Dolphin (2025 Model) E10 Automatic Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner, Active Scrubber Brush, Top Load Filters Access, Ideal for Above-Ground Pools up to 30 FT in Length

We have an above ground, Intex Easy-Set pool. I've struggled with keeping it clean the entire time we've had it. I first tried a manual vacuum that connected to the filter intake, but the filter struggled with it (like trying to suck water through a REALLY long straw) and it was a hassle to set up and use. Then I tried a self powered vacuum that attached to a pole...this worked better but was a lot of work and time consuming because you constantly had to stop and clean out the small debris filter. Then I tried one of those automatic filters than you attach to the water inlet...this worked OK but didn't filter small particles, did not have any kind of scrubbing action and was also a bit of a hassle to set up (having to shut the filter off, attach the huge hose, restart the filter, etc.)Which brings me to the Dolphin. Of all the cleaners I've tried, this is by far the best in terms of ease of use and cleaning ability. You plug it in, chuck it in the pool and run a cycle (or two). It gets the pool as clean as any of the methods I've tried but with almost none of the work or drawbacks.Couple things of note...Our Intex pool has sloped edges, I was worried about this causing the Dolphin to tip over or have problems. This hasn't happened...the Dolphin is totally stable and a happy discovery was that even though this model is not designed to do so...the sloped sides allow the Dolphin to climb the walls pretty well. One downside is that because of the shape of the corners of the pool and the size of the Dolphin, it can't really reach all the way into the corners...I had to use a brush to push the debis out of the corners for the Dolphin to grab.I've seen a couple complaints about the Dolphin doing "wheelies" all the time and not cleaning because of this. Ours does do wheelies every now and then...but I'm pretty sure this is by design. From watching it, it seems to do wheelies as a method of changing direction. It'll pop up on it's back wheels, turn, then lay back down and keep going.Another complaint I've seen is in regards to the filter basket not catching small particles. Based on those complaints I went ahead and ordered the additional "ultra-fine" filter (which is made of a papery mesh material, similar to a pool cartridge filter). In hindsight, I don't think I needed to buy that. I don't know for sure but I "think" they may have upgraded the included filter at some point as the standard filter has no problem catching algae particles and the regular "pool scum" type stuff. The included filter basket is not made with the same "pool cartridge" material, but does still have a very fine screen that seems to get everything. I have not even tried the additional filter as I haven't needed it.So anyhow...they're expensive compared to many options. But if you like having a very clean pool with little effort...this is the way to go!

This thing gets the job done!! It’s an amazing pool cleaner. Climbs walls effortlessly and really easy to use. I can’t speak on longevity because I’ve only had it a couple days so if it doesn’t hold up, I’ll come back and update my review.

I live in a "cottage community" named Kingwood, TX, just outside of Houston. I don't expect that to mean much to the average Amazon shopper, but it's important to note that Kingwood is marketed as "The Livable Forest". When it was being developed in the 60's, 70's, and 80's, great care was taken to preserve the trees in what had once been timberland owned by paper and wood companies. The foliage is very dense. There is no place in my yard or time of year when pine needles and leaves aren't constantly falling. We even have a sweetgum tree that drops little gumball-sized pinecones that are worse to step on than lego, especially barefoot, like you would be while swimming. Our pool is under constant assault. Raking every day was a hopeless exercise in futility. We bought a battery-operated "leaf blaster" that attaches to the end of a pole and vacuums the leaves into a net bag. When gumballs weren't jamming the impeller, it was such a huge job to vacuum that the kids and I would take turns working and still be too tired to play in the pool when we finished the endeavor.Worse, if the pool started to get algae, we couldn't see the bottom to clean out the debris. We would treat/shock/filter out the algae and discover a layer of leaves at the bottom, still covered in algae that would re-infest the pool as soon as they were stirred up by a rake or the leaf blaster, leaving us blind to continue removing them, and the maddening vicious cycle would continue. It's a 27' pool with two pump inlets, so adding skimmers to those helped catch a LOT of the leaves and debris before it sank to the bottom, but the skimmers can't catch everything and the cycle continued.I asked a few neighbors, did a lot of online research, and sifted through hundreds of pool cleaning options (just watch what happens to your facebook timeline after you've googled it a few times). A highly-trusted colleague and friend bragged on and on about her Dolphin robot and the reviews were good, so I got hung up between the E10 and the more expensive Escape. The Escape purports to be able to climb walls and have better mapping of the pool surface (plus wifi/app controls, IIRC). I decided to save myself $200 and go with the cheaper E10.NO REGRETS! It doesn't matter if the water is clear or not. Just drop it in, turn it on, and walk away. Come back in an hour, empty the basket, and start it again. Lather, rinse, repeat until the basket comes out clean. It picks up leaves, pine needles, GUMBALLS, and even small sticks! If algae rears its ugly head, we can be confident that there is no debris left on the floor of the pool before kicking it with only one treatment and shock.It's not supposed to be able to climb walls, but it does occasionally go up the wall to the water line before backing back down. Reviewers complaining about it doing wheelies don't seem to understand how it works. This is how it reorients itself to change directions.An external bag instead of a filter basket would be nice so that I could add a bigger one, but then the filtration might not be as good. This isn't much of a shortcoming, because the basket is extremely easy to remove and hose out. The screens can even be popped out of it for more thorough cleaning.The power supply did fail on ours less than a year after we bought it but Maytronics, for their part, was great. They had me email some photos of the failing unit's behavior, asked a few simple questions, then sent me a new one without even asking that I return the old one (I'm a pretty technical guy, so I may try to fix it as a spare, should the new one die after the warranty expires).I REALLY wish the wire had a swivel joint on the robot (it does swivel at the power supply, sort of). After a couple of cycles, the wire will be hopelessly wound up and tangled. It's not too much of a hassle to disconnect it from the power supply and untangle it, but it shouldn't be necessary. Some users have reported good results by putting foam pool noodles over the wire to prevent it from tangling. I may try that.All in all, we have a huge above-ground pool in a notoriously hot environment with lots of trees. It's a perfect storm of conditions that can turn pool ownership into a nightmare. This robot changed our lives and was worth the expense.