I review robotic pool vacuum cleaners for a living, and was particularly impressed by the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus' wall-climbing capabilities. It really does ensure the perfect clean, and therefore totally worth the investment.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner
Top-rated: 12,689 ratings
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: CleverClean smart navigation system.
Helpful review: "So... we put an in-ground pool in this summer, a big one, 20' by 40', slide, heater, diving board, 12 ft. deep end, 3 stairs, and a safety ledge which runs the length of both 40' sides. The pool had been up and running less than a week when it became obvious I would have to have a pool cleaner, referred to from here on as a "sucky" (blame the name on my mother).
First, I looked locally for a sucky, and YIKES! the prices were outrageous, between $1,500-2,500 for what appeared to be an average sucky, although some of them had tails that whipped around, and others a remote control, and still others a programmable chip to tell sucky when and how long to run. And even some that were wearing animal costumes (what???).
I quickly realized that most of these suckys were going to require the installation of a separate pump to use them, which we had not had installed, and really didn't want to. I also realized for servicing, warranty or repair purposes, I better buy a brand that could be serviced locally, even if I didn't buy locally. I narrowed my selection down to either a Dolphin or a Polaris model, both of which could be serviced locally, then began searching online. After a lengthy search and then a comparison of my final 3 choices, I went with the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus, for the following reasons:
1) Size and weight of the item were manageable for a single individual to move, put in, and remove from pool.
2) The cleaner did not need additional pump and was able to clean safety ledge, steps, walls, floor, no problem, 4WD.
3) Came assembled, ready to use, with extra filters.
4) Filters were easy to remove and clean.
5) Extra long cord to allow sucky to clean all parts of my large pool with ease.
6) Replacement parts were readily available.
7) Warranty was available.
8) FREE Next day delivery available.
9) Price was VERY competitive.
10) Reviews were favorable.
11) Sucky came with a computer chip which would map the layout of the pool, including ledges and steps, insuring sucky would do a thorough job, every time he was used.
12) Sucky would take less than 2 hours to clean entire pool, THEN TURN HIMSELF OFF.
I was sold! Ordered sucky, and he arrived the next day, JOY JOY JOY!
I threw sucky into the pool and watched with great anticipation for him to do his thing. Sucky did nothing. Sucky was broken, arrived with a broken front mounting bracket for his front sucky wheels, causing the wheel to fall off when he tried to do his job. DEEP DESPAIR. I felt sick and despondent, and immediately contacted Amazon. To my amazement, they sent a return shipping label and a new sucky the very next day. AND SCHEDULED A PICK UP OF BROKEN SUCKY at my convienence. REALLY HARD TO BELIEVE I KNOW, BUT TRUE.
Even better, the new sucky is amazing, and every thing said about him is indeed true. If I was to complain about him at all, it would be that his ledge and stair work leaves behind a bit of sand (salt water pool, sand filter), a very tiny bit. I'd advise that you also purchase the storage stand, which isn't included but is sold separately. It gives a place to store the battery off the ground during use, a place to wrap the cord, a little seat for sucky to rest on when he's not at work, and nice big wheels to move the whole thing around (similar to a moving dolly, but made especially for sucky).
CONCLUSION: love the purchase, easy to return and replace, does a great job even on large pools, and reasonably priced.
UPDATE:
I get lots of questions from people wanting updates on Sucky every pool season, wanting to know if Sucky is still doing his job. I’m happy to report that Sucky is still working like he did back when he first moved in. It's been 6 years, and we’ve never had to replace a part. It does a fantastic job keeping the pool sparkling clean 6 years after we purchased him. We have had only one issue, and it’s a recent one. The button to turn him on isn’t working all the time, you have to repeatedly push it to get it to work sometimes. I feel like that’s to be expected, he wasn’t made to last forever. 6 years though, that’s an exceptional time frame for something like this. Just a great choice of pool cleaner. Yay me!" — Angie Edwards
Get it from Amazon now: $899.00 & FREE Returns
Credit: Amazon.com