Pool Buster vs. Pool Buster CG

[falken]

Ditto. The CG comes with it and is a little more powerful.

The CG no longer comes with the fine mesh bag (they have a GC MAX package for an extra $50 that comes with it now).

But yes, the finer bag is a must for the unit!

[gwrace1]

I bought the Pool Buster Max this week and so far love it. The regular filter bag was letting to much sand and fine silt pass thru so I purchased the finer sand filter bag.

My only complaint is that these things are pricey and they all should come with the sand filter bag. Twenty five to thirty dollars for a piece of material stitched to a rubber/plastic/vinyl lip is to much. It probably cost about a buck to make. They advertise that the product as sold will pick up fine sand. Not so without the optional sand filter bag.

[gwrace1]

The CG no longer comes with the fine mesh bag (they have a GC MAX package for an extra $50 that comes with it now).

But yes, the finer bag is a must for the unit!

Yes I noticed this to when reviewing the specs on the product website.

I also can't see any real difference in the specs that justify a $100-150 price premium for the CG model. Battery and Motor specs are the same as well as the run time and charge time. They do mention some added corrosion protection and supposedly 33% more suction power. However more suction power equates to more power consumption and less battery run time.
Owners manual on the Buster Max says two hours for initial charge gets you going and 1 hour maintenance charge is average for most pool cleaning jobs.

[CarlD]

I have the original from when it was first released. It's just fine. But if you have a VERY deep end--8' or more you may want the stronger unit.

I DID have troubles keeping the battery charged, but I waited too long to complain--2 years. Had it been within the first year they would have simply sent me the new motor/battery unit free, but after 2 years they couldn't unless I paid for it. I did and I'm GLAD I did--it's run FAR better ever since. And I got the fine bag then too.

Moral: If your PB seems to not be holding a charge too long, or is running slow, call before the warranty expires. You just have a bad rechargable--very common in rechargable devices.

With the PB and the Blue Diamond, I haven't even had the vacuum hose out of the basement in 2 seasons, about to be a third!

[tphaggerty]

I have the CG. At the time I bought (last year), the CG had a larger motor (thus the 33% more power). However, the big plus for me was that it had a 1 hour charger, versus an 8 hour (or maybe a 4 hour) for the regular unit. Since I have a big pool, I thought that would be a big deal as we might need to recharge quickly.

However, we have never run the unit for more than 30 minutes or so, didn't need to. So the charge time has not really been an issue. Our's did come with the fine mesh bag - we use that exclusively unless we are picking up lots of leaves. I bought mine through an online pool supply place in Texas, don't remember the name, but it was cheaper than the PoolBuster site.

LOVE IT! LOVE IT, LOVE IT!!

[karrde97]

I just bought the PB Max with fine mesh based on recommendations from this forum. My only complaint...it works TOO good! I tried to use it on opening my pool which wasn't covered over the winter and was still cloudy from algae. I could only run the PB for a minute before the bag was full. Plus, I couldn't see where I was cleaning. I threw in my Aquabug for a few hours one day and I'll use that for the BIG clean and then use my PB throughout the summer.

Can't wait to put on the goggles and hand vac under water.

[mariner09]

I'm trying to decide on the PB Max or the PB CG.

I did see the PB CG Gold, this contains a 2nd charging unit, a 5-pack of disposable filters and a sand & silt filter.

Anyone think it's worth the $150 delta over the PB MAX???

[rilesworld]

It seems to me the consensus is that a fine filter mesh bag is a necessity. I do not have one of these units but am considerring one as well. I have seen the Pool Buster Max for $165, add to that the cost of the fine filter mesh bag ($30) and that unit would cost about $195. I have seen the Pool Buster Max CG for $220 which includes the mesh bag and more power. The difference is only $25, so I am definately leaning toward the CG?

I personally don't think the Gold has enough extra to justify the price jump.

My $.02

Riles

[tphaggerty]

My 1 year old PB CG just quit working. One month out of warranty! The only real repair option is to replace the battery/motor pack. In the CG, this is $139 (direct from WatertechCorp), the Max is $89. So, if you are going to use the PB only for light pickup duties (cleaning corners after your normal cleaner is done), then you might want to lean towards the Max.

I have contacted WaterTech and asked what they might be able to do for me since the unit is basically only a year old. Hopefully we can work something out, I'll let everyone know. I love my PB, but $139 replacement after only a year is pretty severe...