Blue Diamond, Just got one!!

[Sardian]

I got a Blue Diamond robot cleaner this week and have used it a few times and I can say that it's great!!!

It doesn't get hung up anywhere on my pool, not even the ladder and it leaves my pool cleaner than ever before.

My older (1 year old cleaner) Polaris 280 is a joke compared to this thing. I'd leave my Polaris running all night and it still would have spots it would miss or would have gotten it's hose tangled up and not clean anything but the blue diamond is done on 1 to 1 1/2 hours easily.

The only thing it doesn't get is my steps but I really didn't expect it to.

My pool is an 18x36 rectangle in ground vinyl pool.

Highly recommended from me.

Russell

[CarlD]

My B/D is going into its 3rd season and works like a champ! My only problem is it does get tangled into my ladder so I have to pull the ladder out--only a minor pain.

I had troubles with my Dolphin remote-controlled. I finally figured out why, and why the B/D can do the pool so much faster: The impeller motor on the B/D has to be 3x as large. On the Dolphin it's the size of a frozen OJ can despite being much heavier than the B/D. On the B/D it's the size of a Morton container of salt--so it's got FAR more power as a vacuum and to hold the unit via suction to the walls.

See, they are actually very simple gadgets with cool brains. One motor is the impeller--a simple fan that creates suction for the vacuum and holding the unit down. Then there is one or two motors (two for the fancier units) for the drive. When it hits a wall the s/w reads the change in current demand from the motor, and knows it's hit a wall and decides to either go forward (climb the wall) or reverse. From that, and the number of motor rotations it maps the pool! Conceptually very simple, very elegant. There's no sensors I know of in the unit so that HAS to be how it recognizes a change or a barrier.

But the Dolphin never got tangled on the ladder....

[cleancloths]

I too replaced my Polaris 380, and did not realize how bad the Polaris was until I went with an electric robot. I tried the Dolphin first, and returned it to Costco after about a month as it kept doing a 10 foot section of the pool over and over without moving. Replaced it with a Blue Pearl (the Diamonds baby brother) and it does a great job on my 20 x 40 pool.

[CarlD]

I've heard nothing but praise for the Pearl. I still haven't figured out how those single roller units change directions--except when they climb the wall and the handle floats them at an angle--on the fancier ones the front and rear rollers are split in two--there's a right-side and a separate left-side motor so it can rotate in place, like a bulldozer.

[ivyleager]

It sounds so easy and nice! Haven't received my PoolBuster back from WaterTek. Purchased a Polaris 380 last year when PB went bust. Polaris worked like a charm last year. I was pleased with it's ability to get everything off the pool bottom. This year is another story........seems to circle alot, doesn't get the shallow end much at all. Don't know if it's the cold water, or what. All I know is that I am tired of fighting any and all pool cleaners. Jeez, what does a gal have to do to keep her pool decent these days! A friend of a friend has a Aquabot T2 and loves it...they have a 20x40 IG vinyl. They have been thru the gambit of pool cleaners, too. While I really don't want to buy another pool cleaner again this season, I may have to bite the bullet and get a robotic. Most seem to be in the same ball park cost wise, so it's a matter of finally getting fed up with it all. I'm not there quite yet.

[Sardian]

Our Polaris is a year old also (was that is) and in the beginning it would work good one day and bad the next. Toward the end of last season it started never going to the shallow end. After trying over and over to "fix" it I gave up and ordered the Blue Diamond. So far I have had it about 1.5 weeks and it's been night and day. In about an hour my pool is clean....and I mean clean.

It doesn't kick the stuff around, like dirt and such, it actually sucks it up into its bag.

I'll never miss the sound of the booster pump running for all those endless hours either.

I'm about to order a pool buster to go with it for those times when just a few spots need cleaning.....as soon as I can find a decent deal on one. I'm thinking of getting the CG model.

Russell

It sounds so easy and nice! Haven't received my PoolBuster back from WaterTek. Purchased a Polaris 380 last year when PB went bust. Polaris worked like a charm last year. I was pleased with it's ability to get everything off the pool bottom. This year is another story........seems to circle alot, doesn't get the shallow end much at all. Don't know if it's the cold water, or what. All I know is that I am tired of fighting any and all pool cleaners. Jeez, what does a gal have to do to keep her pool decent these days! A friend of a friend has a Aquabot T2 and loves it...they have a 20x40 IG vinyl. They have been thru the gambit of pool cleaners, too. While I really don't want to buy another pool cleaner again this season, I may have to bite the bullet and get a robotic. Most seem to be in the same ball park cost wise, so it's a matter of finally getting fed up with it all. I'm not there quite yet.

[ivyleager]

I'm about to order a pool buster to go with it for those times when just a few spots need cleaning.....as soon as I can find a decent deal on one. I'm thinking of getting the CG model.

Russell

Russell,

Save the pool buster box.....you may to return it for service work. There's been a few tale on here about problems within the first year or so.

[CarlD]

When the PoolBuster works, you'll think it's the best thing since sliced bread. But the batteries can fail very quickly and the battery/motor must be replaced as a unit. I had to do it after the warranty ran out and it cost about $80, on a $200 unit. But since then it's been better than ever.

Also be sure to order the finer-mesh filter--I don't know why the unit wasn't sold with that in the first place--it makes it an all-purpose vacuum. I haven't had my suction side vacuum out of the basement in 3 years between that and my Blue Diamond.

[Jimmy C]

Hi All,

I just purchased the "Pool Blaster MAX CG", and for my application (16K Gal IG Gunite pool with a tree leave problem) the Blaster is a toy that just wastes my time as I rearrange the debris and leaves on the pool bottom.

The advertising for this product says it flows "up to 61 GPM". This is misleading since the actual flow is much much less than that. It does seem to pick up small pebbles and dirt Ok after multiple vacuum sweeps, but for leaves, just forget it.

My reccomendation is to keep your money and use traditional vacuum sweeper and leaf eating roducts that are very inexpensive and effective. For illustration purposes two examples are shown here:

http://www.poolsolutions.com/cart/clean.php

I'd purchase elsewhere however.

So if "Water Tech" has miss-represented the capabilities of the "Pool Blaster MAX CG" then why should I believe that the "Blue Diamond" is a good product?

See my other posts on the "Pool Blaster MAX CG".

Jim

[roady]

Where is a good place to buy the Blue Diamond?