When you have taken all the effort to set up a good swimming pool at your place, isn’t it natural that you should keep it clean and hygienic at all times? When the pool water is dirty, it can cause skin irritations for people who use the pool. If you have kids at your home, it becomes even more important than ever to clean your pool at regular intervals. Yes, we do understand that cleaning a swimming pool is quite a daunting task. Nevertheless, when you have the right tools and resources for the same, cleaning the pool becomes a child’s play.
When you step you to buy pool cleaners, you will face the problem of plenty because you will notice a sea of options in front of you. Choosing one among them is quite tough, especially if you haven’t used pool cleaners before. In this article, we have reviewed 10 of the best pool cleaners in the market today and given our feedback on each of them. When you read this, you will get an idea of choosing that one pool cleaner that would suit your pool and other requirements.
Table of Contents
Top 10 best pool cleaners
1. Hayward Poolvergnuegen 896584000-013 Automatic Pool Cleaner
Hayward Automatic Pool Cleaner
Overview
If you are looking for a pool cleaner that not only makes your cleaning job easy but also a cleaner that delivers high-quality performance consistently, the Hayward Poolvergneugen is the right choice for you. With its effective suction technology, this pool cleaner is nothing short of a blessing, if you are looking for a pool cleaner that satisfies all your cleaning requirements. Read on to know more about is features and other specifications.
Features
- Comes with a four-wheel design that helps you to clean all the remote areas of the pool accurately
- This design ensures that the cleaner climbs over large obstacles floating over the pool and removes them instantly, thereby making it safe for the users
- Comes with an adjustable roller skirt for sucking in the small debris found on uneven surfaces of the pool that are otherwise ignored; obstacle management and suction control can be done simultaneously because of this feature
- Comes with adjustable suction throats or turbine vans; you can adjust the suction flow depending upon the type and amount of debris that you intend to clean
- Identifying, climbing and removing obstacles is a breeze, thanks to the patented tire threads found on the wheels
- Comes with pre-set internal steering controls that you can choose to ensure that the entire area of your pool is cleaned every time; pool wall, floors, and coves are cleaned thoroughly every single time you use it
- Profession four-wheel design is compatible with large size pool, diving pool, lap pools and other pools that don’t have an exclusive suction line
- The cleaner can clean a pool that is of a maximum dimension of 20” x 40”
- Works great with pool surface materials such as gunite, vinyl, fiberglass, pebble and tile
- Cleans every nook and cranny of the pool because it climbs the pool walls easily
- Cost-efficient and designed to provide full value for money for the user
- Very durable and it never breaks down even when exposed to extreme climates
- Very powerful as it overcomes obstacles that most of the other cleaners cannot
- Professional and high-quality cleaning provided for pools for all shapes and surfaces
- Comes with three adjustable suction throats, which gives you the flexibility to choose the suction control, especially when the cleaner has to move through a passage of large debris
- One of the best automatic pool cleaners, especially for pools with uneven surfaces
- Some units didn’t start until the impellers were prompted
- Replacement parts are quite costly
- Some units only performed 6RPM (revolutions per minute) instead of the promised 11RPM
Automatic pool cleaners can make your job so much easier than it was earlier. However, to enjoy the benefits, you need to choose the right model. Hayward Poolvergnuegen (originally owned by The Poolmaker brand) is one of the best in this price range (around $400). It assures accurate and consistent cleaning of your pools, even on uneven surfaces. Go for it and you won’t regret your decision.
2. Dolphin Nautilus Robotic Pool Cleaner, Model 99996323
Dolphin Nautilus Robotic Pool Cleaner
Overview
Are you looking for a compact and automatic pool cleaner? Do you want the pool to look stylish and perform intelligently as well? If yes, the Dolphin Nautilus Robotic Pool Cleaner is the right choice for you. The design of this cleaner is so visually appealing that you would want to invest in one right when you set your eyes on it. Is it worth the huge price tag that is associated with it? Read on to know more about the same.
