Help with decision between Blue Pearl & Blue Diamond

[ryguy]

The booster pump for my Polaris 280 died after 6 years, and I think I'm ready to switch to a robotic. My biggest reservation is the fact that typically when something goes wrong with the Polaris I can generally fix it with some (overpriced) parts at the pool store. However, I'm guessing that won't be the case with the Blue Pearl/Diamond. Does anyone have assurances one way or another about that for me?

Although my Polaris was OK in general, I want the fine filtration that a robotic can offer, as well as the scrubbing of the pool walls (since I don't brush it as often as I should). My pool is 15x36 inground, gunite/plaster, 24,000 gallons, rectange with corner steps & a ladder. My polaris always got caught in the ladder and never cleaned the steps, but I'm guessing most robotics are the same in that respect.

The main differences I see between the Pearl & Diamond is the speed, the warranty, and the price. I really don't care about the speed difference, but the warranty difference kind of confuses me (4yrs versus 1 yr). If it's basically supposed to be just a slower version of the Diamond, then why the inferior warranty? Though I've seen good reports on the Pearl on this site, I've seen other sites where they've reported motor problems in the first few months or right after the warranty expired. To save money, does Watertech use some lower-quality parts in the Blue Pearl? Any idea what a typical motor repair out-of-warranty would cost on a Pearl? I'm just wondering if the price difference on the two is justified by the longer warranty and longer potential life of the Diamond. Any thoughts others could share would sure help in the decision, as my pool is getting dirtier by the day since my Polaris went out.

Also, for a backup (in case the robotic dies), what would you recommend to have on-hand, temporarily, that won't break the bank? It sounds like Pool Blaster/Buster is the type of thing that might work out until the robotic is fixed, but it sounds like they are quite unreliable after the first year. Is there anything comparable that could handle that task?