-25%
Brand New
Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi Automatic Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner, Always Cleaning, Never Charging, with Wall Climbing Scrubber Brush, Ideal for In-Ground Pools up to 50 FT in Length
Original price was: $799.00.$599.00Current price is: $599.00.
| Brand | Dolphin |
| Model Name | Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi |
| Material | Plastic |
| Color | black |
| Product Dimensions | 22.2″L x 17.6″W x 12.9″H |
100 reviews for Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi Automatic Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner, Always Cleaning, Never Charging, with Wall Climbing Scrubber Brush, Ideal for In-Ground Pools up to 50 FT in Length
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About this item
- ALWAYS CONNECTED: With the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus robotic pool vacuum cleaner, schedule your pool cleanings from anywhere with always connected Wi-Fi.
- WALL-SCRUBBING POWER: Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi climbs walls efficiently, ensuring thorough cleaning on any pool surface, no matter the shape or surface type.
- EASY FILTER CARE: Effortlessly maintain a clear pool with our user-friendly top-load filter basket. Easily remove debris for crystal-clear water, enhancing your swimming experience.
- PLUG-AND-PLAY EFFICIENCY: Make pool cleaning a breeze with our simple plug-and-play system. Just plug in, drop into the pool, and power on for a spotless pool in 2 hours.
- THE DOLPHIN LEGACY: Over 40 years of effortless cleaning with unmatched performance, durability, and cost savings. Enjoy your pool, hassle-free!
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I researched robotic pool cleaners extensively prior to this purchase. For the cost, I believe this is the best choice.
Pro's...
strong suction, excellent traction, adequate pool coverage, easy to clean/replace removeable cartridges, overall excellent cleaning device.
Cons...
becomes disabled on steps, no user/owners manual, cord to power supply is short, should come with cart/which is an additional purchase.
I have a 25,000 gallon pebble tech in ground pool. The Dolphin is supplementing a Hayward DE filter system. The in ground system is performing to standards, however the Dolphin replaces the need to manually vacuum debris left on the walls or bottom.
The Dolphin arrived promptly with no damage. The contents includes a quick start guide, however no owners manual. I downloaded the owners manual and it basically contains the same information as the quick start guide...pretty much no information. This unit operates with "clever clean technology." I have no idea what that is. Some of the more costly models indicate that the unit will scan and map your pool for optimum coverage. That is not happening with this model. It navigates randomly. It covers 90% of the pool each cleaning, which I consider excellent. I have several 5 inch steps and two benches that are at the 4 foot level. The Dolphin will occasionally climb one or two of the short steps but is unable to climb to the higher steps. The Dolphin climbs up to the higher benches and often turns and becomes disabled/stuck on top of the bench. I included a picture of the Dolphin disabled. It's necessary to unplug the power source, plug it back in and give a tug to remove it from the bench and begin the cleaning cycle over again. My children enjoy watching the Dolphin and they named it "Willy." It was later amended to "Free Willy," as they shouted out to me to "go free Willy."
The extra cloth filters that shipped with the Dolphin do a much better job of retaining debris than the installed nylon cartridges. Once you insert the cloth cartridges you won't go back to the nylon. The cartridges are easily accessed from the top doors and cleaned with a hose.
The rolling storage cart was an additional $129. From a marketing standpoint the manufacturer realized you pretty much need the cart and since you paid $699 you will most likely spend the additonal $129. I feel they took advantage of me with that deal. You do need the cart. They should include it with the purchase of the Dolphin for a total price of $750. The cart is basically a golf club cart with a value of no more than $50. You need to obtain a bungy cord and use it to secure the long power cord to the cart or it will not stay attached. That should have been included.
The quick start guide was adamant that you should not use a supplemental extension cord. Presumably from a safety perspective so the Dolphin does not drag that cord into the pool. Most people will find that you need to use an extension cord to plug the independant power supply modual into the outlet or you will not get the Dolphin close enough to your pool. I have experienced no problems using an extension cord for this purpose.
I operated the Dolphin for 45 days prior to submitting this review. Overall I am very pleased and hopeful that the unit holds up mechanically over time.
At this point we should cue the music and have a bright spot-light shine on the Dolphin!!! This little monster took off with a vengeance! I was immediately impressed with the amount of water it was moving, and the pristine clear trail it left as it made it's way across the bottom of our pool to the deep end! Maybe 2 to 2 and a half hours later we took it out of our now clean pool, somewhat stunned by it's initial performance! Every one in my family was in awe of it's performance, and we realized that we had, perhaps, turned a corner in our battle to have a clean and inviting pool!
Three months in, June 2016, and the Dolphin continues to do an excellent job, and our pool water looks like liquid glass! The Dolphin has become an important part of our pool maintenance regimen, and we use it normally about twice a week to clean the pool. I stress that this is a part of our overall effort to keep out pool in the best shape possible. We still do water analysis and add chemicals... but no where near the same amount as before our Dolphin! We back wash our filter once a week now, so we are saving lots of water, AND most important to me, I no longer have to break my back and take my time to manually vacuum the pool, just let the Dolphin do that thing it does sooooo very well!!!
Let me address some of the negative things I have read in the reviews of this pool cleaner...
Warranty problems: We have had NO problems with our Dolphin. Right out of the box it has worked like a champion, so I have no comments on the help, support and warranty problems others have posted.
Instructions: Yes, the 'bot comes with very little in the way of operation instructions. There is really only one sheet of instructions with drawings on it, that tell how to use the Dolphin... but, if you have even a basic understanding of mechanical things, you should have no problems in making the Dolphin work. Every thing snaps together with ease. Pay attention to how it comes apart and then reverse the process after you clean it... nooooo problems! I guess that Maytronics could do a much better job with the instructions- better drawings and expanded written directions, but I can say I honestly have not had any problems understanding how this critter works. It is very straight forward in construction and operation.
Filters: Our Dolphin came with 2 sets of filter cartridges. They are made out of some very sturdy plastic type material and require only a good rinse with the hose to clean. We used the "coarse" set of filters the first time we cleaned the pool, to help get out a few leaves, but from then on, we used the "fine" filter cartridges with great success. We ALWAYS take the time to disassemble the filter cartridges after each use and clean them. We then hose out the inside of the Dolphin to complete the process. Like all things electro-mechanical, normal maintenance and cleaning determine the life of the machine. The filter cartridges are held on the filter frames with 2 rotating snap clips. I think that these could be problematic in the future, but look like they would be easily replaced with a screwdriver if replacement is ever required.
Steps and Walls: Yep, try as hard as it might, the little Dolphin is just too big to clean our steps. We just use a brush on an 8' pole to sweep any debris on the steps into the bottom of the pool prior to starting the Dolphin... problem solved. I can gladly spend the minute to sweep the steps vs. the hours plus of time to manually vacuum the pool any day! Our Dolphin climbs right up the walls and runs partially out of the water to clean the pool walls.... it's like it's maaaagic! LOL!