Features
- Comes with smart navigation technology that enables this cleaner to scan your pool completely and scrub-clean even the areas that are difficult to access for other cleaners
- Dual-scrubbing brushes that ensure deep and professional cleaning of the floors and walls of the pool; without these brushes, the cleaners can only skim the floor
- Brushes provide more friction to the cleaners, thereby helping it to clean as thoroughly as possible, thanks to the easy pickup of tough debris, dust, and other particles
- Plug and play model, which ensures that you don’t have to deal with a lot of tangling; patented Dolphin Swivel technology ensures that you plug in the model to a power source and switch it on so that the robotic cleaner starts doing its job promptly
- Effective technology and compact design helps the cleaner to pool that is up to 35feet deep; it is also apt for cleaning walls and coves in great detail
- Very easy to use as it comes with a one-button operation system
- Very large filter bag that sucks in a lot of dust and debris that are otherwise left out by manual cleaners
- Very swift and prompt operation
- Complete scrub – cleaning of the pool floors, walls and coves possible within just 3 hours
- Very easy to install and safe connection between the power source and the pool
- Quite steeply-priced; the starting price of this model is around $650
- Customer service is not as helpful as it has to be, thereby leaving users in confusion when they face issues such as the breakdown of parts
While the Dolphin Nautilus Robotic Pool Cleaner comes with some smart technology, you may want to think twice before investing in it. It is too exorbitantly priced and regular pools don’t need cleaners with such advanced technology. Hence, opt for it only if your pools are very filthy and if you can afford this cleaner.
3. Baracuda Zodiac Ranger Suction Side Automatic Above Ground Pool Cleaner
Suction Side Automatic Above Ground Pool Cleaner
Overview
The Baracuda Zodiac Ranger Suction Side Automatic Above Ground Pool Cleaner is one of the versatile cleaners in the market today and is considered as one of the best in its price range. It is durable, super-efficient and great for removing small and medium debris that is hard to clean by hand. Read on to know more about this cleaner.
Features
- Unique look thanks to the 36-finned disc that is attached at the bottom of the cleaner; this disc ensures maximum coverage of pool area and thorough cleaning of debris
- Improved adhesion thanks to this 36-finned disc, thereby ensuring free movement of the cleaner over lights, covers, fittings and other features of the pool, without getting stuck anywhere
- Low-speed pumps ensure that the cleaner goes about cleaning the pool efficiently in a quiet way
- Comes with an automatic FlowKeeper Valve setting, due to which the water flow is automatically regulated while cleaning to ensure maximum efficiency
- Comes with Wheel Deflector system to ensure that the cleaner moves smoothly over the tight and difficult-to-access corners
- Hoses are long, comfortable and scuff-resistant, thereby ensuring great ease of use
- Comes with only one moving part, the diaphragm, which is reliable and durable
- Patented Quick Release Cassette technology, which ensures that the diaphragm can be easily accessed whenever needed
- Great for cleaning small and medium debris
- Cleans concrete, vinyl and tile floors with perfection
- The 36-finned disc provides good grip for the cleaner to clean thoroughly and move through the obstacles easily
- Cleans even the most difficult and remote corners of the pool perfectly
- Affordably priced at around $230
- Very easy to install
- Some users reported that their units got stuck in the pool after a few minutes of usage and they had to be moved again by hand
- Doesn’t seem to work perfectly on pools that are prone to debris and filth
- Sometimes it doesn’t clean the entire area of the pool
Yes, the Baracuda G3 isn’t the perfect cleaner in the industry today. However, we wouldn’t write it off because it does a reasonable job of pool cleaning. When used properly, it doesn’t get stuck or tangled as some users had reported. Also, it is very versatile as it can be used many times a year for small to medium-sized pools. Since it isn’t as costly as the other advanced models, we would recommend you to try this cleaner once and see the results before you move on to make a costlier purchase.
4. Polaris Vac-Sweep 280 Pressure Side Pool Cleaner
Polaris Pressure Side Pool Cleaner
Overview
Is your swimming pool filled with leaves and debris often, because of its proximity to trees? If yes, you need an effective pool cleaner to get rid of these professionally. Today, the Polaris Vac-Sweep 280 is one of the best swimming pool cleaners that do justice to their prices. Is it worthy of your investment? Let’s understand more about this cleaner to get the answer to this question.
