Y'know, I didn't have much in the way of problems with my Dolphin for almost 2 years. It didn't climb my drop in steps--neither does the Diamond, but it didn't affect its cleaning. Once, the Dolphin got its cord hooked on the bottom of the ladder, and once since I've been having problems, but it never got bothered by the ladder--the Diamond gets stuck under it and I have to remove the ladder. The Dolphin NEVER got stuck on anything else--the Diamond has already grabbed its cord.

Also, a Diamond DaVinci (which I have) is not recommended for ANY shape pool but a rectangle--unless you are willing to use the remote to control it. The Dolphin can handle rounds and other odd shapes. Luckily, I have a rectangle.

But the Diamond works--and the Dolphin no longer does. That's a BIGGGGGG difference.