Carrier: Our Dolphin Nautilus Plus did not come with a carrier. It does have a very sturdy built in handle that makes carrying it, and getting it out of the pool pretty easy. If you have health problems or back problems, etc. this could be a concern, but we have had no problems here. Also, I have never seen any debris fall out of the unit as I remove it from the pool.
That's about all I can think of for right now. Maybe at the end of this pool season, I will follow up with my first season Dolphin results.... stay tuned!
I hope this is of help to all thinking about buying a Dolphin. I think this is one of the best purchases I have made in years!!!! We now no longer say we are going to clean the pool with the Dolphin... we now say that we are "RELEASING THE KRACKEN!!!!" LOL! Thank you Maytronics, for allowing me to now enjoy my pool, not just spend hours and $$$ trying to keep it clean!
2020 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 Sucky still works like he did back when he first moved in, and in 6 years, we’ve never had to replace a part, or had any problems.
2022 UPDATE: thought I should check in to tell you all we are still using sucky in our pool, and sucky still does a fantastic job keeping the pool sparkling clean, fully 6 year 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!
2024 Update: still working great, not a single issue. Now 8 years of use, and works just like it did when it was new. Just a superior product.
I received my Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner a few days ago and finally got time to set it up and test it out. First off let me say that I've had a couple "automatic" pool vacuums in the past and hated them both. All they would do is get stuck in a corner and I'd end up cleaning the pool myself. But, with my wife's insistence and having read many reviews here I decided to give it a go. Starting with packing, no complaints here, it was well package and had no shipping damage and unboxing was easy. Setup and instructions: no complaints here either. Setup was a snap, plug the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner into the control box, plug the control box into the outlet and put the Robot into the pool. Whoops, missed a step, uncoil and untangle the long cord which is also easy.
Ok, so now that it's in the pool it's time to turn it on. I press the power button and rush over to the pool with full expectations of being disappointed. The Robot moved forward about 3 feet and stopped! Here we go I thought, another so called robot device I've wasted my money on. But then it started moving again so I calmed myself down and decided to be patient and watch.
I drove across the bottom of the deep end and started going op the slanted side but slipped back down. Then it backed up and tried again, this time it went up the slanted side to the straight up wall where is failed to climb and slid back down. "SIGH", On the third attempt it climbed all the way up and poked it's front out of the water, all the while the scrubber wheels were spinning and scrubbing.
I watched it for at least 20 minutes and it went back and forth at different angles until it finally found the long ramp up to the shallow end where it climbed up and down more walls before heading back to the deep end. WOW, I'm impressed, but I wanted to reserve my final opinion until after it had a chance to clean the pool, so I gave it an hour and went back to check.
WOW, my pool is clean! Except for the very corners where it can't quite get to but that's not a problem. After all it hasn't yet finished it's first cycle of cleaning.
I'm impressed, I'm no longer a "pool robot skeptic" I'm now a "pool robot believer"
Yes this is only the first cleaning cycle, yes it's the only experience I have with the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner but I'm still going to give it 5 stars. if anything notable changes I will update this review.
Yes I would recommend the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner
EDIT: 1 month Update:
Just wanted to update on how the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner has been working so far. This morning was the first time I hade to vacuum the pool manually. There were 2 corners, 1 edge of the ramp to the dee[ end and the stairs that the robot missed.....that's it. All told I spent 10 minutes cleaning up where the robot missed and my pool is spotless! This is awesome and not a complaint!
How I use it: As per the instructions, I turn it on and set it to 1 which is the 7-day operation. But, I only run it on Monday through Saturday, then I pull it out of the pool until the next Monday and start the process over. So far this works great and I only have to clean the robots filter once a week and it gets a day to dry out and rest, lol!
Cons, I guess, but not really:
I've had to untangle the cable once, It doesn't climb stairs and I still have to manually vacuum for about 10 minutes. Some will find it heavy when lift it out of the water but you don't need to do that every day.
Pros, IT CLEANS THE POOL!!! The filter is great and cleans up in minutes.
My only concern is that is becomes self aware, climbs out of the pool and attacks, LoL!
I still highly recommend the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner!
I live in Arizona, like many of the other reviewers, and I regularly have an overwhelming amount of rocks, dirt, sand and tree/plant detritus that settles at the bottom of the pool. After spending an inordinate amount of time brushing the pool, and only seeing a minor reduction in debris, I quickly decided this was not worth my time, which is very valuable, just like everyone elses. Also, I'm not a huge fan of excessive sun exposure leading to skin cancer, so that's another positive.
Additionally, I was paying a pool cleaning service and they were doing a terrible job at managing the water chemistry and keeping things clean. After firing them, I took up managing the pool to save some money. This made me quickly realize that certain tasks in the realm of pool maintenance are best automated in the interest of saving time and overall efficiency. Scrubbing the bottom of the pool is one of those things, hands-down.
In its debut run, totaling two hours, this handy little robot did what I was unable to do in two weeks, and about 1000% better. After only running for one cycle, I retrieved the unit and took out the filters to examine what was captured. I was frankly amazed with what was inside; probably a solid few pounds of sand, dirt and other types of debris that had settled at the bottom of the pool, most of which I have not even seen. I was beyond pleased.
One of the other concerns prior to its initial cycle was whether or not the stock filters would be capable of gathering the fine dust particles that exist out here in the desert. From my experience, the stock filters do a phenomenal job, and I have yet to find a reason to get the fine filters. That's just my experience.
Removing and cleaning the filters is a breeze. You pop them out, detach the filter panels, spray them down in an area where you don't mind some water and dirt getting, and you're done.
If you are elderly or otherwise physically incapacitated, this unit may be a little difficult to wrangle from the water or carry around. If you are otherwise physically capable and not elderly, you should have no problem carting this around by hand. It really doesn't weigh much, and frankly, I don't see the purpose in having it on a caddy. I kept the plastic bag it was wrapped in from the original packaging to put it back inside of after use, and that seems to work really well.
Like any other appliance you would like to have last for a while, you should take care of it, and leave it in a place where it is unlikely to be harmed by the elements. That means not leaving it in direct sunlight, or in areas where nature will be able to take advantage of it. If you have a shed or a garage, that will work just fine.
Lastly, I have a free-form pool with some interesting twists and turns in the design with several variable depths and steps. This unit did happen to struggle at random locations, but it was nothing serious to note, and it was able to correct itself without stalling at any one location. This will get nicks and scrapes as it attempts to navigate your pool, so I wouldn't get too hung up on it looking perfect. It's not a Maserati that you're driving to a dinner party, it's a robot designed to suck debris off the bottom of your pool. Set your expectations accordingly.
Overall, extremely pleased. In my opinion, the unit has already paid for itself in its first run. I am excited to bust this out in the future and watch it do all the hard work while I sit back in the shade and sip on a beer.
Getting going was pretty easy. Could this have used a better user manual? Sure, but I had it up and running in about 30 mins. I wasn't sure how to "diagonalize" the float handle out of the box (see below) but just tried it at max diag. The controls (on the app) for setting a cycle, monitoring progress, etc. are fairly simple to use, and complete enough for everything I need to do. It is true that the "drive by app" feature isn't great -- it has a 2 second lag between command and actuation, but once you know that, you can get it to the place you want to go if you have a tough spot you want to hit manually. And you can start it from anywhere using your phone once it is tied into your WiFi, I start mine from the grocery store or wherever.