Features
- Comes with a long, 31-feet feed hose that doesn’t get tangled or knotted easily
- Comes with a trash bag that is quite spacious; it picks up dust and big leaves that most of the other cleaners don’t, by getting into the bottom of your pool and cleaning thoroughly
- Though this cleaner needs a booster pump to perform, it doesn’t need a skimmer
- One of the best pressure cleaning models available in this price range
- Thanks to the high-performance of the pressure cleaners, debris such as twigs are caught before it enters the filter. This feature improves the quality and durability of the filters as well
- The iconic three-wheel design ensures thorough cleaning till the bottom of the pit
- Very effective filter bag as it catches big twigs, leaves, seeds and other debris that are not usually caught by most of the other cleaners
- This cleaner doesn’t get stuck at all when it is moving all over the pool
- It doesn’t need a pool skimmer to clean your pool efficiently
- This cleaner cannot climb over the walls or stairs of your pool
- While the movement of the cleaner is smooth in most of the areas of the pool, it does tend to get stuck while rolling over the drain covers
- The cleaner needs a booster pump to work properly
When you spend around $500 for a pool cleaner, you would expect it to scrub and clean your pool well. The Polaris Vac-Sweep 280 Pressure Side Pool Cleaner does have high-pressure cleaners that pick up huge leaves and twigs, but we wouldn’t recommend this for you because it cannot climb over the walls of your pools. Therefore, you cannot be guaranteed 100% effective cleaning. We would advise you to look for better models in this price range, for the best results.
5. Pentair LL505PMG – Kreepy Krauly Platinum
Pentair LL505PMG
Overvie
Are you looking for a powerful pool cleaner for cleaning the leaves and dust off your dark-colored pool? Are you looking for a cleaner that doesn’t stand out embarrassingly at the bottom of your pool while it is in motion? If yes, this dark-colored Kreepy Krauly model from Pentair is a great choice for you. It is stylish, efficient and quite useful. Here are more details of this cleaner:
Features
- One of the most powerful pressure-side-cleaner, especially for dark-colored pools
- Works great for pools that are exposed to an overload of leaves and debris
- Comes with dual thrust jets that help the cleaner to exhibit high speed and suction capacity; these high-speed juts help you clean the pool the entire coverage pool in just 1 – 3 hours
- Powered with four tires that are heavily treaded and front-wheel drive technology, which provide a good grip to the cleaner and help it to thoroughly clean the walls and floors of the pool
- High-grip tires make the cleaner a great fit for inclined floors
- Highly efficient cleaner with speedy performance, thanks to the power of the dual thrust jets
- One of the few cleaners in the market today suitable for dark-colored pools
- Covers the entire area of the pool while cleaning, because of the well-treaded tires that provide good friction for the cleaner on all types of floors
- Seamless performance without any hassles, thanks to the four-wheel design
- Compatible to be used with concrete, vinyl and fiberglass floors
- Slightly overpriced at around $565
- Sometimes the unit gets stuck on the steps of the pool, which makes the cleaning process slightly difficult
- The tail’s foam cap is quite prone to wear and tear
We would highly recommend this cleaner for you under two conditions – if you have a dark-colored pool and if you have a pool that is prone to debris because of big leaves and twigs. Since the Pentair LL505PMG Kreepy Krauly Platinum Pool Cleaner is grey in color, it does an amazing job of adding visual appeal when you are cleaning dark-colored pools. Also, the four well-treaded tires make cleaner travel seamlessly on inclined floors. So, if the price range (around $550) is something that you can afford, we see no reason why you shouldn’t opt for this pool cleaner.
