Dolphin Escape Robotic Above Ground Pool Cleaner Review
Is there anything worse than dirty pools? It’s not a simple thing to deal with, especially when you want to swim and relax for a bit.
Using a net to pick up grime is the old way and quite time-consuming at that. You’d have to spend quite some time on that, depending on how big your pool is. For this reason, it might be time to consider a more advanced cleaning method.
The Dolphin Escape is a robotic above ground pool cleaner designed to clean the water quickly and easily. Stay tuned to discover more about this one, its features, specifications, and how it works.
This Vacuum Isn’t For:
- Who wants remote control– the Dolphin Escape robotic pool cleaner doesn’t have scheduling or timer. For this reason, you cannot set the time of the day when the pool cleaner would work.
- Large pools– though it can cover 40ft, the Dolphin cleaner tends to skip areas when used in large pools.
- Stairs and fine particles in the pool– sadly, it can’t clean sand and other such fine particles, nor can it climb stairs of the pool to clean them.
Features
One of the best things about the Dolphin Escape robotic pool cleaner is the Hyperbrush Active Scrubbing brush. It helps to remove different dirt, debris, and contaminants in the pool.
Another thing worth mentioning is the debris cartridge, which replaces the standard vacuum bag. Also, Dolphin Escape pool vac moves around with the help of HyperGrip continuous tracks instead of wheels. This helps with traction so that the vacuum doesn’t slip around the floor of your pools.
Design
Right at first glance, you can notice the unique design and appearance of the Dolphin Escape above-ground pool cleaner. Its white and blue color scheme makes it attractive and good-looking, so you’re proud to show it.
Still, there’s more to its design than that. This pool vac comes with a rapidly-spinning brush otherwise called a HyperBrush. It’s designed to move across the surface while dislodging pool particles, bacteria, algae, and other such gunk.
Also, thanks to the specially-designed tracks, the Dolphin Escape robotic pool cleaner moves more easily across pretty much any pool surface.
Size & Dimensions
The first thing to note is that this pool vac isn’t a large machine. It’s as small as a robot vacuum you’d use on the carpets inside your house.
It measures around 22×17.7×13 inches in total, which is enough to cover your pool rather quickly. Still, Dolphin Escape is compact, which allows you to store it away with ease, even if you’re tight on storage space.
Such size makes the Dolphin Escape robotic pool cleaner easy to use since it’s not too big or too small either.
Suction will not be an issue with Dolphin Escape robotic pool cleaner, as it is powered by a 24-volt DC motor.
Suction
The important thing to note is that Dolphin Escape pool vac features powerful suction. Therefore, it has the ability to pick up things like leaves and other such pieces.
The cleaner features 24-volt DC motors that provide energy-efficient suction and continuous power. The suction it provides is enough to pick up most of what’s at the bottom of pools.
However, you might want to pick up the largest pieces from your pool before using this pool cleaner.
Accessories & Parts
The Dolphin Escape robotic pool cleaner doesn’t come with any special accessories or tools. It has dual-scrubbing brushes we mentioned earlier.
The brushes are efficient and ideal for most pool floors, so you won’t struggle with sticky gunk at the bottom. However, it’s not as versatile since it’s on a more affordable side.
Nonetheless, this pool cleaner does an excellent job of picking up different dirt and debris such as leaves, algae, bacteria, bugs, and others.
Warranty
This cleaner comes with a one-year warranty, which is a somewhat standard deal for most similar products. Still, the deal only covers for damage caused by faulty materials and manufacturing. It doesn’t cover for damaged caused by misuse, neglect, or normal wear and tear.
Flooring
Since it’s a pool cleaner, the Dolphin Escape robotic pool cleaner works on tile only. It cannot be used on carpets, hardwood, or other indoor floors. As a matter of fact, that would most probably damage the pool vac since it classifies as neglect.
The way its brushes and tracks are constructed works only on tile and that of a pool bottom. You shouldn’t ever use this pool cleaner for anything other than that.
Maneuverability
The first thing you should note is that this pool cleaner doesn’t have a remote control. For this reason, you’ll have to rely on its SmartNav 2.0 Robotic Scanning.
What this does is optimize cleaning patterns so that the Dolphin Escape cleaner covers as much as possible. It depends on the pool, as well as the type of dirt and debris it’s dealing with. Prepare yourself to maybe help the Dolphin Escape by directing it in certain areas.
Another thing to note is that this one comes with 40ft of cable. It’s tangle-free, so the robotic pool cleaner doesn’t wrap itself around it during use.
Maintenance
There are only a few things to do when it comes to maintaining this pool cleaner. Its cartridge is the main focus here since it’s what needs your attention after each use.
In other words, you’d have to empty it each time you’re done with using the pool cleaner, or a few times during the process. The frequency depends mostly on how much dirt and debris there is.
As far as cleaning brushes, you can always take some time to clean them if there’s any gunk stuck to them.
Noise
The Dolphin Escape robotic pool cleaner itself isn’t too loud, so you probably won’t mind running it at any time of the day. You can hear it operating, but the noise is bearable and won’t disrupt your household.
Plus, if you use it while the pool is filled with water, the water will act as a noise absorbent. In this case, you probably won’t hear it unless you’re standing right next to it.
Cordless or Cord?
Dolphin Escape above ground pool cleaner is a corded unit that comes with 40ft of cable. For this reason, it’s not recommended for pools larger than 32 feet.
It might seem a bit complicated to use a corded cleaner for your pool, but this one is rather simple. Though it doesn’t have a tangle-free swivel, it’s unlikely it will tangle due to the SmartNav function.
Bag or Bagless
Dolphin Escape robotic pool cleaner comes with a dirt cartridge instead of a bag. It’s a more efficient and easy-to-use design that makes the pool cleaner more user-friendly.
It’s a large cartridge that fits up to 60% more debris than what would fit in a bag. Emptying it is quite simple, and it takes a few minutes before you can use the product again.
Keep in mind that you should wash the cartridge each time you empty it. It’s to prevent the cartridge from becoming sticky and slimy.
Filter
There’s a filter basket inside the dirt cartridge which picks up large debris such as leaves. It’s not a fine filter, so you’ll notice that it doesn’t pick up small stuff like sand and other such particles.
The pool vac is shipped with a mesh filter basket, but it seems that if you want something finer, you’ll have to purchase it separately.
Additional Options/Information
As we mentioned, this Dolphin Escape pool cleaner has a 90-minute cleaning cycle, which should be enough for average above-ground pools.
However, keep in mind that the Dolphin pool cleaner will shut itself off, waiting for you to pick it up. It cannot climb out of the pool, which, even though it seems obvious, is a common misconception.
Is the Dolphin Escape for you?
If you have an above-ground pool that’s no larger than 32 feet, you might want to consider the Dolphin Escape. It’s an efficient pool vacuum that cleans most debris you can find in your pool.
Still, consider its drawbacks such as the lack of remote control or any additional tools and accessories. It’s a useful pool cleaner that will help you forget about pool maintenance or at least change your opinion on it for the better.