In terms of cleaning, this thing is really pretty excellent, honestly my pool has never looked so good with so little effort, and this in the dead of winter when my pool is typically full of leaves, twigs, dirt, and other assorted muck. This robot has probably saved me about 2-3 hours per week (if not more) of sweeping and vacuuming my pool, which is a 25K gallon in-ground rectangle with some curve-y sides. the 2.5 hour cycle I have been running once every other day or once per day when I think about it and that seems to cover the entire thing.
The robot climbs walls pretty effectively and does wall cleaning. There are adjustments for the "float handle" for putting that in place to make the robot either "stay high" on the walls for extended time or not. I have put it on the highest setting, and it seems to "crawl" along the water line (cleaning as it goes) for about 2-6 feet on this setting. But most of the time it spends on the floor of the pool with forays up walls. I think that makes sense.
A couple of points on cleaning (pros):
* Both sets of filters seem to pick up fine dirt/sand (which I have a lot of) and I can't tell much of a difference.
* Leaves-twigs-etc -- gets all of that stuff no prob
* Cleaning the filters -- really simple, easy, takes 3-5 mins every few days. Way way easier than I used to do (pole-mounted vacuum, cleaning the sock filter a pain). I could probably clean these filters once a week or two, but I get a lot of stuff in my pool so I've been playing it safe
* Goes over raised drain covers no problem. I was considering the cheaper Dolphin Sigma model but there were some comments that that model would get stuck on top of the covers. I wasn't sure if this model would have the same problem, but it doesn't -- goes right over them.
* It also climbs curved concave and convex walls. This surprised me, I thought the laws of physics would preclude a concave wall climb, but somehow it has enough traction/suction to do just that. Nifty.
Balanced issues (cons):
* The robot will climb up steps (especially the deeper ones that are more "table-like") and clean those. But not very often and not consistently every cycle. I find I have to sweep some fine grit off the steps about once every week or two
* Does the robot get "stuck" sometimes? Yes, I have one particular notch area in my pool where it will get itself jammed (lightly) in that notch and not be able to back out on its own. I'd say this happens once every 4 or 5 cycles, and I just gently pull it by the cable back away from that area and it goes back to cleaning the rest of the pool.
Unknowns:
* Can you really leave it in the pool for extended periods of time? I have left mine in so far for about a week at a time, but I'm not sure still if this will cause any long term harm. I try to take it out of the water for a "rest" a couple of days at a time once a week. Not sure if that is a good idea or a waste of time.
I just hope this thing lasts. If I can get at least 18-24 months about of it, will be a huge win.
Our full pool maintenance consists of running the Dolphin a couple hours a day, cleaning and emptying the traps, and skimming the top of the pool prior to swimming. The Dolphin saves so much time and relieves the strain of so much of what it captures going into your pools filtration system, because it has its own filter.
All of this being said, I do think that our particular unit happened to be a “lemon”, but no matter- please read on.
The unit comes with a 2 year warranty. About one year in, my power supply stopped working. I wasn’t sure of the cause, but because it had been exposed to some rain I did not file a warranty claim or try to get Maytronics to replace it. I am reasonably sure that it was not the rain that caused my issue as the unit was flashing and acting strangely in the weeks prior. This was all about one year in. I bought a replacement power supply for $150 and moved on with life.
Fast forward to two years and two months in (only a couple of weeks ago), the unit started to stall and power off after about 5 minutes. The power station would not allow me to set the timer. I could tell something was wrong with the unit, but I was two months out of warranty. I researched and found a local pool store that was an authorized repair facility and took the unit in to them. They had it a day and informed me that the unit needed a new central computer and that the cost to have it repaired was $500.
For that price, I decided I would just invest in a new machine. I started to research. I decided the next morning to call Maytronics and see if they would offer a voucher or any assistance or discounts towards a new unit because of the experience I had with this unit just two months out of warranty. I expected nothing, but I had also decided that if Maytronics wasn’t willing to do something to retain me as a customer that I would try another brand like Hayward or Polaris on the next go around.
Much to my surprise my call was answered promptly by a real person. I explained my situation in full and after a brief hold the support person gave me instructions to ship the unit to a repair facility here in Illinois. I shipped the unit on Saturday morning and it was returned to me in complete working order the following Wednesday working like brand new.
I am so happy! I think if you can get 4 or 5 seasons out of one of these units, thats reasonable. Only two would be unacceptable to me. These things are in the water a lot bumping around in your pool and it’s only natural that they are going to wear out, but I can tell you that if I get a couple more years out of mine after this repair I will be back to Maytronics on my next unit. After talking to my local shop I didn’t think getting mine repaired was going to be an option. Their company did the right thing by taking care of me and I will be a good customer now who refers others.
It is rare that I feel strongly enough about a product to write a review at all- good or bad. This has been a great experience.
If you want the longer version of my experience with it read on.
I purchased this cleaner in late 2018 and was able to get about 3.5 years use out of it. The first couple of years I was more careful about not leaving it in the pool for more than a day at a time of cleaning then take it out for a few days or until the pool needed cleaned again. But as laziness kicked in and it started spending more and more nights in the pool which led to weeks at a time.
After about 3.5 years, it started exhibiting problems picking up all the debris. After a few weeks of turning it on everyday to pick up what it missed the previous run, it finally just died. The lights on the control panel would flash 4 times and then stay on, but the robot wouldn't move or show any signs of life.
I contacted Asurion about the extended warranty and was told to take it to a local pool store for diagnosis. The local store said it needed a new motor, power supply and cable, and that these parts are not available from the manufacturer. So after letting Asurion know about this, they just needed documentation from the pool store stating what the problem was and why they could not fix it. After I provided this info, they mailed me a check for the original purchase price of the robot!
After much research this year (2022), I have decided to repurchase the same robot only with the wifi feature and extended warranty. It consistently shows up as a top pick for robotic cleaners everywhere I look. Comparable models cost much more than this and the added features for the extra cost just isn't enough to justify. The wifi version of this at this time is only $30 more so I jumped on it instead of the non-wifi version. With my past experience I believe it will last longer than the previous one as long as I don't get lazy and leave it in the pool for long periods of time again, but regardless I have the extended warranty to cover it if it does break within the first 5 years which I highly recommend.
If you made it this far, congratulations! I hope this review helps.
Power supply stopped working today. I contacted Maytronics and they shipped me a preplacement immediately.
All in all, I'm starting to like this company. Yes, I've had a couple of issues, but Maytronics customer service has really come through for me. I honestly think at this point it would be unfair to give them anything less than 5 stars. I'm very impressed.
I'd also like to state that out of the previous 3 pool robots I've owned, this model, by far, is the absolute best. It's still performing like a new machine and my pool stays spotless with a standard cleaning cycle every 3 days.
