I have heard good things about the Poolvergnuegen as well as the Hayward Navigator. Any thoughts?

Depends on your pool setup. Do you have pressure or suction side line dedicated for vac? We did not have either so got a polaris robot and love it. It did cost a fortune though.

If there is a dedicated pool sweep line in the pool, a Polaris 280 or 3900 or Pentair's Kreepy Krawly Legend will need a booster pump at the equipment pad. These three units work very well.

If there is no dedicated booster but the line exists, a Polaris 360 or Legend II can be used or you could put in a booster pump and go with the above mentioned units.

If there is no dedicated line, a robot like an Aquabot, Prowler, Dolphin or 9300 will fit the bill, if you have the strength to pull it from the water.

I am not a fan of suction side cleaners but of them, the Pool Cleaner (Poolvergnuegen) gets top billing, IMHO.

Scott

My PB recommended the Hayward Navigator any thoughts? Also we have a suction side line as well.

I had a Pentair Great White for a couple of years. It was a great cleaner, chugged all over the floor and walls. Has brushes so it scrubs a little. Cheap. I'd recommend it, don't know about the others.

The Great White and Navigator are suction side cleaners but they take forever to cover the surface area.

A suction side line can easily be converted to a pressure side at the equipment pad. Pressure side cleaners move much more quickly and do a great job without clogging the pump basket. A suction side line now requires a cover (spring loaded cover normally) per VGB requirements to help prevent submerged suction entrapments.

Scott

I was told by a PB that the suction side was the way to go. What's the major pros and cons of each?

Suction side sends the debris to the pump basket and filter.
Suction side tends to be slow moving.
Suction side usually is connected to a skimmer.
Suction side usually requires suction valve changes at the pad.

Pressure side with a booster pump move faster.
Pressure side with a booster pump normally have their own debris bag which keeps stuff out of the filter.
Pressure side with a booster pump can handle larger pools.
Pressure side with a booster pump will use some more electricity because of the booster but this is only for a short period (usually under 2 hours).
Pressure side with a booster pump have a thinner hose attached to the sweep from the wall.

Pressure side without a booster and suction side cleaners have a wider diameter hose.
Pressure side without a booster normally run off the primary pool pump's exhaust port's unfiltered water to a small screen filter that needs to be cleaned frequently.

Scott

what do you use?

How big is your pool? The pool we used the Great White cleaner in was 16 x 33. We left the cleaner in it and when the pump came on, it was cleaning. The pool was always spotless.

If your pool is set up to use a suction cleaner, you will be fine with either a Navigator or Great white. No need to replumb the pool and put in a booster for a pressure cleaner. If the suction cleaner doesn't work good enough for some reason, you can always save up and get a robot.

PoolguyNJ (Hi Scott!) mentioned the Pentair Kreepy Krawly Legend is a good cleaner. I would just say that the Legend PLATINUM is a good cleaner, but the simple Legend and Legend II do not get high marks from me. I have used Pentair for about 3-1/2 yrs and have a lot of experience with their cleaners. The Sand Shark suction side cleaner is a very good cleaner, but suction cleaners never work as well as a pressure type (the Legend Platinum requires a booster pump, unless you have the Intelliflo VS3030, 3 HP, 4 speed pump that can be programmed to operate the cleaner). The Pentair Prowler 820 is a good robotic cleaner and really is no more expensive than a Pressure side cleaner with a booster pump. The Hayward Tiger Shark is also good. The reason I use Pentair cleaners is because they are warranted for 3 years if part of a Pentair package. The others have a one year warranty (if not part of a package). Polaris (aka Jandy, Zodiac) has the worst warranty, in my opinion. You cannot get onsite service for your cleaner. They make you take it in to a pool store and leave it for servicing. My two cents...

Thanks for all the help guys and gals. Probably gonna go with the Navigator and by the way my pool WILL be about 20 x 22.

The Legend and Legend Platinum are essentially the same. The main differences are the dual thruster ports, larger debris throat, and bigger tires.

The purpose of the booster pump is to provide a relatively small flow (typically about 12 GPM) with a significant boost in pressure. A VS won't do this for a Legend, Legend Platinum, Polaris 280, 380, 3900, or Hayward Phantom properly. Its OK for a Legend II or Polaris 360 as long as enough water flow is sent to them though.

Scott

Thoughts on the Tigershark?