Pool Buster President, Inventor & Owner

[hoffmans]

This thread is just over 3 years old and anything stated then may not be applicable today.
Locking the thread.
Steve, feel free to start a new one.
Al







Hey folks,
I just got off the phone w/ the President/Inventor/Owner of the Pool Buster.
We were working out a shipping misshap.
He will be stopping by the Forum here to see what has been said about his Pool Buster.:)
So I am going to bump up the threads so they are easy for him to find.

Also I think this is a good place to voice yourself to him.
Got something good, bad or ugly to say here is your chance.

I will start off:
Listen up Mr. Pool Buster- we all have big mouths here not just among ourselves but across our cities and towns. We are the type of people who carry clout and influence the buying practices of others. We like to be heard and we like to help others. That being said, 2 of the most important factors in a successful bussines is QUALITY OF PRODUCT & CUSTOMER SERVICE. Make sure you are on the top of your game in these catagories and you will be on the sure path to success.
WHEN my products come, my opinion will be heard far and wide- I am sure it will be positive - Right ???;)

~Hoffmans
(Amber Hoffman from Kansas invoice # 1004182)

Anyone else want to tell him what you think of his product..........

[GHM]

Too bad he can't register to post replies.:(

[anotherpyr]

I love my pool buster. It ought to include the sand and silt bag instead of being forced to buy it separately.

[iwannapool]

I second that, sand and silt bag for yet another $20 is a bit steep. I bought one anyways. :(

[steveinaz]

I have the Pool Buster Max standard and really like it, especially for quick clean-ups between "big" vacuuming. It seems to catch everything I get in my pool with the standard bag. I like the convenience factor, and it seems to have good suction. A little pricey though.

[Theusla]

Pool Buster works great. But mine went dead in about 11 months. It was still under warranty so they repaired it. I had to pay shipping to get it back to them.

[kidrobinski]

I bought the Catfish. It ran fine the first time out of the box, but the second time (the next weekend) after a full overnight charge, it ran literally long enough for me to get it to the floor of the pool and just shut off. Not a gradual dying down, just boom, lights out. Pulled it out, sat it on the deck, drug out the hoses, and went at it the old fashioned way. Tried it again about 30 minutes later and it fired right up. Went ahead and used it, and it ran fine for the remainder of the pool.

The next weekend, again after an overnight charge, this time it wouldn't even turn on period after coming off the charger. However, same thing again; about 30-40 minutes later, it fired right up and then ran fine.

Called the support number, waited thru the long string of prompts, don't remember exactly why but ultimately finally decided I would just e-mail tech support. Adam responded promptly, we exchanged a few e-mails, and he finally instructed me to ship it back and he would send a replacement. By that time however, the unit had since worked properly twice in a row (by "worked properly" I mean it started up immediately and stayed running when taken off of the charger). Because of this, and the fact that returning the unit would have been at my expense which struck me the wrong way given what I had already paid about a month prior, i notified Adam that thanks, but I'd just keep it.

The unit has run fine ever since. Not as powerful as a regular hose-suction vacuum for sure (nor do I think it was intended to be) and it seems a bit overpriced, but for vacuuming bugs and small residue it works pretty good. I don't have the fine silt bag; I use the cotton ball approach advocated elsewhere on this forum, and have had no problems.

Would I buy another one? Errr...ummm....let me get back to you on that.

[CabanaMan]

Just purchased a Pool Buster CG a few weeks ago. Surprised and disappointed to find an Updated Charger and Charging Instructions Note-Dated June 1, 2007.
The battery must now be recharged for a full 8-12 hours after EACH USE. Advertised a one hour charge after initial 8-12 hour charge. This does limit it's use, at least for me.

Do like the unit and it performs well. But company needs to update it's advertisements and label on outside of the box. Deceptive.

[ivyleager]

Purchased a Pool Buster CGMax, and while it does an admirable and quick/easy job, it really does not match the suction power of my regular manual vac. I was having to go over places where there was fine dust/dirt, mainly on the vinyl liner seams and one corner of the deep end. Since I have a vinyl pool, I was using the brushes on the Pool Buster head. However, I have since taken those off and am now using the wheels. It has made a difference. My next move will be to cut down the brushes, making them shorter and stiffer...more like the manual vac head.

