Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Ok - I typically never write reviews but I felt that this one was warranted. If you're reading this, you may be looking at the low price coupled with some of the negative reviews, and thinking about passing on this item. Read this first - my experiences with this guy might be helpful. First - my pool is an old 20x40 vinyl lined, sand bottom pool. It's literally got nothing but sharp corners and angles that eat pool vacuums for breakfast, or any other time it's hungry. It's surrounded by trees, big trees. This pool is where vacuums go to die. That said - this is a 4 star review solely because there is nothing helpful included with the vac to explain WHY it might not be working. So here we go: 1) Hose, weight, return management: Line one - don't use all the included hose sections if you have old ones! The "heavy duty" hose is cool in theory, but its weight and relative inflexibility caused movement issues for me. My pool is 9' deep, and I found that using only two sections of the aqua hose was sufficient - but use them! This machine is designed to work with that weight, but the sections that always sit at the surface should be replaced with something lighter and more flexible. This vacuum works by "hopping" with the motion and weight of the flapper inside, and without a separate power source, it can have trouble consistently fighting the hose, especially on walls. Weights- I found the third yellow weight to be unneeded, and it's been on my table out here for months. I put the first weight right on the end of the vac, and the second one mid way through the second section of hose. That's it, just check on it because it will slide down due to vibration. Returns- for the love of God, don't point your returns up at the surface while using this! The current will catch the hose like a sail and you'll never get good coverage. Just point them down a little. 2) Things get stuck in it! So this guy has already munched away hundreds of leaves. Does it occasionally get caught? Yep, but the easy fix for me (aided by the fact that I have wall suction right next to returns) is to pull it off suction, put it in front of the return until you see it jump off the floor, and put it right back on suction. So far, has gone right back to putting instantly. 3) It sucks! It just sits there or doesn't climb the walls! Well guess what - I would bet you my pool that it's your filter/pump, and not this vacuum. My pool laughs at vacuums with its angles, bumpy surfaces, and other assorted pitfalls - kind of how you caught at the cat trying to catch a laser pointer dot. This vac laughs at the pool trying to stop it. BUT WHY? You need great flow and heavy suction. I think that might even be a movie title. I have one skimmer operating, the other half is the vacuum on wall. That's it, the second skimmer stays off. I DO NOT use that regulator pipe they gave me. I'm not even sure where it is. But here is the rub - even with a 1hp pump, if my FILTER is not clean, the vacuum will not, I repeat, WILL NOT WORK. As another reviewer said, "it just sits there in the deep end and sucks." No. You suck at maintaining your pool! This vacuum even tells you, if you listen. On a recently backwashed or clean filter, the vac goes "rata-tat-tat-tat" in very fast succession - multiple times per second. The vacuum cruises fast and powers through everything. As the filter fills up, and water flow slows down, the frequency decreases and the vacuum starts to suck, figuratively. But not anymore literally. I need to backwash my filter EVERY WEEK to maintain efficiency. I was doing it less frequently until this vacuum showed me the light. CHECK YOUR FILTER! It's 90% more likely that is causing any issue than the vacuum itself - barring broken parts or defect, obviously. So look - I almost bought a vacuum twice as expensive than the paltry $90 I paid for this one, which has already paid for itself in time saved, how awesome the pool looks, and lower maintenance elsewhere. I'm glad a review swayed me to give it a shot, because it's been fantastic. Remember, be smarter than the machine you're using and find the root of the problem! Great product.