Baracuda Mars Pool Cleaner
Written: Oct 13 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to set up and use, does a very good cleaning job.
Cons: Replacing the debris basket is a little tricky.
The Bottom Line: Does an excellent job, appears durable, easy to use.
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| drmh's Full Review: Baracuda Mars Pool Cleaner |
I recently replaced my Polaris 380 with the Mars, The Polaris was 6 years old and had required a fair amount of maintenance and replacement parts that I thought were overpriced. The Mars was marketed as a direct replacement allowing me to continue using the existing booster pump. I have used the Mars for 2 months.
Overall I am very pleased. It did in fact plug into the Polaris fitting directly and I did not have to change over to the included Mars fitting. The only adjustment I had to make was to shorten the hose according to the directions (my pool is a basic 20x40 rectangular model). Unlike the Polaris, it has never become stuck on the ladder. It takes 3-4 hours to cover the entire pool, and sometimes seems to "avoid" a certain area in the shallow end, but eventually gets there. The debris collection basket is less of a pain to empty than the one on the Polaris, with its messy Velcro closure. Reinsertion of the basket into the body of the Mars is a little tricky, and if it is not clicked in perfectly, it will pop out when it's thrown back into the pool.
I can't comment on durability having had it for only two months. So far it has been a good product. Also please take my criticisms of the Polaris in context, as I am comparing a brand new state of the art product just released on the market with a 6 year old model. It is possible the the buyer of a new Polaris will get an upgraded product.
Who should buy the Mars? Anyone with a pool with a lot of debris. I have a lot of trees and it does well with leaves, acorns, etc. It does not seem to get up on the steps very well, but I just sweep the step debris into the pool and Mars gets it there. I don't know how it will perform with odd shaped pools.
The price I paid after an extensive internet search was $319 delivered. There was a tremendous variation in prices from different vendors, and this price was for the Mars unit only, as I already have the required booster pump in place. (It is incorrectly described on this website as a suction cleaner). There is an additional $100 rebate offer if you have an old different model cleaner to trade in). I bought from www.wholesalepoolsupplies.com.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
drmh
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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