Since the suction is not strong, when I draw the unit backwards toward me, it lifts up off the floor quite easily. I literally have to force the unit to maintain floor contact. Never had this problem with the manual vacuum hooked up to my skimmer.

I have had no problems with charging the unit, or the unit holding a charge. It takes me about 20 minutes max to clean my 18x36 pool, and when I'm done I always plug it back in. Use it about 3x/week.

CaryB

[ivyleager]

I guess I spoke too soon. I attempted to use my Pool Buster CG today after returning from a brief vacation, and it did not work. The battery can't be dead as it has been plugged in contiuously in laundry room. I unplugged it, attached to telescoping pole, put unit head in water, turned dial to power unit on, and......nothing.

I'm done with this unit. Never felt it matched the cleaning power of my manual vac. I'm considering a Blue Diamond. But, it's another WaterTech product. Polaris is looking good right about now.

CaryB

[hoffmans]

An update on our Pool Buster.
It is a life saver.
It is more powerful and FASTER than the vac that came with the pool package.
I bought the silt bag and I bought the pack of 5 disposable fine silt fabric bags. I use them both every time I vac. They work wonders.
There are really no cons- except the fact that we actually have to vac the pool ourselves instead of watching a robotic do it.
So all in all, I love it, wouldn't wana be w/o it.

That being said, I did buy a Robo Kleen last month.
Now THAT I LOVE!
Plug him in and he does the work for me. I use that most of the time and only use the Pool Buster if I see something the Robo missed. And actually he has never missed anything yet. So basically- I haven't used the Pool Buster since the Robo took over the drivers seat.
And you know what- the Robo Keen was cheaper by the time bought all the accessories for the PB.
I bought the Robo from Cosco.com

I know NWMNMOM had reservations about getting one. Mainly that she was worried about running it in colder water.
In the manual it states " Optimum water temperature of Robo-Kleen is 65°F to 85°F. Do not operate Robo-Kleen when water temperature exceeds 90°F."

Thanks
~Hoffmans

[CarlD]

I guess I spoke too soon. I attempted to use my Pool Buster CG today after returning from a brief vacation, and it did not work. The battery can't be dead as it has been plugged in contiuously in laundry room. I unplugged it, attached to telescoping pole, put unit head in water, turned dial to power unit on, and......nothing.

I'm done with this unit. Never felt it matched the cleaning power of my manual vac. I'm considering a Blue Diamond. But, it's another WaterTech product. Polaris is looking good right about now.

CaryB

It sounds like you have a defective motor/battery pack (it's one unit). If it's still under warranty they should send you a replacement with instructions. I had similar problems (I think I was the first to own one) and waited too long so I had to buy the motor/battery. But WOW! WHAT A DIFFERENCE! It was a completely different unit and I haven't pulled the regular vac out of the basement in 3 years!

[ivyleager]

CarlD,

I've attempted to call them 2x, but no one answers so instruced to leave a message/number for a call back. Well, no call back yet. Yes, it's still under warranty. Bought it early this summer.

I now have a new Polaris 360, and while it cleans well and picks up all the leaves, the hose nuts are the cheapest pieces of $hitake mushrooms I've ever seen. End up with loss of pressure from the hose junctions because to nuts crack UNDER THE SLIGHTEST TIGHTENING PRESSURE. The pool store owner came out for basic installation (free of charge) and had trouble tightening them, even broke 2. He's ordering me more, again free of charge. If this cleaning unit is not to my likeing, I guess I'm left with hiring a hot Latin cabana boy to come out to clean my pool. I'm told Antonio Bandaras is currently not available.

CaryB

[steveinaz]

UPDATE: 6/30/10

My PoolBuster CG died after its first season too. I don't recommend it, nor will I buy another.

[aylad]

That's a shame--mine is still going strong on its 3rd year.

Janet