We've had our Zodiak Ranger for about 8 years and the ring broke years ago (still in place but not solid in the one place) and now the internal rubber has split making it non working. I'm wondering if we are best off replacing the internal thing if parts are sold separately, buying a new Ranger, or if something else is better on the market now, maybe even the Dirt Devil or Aqua Critter? The disk is also cracked but stays on well.

My complaints about the Ranger are that it gets stuck on the wedding cake steps a lot, vacuums 60% of the pool well but gets stuck in a pattern with the water flow, no longer does walls. I'd say performance was better in the first few years, but not perfect. It seems like Dirt Devil is just a red version of the blue PFV with an extra year of warranty. Anyone have an opinion on those vs the Ranger?

We are also due to replace our pump and wondering if the 1 1/2 hp is really beneficial or not. 200 lb sand filter will stay and we replaced sand for the first time this year. 27' round abg w/ wedding cake steps. Thanks much.