6. Aquabot APRVJR Pool Rover Junior
Aquabot APRVJR Pool Rover Junior
Overview
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get the services of a robotic cleaner at an affordable price? If you thought all robotic cleaners are costly, the Aquabot APRVJR Pool Rover Junior is here to bust your myths. This simple yet powerful pool cleaner is a sheer blessing if you have an above-ground pool. Apart from its speed of cleaning, this cleaner is also known for its super-powerful suction capacity. Here are more details about this cleaner:
Features
- Comes with a 24-volt pump motor that helps the cleaner in easy filtering of water and scrubbing all the tough areas of the pool as well
- Vacuum suction and patented jet-drive propulsion technology ensures in high-quality of scrubbing and cleaning the toughest of debris from your pool walls and floors
- Comes with an internal pump, filtration system, and reusable filter bag to capture all sizes of dirt and debris; the 2-micron filter bag helps to catch even very small algae
- Extra-wide wheels that help the cleaner to move around smoothly
- Designed in such a way that it can clean above ground pools of all sizes and shapes
- A powerful motor ensures complete cleaning of the pool within one hour, which means you can save quite reasonably on your energy bills
- Manufacturer’s warranty of one year for the motor
- Great value for money
- The rover pool cleaner is made from good quality plastic that protects sensitive pool walls from getting damaged permanently
- Contains its own pump and filtration system – a feature that is quite rare among cleaners in this price range
- Very easy to install, use and maintain
- In some units, the power cord tore off after a few years of usage
- Most of the users felt that the previous rover model had a better design than this model
- Doesn’t have an adjustable timer
- The robotic cleaner needs to be used every day or at least every alternate day if it has to be maintained in a proper condition
We do understand that just like every other pool cleaner in the market, the Aquabot Pool Rover Junior Robotic Cleaner has few issues. However, we believe that it is still worth your money because it provides you quite a few exciting features at an affordable investment (around $250!) It has some features that you will not find in most of the pool cleaners in this price range (such as in-built pumps and filtration systems). Try it out and ensure that you use it regularly to enjoy the benefits that this pool cleaner provides you.
7. Hayward TigerShark Pool Cleaner, Model QC RC9990GR
Hayward TigerShark Pool Cleaner
Overview
The Hayward TigerShark Pool Cleaner is a beast of a model that comes with a powerful pump and a unique filter cartridge system. There are only a few pool cleaners that can pick up the big and small-sized debris with ease and the Tigershark model from Hayward is one of them. Is this pool cleaner suitable for you? Read these features and our review before you make the final call on the same:
Features
- Comes with a 55ft cord length, which makes it suitable to clean any residential pools up to 20’ x 40’
- Powered with Quick Clean Technology; you can activate this technology if you want the cleaner to quickly clean your pool in 90 minutes
- Built with a high-performance and reliable 24-volt motor that reduces your power and energy costs
- Comes with an onboard pump with highly efficient vacuum technology so that it can suck up all sizes of debris that include stones, leaves, algae, silt and the like
- Comes with a patented filter cartridge system, which helps you to remove the cartridge easily and clean the dust particles in it with a garden hose
- Smart robotic technology which enables the pool cleaner to find its way easily among the walls and floors of the pool, thereby assuring you of high-quality cleaning in real quick time
- Brushing, scrubbing, and vacuuming is done simultaneously because of the advanced technology
- Comes with automatic on/off function, which switches off your cleaner after 3 hours of cleaning
- High-power 24-volt motor which brings about a good reduction in your energy consumption
- Comes with Quick Clean Technology that cleans the entire area of your pool within 90 minutes
- Also available in the Standard Technology and Standard with Remote Technology
- Patented filter cartridge system – a feature that makes it very easy for you to remove and clean the filters whenever needed
- Takes just about 3 hours to clean the entire pool under the “Standard” technology
- Automatic power off after 3 hours of cleaning
- It comes with steel screws that are prone to quick rusting; therefore, this cleaner is best used only in freshwater or chlorinated pools. It gets rusty when used in saltwater pools
- Falls off the walls and stairs of the pools most of the times; therefore doesn’t guarantee thorough cleaning in the remote areas and the corners
- Some manual intervention is required to get the cleaner moving, though it is a fully automated cleaner. Manual effort is especially required when the cleaner gets stuck on the pool surface
- Very steeply priced (Standard model – $850, Quick-Clean Technology –around $1130 and Standard with Remote – around $1250
The Hayward TigerShark Pool Cleaner is definitely one of the superior models in the market. However, when you are about to invest close to $1000 in an automatic pool cleaner, it is natural for you to have some expectations, isn’t it? We are afraid that we cannot recommend this strongly because of two main reasons. Firstly, we feel that the model is too over-priced. Even if you are willing to splurge on your pool cleaner and can afford the $1000, we don’t think you should do it because this smart robotic cleaner doesn’t seem to be quite smart, especially while cleaning on the floors and walls.
