of trees and lots of large debris gets in my pool.

All prices in Canadian dollars.
1 Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Robotic Pool Cleaner with Wifi - 99996406-PCI (12001703) - $1,200
1 Hayward AquaVac QC Robotic Pool Cleaner - RC9730CTB (10004595) - $1,180
1 Hayward AquaVac 600 Robotic Pool Cleaner - RCH601CUY (12000600) - $1,500
1 Hayward AquaVac 650 w/ Remote Control Robotic Pool Cleaner - RCH651CUY (12000601) - $1,600
1 Polaris P825 Robotic Track Cleaner - WR000044 (12000557) - $950
1 Polaris P945 4WD Robotic Pool Cleaner - F945 (12000554) - $1,250
1 Polaris P955 4WD Robotic Pool Cleaner with Remote - F9550 (12000555) - $1,450
1 Polaris P965iQ 4WD Robotic Cleaner with iAquaLink Control - F965IQ (12000556) - $1,530
1 Pentair Prowler Inground Pool Cleaner - 360520 (12001396) - $900
Click to expand...
In this forum, you will find mostly Dolphin users. So I doubt if you'll get much feedback ont he Hayward and Polaris models.

The Pentair Prowler is a Dolphin robot. The Nautilus CC Plus does not have a basket type of filter. So that might not be the best for your situation. I think the Prowler does, but you have to go up to the 930W to get the wifi bells and whistles. That Prowler model is the 917. That's only listed for a 33ft pool. You might look at the Prowler 920. You may also look at the Triton PS Plus (with Wifi) or the Proteus DX5i (DX4 if you don't want wifi/app.)

I also found this link helpful to see the various brands and models made by Dolphin.

sunplay.com

The Truth About Pool Cleaners: What Your Pool Store Isn’t Telling You

Fifteen years into the 2000s, the landscape has changed in the world of retail. Where we used to have to go to visit a specialty store to purchase any given item, the presence of the internet makes essentially any searchable product a click away. Traditional brick and mortar stores are becoming...
sunplay.com sunplay.com

Also, from what I read here, you should probably expect to service some moving parts every year to keep it running properly. And it seems like the general consensus is that the robot will probably require replacement sooner than most of us would like. I would say 5-7 seasons is what I'm seeing on threads here. So your last comment about "... and lasts..." is all about your own realistic expectations. I got 8 seasons out of my pressure side cleaner. But I changed every moving part on that unit, and some non-moving parts at least 3 times in that period. Currently waiting on delivery of a Proteus DX5i.
 
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Be a little careful about that list. I have no doubt it was correct when it was created, and it's very useful to help navigate the Maytronics pool cleaner models, but there's been some slight changes in some of the models that might make a difference. For example, the Dolphin Proteus DX3 is no longer the equivalent of the S200 as it only has a single brush whereas the S200 (and its siblings) has 2. There are probably a few others, but this is the one that I found. At first, I thought I had found a deal on a DX3 since it was a couple 100 less than other S200 equivalents. Took a closer look, and it looks like the DX3 has gone down market.

From my recent research, the site consensus seems to be that the s200 equivalents hit the sweet spot for cleaning without the electronic gizmos. I just bought one (a Pentair Prowler 920), and it works as advertised. Longevity is anyone's guess. As said above, the site consensus seems to be that they never last as long as they should.

I do believe there is a bit of "groupthink" on this site with regard to Maytronics pool cleaners (and Hayward Pentair pumps), but Maytronics also seem to be the only manufacturer that makes a decent cleaner without the fancy wifi/bluetooth extras for less than $1000 USD.
 
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We have had our pool and Dolphin robot cleaner for a couple of months now. I was going to buy the robot online until I saw a few reviews on Amazon complaining about how the local pool store will NOT do warranty maintenance on their robot. I checked with my local pool stores and they confirmed they will not perform maintenance on robots that were not purchased from them. They informed me I would have to ship the robot for warranty work. These machines are large and heavy. The reviews complaining about the shipping said they paid $60 plus just for the shipping to get warranty work done. Check with your local stores and ask them about warranty work. For example, the local Leslies stores only do maintenance on Polaris. BUT they sell Dolphin and other brands. The store said they have to ship the other brands to get warranty work performed. If getting local warranty work is a priority to you, then check the local stores and ask them what brands they actually do warranty work.

I wanted a Dolphin and went with a store called PoolWerx because the local store had staff trained in Dolphin Repair work.
 
I have the Polaris 9550 Sport Robotic Pool Cleaner in your list.

Pros
-The basket is WAY easier to remove/clean/replace than my old Dolphin was.
-The "lift" feature is nice. When you are ready to take it out, it climbs to the wall it is pointing to, rises to the top and waits on you to pull it out. As you pull it out it empties the water inside back into the pool and is very easy to pull out.
-The caddy/storage thing is nice. Better than the Rubbermaid container I used to cram everything in. Now the Rubbermaid container is the "cover" to the whole thing
-The remote is kind of nice, you can steer it to a wall before you "lift". It's kind of hard to use though.
-The cord is super long. There are probably no residential pools so big it won't reach all the corners.

Cons
-Even on the longest run time it misses a spot or two.
-It is expensive.
-You have to set the time every time. Not a big deal, but I wish it would just stay on 3 hours.
 
q8670 said:
Hi All,
Really appreciate this forum and any help I can get.
I can get these, prices in Canadian.
I have a cement bottom pool, 40 feet by 20 feet.
I really just want something that is reliable, does the job, and lasts! I don't need all the bells and whistles, etc. But willing to spend $ on quality.
I have a lot of trees and lots of large debris gets in my pool.

All prices in Canadian dollars.
1 Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Robotic Pool Cleaner with Wifi - 99996406-PCI (12001703) - $1,200
1 Hayward AquaVac QC Robotic Pool Cleaner - RC9730CTB (10004595) - $1,180
1 Hayward AquaVac 600 Robotic Pool Cleaner - RCH601CUY (12000600) - $1,500
1 Hayward AquaVac 650 w/ Remote Control Robotic Pool Cleaner - RCH651CUY (12000601) - $1,600
1 Polaris P825 Robotic Track Cleaner - WR000044 (12000557) - $950
1 Polaris P945 4WD Robotic Pool Cleaner - F945 (12000554) - $1,250
1 Polaris P955 4WD Robotic Pool Cleaner with Remote - F9550 (12000555) - $1,450
1 Polaris P965iQ 4WD Robotic Cleaner with iAquaLink Control - F965IQ (12000556) - $1,530
1 Pentair Prowler Inground Pool Cleaner - 360520 (12001396) - $900
Click to expand...
Where are you getting the quote of $1200 for the dolphin nautilus? I'm also in Canada and in the same position as you, so I'm interested in the replies.
 
Hi, I've had the Pentair Warrior SE (now called the 920) for 2 years and it does the trick for my in ground. It's one of the lower-priced models that has all the basic bells and whistles you need: climbs and scrubs walls, swivel cable (not as anti tangle as it advertises, but never a big problem), removable filter basket with fine debris filter. No app or manual control though, but that typically adds several extra hundred $s to the price and is just another thing that can break.

Re: Longevity - In another thread someone mentioned having an Aquabot for 8 years before it started acting funny, which to me is a pretty good lifespan for electronics that work underwater. I'm hoping to squeeze at least 5 seasons out of mine with proper care.
 
SDor and JaySee, are you still happy with your Prowler 920's? I just ordered one with the caddy after agonizing for too long. I became tired of throwing parts my old Polaris 280 and the pump finally died. Other than my ancient Hayward sand filter leaking this season, everything is great.
 

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