Robotic Pool Cleaners vs Pressure-Side Cleaners

Hey there, and welcome back to the Pool Nerd. I’m Justin, your resident pool aficionado. Today I am comparing robotic pool cleaners and pressure-side pool cleaners to see which type of pool cleaner is best for you and your pool.

You’ll quickly see why I prefer robotic pool cleaners, but don’t just take my word for it, let’s look at the facts. As usual, we will look at pool coverage, filtration options, and ease of use. With over a million views on 50+ reviews and videos on all the top robotic pool cleaners and pressure-side cleaners, let's dive into the facts.

Pool Coverage and Filtration Options

Both robotic pool cleaners and pressure side cleaners vacuum the floors and walls of your pool. But only robotic pool cleaners can properly clean your pool all the way to the waterline, navigate efficiently, and scrub away debris found anywhere in your pool.

Energy Efficiency

Pressure side cleaners may often seem like budget alternatives, but often they require a whole extra pump and burn 700-1000 watts, enough to cost you several hundred dollars a year more than a robotic pool cleaner. Even if you already have the booster pump, the energy savings of a robotic pool cleaner alone will pay for itself in just two years.

Comparing Costs

At face value, a pressure cleaner, such as the Polaris Vac-Sweep 280, seems to cost less than a robotic pool cleaner such as the Dolphin Cayman or Dolphin Quantum. Once you factor in the cost of a pump and the energy savings that come from a robotic pool cleaner, pressure side cleaners cost about the same or even more than the best robotic pool cleaners.

Setup

In other words, that $600 dollar Polaris pressure cleaner could very quickly become $1,200+ dollars to get all the parts necessary to run it. If you’re needing a booster pump, then you’re looking at $1,000 plus for an electrician to wire it up.

Compare to a robotic pool cleaner, all they require is a standard outlet. No booster pump or assembly. Literally, all I had to do is plug and play across all robotic pool cleaners.

Once you have that set up, the most popular pressure side cleaners, such as Polaris or Pentair, only come with a 12-month warranty usually. Robotic pool cleaners, like the Dolphin Premier or Quantum, often come with a 2 or 3-year warranty.

If your budget is a concern though, then I would recommend looking at the Dolphin Escape or Dolphin Cayman as they can do all a pressure cleaner can do and more, at a cheaper price. As I said before, the entire setup for the pressure side cleaner cost me over $1200. I found it really hard to ever consider the a pressure side cleaner when the Dolphin Premier performs so much better, for the around same price. At this price, I expect it to at least compete with a robotic pool cleaner. But it really doesn’t.

Navigation

It doesn’t get any better when looking at their navigation. All robotic pool cleaners come with some sort of onboard navigation system that helps them to map your pool to clean efficiently.

Pressure cleaners, on the other hand, have no onboard navigation and are only guided by bumping into things and complete luck. This means they are more likely to miss entire areas of your pool and leave you tons of picking up to do after them.

To once again emphasize how strange this is, even budget robotic pool cleaners, such as the Dolphin Escape or Cayman, can map your pool, and you are paying more to have a pressure cleaner that will just wander around aimlessly.

Brushes

Now, let’s talk brushes. No pressure side cleaner has a spinning brush. This means they don’t actively scrub away debris, which can leave you a lot to clean. For a comparable price to pressure cleaners, you would be looking at the Dolphin Premier, Sigma, or Quantum, all of which can clean the waterline, navigate efficiently, and scrub away any and all debris.

Even for an entry-level robot, such as the Dolphin Escape or Cayman, you get better navigation and scrubbing power, not to mention they are easier to set up and have additional features.

Ease of Use and User Experience

Putting pricing aside, robotic pool cleaners blow pressure side cleaners out of the water. They can do everything they can do for less money and with less of a headache. Not to mention that if you factor in the higher energy and set-up costs of a pressure side cleaner, then you are in the ballpark of top-end robotic pool cleaners, which can do so much more.

Filter Options

Lastly, filter options. When comparing pressure side cleaners to robotic pool cleaners, the biggest difference is the ability to customize cleanings. Robotic pool cleaners allow you to swap filter types to filters such as the ultra-fine filter found on the Dolphin Quantum and Sigma. These additional filter types make robotic pool cleaners even better as you can now customize your cleanings, allowing you to do standard cleanings with the fine filter or clear up your cloudy water with the NanoFiltration.

Pressure side cleaners have no options though, so you are left with potentially cloudy pool water, no filtration media options, and a frustrating user experience. After using and testing so many robotic pool cleaners, I am really disappointed in pressure side cleaners. Just like cleaning coverage, there is no way pressure side cleaners can justify their price, as they perform worse and have less media options than any robotic pool cleaner.

Now I could continue and discuss how pressure side cleaners have no scheduling options or user experience features and require difficult set-ups such as installing an extra pool pump, regulating pressure, or running a line to your pool’s intake. Instead, I am going to save you time and declare the winner of this head to head: robotic pool cleaners.

If you would like to hear more about pressure side cleaners, check out my reviews on the most popular pressure-side cleaners. Or if you’re interested in a robotic pool cleaner, make sure to check out my list of the best robotic pool cleaners

Is a robotic pool cleaner or pressure-side cleaner better?

A robotic pool cleaner is the better choice for a pool cleaner over a pressure-side cleaner. Not only is a robotic pool cleaner more efficient, but it is also more powerful with larger motors. Equipped with advanced filtration, scrubbing brushes, and even smartphone apps, a robotic pool cleaner is a significant upgrade over a pressure-side cleaner.

Conclusion

Robotic pool cleaners cost less, clean better, are easier to use and set up, and will last longer as they have better warranties. Pressure side cleaners are the grandfathers of robotic pool cleaners, as they date back to the 1960s even, and it really shows when you put them head to head.

I can’t find a single example where I would prefer to have a pressure side cleaner, especially when it will cost me as much as a high-end robotic pool cleaner. If you’re looking for an above-ground pool cleaner, I would recommend looking at the Dolphin Escape or Cayman for entry-level models. For those wanting the best clean possible in your pool, take a look at the Dolphin Quantum, Premier, or Sigma which will take over all your pool cleaning.

If you want to keep nerding out over your pool, be sure to hit that subscribe button to keep learning how to make pool maintenance way easier. Head on over to thepoolnerd.com to view my comparison page and see all the differences between the many robotic pool cleaners out there. Until then, enjoy that pool and check back soon for more pool maintenance tips and insight.

Your resident pool aficionado.

For over 4+ years, The Pool Nerd has been a leading source in the swimming pool industry. With years of experince owning a swimming pool, our hope here is to guide and help making owning a swimming pool easier.