Robot Vacuum Recommendations

Jump to latest Follow Reply
diesel1218

diesel1218

Well-known member
Dec 21, 2023
156
Sarasota, FL
Pool Size
15000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Hi so I am seeing a lot of conflicting post on here about robots vs suction side cleaners. I haven't really decided yet on a direction other than if I go with a robot it will probably be a dolphin since most on here seem to recommend that.

I have about a 32ft pool in length and 15ft wide

Is the Dolphin Nautilus a good model for floor and wall cleaning?

Do I need a robot? I brush my pool regularly and typically only have issues with the pool floor as I only have a manual vacuum now?

Just looking for some advice on whether I should just try a cheaper suction side, (which one) or a robot.

​

 
diesel1218 said:
I have about a 32ft pool in length and 15ft wide

Is the Dolphin Nautilus a good model for floor and wall cleaning?

Do I need a robot? I brush my pool regularly and typically only have issues with the pool floor as I only have a manual vacuum now?


​

Click to expand...
Hi Diesel
The Dolphin Nautilus is an excellent one. It has scrubbers, so it doesnt just suck up dirt, but scrubs the surface too. It does climb the walls and haphazardly cleans the waterline. I have the Nautilus CC Plus and I love it.

If you are tired of vacuuming, or are lazy like me, then a cleaner should be in your future.

The Polaris do a good job too, but they don't scrub anything. The just vacuum stuff up.
The cleaner is less expensive, but you also need to consider the price of adding pressure side pump, and the cost of electricity to run the pump.

You'll find that once all of the costs are totaled for a Polaris type cleaner, your investment is going to be pretty close to the cost of a robot.

The Dolphin uses 180 Watts of power, so in the long run, the operating cost for electricity of the robot is going to be less than that of the Polaris pump.

You'll see conflicting info from different folks, because at the end of the day, most of us make our recommendations based upon our personal experiences with our own swimming pools.

Personally, I like the robot mainly because it scrubbs, and I do not get a lot of leaves in my pool. A robot doesnt have the capacity in the filter for a lot of leaves.

Conversely, the Polaris has a big bag and can indeed hold a lot of leaves, so that may be a Plus for someone who has lot of leaves.

There are a lot of videos on YouTube for both robots and pressure side cleaners and they have a lot of both the Plus and Minus of each type. They are worth the watch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ignoramus and Newdude
Divin Dave said:
Hi Diesel
The Dolphin Nautilus is an excellent one. It has scrubbers, so it doesnt just suck up dirt, but scrubs the surface too. It does climb the walls and haphazardly cleans the waterline. I have the Nautilus CC Plus and I love it.

If you are tired of vacuuming, or are lazy like me, then a cleaner should be in your future.

The Polaris do a good job too, but they don't scrub anything. The just vacuum stuff up.
The cleaner is less expensive, but you also need to consider the price of adding pressure side pump, and the cost of electricity to run the pump.

You'll find that once all of the costs are totaled for a Polaris type cleaner, your investment is going to be pretty close to the cost of a robot.

The Dolphin uses 180 Watts of power, so in the long run, the operating cost for electricity of the robot is going to be less than that of the Polaris pump.

You'll see conflicting info from different folks, because at the end of the day, most of us make our recommendations based upon our personal experiences with our own swimming pools.

Personally, I like the robot mainly because it scrubbs, and I do not get a lot of leaves in my pool. A robot doesnt have the capacity in the filter for a lot of leaves.

Conversely, the Polaris has a big bag and can indeed hold a lot of leaves, so that may be a Plus for someone who has lot of leaves.

There are a lot of videos on YouTube for both robots and pressure side cleaners and they have a lot of both the Plus and Minus of each type. They are worth the watch.
Click to expand...
Thank you I am seeing a lot on the maytronics S200, S300 and I found this Nautilus. I am leaning toward the robot , I would not do a pressure side, but I do have a suction side inlet that I was considering one of those. They seem to be much cheaper, just dont like the hose in the pool.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Divin Dave
1218,

I have been using robots for about 20 years... All of mine have been the Dolphin robots until recently..

I currently have an EVO (See below) and when my rent house Dolphins, I will be converting them to EVOs also.


New EVO 614i Robot Pool Cleaner Review

About a month ago I needed a new robot pool cleaner and I contacted Margaret at Marina Pool and Spa. My initial goal was to buy another S200 "style" robot as I have been happy with them so far. Margaret suggested that I might want to look at a new line of robot cleaners that Marina is now...
www.google.com www.google.com

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
If it dies and it’s irreparable after 3 years (3-5 years seems to be the current lifespan of most robots), are you ok with throwing it out and buying another one? $700-$1000 for possibly only 3 years of use is what bothers a lot of people. Of course they’re all happy to get the robot when it comes and then are amazed at how wonderful they are … initially. Fast forward 3 to 5 years when it suddenly gives out and you realize there’s no way to repair it (because they’re designed not to be repaired) and you might suddenly not feel so happy about it.

That’s the real question you have to answer - how much can you comfortably spend and what do you consider an appropriate lifespan?
 
Divin Dave said:
Hi Diesel
The Dolphin Nautilus is an excellent one. It has scrubbers, so it doesnt just suck up dirt, but scrubs the surface too. It does climb the walls and haphazardly cleans the waterline. I have the Nautilus CC Plus and I love it.

If you are tired of vacuuming, or are lazy like me, then a cleaner should be in your future.

