Dolphin Premium Pool Cleaner VS Dolphin Oasis Z5i Pool Cleaner
$1,149.99
 Highs |
|---|
| Dynamic PowerStream Mobility |
| Top-Notch Cleaning |
| Low Maintenance |
| Caddy Included |
| 2-Year Limited Warranty |
 Lows |
|---|
| Bluetooth Is Spotty |
| May Falter on Steps |
| MyDolphin App Needs Work |
| Coverage | 
Good |
| Filtration | 
Excellent |
| Cleaning |
Excellent |
| Intelligence | 
Fair |
| Usability |
Good |
| Bluetooth Usability | 
Poor |
| Maintenance |
Good |
| Value |
Good |
$1,199.00
| Highs |
|---|
| Dynamic Dual Drive |
| Powerful Climbing |
| Underwater Mobility |
| Excellent Filtration |
| Three-Year Warranty |
| Lows |
|---|
| Heavy |
| Caddy Not Included |
| Bluetooth Navigation Lags |
| Lingers on Steps |
| Coverage |
Good |
| Filtration |
Excellent |
| Cleaning |
Excellent |
| Intelligence |
Fair |
| Usability |
Good |
| Bluetooth Usability |
Poor |
| Maintenance |
Fair |
| Value |
Good |
Head To Head Review Analysis
Ultimately, you can’t go wrong buying the Dolphin Premium robotic pool cleaner for your pool. It costs more than other bread-and-butter cleaners, but it maintains that workhorse-like efficiency that we love from Dolphin’s mid-line robotic pool cleaners. On top of its cleaning ability and durability, it’s smart, and it can climb and filter like a much more expensive machine. As a pool owner, you may be just as happy with a robotic pool cleaner that doesn’t boast smart technology or as impressive climbing ability. But if those are priorities for you, the Dolphin Premium will likely exceed your expectations.
If you value power, efficiency, and durability, the Oasis Z5i is for you. It blends the best of both brains and brawn. It is powerful enough to tackle pools up to 50 feet long, climb to waterlines, and scrub the stuck-on grime out of surfaces with double spinning brushes. Its intelligent features are the perfect addition to an already solid machine, sensing where it has and hasn’t been, creating efficient cleaning routes, and operating off of a weekly timer. The Oasis Z5i is excellent for larger pools that need moderate cleaning regularly. It’s an underwater tank that will surprise you with its dexterity and durability. Even with the spotty Bluetooth navigation, it’s still a solid robotic pool cleaner that you won’t regret investing in.
Dolphin Premium Pool Cleaner
Dolphin Oasis Z5i Pool Cleaner
Customer Reviews
Based on 5 Reviews
How would you rate Dolphin Premium Pool Cleaner?*
Based on 57 Reviews
How would you rate Dolphin Oasis Z5i Pool Cleaner?*
Best robotic cleaner
After 18 years of inground pool ownership and using various other vacuum type cleaners, the Dolphine robotic cleaner far surpasses the others in functionality,speed and performance. It’s very easy to clean debries from the removable basket. I’m extremely satisfied with this product and would highly recommend it.
5 Stars
I’ve only had it a few days, but so far it’s cleaning very efficiently and is very easy to use. I do wish the app to manually drive was a little more user friendly, and able to be accessible from anywhere/not at home, and perhaps had ability to program cleaning times. Easy to clean and lightweight.
3rd Breakdown
My Dolphin Premiun cleans well when it works. But in 2yrs I’ve had 3 breakdowns and a dirty pool for weks or months on end. A lot of money spent on a poor product. Part this weekend and need to borrow a robot from a friend asap. Bad experience for me.
Somewhat disappointed
I bought the Dolphin Premium in 2016 after my iRobot cleaner died. I was definitely impressed with how much easier it is to clean and maintain the Dolphin. I also like the power supply and caddy. But when it comes to cleaning my pool the Dolphin doesn’t do as good a job as my previous cleaner. It will roll right over some debris (small leaves and dirt) and not pick them up and it seems to just miss some parts of the pool. Even if I keep it on for multiple cycles (6 hours or so) there will still be some visible debris in the pool that I have to manually clean up before guests arrive.
Poor Reliability & Doesn't Work as Promoted by Maytronics
This product was purchased in June 2018 and was used for three months. Now in 2019, it works on and off, but mostly off and when it works it only goes for 2-5 min before stopping. My Hayward pool cleaner lasted 8 years before having problems. I can’t even find a service centre on the Maytronics website for my area. Another point of irritation is the fact that Maytronics promoted the pool cleaner as having a two stage filter system. In reality, its only a one stage filter because the water does not need to pass through the first filter to get to the main filter. Rubbish!
Great one!
Was surprised to find a cleaner from the Dolphin line with the dual drive motors and split front brush for so reasonably priced. Espically with the remote and caddy included. Dolphin units such as the Premier that are in the class below this are priced about the same, so this was a steal! The Oasis Z5 came packed well in a brown box, it includes the caddy, remote and power supply. The caddy goes together well, and is much higher quality than my old Dolphin caddy. Dolphin really thought about the details, the power supply fits in a little pocket nice and neat and there is a nice little clip that holds the remote on the caddy also. I was excited to get the cleaner WITH the caddy because its really a feature that shouldn't be sold separately, its that important. Our first use went great, the cleaner came with the screen filters installed. We unwound the cord and dropped it in the water. Once the cords were plugged in we fired it up and away it went. I've been without my old Dolphin a little less than a year, and its amazing how much dirt and grit this machine will get out of what you think is a perfectly clean pool! We have used it 3-4 times now and are completely blown away with how well it scrubs the floor, walls and tile. Best purchase we have made this year!
Good Product
Only used it twice, but this is a very good robotic vacuum and scrubs the floors, walls, and the lowest 2 steps. Better than I expected.
Oasis Z 5
Have used it 4 times in the fall and it seems to be very good at cleaning the entire pool bottom, walls and top of the tile. Cord has not tangled at all and the Z 5 does climb my steps. The Power Source Box had the clips broken in shipping and when I called the Manufacture they asked for pictures and were extremely accommodating in sending me a new Power Box within a couple days. So far pleased with the performance and impressed with the Dolphin Manufacturer. Pool Zoom was in addition very helpful when I was deciding which robotic cleaner to choose and shipped the cleaner to me in 2 days . Excellent experience !!!
Robot Dolphin Z5 pool cleaner
great value and great warranty for the prices. Recommended
Oasis Z5
Arrived on schedule, put the caddy together in about a half hour. I was already familiar with the dolphin pool cleaner. Prepared the cleaner per instructions, inserted in water, and away she went.. The pool looked fantastic compared to the Older Dolphin we had.. Read the instructions on the remote, easy to use.. The cleaning element is so much easier than the other one we had with the bag.. Pop it out and rinse off and pop it back in , real easy.. It did a Fantastic job of cleaning, the pool was crystal clean... Would recommend this item to anyone.. Also the rotating cord is so much easier than the old model.. It used to get tangled up and restrict the area the pool cleaner could access.
Pool Robot
It appears to be well made. I will be putting her in the pool tomorrow.
It's worth every dollar you spend!!!
I love everything about this vaccum!! I honestly cant say one thing i dislike about it!! It climbs the walls also! So it doesnt only clean the floor!
Dont hesitate on buying this
We have had this cleaner 2 or 3 years now. Couldn’t ask for anything better. Easy to use, easy to clean. Best investment we’ve ever made for our in ground pool. Here’s one HAAPPY customer.
Reliable and great performance
Great Product
Enjoy swimming!
A great investment!
Buy it. Well worth the money
Works. Great. Very easy to use. And clean.
Gets the job done well
Fantastic
Works Great!
Really nice product, ingenious design. As a mechanical engineer, I was very impressed with design and craftsmanship of the Dolphin.
Awesome Robot
Awesome pool cleaner! So easy to dump cartridges rather than a bag like I was used to.
Spend the money!
I went back and forth, This machine is the top of line, just hook it up and let it go. Cleans very well
I love my Dolphin!
Love my Dolphin cleaner so much that I named him. Makes coming home from work and jumping in the pool much more enjoyable! The pool is so clean.
New filters system is easy to clean
I’ve used this product for about 45 days now and it’s better than the previous generation. I like the filters to clean over the storage bags. Much easier to clean.
My pool has never been cleaner.
My pool has never been cleaner.
Dolphin oasis
Works beterthan our od Dolphin
Good Product.
It is pretty heavy to pull out of pool. The Bluetooth does not seem to guide it very easy. This could be user error. Overall I am very pleased with it.
Easy
Easy to use, works great.
Awesome, Perfect
Love Love Love everything. Saves us sooo It mentions a Pro Remote for this model but I cant find where or which remote to buy. Thanks
Keeps Pool Clean!
Easy to use and keeps the pool clean. Love this pool cleaner!
Happy with the performace of the Dolphin not happy about the Control Unit!!!
I'm happy with the Main Unit. I think you guys got the Main Unit and the Control Panel mixed up, the control unit keeps shutting off and I never could really get the Bluetooth Connected. I kept getting an error message and it wouldn't pair with the Main Unit.
Easy to use and does a great job
Expensive, but worth it for me!
Great Product
works great
Love it.
Seems to be working great. We have popups in our pool which do not brush the bottom of the pool. This has picked up so much dirt it is unbelievable. Of course we turn off our popups while we are using the Oasis. We are waiting for it to finally come up empty so we can take it out but it keeps cleans which is a good thing.
WoW
This thing is awesome. It really does a great job. Only complaint is having to lift out of the pool. This is a must-have to all pool owners who clean their own pool.
Excellent
This is the best pool cleaner brand on the market! I have had several others including a Polaris but NONE can touch this one. It cost a lot but so did the Polaris but this cleaner is POWERFULL and cleans great!
Great tool
I strongly recommend this robot. Reviews I read before buying were great and product has lived up to hype. I am a new pool owner, all new experience for me. Robot climbs the walls with ease and scrubs along water line. The one drawback that was mentioned in previous reviews was that you have to buy the caddy separately for over $100 more. The caddy is essential. For the price of the robot, they really should include the caddy. I held off on buying caddy for a couple weeks after purchase. I wish I would have bought caddy right away.
OMG! WHAT A WONDERFUL MACHINE
Our pool has never been cleaner. Retired our old Polaris when pump failed. Decided to try a robot. WOW. It is expensive but perfect cleaning job for our 40' pool.
Efficent and thorough addition to any pool cleaning regimen
Very easy to use and helpful pool cleaner. A great addition to your regular pool maintenance, the dolphin will scrub the bottom and sides in an efficient and thorough manner. It removes small particles that are easily missed by other methods. Cleaning the filters is simple- just hose them off. It can clean a decent size pool (25 x 45) in about 2.5 hours.
I have a cleaner pool now
This little guy works really well. I have been using it for a couple months and I am impressed. Easy to use, just drop it in the pool and push the button. It has the remote control via a phone app, and the app works fine, but honestly its more of a novelty imo, because I haven't ever really needed to use it since the automatic mode cleans the pool well.
Best Dolphin
This is the best Dolphin we have owned. It not only cleans the pool bottom wonderfully but climbs the walls and steps.It was awhile between the time the old Dolphin died ( we had it for years) and we got this one so the pool was a mess. In no time this Dolphin cleaned it beautifully, Plus, quick delivery.
FANTASTIC POOL CLEANER
This Dolphin robot absolutely surpasses my expectations. Worth every penny. Solidly built. Very easy to clean the filters. My pool was very dirty with a lot of sand and algae. The box arrived, and 5 minutes later I had plugged the robot into the controller, plugged the controller into an extension cord, and dropped the robot into the pool. You could immediately see where the robot had gone as it left a perfectly clean line behind it each pass it made. It climbed the walls with easy, and then would spend about 30 seconds scrubbing at the waterline before dropping back down to the bottom to make another pass.
Brilliant vacuum
Switch on and walk away, just make sure your walls are free from algae, otherwise it makes it difficult to climb, but does a fantastic job. You won't be disappointed.
Works like a Champ
Hardworking machine looking for stuff to pick up all the time. This is my second one. First one I left for the new owner of the house I just sold.
Thank you
Awesome Buy, reliable product!! I use daily in a saltwater pool that we keep all year long at 89 degrees. Easy to use and clean! Very satisfied
Dolphin Z5i works great
This cleaner did everything right. Climbed the walls and looked good doing it. It did leave a hint of algae on a few walls, but got most of it. Overall, I was quite impressed.
Remote control pool cleaner
This guy really does a great job. I particularly like the app that allows me to remotely steer him up the stairs and get what he may have missed. This is my second Dolphin after 4 years, and I just say the design is far better. The filters are easy to clean. Good choice for pool cleaner!