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Update (8/12/22)
Okay...First of all, apologies for not posting a follow-up to this review. I honestly had forgotten that I ever posted it. Sorry folks.
After a couple of days of troubleshooting, I discovered the solution to my problem. Apparently my WiFi password was too long, (42 characters). After reducing it to 32, my Maytronics robot was suddenly able to talk to my network. Yes, I know 42 characters is an unusually long password, but in my defense, my other 30 or so wireless clients had no issues with it. If this limitation is documented in the manual, I couldn't find it. The app was no help either.
So after a very rocky start, my robot has been performing exceptionally well for the last 2 years. Only maintenance has been the replacement of the climbing rings once a year. I'm almost due for new screens soon, but not quite there yet. Minor niggles would be the cord - After a 2.5hr run I have a twist or two that need tending. I also still have to brush my top step occasionally. Not big problems, but worth mentioning.
All in all, I'm very pleased with my purchase and would have given it 5 stars without the WiFi hassle. Consider my 4 stars a solid 4.5.
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ORGINAL REVIEW:
My unit will not connect to WIFI. I tried different access points and tried Android and Apple apps to try and finish the setup, but it will not connect. I called customer service and was on hold for 45 minutes. When the nice lady answered the phone and I explained what the problem was, she asked for my serial number and email address and said that she would send me a "troubleshooting tips" email so we can determine the problem. I was then put back on hold and several minutes later, I was disconnected. I called back and waited an hour on hold before giving up. (I was probably too angry at that point to carry on productive conversation anyway.)
My only recourse now is to wait and see if they answer my tech support request that I submitted through their website, take a vacation day and call back again or try and set up an exchange through Amazon.
The cleaner itself works great, but if you can't use the app, then you can't control the robot AT ALL. I honestly don't care about being able to steer the thing or anything fancy like that, I just want the robot to run on a schedule. Problem is, is that ALL the features are ONLY available through the app, which includes a simple cleaning schedule. There are no controls on the power supply whatsoever - just an on/off button, that's it. I don't want to come off as petty about my expectations of this product, but comon! - $1500 pool robots should not be having these issues. And locking every single control feature to an app without a backup method is just plain dumb. I should at least be able to have some fundamental control through bluetooth, (which connects fine, BTW), but apparently this robot needs to contact the mothership through WIFI before you can do anything with it. As for the handy "troubleshooting tips" email, it never arrived. I'm very disappointed with Maytronics.
When we first purchased our very own IRL Money Pit, we were in love with the pool. Boy were we wearing our rose colored sunglasses! This pool was possessed and had a hunger for money. After we retrieved over 200 bags of leaves from the belly of the beast we bought a top of the line Dolphin vacuum. Picture any seaside surf shop style pullover nylon jacket of the 80's and that was the color of our 1,700 dollar pool vacuum. More than a number of my vehicles! It worked. It was cumbersome to clean out but it was the early 2000's and we were young first time pool owners.
Cut to years later and the vacuum dies, we aren't living the DINK lifestyle anymore. We thought we could eek through to the next time we had a service come out to check the water and clean it. This year had been the worst. From cottonwood trees to an abundance of whirlygigs, the countless leaves and the ultimate, a F2 tornado blew into our yard taking 80 hickories with in and deposited quite a serving to our voracious pool. Hours with the hot sun baking me more and more I broke down on Prime Day and got this midrange vacuum.
I was fearful that I would be bringing a never able to be fully dried cumbersome shaped vacuum to the back of Kohl's to be returned but to my SHOCK. This Dolphin is a powerhouse! Up and down the walls with ease. The pool is a 20 x 20 x 20 with roman corners and a 10 foot deep end. Not one time did it get stuck. No missed spots or problem areas. It was showcasing all the best qualities. Ease of cleaning, you betcha! The dual containment filters come in and out with no effort at all. Rinse all the ultra fine to bulky debris out with your hose and you're ready to run again.
With a heavy load, it cleared the bottom and sides nearly with only 3 cycles. The 4th one is running as I type. OH...(yep, the GenX ellipsis) you can even control it on an app. I was able to get it set up but still working on the WIFI perspective. A tornado side effect.
I am blown away! I am not a sponsored review or benefiting in any way. Just an honest, down to Earth, rambling review. If I was a spunky tiktok influencer, I'd refer you to my links but just order one for yourself today. You'll be the next to write a rambler!
I currently have a large 27,000 gallon in-ground, vinyl liner "True L" shaped pool with a large 3.5' shallow end, 8' deep end, and 6-inch corners (these are fairly sharp corners). I have only used the standard vacuum type that comes standard with pools so far - a hose that attaches to the pool filter via suction and then the standard stick and vacuum end, I have not purchased or used an aftermarket pool vacuum or automatic pool vacuum in the past. I purchased a "Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Automatic Robotic Pool Cleaner with Easy to Clean Large Top Load Filter Cartridges and Tangle-Free Swivel Cord, Ideal for In-ground Swimming Pools up to 50 Feet" in May 2020 on Amazon for $779. I purchased it based on the overwhelming number of positive reviews, its relative price-to-value, and the ability for me to have it serviced in-town, if needed.
Out of the Box:
Just a few parts - the vacuum unit and chord, power supply unit, and a set of extra fine filters and clips in a reusable bag. I plugged it in...nothing. Tried another outlet...nothing. Finally after troubleshooting everything I called Maytronics directly. They indicated this was not common, but did happen on occasion right out of the box. With a pretty easy 10-15 minutes on the phone, the serial number from the unit and my address, they had a new power supply shipped to me which arrived the following week (took about 4 business days). This one worked fine so I plugged it in and the vacuum started right up.
Using the Vacuum:
My pool is large (see size above) and was not covered for the winter as the patio had not been done yet in the prior season. As a result, it was pretty bad - algae covered surfaces, fine dust/dirt everywhere, small rocks from the patio underlay that had kicked into the pool over the winter, leaves, and just plain goop from decayed leaves and whatnot. The vacuum was unable to scrub the algae effectively after several passes with the exception of the foam part of the wheels/treads, so I had to use my manual brush to loosen the algae up. This caused the fine particles to go into solution in the water, which greatly clouded up the pool. Over the next few days I ran the vacuum repeatedly, emptying and cleaning it out completely and thoroughly between each cycle - which was quite a bit of dirt and leaves each time and nice because I personally could not see the bottom and would not have been able to manually vacuum it. During this time the particulate slowly settled to the bottom, and finally I switched to the finer filters. This really got the job done, and now it is crystal clear. With no more leaves or large dirt items, I am running it every few days using the fine filters simply as maintenance.
Overall Conclusions:
I am pretty satisfied with this overall. It does effectively clean the pool without me having to do anything other than put it in the water and then clean the filters (and apparently scrub hard to get algae, which should be rare). Importantly, it does not use the pool's filter, so when it collects dirt and whatnot it is then fully removed from the pool without getting cycled back through or clogging up the pool filter requiring constant back washing. I think this is a very important aspect of a good automatic pool cleaner. My only comment from a functionality perspective is the inability to control the vacuum manually. While this is not 100% necessary, I have noticed that the dirt collects in specific areas, and due to the size of my pool I have to run the vacuum through its full cycle once or twice to catch all those areas. With that being said, comparing the price for similarly-rated models the cost for that feature was so much greater I chose not to go that direction. I rated it a 4/5 Overall based on the bad power supply out of the box, need to run a few passes sometimes, its inability to be controlled manually, and fact that I have not owned it long enough to comment on (or rate) reliability. However, it is definitely a product I would recommend based on my experience so far.
