- Making the Most of Your Smart Home: Common Use Cases - March 28, 2023
- Eco Mode at Night: Maximizing Nest’s Energy Savings - March 20, 2023
- Connecting & Controlling Smart Home Devices: A Guide - March 18, 2023
Disclosure: Links marked with * are Affiliate Links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases if you decide to make a purchase through these links – at no cost for you!
You would rather sunbathe than scrub your pool? You’re not the only one, and that’s why there’s now a wide range of little helpers to make sure that you can enjoy the sun or your cocktail in complete relaxation.
A pool robot can be compared to a robotic lawnmower or a vacuum cleaner robot, and unlike a manual pool vacuum cleaner, it has the decisive advantage that it really does all the work itself.
In fact, no physical work is necessary, the pool owner can sit back and relax while the pool robot performs its work daily or weekly if desired, even pre-programmed. You may not believe it, but the pool robot actually climbs up and down the pool walls and scrubs every single tile on the wall and floor!
And if you own a pool robot and use it frequently, you need to use considerably fewer pool chemicals because the water is circulated better.
In this article, we compare the Polaris Sport* with the Dolphin Nautilus*.
Table of Contents
Polaris Sport vs. Dolphin Nautilus: The similarities
The Motor
Electric pool robots of both companies have the decisive advantage over hydraulic pool cleaners that the cleaning power is provided exclusively by electricity, which is obtained via a power cable and a standard socket. Hydraulic pool cleaners, on the other hand, are connected to the filter system and operated via the filter pump – this should be available first of all, and then have a minimum capacity of 6 m³ per hour.
The electric pool robots therefore have their own drive, suck in the water themselves and clean it through inserted, replaceable and drainable filters. These must then of course also be emptied manually by the owner.
Security
Putting a pool robot with a connected power cable into a pool raises safety concerns at first – electricity and water? However, the robots are designed in such a way that they have a power supply unit connected in between, so the vacuum cleaner in the water works with low voltage.
In addition, all models are equipped with an RCD circuit breaker, which can and must be regularly checked for functionality by the owner, as well as a stranding system, dry-running protection and electronic protection of the motors.
The “Swivel”
The electric robots of both companies have installed so-called “swivels” on the cable to ensure smooth operation – these are swivel joints that are designed to prevent the cables from becoming entangled.
These are practical and absolutely necessary, but in all manuals, you will find instructions to unroll the complete cables before the cleaning process and lay them out neatly at the edge of the pool, because otherwise, knots can obviously still occur.
Remote control or app?
Depending on the model, both providers offer different control options. The company Polaris has an app called iAquaLink, which can be used to control and program some models, the company Dolphin offers the app MyDolphin.
The advantage of the apps is that the robots can also be controlled remotely via the Internet. If no app system is available, the operation or programming is done via remote control or via a control unit on the robot’s power supply.
Removal from the pool and transport
Both suppliers have a system for easy removal from the pool for heavier and larger pool robots. At Polaris, it is called “Lift System”, and means that the robot steers to the desired pool wall, climbs it and ejects the water from the back when it is removed.
This significantly reduces the weight of the robot when removing it from the pool. Dolphin does not give the system a specific name, but promises “quick water release to allow easy lifting out of the pool”. For larger models, both companies offer special caddies for transport, which are partly included or can be purchased separately. There are also protective covers available, which can be very useful for example when the unit is stored in the cellar over winter.
Filter display
Depending on the model, both companies have a “filter full” indicator that tells the owner when the filter should be emptied. All models have an “Easy-Filter” system so that the filters can be removed and emptied quickly and easily. Depending on the model, there are also different filter strengths, which can be varied according to the degree of contamination.
Pool shapes
Polaris and Dolphin each have pool robots that they say are “suitable for any shape and type” of pool. Whether the pool is round, oval, or square, is important, because real edges are more difficult to clean than flowing transitions. But both companies seem to have real multi-talents.
However, it does not have to be the multi-talent, because if your pool is “only” a smaller set-up pool, then a cheaper model that cleans the pool floor and does not have to climb up and down the walls is sufficient. Both providers have suitable offers for this purpose.
Weight
Polaris’ lightest pool robot weighs 5.5 kg, making it a real lightweight. The OT 3240 even manages a pool size of 9x4m. Dolphin’s lightweight, the Dolphin E25, hardly weighs any more with its 6.5 kg and cleans pools up to 10m long.
Polaris Sport vs. Dolphin Nautilus: Unique Features
Both Dolphin and Polaris claim to be innovative world leaders. But what exactly makes them so special?
Polaris
Polaris holds 700 patents and has launched more than 50 new products in the last 6 years. For its pool robots, the Polaris company has developed an intelligent guidance of the water flow in the device, called cyclone technology.
A strong vortex is created inside the device, so that the dirt particles remain in motion during the entire suction process, the filter remains free and water can be passed constantly and without clogging. With this technology, Polaris has achieved up to 30% higher suction power compared to conventional pool cleaners.