It can't climb a slimy wall, use a brush and it will take hold. ONCE cleaned no problem.
We are opening our pool for the first time. Our install was finished just in time to close it last year. We still had some construction dirt in there. I pulled my new Dolphin out of the box and plugged it in. I lowered it into our 12 x24 ft pool and hit the power button. I selected the time and watched it go. I found a light brush on the wall is enough to allow good traction on the side walls. I stopped it about every 30 mins. And rinsed the filters since the pool was pretty dirty. I love It. I can see running it everyday for a couple hours to keep it tiddy at first, then every other day. The suction was great and knowing this dirt isn't going into our system is wonderful. I also bought the cradle and highly recommend it. It keeps the sweeps from getting smashed down. Cleaning the filters is easy, remove and rinse, repeat. I'm naming it "Robbie my pool boy....
BEST pool robot I've owned
The Dolphin is waaaaay better than the Aquabot that we replaced. The ease of cleaning the robot debris is super easy. Our pool is spotless in less than an hour. Our pool is about 30,000 gallons. I can't believe I thought the aquabot was doing a good job. I would rate the dolphin a 9.5 and the aquabot a 6. Money well spent. Buy the caddy as it keeps the sponge rollers and rubber sweepers off the ground. It is very light and easy to lift out of the pool.
Best thing I ever bought for my pool!
UPDATE 1 Year into owning it and still rocks! What a beast! Both screen filters and ultra fine filters are still in great shape! Should last for a few more pool seasons! One thing that went wrong (which was my fault) I always leave the power supply outside and rained heavily for a few straight days and it sorta flooded and exposed the power supply to water... Maytronics replaced the power supply and I’m back in action! I now secure my power supply from getting wet and also covered my power supply with the included blue filter bag that comes with the robot... good to go! No issues whatsoever with the robot!** After several years of owning my new house with a large swimming pool I must have to say this is the best thing I ever bought for my pool. I no longer have to hire pool guys to come clean my pool PLUS with this robot you don’t have to run your pump either like with my old polaris 280. My friend told me about these dolphins and done my research. This Oasis Z5i in my opinion is the best robot out there! It scrubs all the algae from the pool bottom, walls, and water line. It sucks up all the leaves and dead bugs I sometimes get. If you like saving time and money just get this it will not disappoint. PROS: 3 Commercial Motors, 4 split brushes, 3 year warranty, 2 TOP Loaded large filters. Crystal Clear Pool.
High cost, but it is incredible!
New house, monsoon season, went for the Cadillac of cleaners. The Z5i did not disappoint. Using an independent source for bottom and wall cleaning (pebble tec) allows skimmer to be set for max cleaning of tons of leaves on surface. During monsoon season (AZ) old pool would take 3-4 days to bring back from mud/sand pit look. Although filters require daily cleaning during monsoon season, it did a spectacular job removing sand, dirt, leaves, and small sticks. Monsoons in evening, swim ready the following afternoon. Over the past 15 years, we have purchased 1+ of every major brand of suction side pool cleaner. Never again with the Z5i. Thanks Maytronics, for a great product.
good
It did not do very good when I first opened the pool but I understand that now. This is a maintenance tool, not a clean up tool. It climbs the wall pretty good now that the walls are clean. It does not do the steps as well as expected but it is a good machine. I would recommend it.
OASIS Z5i POOL CLEANER
GREAT POOL CLEANER. MUCH BETTER THAN MY POLARIS 380.BUY ONE TODAY!....
Overall Best Robot in the market
Struggles to clime and clean a slimy wall
claims to climb walls, and it does....sometimes...
doesnt quite vacuum up the algae, but does get dirt, leaves, etc...find myself still scrubbing the walls with a pool brush..
Easy to drop and go, but won't fulfill all cleaning needs
Bough this device for a 20x40' in ground pool, to help replace manually vacuum cleaning weekly. Works really well picking up sand, hair, and other debris like bits that fall from trees and flowers. Where it fails is cleaning silty dust and dirt that settles on the floor of the pool. It just blows it around. In all, it helps me not to have to be manually cleaning the pool all the time. Has 1h, 2h, or a 3h clean setting. Seems to hit just about every area, including the walls. And, the device is super easy to use.