8. XtremepowerUS Automatic Suction Vacuum-Generic Climb Wall Pool Cleaner
XtremepowerUS Automatic Suction Vacuum
Overview
Considered to be one of the best budget pool cleaners in the market today, the XtremepowerUS Automatic Suction Vacuum Generic Climb Wall Pool Cleaner is very effective. If you are looking for a simple, reliable and durable pool cleaner at an affordable investment, this one from ExtremepowerUS is the right choice for you. Here is a brief about this product:
Features
- Comes with 10 hoses that make it compatible to be used for pool up to 30’
- Comes with easy to install features as it can be easily plugged on to your current filtration system
- Highly efficient for cleaning the bottom portion and walls of the pool
- Can be easily connected to a pump of at least 1HP to get started
- Comes with adjustable cleaner, which makes it comfortable for you to use this in different positions
- Smart design with the help of a removable flapper, which is a very useful feature while cleaning debris that is clogged inside
- Comes with an adjustable hose; therefore you can add or remove hoses to get the cleaner to clean the pool effectively
- Silicone ripple cleaner which makes it compatible with concrete, vinyl, tile and fiberglass floors
- Very affordably priced
- Cleans stains thoroughly
- Comes with a smart design, which makes it easy to operate and clean
- Very easy to troubleshoot and maintain as the unit comes with the detailed instructions for the same
- Doesn’t work quite effectively when cleaning the steps
- The filter needs to be used and cleaned regularly for best results
When most of the automatic pool cleaners cost hundreds of dollars, the XtremepowerUS Automatic Suction Vacuum Generic Climb Wall Pool Cleaner costs you just around $90, which is a great deal. Yes, you will need a pump and infiltration system to start this cleaner; however, we would still recommend this product for you, because it does a decent job of pool cleaning with its adjustable features and smart design.
9. Hayward RC9740 SharkVac Automatic Robotic Pool Cleaner
Hayward Automatic Robotic Pool Cleaner
Overview
If you are looking for a basic pool cleaner that does a reasonable job of cleaning the entire area of your pool, the Hayward RC9740 SharkVac Automatic Robotic Pool Cleaner is a good choice for you. You may not get much help from this cleaner while cleaning your pool walls or steps; however, it does scrub the bottom surface of the pools with considerable efficiency. Here is a look at the features of this model:
Features
- Available in two options – with caddy and without caddy; while the with caddy is a great and convenient solution for pool cleaning, it is quite expensive as well
- Built with microprocessor-based technology, which helps the cleaner to clean efficiently, thoroughly and consistently
- Excellent scrubbing and vacuuming function on the floors and coves
- Debris container has top access, which makes it easy to remove the cartridge filters and clean the debris at regular intervals
- One of the most energy-efficient pool cleaners in this price range (around $700)
- Available in two sizes – standard and XL and two styles – with caddy and without caddy to suit the different tastes of users
- Huge debris container that is easily accessible and removable
- Doesn’t require any additional tools for installation
- Works great for vacuuming and cleaning pool floors
- Doesn’t work effectively on large debris such as leaves and stones
- Doesn’t climb well on the pool walls or steps; therefore, that work has to be done manually
- Quite a risky design as there are chances of the sucked up debris falling back into the pool when the cleaner is being taken out
When you shell out around $700 for a pool cleaner, you would expect it to be fully automatic, wouldn’t you? However, this cleaner doesn’t guarantee you 100% automated services. You would have to scrub clean the pool walls and steps yourself because this cleaner can’t climb over these places. Go for it only if your pool doesn’t have too many steps or walls.