Hope this helps!
It does a very good job of cleaning the bottom and sides, with about 95% coverage in a 2 hr run. It also does quite well cleaning the waterline on both the shallow (3') and deep (7') ends, in 10-12 ft intervals, when using the standard "fine" filters. It's significantly more effective than the suction-side pool vacs I've used in the past (particularly for the sides), and greatly reduces (but does not eliminate) the need to backwash the primary sand filter. Its screen-like internal filters are well designed, have a large capacity, and are easy to clean.
The standard filters do not trap the finest dirt which may accumulate over time on the bottom, however. To get this, I use a set of the "ultrafine" pleated filters (purchased separately) that look similar to HVAC air filters. These work well for cleaning up the fine stuff, but apparently reduce the water flow sufficiently that the vacuum can no longer clean the waterline (which may be why Maytronics disavows this ability). Therefore I use the "ultrafine" filters only occasionally.
The main problem I have with this vacuum is that it does not handle the (10"x12") stairs well. It can climb them, but is too large (about 16" square) to find a stable position on them with adequate traction. It frequently gets stuck in one position for a minute or more (I've timed it up to 2.5 min), running its traction belts fruitlessly. When it does get free, it often seems to recognize there was a problem, and returns to the steps immediately, sometimes getting stuck again. This wastes a disproportionate amount of time, not to mention the additional wear and tear on the plaster and the robot. Consequently, I feel I need to check on it periodically while it's running in order to free it when it gets badly stuck. I'd much rather have it ignore the stairs entirely.
A second problem is that the two corners on the left side of the plastic housing scrape against the pool walls and stairs, leaving dark brown streaks on the plaster that are difficult to remove even with a wire brush. This abrasion is also wearing the housing down. I have started placing white waterproof adhesive tape on these corners prior to each use, which somewhat reduces the abrasive effects. It's annoying to have to do this. The right side corners do have rubber bumpers attached that prevent their scraping the wall. I suspect this may be because it tends to use its right side against the coping when cleaning the tiles. I don't see why the left side should not have similar bumpers.
On the whole this is an effective, time-saving robotic vacuum with room for improvement.
I finally took the plunge and I am super happy I did! We have 3 big dogs that love to swim! We also expanded out fence, so we unfortunately have a lot of dirt in our yard right now with the missing grass areas so the dogs walk through the dirt and the go in the pool…drives me INSANE!
We had hand vacuuming our pool constantly and as we all know, that wastes a TON of water! I was about ready last season to just close the pool because I could not keep it clean!
Well, I figured before I just kept the damn pool closed indefinitely, that I’d open it and buy a pool cleaner and see if that made any difference. Boy was I happy I did!
As suggested, I bought the filters for fine particles to make sure it would get the tiny debris and dirt at the bottom. I run it usually twice a day and clean it just about every 2 days. This is a power house! My deep end is 9 feet deep and my shallow end is 3 feet. It has no problem going up and down walls and the floor.
The only issue that I have is:
It does a crappy job cleaning the corners and area where the sides of the pool meet the bottom of the pool. I constantly have to brush those areas into the middle so the vacuum picks it up. Also, when you need to take the cleaner out, I found you have to pull it out super quick otherwise the debris has a tendency to run out with the water. Ideally, I’d like to be able to lift up the vacuum and let all the pool water run out before I lift the whole thing out, but unfortunately it tends to dump some of the debris back in. Finally, it’s kinda heavy. It’s hard to be able to pull it out without pulling the cord. You really need an s hook or something to help you grab it from the water. If I’m not mistaken, I think there is thing you can buy separately.
Overall, this is very worth the money! We’ve been using it several months now and I’m extremely happy with it!
The Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus captures fine particles like pollen better than any cleaner I’ve tried. However, the design of the filter bin is frustrating. It requires frequent disassembly and spraying down to fully clean, which feels like a weak point that could lead to breakage and future repair costs. There is also no surface summon feature, so you have to manually pull it up by the cable and reach into the pool.
The Polaris VRX iQ+ has a much larger debris bin and is far easier to maintain. The filter basket pops right out with no disassembly. It also includes a surface retrieval feature which saves you from having to reach into the water. The Polaris also comes with a very convenient caddy stand that holds both the cleaner and the control box securely. In comparison, the Dolphin’s control box just sits awkwardly on the ground near the pool, which worries me that it could get bumped or knocked into the water.
In my experience, my Polaris lasted four years before I replaced it with the Dolphin, primarily due to the lower price of the Dolphin at the time. The durability of Polaris was excellent.
As for the Wi-Fi features on both: they sound nice but aren’t really useful. You still have to manually place the cleaner into the pool, so scheduling or remote start doesn’t save any real trips. The notification when the cleaning is done isn’t practical either. I just go out when I’m ready.
Bottom line:
• If you want the absolute best fine debris cleaning and are OK with more maintenance effort (and possible repair costs later), the Dolphin is a solid choice
• If you value convenience, durability, and ease of maintenance, the Polaris is better despite the higher price
Both are strong performers for different priorities.
Okay Frank the Tank’s is in the special forces of pool cleaners. My pool gets carpet bombed with leaves and acorns from three live oaks on three side of the pool. His duty order is extreme…. And he breaks. However, Franks’s designers are not greedy men who hate mankind that make parts irreplaceable or too challenging to fix. Nope this machine was developed by real human beings with souls….. unlike Polaris.
I was repairing Frank’s treads after a long tour of duty where he came out of the field of combat wounded. I commend Frank for his valor and courage because many Polaris cleaners have died on the field of battle in my pool. In the process of taking the rollers off I heard a “snap”! I dreaded what I was about to see. I had broken the axel holder. I was devastated. I went through all the cycle of grief, anger, disbelief, self loathing, etc. I thought it was over with because it was the frame that had broken… the single largest piece of the unit. If it were Polaris I would be digging a hole and playing taps while awarding Frank the Medal of Honor posthumously. I went on line and found an official replacement chassis for $45!!!! Including shipping. The package arrived and in moments I had Franks guts out of his old body and in a new one. Eight screws hold this machine together!!!! I shouted “It’s alive!!!!” Like Frankenstein and dropped Frank in the pool for another tour of duty…..
Thank you Maytronics for making products that normal people can and afford to fix themselves. Great company…. Great product.
If you are saying to your self “but it broke… why is he so happy?” It’s because you haven’t owned a pool long enough. Everything in pools break… they are living proof or entropy.