The Polaris do a good job too, but they don't scrub anything. The just vacuum stuff up.
The cleaner is less expensive, but you also need to consider the price of adding pressure side pump, and the cost of electricity to run the pump.

You'll find that once all of the costs are totaled for a Polaris type cleaner, your investment is going to be pretty close to the cost of a robot.

The Dolphin uses 180 Watts of power, so in the long run, the operating cost for electricity of the robot is going to be less than that of the Polaris pump.

You'll see conflicting info from different folks, because at the end of the day, most of us make our recommendations based upon our personal experiences with our own swimming pools.

Personally, I like the robot mainly because it scrubbs, and I do not get a lot of leaves in my pool. A robot doesnt have the capacity in the filter for a lot of leaves.

Conversely, the Polaris has a big bag and can indeed hold a lot of leaves, so that may be a Plus for someone who has lot of leaves.

There are a lot of videos on YouTube for both robots and pressure side cleaners and they have a lot of both the Plus and Minus of each type. They are worth the watch.
Click to expand...
I second the above statements. I have owned a Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus since 2017. I bought it to use in my ABG and now use it in my in-ground pool. It does an excellent job cleaning the bottom of the pool easily sucking up leaves, acorns, and even sand. I wish I could tell you how much better it is than other robots, but this Nautilus has been my only robot I have ever owned so my opinion is a bit biased. All I can say is that I stick it in the pool, come back in two hours, remove it from the pool, wash out the filters, and repeat in a week or two.

When this little robot finally does give up the ghost, I will definitely be purchasing another robot. I cannot guarantee that it will be the same robot, but I will not be without this little cleaning wonder. Basically if you want a "Trouble Free Pool", you should definitely consider a SWG, a bottom cleaning robot, and a solar-powered skimming robot. It is so nice to not have to worry about chlorine, debris on the bottom of the pool, or ever clogging my skimmer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Divin Dave
Jimrahbe said:
1218,

I have been using robots for about 20 years... All of mine have been the Dolphin robots until recently..

I currently have an EVO (See below) and when my rent house Dolphins, I will be converting them to EVOs also.


New EVO 614i Robot Pool Cleaner Review

About a month ago I needed a new robot pool cleaner and I contacted Margaret at Marina Pool and Spa. My initial goal was to buy another S200 "style" robot as I have been happy with them so far. Margaret suggested that I might want to look at a new line of robot cleaners that Marina is now...
www.google.com www.google.com

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
sorry ignore my last reply I see your review, very helpful thank you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jimrahbe and Newdude
As a follow up to my previous post, I'll just say my Nautilus CC Plus is my 2nd Robot. My first robot was also a Nautilus and lasted for almost 10 years, so I was more than happy with it's lifespan. Due to the exposure of water chemicals and UV, the plastic parts started breaking on a regular basis, so I bought a new one.

Others say to expect 3-5 years service out of one, so maybe I just got lucky getting almost 10 years out of mine. And let me tell ya, I did not pamper it either. The only time it ever came out of the water was when several people would be swimming, and in the winter time.

Even if I only get 3-5 years out of it, to me, the robot is worth the convenience.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Divin Dave said:
Others say to expect 3-5 years service out of one, so maybe I just got lucky getting almost 10 years out of mine.
Click to expand...
We are in the post shortages Era now. They never made anything like they used to, at any point in time, but QC is horrific for just about anything these days. :roll:
 
  • Like
Reactions: JC707
Jimrahbe said:
1218,

I have purchased all my recent robots from Margaret.. Both my S200 "style" Dolphins and my current EVO...

Usually the lowest price, no tax, free 2nd day shipping...

The hardest part is calling them... :mrgreen:

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
Yeah it wasn't bad actually, they picked up right away. I agree no tax, free shipping and 50 off the closest price I could find.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Divin Dave
JoyfulNoise said:
If it dies and it’s irreparable after 3 years (3-5 years seems to be the current lifespan of most robots), are you ok with throwing it out and buying another one? $700-$1000 for possibly only 3 years of use is what bothers a lot of people. Of course they’re all happy to get the robot when it comes and then are amazed at how wonderful they are … initially. Fast forward 3 to 5 years when it suddenly gives out and you realize there’s no way to repair it (because they’re designed not to be repaired) and you might suddenly not feel so happy about it.

That’s the real question you have to answer - how much can you comfortably spend and what do you consider an appropriate lifespan?
Click to expand...
I went from Polaris suction side to robot. Agree 5 years is max but I love my AIPER cordless. The water is tough on the Polaris too so I was spending $100 per year on refreshing it. Cordless a Aiper is on sale for $539. I love the zero cords. Very worth it use code

Pro360 to get discount​

 
JoyfulNoise said:
If it dies and it’s irreparable after 3 years (3-5 years seems to be the current lifespan of most robots), are you ok with throwing it out and buying another one? $700-$1000 for possibly only 3 years of use is what bothers a lot of people. Of course they’re all happy to get the robot when it comes and then are amazed at how wonderful they are … initially. Fast forward 3 to 5 years when it suddenly gives out and you realize there’s no way to repair it (because they’re designed not to be repaired) and you might suddenly not feel so happy about it.

That’s the real question you have to answer - how much can you comfortably spend and what do you consider an appropriate lifespan?
Click to expand...
Interesting I have had the same one since 2008 when we built our pool - Hayward Shark QC. Am now looking for a new one - but only because someone didn't screen the top on the acid all the way and the fumes ate some of the plastic in the gears that turn the rollers. Motor still runs, but I figure its not worth fixing. Disheartening to think the new expected life is on 3-5 years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply