You don't HAVE to get a robotic. There are lots of automatic cleaners out there. I used to use (and still have) a Polaris 165 that's good for picking up the bigger stuff, but it takes a fistful of cotton balls for it to pick up finer sand and stuff. It doesn't brush the walls either.

During the fiasco last summer of my original Dolphin not working, I went back to using it and it still worked fine. But it's not nearly as potent as a robotic, which brushes the pool, and super-filters the water as it does so.

And it costs a lot less.