If you have ever had a Pol@ris, which I have had three you will understand that product is the definition of insanity. It doesn’t clean the pool, it breaks constantly and repair parts are crazy expensive and 90% of the time you find it knotted up in a ball around the water return in the corner of your pool. To say Pol@ris pissed me off is an understatement. Think Office Space and the printer, same level of love.
So I research and think “Hey why not try a robot?” Just received it. Super simple, drop it in the water, plug it in and hit the power button. I am skeptical, so I literally watch it for two hours. “Holy shiz.... this thing is actually cleaning my pool! Like not just a few sweeps, it’s climbing the stairs, it’s sucking the algae off the walls, it scrubbing the scum line.
I am immediately filled with the regret of literally thousands of dollars thrown at Pol@ris over the last 10 years.
I sure hope this little honey keeps working, cuz it’s amazing.
We named it Frank the Tank... a legend.
Update: 9/13/2020
Have had this cleaner in the pool now for five months or so. Love it! I do not scrub the pool sides at all anymore. I only push leaves off the steps with the brush and that is the extend of my pool cleaning chores. I will admit taking it in out of the pool kinda sucks, but it actually cleans the pool... like really cleans it. The baskets fill pretty quickly so you will be cleaning them multiple times a week in spring and fall. This is true with any cleaner... but unlike Pol@ris products... this cleans.
No more knotted up pressure side cleaner that only served to drain my bank account and raise by blood pressure.
You will not be disappointed with this product. However, if you want “no touch”... hire a pool man.
Pros:
* Cleans a lot more areas such as the waterline and steps
* The cord doesn't get tangled (so far)
* Can run daily without intervention
* No vacuum hose
Cons:
* It does consistently get stuck on the steps
* It is heavier than its predecessor
* The baskets are annoying to clean out (but also can be a plus see notes below)
I do love the Nautilus CC Plus vacuum and I think it is well worth the investment. Since we upgraded to the "Plus" version our tiles have remained clean with little effort on our part. My husband said he could tell a big difference when brushing the pool, the steps have little dirt compared to previously.
The cord! I can't say enough about the cord. The previous version did not have a swivel cord and after a year of use, it was similar to the old telephone cords that would get so tangled you had to try to dangle the phone to let it spin to untangle. Unfortunately, you can't dangle the cleaner to do the same, so no matter how much I tried the cord would just tangle back up in a day. With the "Plus" version it comes with a swivel cord and while you may see large circles of the cord in the pool it does not get tangled and can do its job. This earns major points in my book.
My con's are not enough for me not to recommend this pool vacuum. The biggest issue is that it does get stuck on my steps about 80% of the time. It just manages to get at an angle that the brushes/wheels just spin and can't grab anything to make it move. Usually, it is so close to the surface that when it is stuck it is very noticeable because the water shooting from the top (which is designed to push it against the floor and walls) is like a waterfall sound. Due to it getting stuck often, I run it during the morning before I go to work so I can listen to it and redirect it when it happens.
I mentioned the baskets were annoying to clean. This is compared to the previous version and it is a + and -. There are two thin baskets to clean. You have to take a part the basket in order to remove the debris which if that is all you want to do is a little annoying. However, if you want to fully clean the basket, hose it down, etc. the fact that it comes apart makes it much easier to run under a hose and remove all the debris.
It may be heavier than the previous version but that may be why it works so much better. The fact that it climbs up the wall and rides the waterline, cleans the steps (even if it gets stuck), and has a swivel cord so it doesn't get tangled makes it a great product.
I do wish I would have purchased the version that can be controlled by the app but at the time of purchase, it was $100 more. At the time I'm writing this review the app version is the same price I paid so I missed out on that. Next upgrade I will include the version controlled by the app for added ease of use.
The robot itself is easy to work and easy to clean out. The added caddy is a great way to store it, and keep the cord untangled and ready for use. That’s about where it ends.
The reason I paid so much more this unit compared to others was the ability to remote control the device and target specific areas of the pool as needed. I have a great pool with awesome water movement, so leaves tend to settle in very specific areas. I’d rather not wait a few hours to hope it drives over that area to get them sucked up.
The app still has not been able to connect to the unit. Customer service in the US is a joke. I was told there’s a problem with the app so just wait a while and keep trying. Basically I take this as let’s wait until the return policy is expired and then you’re stuck with it. I was given troubleshooting steps that aren’t even options on this unit, frustrating as ever.
For a unit that does manual only random cleaning it’s great, but if it doesn’t have the feature that’s advertised making it worth the extra several hundred dollars it costs, I might as well buy a cheaper unit that does the same thing.
The seller was great, it shipped fast and came in with no delay and no visible damage. The unit does suck up leaves and it does get all the way up the walls. It did drive up the stairs out of the water , but it was able drive back down in lot the water and that by itself is rather impressive.
If you are like me and wanted the remote control feature with the WiFi linking to clean the pool on demand. Don’t waste your money. But if you want really cool robot that does clean up stuff and you want to pay several hundred dollars more than the others so you can brag about spending so much, then this one is for you.
**update**. Great support when you send a message via email to the customer center. I got nowhere with calling the US based support but got an immediate response from the email support team. Found my problem to be a faulty unit and they dispatched a replacement quickly. The app immediately connected with the replacement and all works fine. I will say the unit does work as advertised though the manual drive feature is not nearly as easy or useful as thought to be. It does allow me to at least guide the unit in the direction I’d like allowing me to get it into the ground or spots. I would recommend the unit given the ease of cleaning the unit and the great support by the manufacturer. If you are US based, I would recommend you not waste your time calling the US number for support, just send an email and get to the real support team. Not sure yet if the unit is much different from other units for a lower price, but the ability to schedule cleanings and start a cleaning cycle via the app even when I’m not home is useful. I like being able to jump online and kick off a cleaning cycle before getting home so it’s ready to swim shortly after getting home after a trip is handy.
I have been eyeballing this vacuum for a while because of all of its positive reviews so I finally pulled the trigger. I cannot state enough about how impressed I am with this pool vacuum.
Our pool was installed a little over three years ago and had already begun to have discoloration at the bottom of the pool. I assume that this was due to maybe some poor pool chemical balances that I was learning at the time that may have messed up the finish. Turns out all that needed was to ve vacuumed very well that, my previous vacuum was absolutely not able to do.
After a single two hour run, it cleaned EVERYTHING I thought was permanent discoloration. When I pulled it out of the water and cleaned the filter I noticed it had a ton of debris that was from the initial installation process that this vacuum was able to remove over three years later in one single pass.
There was only one occasion where it got stuck and I had to move it. Otherwise I would watch it unstick itself and it would 99% of the time. Just something to be cognizant of.
The first two pictures I have attached are from before, and the second two are from after. This vacuum is 100% worth the money.
DOWNINGTOWN, PA. I sent it via UPS Ground on a Friday and received it back that Tuesday—4 days later! O’Neil and Sons had replaced the power cable and shipped it back immediately. My 2 year old Dolphin is as good as new, and one year of the 3-year warranty remains. A satisfied customer, I’m grateful that this considerable purchase was supported by the company behind it. It’s time like these that I know I’ll be loyal to a company like Maytronics. Thank you!
