I have the same pool. Thought about an auto cleaner, but for the reasons stated above, plus having to go in and hook it up and unhook it all the time, I decided against it. I bought a Pool Buster also and it is awesome. Takes me about 20 minutes once a week to vac the pool. No hoses to deal with... it runs off a rechargable battery (mine charges in less than 1 hour). I also purchased the fine sand filter for it and it came with some socks too for extra-super fine stuff. It picked up all the dead algae and dirt particles that we couldn't get out for months before (the stuff that all the other vacs stir up and make the water cloudy but that all settles back down on the bottom). The Pooldoctor website has a modified version for the Easy Set and that's the one I purchased. Includes the bigger pole too. I'm a sucker for "as seen on tv type stuff" and I also bought a Pool Devil, which is a skimmer that works off the return line and the venturi principal. I can't see it working real well in a larger above-ground pool, but it also works great in the Intex. The Intex skimmer just never worked right or stayed in place and it seemed to stress the pump. The Pool Devil also uses a long sock, so everything that goes in it stays in it. It picks up tons of hair and fine stuff off the surface, as well as all the bugs and floating leaves. That one didn't cost much at all (around $20). You have to buy an adapted for the return to hook the hose to, but it hugs the wall of the pool and stays out of the way. I've probably spent more on all this stuff than the pool itself, but it has been worth it this year. Cleaning has been taken down to a minimum, and thanks to this website, maintaining my water has never been easier.

Hope my experiences help you in your decision making. I'm not trying to promote any products here, just letting you know what has worked for me in this type of pool.

Good luck.

Lori