The Navigation
Another Polaris patent is the “Sensor Nav System”. This system first scans the shape and size of the pool and then calculates the most efficient pool cleaning. The sequence and duration of the cleaning are then adjusted. This process is then named with the charming words “personalized cleaning”.
And indeed, the cleaning process leaves nothing to chance, it’s not a stored algorithm that turns right or left so often that hopefully all spots have been scanned, but a system that actually controls each spot in the most efficient way. In addition, a pressure sensor on the pool robot guarantees a better walking behaviour on the walls taking into account the respective pool depth.
The “spot cleaning
If “spot cleaning” is selected for selective soiling, the robot moves to the desired location and cleans the selected square meter intensively.
Dolphin
By their own account, each Dolphin pool cleaner contains advanced filtration, scanning, navigation and brushing technologies that are unparalleled in the market. The PowerStream mobility system is a patent-pending, multi-way water flow in the pool cleaner that guarantees safe adhesion even to all types of vertical surfaces.
The Navigation
CleverClean(TM) – “Undoubtedly the Best Swimming Pool Cleaning Technology” of pool robots systematically scans every inch of the pool. In addition, the CleverClean(TM) system is adaptive, ensures efficient pool detection and leaves no tile unscrubbed in the end.
The brushes
Depending on the surface of the pool to be cleaned, Dolphin pool robots have different brushes. According to the manufacturer, these brushes rotate twice as fast as the robot moves, thus guaranteeing extremely efficient cleaning of all surfaces.
Wireless joy
If you want to avoid cable spaghetti at all costs, or if you prefer not to hang a power cable in your pool despite all the safety guarantees of the manufacturers, then you should take a closer look at the Dolphin M500 LIBERTY.
Because it is battery powered, and cleans your up to 15m long pool, and even bypasses obstacles such as islands, columns and caves effortlessly. The advanced scanning program of the M500 LIBERTY ensures the complete cleaning of your pool even in 1:30 hours.
Polaris or Dolphin, Who Can Do the Biggest?
How big is yours? When we talk about Olympic dimensions, the question of which manufacturer you should look for is quickly answered, because Dolphin pool robots are available for both private and professional use.
This means that the “professional dolphins” can even clean Olympic pools. Up to a size of 60x25m, the Wave 300 XL can clean the entire pool floor.
However, the socket should be located in the middle of the pool edge, because the cable is “only” 50m long. If the pool robot should also clean the pool walls, then Dolphin’s pool size of 40x20m is enough – the 2×2 Gyro Pro cleans the entire pool including walls and waterline in just 4 hours. Polaris Sport offers pool robots for swimming pools up to 20x10m.
The RV 5600 is the largest model of the company and also cleans the complete pool including the walls and the waterline. The cable length is 25m, so that also with this model the socket should be in the middle if the cleaner should really reach every corner. The use of extension cables is not recommended for safety reasons.
Do You Have a Natural Pool?
You will also find what you are looking for here at Dolphin: The Dolphin Supreme Bio is specially designed for natural swimming ponds and cleans extra so that plants and living creatures are not harmed. According to the manufacturer, even stony surfaces are no problem for the small robot, because the digital scanning of the ground controls the cleaning process and adapts it to the conditions.
It All Depends on the Bottom of Your Pool…
It is very important that you find out if your chosen robot is suitable for your pool before buying your pool robot. Swimming pools with painted concrete or pool foil as a base are the easiest to choose for your robot. Although the manufacturers Polaris and Dolphin both offer “multi-talented” robots that are supposed to be suitable for all types of surfaces.
Nevertheless, for pools with very smooth tiles, it may be advisable to choose models that have been specially designed for this purpose, or at least to choose extra adhesive brushes for this case. Dolphin offers so-called Carnebo brushes for the Dolphin models, foam-like brushes that adhere very well to very smooth surfaces, including stainless steel.
Polaris also offers special PVA brushes for tiled pools, as well as an upgrade of the robots with nubbed tires, which is also recommended for smooth tiles.
Choosing the Right Pool Robot
Which company should you choose now? If the choice of the company is not limited by special features such as a natural swimming pond or the need for a wireless pool robot, both companies are in all conscience a very good choice.
Both companies have decades of experience, extremely durable products and good and fast customer service. The price-performance ratio is similarly good with both companies, one may even say very good, and customer evaluations in the Internet do not give likewise no decisive decision making aid. But what should definitely influence your decision are the ground characteristics of your pool, the size, and thus the length of the cable, and of course the features (for example the app control) you want.
If you want to buy a pool robot, it is indeed obvious to take one that climbs the walls – a pure floor cleaner is almost a pity, because the pleasure is incomparably greater with a complete cleaner, and the cleaning result is also incomparably greater.
Whether you end up taking a Polaris or a Dolphin, you will have a lot of fun with it – and in any case, both companies are a very good and safe choice.
Attention: When installing electronic equipment, please be sure to observe the manufacturer’s safety instructions. You have to take care of your own safety. The information on this site only helps you to learn.
Disclosure: This website is the property of Martin Lütkemeyer and is operated by Martin Lütkemeyer. Martin Lütkemeyer is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to enable Web sites to earn advertising revenue through advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Links marked with * are affiliate links.