Using a steel brush and triple shocking I managed to eventually eliminate the black algae and more pool finish! In the early days it would pick up to 4-5 pounds of pebbles a week, less and less as time progressed. Now my pool filtrates as it should, no pebbles in the main filter. I only need to clean the filters once a week. Black algae has never returned. The pool still looks good, the only way one can tell theirs a problem is by running their hands on the surface or being in the pool, feels a bit rough on the feet.
Wall climbing: Compared to a Hayward Navigator and generic creepy crawler this unit attaches to the walls much better. It uses a jet of water ejected from the top to keep itself attached. It’s quiet, it can unnerving at first listening to it come out of the water to go across the pool wall edge.
Detangler mechanism: For it work right the cable slack needs to be secured, as the detangler mechanism needs some resistance from the cable for it to spin. If the cable slack is not secured it will slowly feed more and more cable into the water. Instead of detangling it will end up tangled all in the pool.
Stairs: On my pool, it may get stuck on a stair only when the pool water levels are low (14 ½ “ from stair bottom to water level, normal level 17 “) . Otherwise if I stare at it, it may appear to get stuck on a stair for a bit, but it does a good of eventually getting out on it’s own. None of my suction cleaners ever climbed stairs.
Maintenance: After 2.3 years I performed my first maintenance, spent $100+ to replace the belts and gears. The absolute worse thing about this unit is the climbing rings. The climbing rings are four sponge rings that need to be replaced less than once a year. The part is very expensive for a piece of sponge that’s very inexpensive to produce. I never replaced mines. My unit climbs and sticks to walls fine without the climbing rings. As the belt wears it will start to come off the track. As it wears more it will come off the track more often. If one belt feels looser than the other, the bearings are the issue, replace the gears immediately. The unit is easy to maintain. The slick looking plastic exterial at purchase is now completely dulled out due to the hot sun. If I run my hand along the part of electrical cord that is mainly in the water, tiny bits come off into my hand.
Filter: To avoid breaking the bottom plastic pieces on the filters when removing, pull slightly out and up, not side ways.
Your unit is not broken! The power cycle time on the timer runs longer than needed for the unit to complete it’s cycle. Henceforth if you see power still being sent from the timer, but the unit isn’t moving, it’s cause it completed its cycle, not because of some other fault.
And this wire DOES NOT TANGLE.
If wire tangles, the cleaner stays in one spot, and you have to baby sit - its not cleaning your pool.
Free Caddy Cover:
UPDATE: “5 STARS” RECEIVED THE CADDY COVER FROM MAYTRONICS
4 stars because Amazon has a detail that a free caddy cover would be sent if caddy is purchased. And this statement was the last push towards the purchase of this model.
No caddy cover arrived.
This must be an Amazon - Superstore disconnect.
Backyardsupertore Customer Service via Email and Amazon site:
Currently, in contact with Backyardsuperstore. They have advised they will send - will update if that’s the case.
Pool cleaning performance:
Also, used the cleaner first day and the pool was crystal clear. See second day video. Placed fine filter in cleaner and it’s suction of fine particles did the job.
App:
Had an issue with the app as (we found out later - with Customer Service assistance) the manual Instructions were one step ahead of the app in that the manual (skipped a step) and indicated the cleaner would pop up on app for the user to connect cleaner to app but it did not.
Maytronics (pool cleaner) Customer Service:
Instead, I waited (for the picture of cleaner to pop up on app - it did not) then called customer service (Maytronics) took a very long while after saying “waiting time is over 2 minutes.” The wait was far past 2 minutes.
Make sure to have time in case the wait time is over “2 minutes.” Have about 30+ minutes.
Either way, finally, the rep was very knowledgeable and helpful.
Figured out we had to press the “Ok, Next” (which had dark lettering on app - was expecting for this lettering to brighten up once picture of cleaner popped on app screen to select it.
Manual instruction did not have this instruction.
Instead, it said select cleaner when on screen.
This step (cleaner on screen) occurs after you press “Ok, Next” when progressing from connecting power supply and cleaner, and placing cleaner in pool.
So far recommend this cleaner - haven’t had to manually vacuum pool but this is day 2 of ownership.
AS INFO. On first day, after a 3.5 hour Ultra clean cycle, the (salt pool) PPMs went from 3100 to 3300 ppm with no salt being added.
I’ve had it for three days and it definitely exceeds expectations. It took less than 10 minutes to unpack, set and program the timer, and get started cleaning.
After running 1 cycle each day I am surprised by how much of the pool it cleans. It gets 100% of the pool floor, about 90% of the walls, 60% of the waterline and about half the steps and ledge. There are a few places where I think it’s about to get stuck, but it always works its way out. Our pool is very irregularly shaped and considering that I was expecting no waterline and step cleaning, this is just amazing!
I am glad we went with the corded and not the cordless because I like being able to drop it in and set the schedule and not worry about having to charge it. The cord has not ever gotten tangled and is no big deal.
I have been using the included fine filters and am going to switch to the ultra fine because it is leaving behind a bit of fine dust and pollen. I kind of think the ultra fine should have been included, but that’s my only complaint.
Overall this works great and I wish I had purchased it years ago.
My pool is gunite with a StoneScapes pebble finish. It has a spa built in as well. I am putting this out there for those of you with a similar pool will have some idea as to how this vac will perform in your pool.
This vac has worked far better than my old SharkVac. It picks up fine soils and leaves with ease. The Shark was good at cleaning soils but so-so at picking up leaves. The Shark would get high centered on the return covers on the bottom of the pool every time I used it. I have the raised safety return covers. The Dolphin hasn't been stuck on the covers ever. The filter covers are very ease to open to remove the filters, unlike the Shark that I had to fight to open every time. There are some reviews that state that this vac is heavy, but it is lighter than my Shark, so no complaints from me about the weight. The filter cartridges are very easy to remove, disassemble and clean. Unlike the Shark. The Shark had hinged doors on the bottom that were supposed to prevent back flow and would constantly get stuff jammed in them and would get stuck open causing debris to flow back out when I pulled it out of the pool. The Dolphin uses a thick cloth backflow preventer that works much better.
This vac and my old vac are too big to be useful in cleaning the spa, so I had to buy a small pole mount vac for that. I bought the POOL BLASTER Catfish Ultra Rechargeable for the spa. (Works great)
The Dolphin is a few hundred bucks cheaper than the Shark. The Dolphin is an even better deal now. It is a hundred bucks cheaper than when I bought mine.
Overall this vac is far superior to the old vac and I would buy it again if I needed another one.
UPDATE 17 Dec 2024,
The Dolphin is still working great after a year and a half. The power supply failed a few months ago. I called Dolphin customer service and after a brief chat they agreed to send a new power supply out under warranty. I got it a week later and everything has been working fine since. Kudos to Dolphin CS for taking care of the issue right away.
It does exactly what it is supposed to do: cleans the pool! Got hung up on my drop in stairs once, but after manually freeing it, have had no issues.
THE STUFF I LIKE:
Fire and forget! It just works!
The caddy is great. Worth the extra $$ if you don't get it included in a combo deal.
