When the PoolBuster first hit the stores, I acted like a little kid and bought one on impulse. Much to my surprise, it worked AMAZINGLY well--so well I stopped using my manual vacuum completely, relying on the PB and the Dolphin Robotic.

However, I found battery life to be incredibly disappointing. I thought it was just grandiose claims and thought, well, that's the price. It's still a good gadget. I didn't contact PB about it until recently, well after the warranty ran out.

Big mistake. They now have a replacement battery/motor pack that they sell--it's pricey, about 1/3 of the total price. Had I contacted them during the warranty they would have just given it to me. But I had to buy it. This is no slam on PB--The warranty is 1 year, and I contacted them after 2 1/2 years. Still, they were pretty good about it--I couldn't find my charger so they sent me a used one for free with the battery/motor.

But the new battery/motor is fairly easy to install, and BOY! WHAT A DIFFERENCE! It's running like it's supposed to again. I also ordered the silt bag--it, too, increases the PB's effectiveness.

I don't know about the newer PoolBuster models, but I am still very, very pleased with mine. It's like a new unit again.