It works
My first pool vacuum robot, not quite sure what to expect. Pool still has some black stuff on the bottom after a week or two; not sure if the robot is missing areas or can't get it clean. The blue-tooth works, but requires proximity and line of sight to the power supply. I think wifi would be better so I could use it from inside the house or to start the cleaner if I were away. The filter screens seem pretty delicate. Wondering how they will hold up to constant cleaning. I doubt they will last the season, but time will tell. None of the pool robot vacuums on the market have great reviews on average. Maybe the technology is still in the development stage. I think they are all over priced for what you get, but what can you do. If you need one you have to step up. Indoor robot cleaners have come down in price over the years. Perhaps pool robots will too. I also think at this price point the cart should be included, but then the Maytronics cart doesn't get such great reviews either. I looked and couldn't find any 3rd party carts that said they would fit. I don't regret my purchase, but not sure if I could recommend it because I haven't had it very long to see what long term use will be like.
Gets stuck on floor drain covers.
1st purchase of a robotic cleaner. Pretty impressive on ability to clean the pool overall. Have a rectangular pool with a deep end and a 3.5 foot end. Full length stairs along the 3.5 foot end. A couple draw backs though. It will climb on to the 1st step but not work along the step. It just goes back down on to the pool floor. It won't try to go on to the 2nd step but I believe that is because it's getting to shallow. The step issue is not that big of a deal to me. The biggest draw back is that it gets stuck on the 2 deep end floor drain covers. Even if I have the drain valves off (not pulling water into the main filter), the robot still gets stuck. It has approx 3 hour cycle to clean the pool. It gets stuck at least 6 times during a cycle. I have to pull it off of the drain with the attached cord. So, I just can't set it to clean and leave it alone. I have to keep checking on it to see if it's stuck. I'm considering returning it for a different model that would be more flexible on the drains. I'm hoping Maytronics(Dolphin) has a fix for me first. The app and blue tooth is not that great. With the app you can only manually control the dolphin and start a cleaning cycle. I wouldn't pay up just for the blue tooth. I thought there would be waterline mode on the app but it doesn't. It doesn't appear like there is waterline mode on this robot as suggested in the specs. The manual is limited.
Not easy to maneuver pool cleaner
Very Bulky and heavy especially when pulling it out of pool. Dosen't clean the scim line across the pool especially when it is full of water. My wife and I are both Senior citizens and we were looking for a easy way to keep up with pool. If you are looking for a product this has some good uses but there are many other pool cleaners that do the same job minus the size and weight of this unit especially when it is full of water removing it from the pool and cleaning the cartridges
Works great...if it doesnt get stuck in your drain covers!
When the robot works, it does a great job. I expect most people will be happy with this robot. In my case, it constantly gets stuck on my drains. This turns a supposedly automatic cleaner into something that must be constantly supervised, in case you need to tug it loose from the drain. I’ve operated it with the pool pump off to decrease the suction, and the same thing happens. I called Maytronics for advice and they had nothing to offer. I’m sending it back.
Flawed
It constantly gets stuck on the drain vents at the bottom of my pool. Also, the inlets seem to clog up with leaves before the filters get full, necessitating frequent cleanings. E-mailed their customer support in September, and still haven't got a reply (other than an acknowledgement).
Not worth the money
Product gets stuck on main drain covers, even when pump is off. Constantly have to pull it off the main drain. Seems to clean well when it isn't stuck onn the main drain.
Problem with the drain
It keeps going to the drain and the deep end so I am constantly having to pull it off the drain. Blue tooth is only good if you are out there with it. I tried getting a remote thinking I could just program it to stay on the shallow end but the remote doesn't work with this robot because of the blue tooth that is basically useless.
Stopped after 8 months, no support
I bought the Dolphin M500, visually nearly identical to this model (Dolphin attempts to protect its dealers by not selling the same model numbers through pool stores as they sell online). Suddenly last week the robot stopped working - attempts to crawl for 2 or 3 seconds in one direction, then the same in the opposite direction, then stops. Researching online I discovered multiple reports of the same problem from other M500 and M400 owners, with no solutions identified. I called 1-800-DOLPHIN and their auto attendant says "We've had to suspend our phones for a short period of time while we conduct an internal company activity..." with no other info. Do they have just one person manning the phones who got sick today? Are they going out of business? Bizarre. So now I have a $1500 dead robot and no support. The dealer said he got the same message and would let me know when they figure out what to do!