Unlike most cleaners, including my old Dolphin, when you pull it out of the pool, it doesn't dump a
bunch of its collected trash back in via the collection ports. This is a big deal to me.
The filters are very fine, and I haven't had any issues with ultra small debris being left in the pool.
It does a full cycle pretty quick. I've only needed to re-run once so far, just to hit a couple of missed spots.
It seems to handle walls very well - not my main concern - but it almost comes out of the pool sometimes. The dog is very leery of it!
WHAT COULD BE BETTER:
There are 2 separate filter units to clean. Not a big deal, but I would have liked one big basket.
The cord is still annoying, but I don't think the cordless cleaners are quite there yet. Also, with the caddy, it's easy to loop it up and roll the whole thing away from the pool when not in use. Another plus here is that you don't have to use a hook to retrieve robot when its done, unlike the cordless units.
The filters seem a little delicate, but I think if you treat them gently while cleaning, they will last. Anyway, I plan to get another set as backup just in case.
Overall, this robot exceeded my expectations for cleaning. I would probably go with the non-WiFi version just for the cost difference, as I don't see a big advantage to the connectivity.
Pros:
Low energy use (this is what drove our purchase, I calculated a 2 year payback over running the Polaris pressure pump and our energy bills definitely dropped when we switched to the Nautilus plus a variable-speed main pump)
Quiet, no external pump noise
VERY good at removing fine debris and leaves (won't handle big stuff like palm fronds, nor would I expect it to)
Easy to clean
It's nice to have the coarser filters for spring/fall cleanup and the fine pleated filters for the swim season
As stated above, zero need for replacement parts or maintenance beyond cleaning so far
Cons:
Needs an electrical outlet near the pool which could be a deal breaker for some applications. Fortunately we have a shed with power available five feet away and I wired up a dedicated outlet myself.
The cable runs from the controller across the concrete walkway to the pool, could cause a trip (but hasn't so far)
It's a vacuum cleaner, it doesn't really 'scrub' the pool walls. Occasional brushing is still needed, especially if any algae has grown
The price has gone up by 25% since we bought ours.
Parts, should they be needed, are available but not cheap.
The version we have has no real programmability. It starts when you push the button, runs for two hours, shuts down, and restarts at the same time every day (or every 2 or 3 days) for a week, then shuts down. Gone for a two week trip? Sorry, it won't run for the second week. Want to coordinate the cleaner run time with the main filter? Better be at the pool at the moment you want to cycle to start. Would an internal clock and programmable start time have been so hard to do? A $30 sprinkler timer has better controls. The new WiFi version looks keen, but the price is far higher so I can live with what we have. *This is why I knocked off one star.*
A raccoon(?) apparently dragged the cable out of the pool one night and chewed on it. It left toothmarks but did no real damage and the cable is still in use. A big dog could easily destroy it. A replacement cable runs $300, so malamute owners beware!
Overall, switching to the Nautilus has saved us $$$ over our previous pool cleaner, our pool stays clean, and we have been very satisfied with it. According to other reviews your mileage may vary.
After about 18 years of staunch loyalty to the P280, I decided to sever my ties with the Polaris, plug all my leaking pvc pipes, and retire my loud grinding polaris pump.
I bought this Dolphin because it didn't need a pump, operated independently and had the WIFI . The app was easy to install, it has many programmable features. The sweeper climbs to the scum line. It filters the water, so it actually can reduce your main pump running time.
It gives all sort of data regarding gallons filtered, miles traveled and so forth.
Now the draw backs:
-Very expensive.
-A wire hanging on the pool deck as compared to the hidden tube of the polaris.
-Very Heavy to pull out of the pool
-Limited canister capacity for the debris. It has two small rectangular canisters.
-The sweeper has two small suction openings, thus has a limited capacity for what it can suck. This was clear when Hurricane Helene hit our area. The Polaris is like a 4×4 ,has a bigger throat and manipulates it way over relatively large pieces as compared to the Dolphin sedan car working it's way on a smooth road avoiding rough terrain.
-Replacement parts for the Dolphin are expensive, and how long they last remain to be seen.
-I noticed after one month, it doesn't climb robustly as compared to when I bought it.
I have no regrets of buying this product as it performs very well and the app doesn't have glitches.
But unfortunately Zodiac Polaris technical support is hard to reach and incompetent.
The motor is now dead, just under 1.5 years later. For an $800+ vacuum this is a joke. Save your money, this cleaner is absolutely not worth the $$.
UPDATE: Maytronics was very quick to respond and send it to a repair shop about 20 min from my house. From the time I sent the inquiry to repaired and back in the pool was about 5 days. Very pleased with their response time and it was fixed under warranty. Updating to 4 stars, only reason it isn’t 5 is because the motor really should last longer than 1.5 years before having to be replaced…
So I had to get the same brand. The Dolphin Nautilus CC Supreme seems to be the same unit with a different power converter. I like the old converter better because you could control run times from it. The new one seems to need an "app". I haven't downloaded no stinkin' app yet.
These units seem to suck up EVERYTHING. We have an oak tree next to pool which drops about 5 5 gallon pails worth of acorns every year. This thing sucks them up! It will even suck up "small twigs" 4-6 inch in length. Longer ones may get caught in mouth of unit because of length, but it picks them up.
Maybe I've had great LUCK with mine, but 6 years under water without a burp!!! Yeah, I got another.
The filters are very big, I can probably go a month or two without emptying them. The mesh is very fine - it seems to do well capturing fine debris.
The app connects to the vacuum quickly, and it’s very easy to use.
The vacuum itself works extremely well. It climbs my pool walls quickly without falling, including my stairs and waterline.
I was worried that the setup/teardown would be time consuming, but it’s genuinely quicker than my old pump-driven vacuum.
So far, I’m satisfied with the cleaner.
The caddy is a complete waste of money. It’s cheap, plastic crap that seems like a good idea but what total waste. The hose doesn’t stay looped on the holder, it’s flimsy plastic and the tires are hard garbage. Wish I could return just the caddy
Glad I bought the caddy. Fit well and easy to move unit around.
Easy to clean filters. Climbs and cleans walls great. Liner pool about 22,000 gallons.
Great suction and I love the app control
Theh Titan can be scheduled via the My Dolphin App, so it runs daily each morning. I I set it to floor mode, and brush the walls and steps manually. This seems to work the best. Out of the box setup was easy, as was the app. As the title says, the Titan is about an 80 percent solution to my pool cleaning (which I consider a win)!. I have not had to run a vacuum since purchasing the unit. The pool had several days of El Paso dust waiting for the Titan to arrive, and after three back to back cleaning cycles, what you see in the images (plus some brushing) was the result from the Titan. Neither the Cayman nor the Premier could handle even a daily cleaning without getting stuck on the drain. I am very pleased with the unit, and my only regret is that I did not spend the money to buy the Titan first ( I am now the proud owner of three pool robots with two parked permanently in the shed). Save yourself the hassle and spend the money on the best unit; you will wind up spending it anyway to get the results you expect.