If money were no object

[CanuckPool]

what is the best automatic pool cleaner money can buy? (just short of having a pool boy/girl living in your backyard )

[waste]

what is the best automatic pool cleaner money can buy? (just short of having a pool boy/girl living in your backyard )

CP, if it were me, I'd have an 18 yr old Sweedish girl doing the pool, and hope my wife diddn't figure out why I spent sooo much time poolside

[fcfrey]

I have had three different pool cleaners:

Manual vacuum brush on the end of a long hose ---Pain in the back!!
Dolphin Diagnostic $700 ---- Got stuck on everything and damaged my liner
Aquabot T-4 $1500 ---- wish I had started out with this!!

The T-4 is by far the best cleaner IMHO --- with the remote and high speed plus add in the random turns and horizontal action even on the side walls, you can't beat it. So far service turnaround has been less than 2 weeks (I damaged the cord [They fixed it as warrantee] just had to pay shipping 1 way)

[caustik]

Fcfrey,

What kind of shape is your pool? I am trying to decide whether to spring for a robot for my pool. Just want to be sure on the performance before I make a decision. Someone on another board had nothing but praise for the dolphin.

[mas985]

CP, if it were me, I'd have an 18 yr old Sweedish girl doing the pool, and hope my wife diddn't figure out why I spent sooo much time poolside

Just the pool?

[sammm]

Just the pool?

I like the way you think!

[fcfrey]

Fcfrey,

What kind of shape is your pool? I am trying to decide whether to spring for a robot for my pool. Just want to be sure on the performance before I make a decision. Someone on another board had nothing but praise for the dolphin.

I have a 42x25 true ELL with hopper bottom and rounded corners here's a link to an old pix but you can see the shape.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p206/fcfrey/Pool.jpg

The T-4 cleans the entire pool in an hour or less and I do not have to play nurse maid to it, as a matter of fact, I put it in today (under the loop lock cover) I don't have to worry about it hurting anything or getting stuck. I had a Dolphin which according to the instruction manual can't be used under 65 degrees. There is no temperature restriction with the T-4. The pool water was 46 today. Too cold for me but not the robot!!

[hzz]

That's one thing about Aquabot products-they will work in very cold water.

The dolphin will not. Below about 65 it doesn't move around.

[sharpaaa]

. . . I had a Dolphin which according to the instruction manual can't be used under 65 degrees. . . .

Will you, or anyone else, please confirm this quote. I am considering buying a Dolphin Diagnostic Sprite Robotic Pool cleaner and e-mailed an online store (http://www.bestbuypoolsupply.com/dol...leaners-2.html) and the technician responded saying he'd never heard of the temperature restriction. Maybe there is a difference in models. Here in the NW the pool is often below 65 deg F.

Thanks for replys,
Roger

[CarlD]

I cannot recommend a Dolphin. A lot of people here have had problems with them over the last year, myself included. They actually replaced my Dolphin with a new one because I refused to accept their explanations. My unit would not work in my pool, and they gave me a lot of BS explanations, like pH had to be 6.9, and FC really low, etc, etc. Funny, the replacement worked the way the first one had when new...

I now have it and a Blue Diamond. I use the BD despite its drawbacks, like I have to remove my ladder or it gets stuck under it. Still the BD does a great job and the bags are just as good as Dolphin's, but far, FAR easier to clean. I never need to put it in the washing machine.

But unless you have a rectangular pool, the BD may have troubles with the shape of the pool and you'll have to use the remote to direct it, another drawback. Since my pool is rectangular, it's not a problem. Plus the BD is super-fast--2- 3 hours to do the pool including wall-climbing--the Dolphin takes 8 hours. That means I can put the BD in almost any time and be done in 2-3 hours. The Dolphin is better going in at night or when the pool won't be used that day.

People with Aquabots love them. Belts are easily accessible and they don't seem to have the drawbacks of either the Dolphin or the BD.