and double tracks instead of wheels. The tracks are covered with a durable strip of gray plastic grips that cling to the pool’s surface.

You’ll notice several visible jets on the exterior of the Active 20. This equips the robotic pool cleaner to climb and make lateral movements while vertical. And unlike the Active 10, the lowest end model of the Active Series, the Active 20 has dual scrubbing brushes instead of just one. The bristles are tough but pliable, which is ideal for the trying work of scrubbing bacteria and algae daily from the pool’s surface.

Features
The Active 20 has promising features, especially at this price range. It doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles of the brand’s higher end models, but its specs still offer a strong value for the cost.

One of the first things you’ll notice out of the box is the multi-function power supply. Unlike the one-button standard automation of lower end models, you can easily set a weekly timer and select a cleaning mode.

Dolphin also designed what they call CleverClean technology, which is a scanning software that ensures the robotic pool cleaner scans and covers every inch of the pool’s surface during its cleaning job. Working in conjunction with that is the power stream mobility of the Active 20. The outer jets that we mentioned in the design of the robot power the Active 20 up, down, and side to side. This means it can actually climb the walls and adhere to them, even moving laterally when needed while scrubbing the surface.

Another upgrade from the Active 10 model is the Active 20’s dual scrubbing brushes. Instead of just the one on the front of the robot, rotating brushes are located on the front and back of the Active 20 between the grid tracks. These also rotate at twice the speed of regular robotic pool cleaning brushes, so the scrubbing action is vigorous and effective.

Usability
Assembling the Active 20 was straightforward. Once we unwrapped it out of the box we snapped the filtration cartridge together and placed it in the cavity of the robot. Simply unravel the cable and plug it into the power supply, then drop the Active 20 into the water.

At first glance, the power supply interface isn’t incredibly intuitive. We had to read through the owner’s manual for a few minutes to understand how to select the cleaning mode we wanted, as well as how to set a weekly timer. Once we figured it out, however, we could start the cleaning with the push of a button and walk away.

We watched the Active 20 at work, but it never required any interference from us. Once it completed its job, it was easy to pull it from the water by the built-in handle. The excess water in the robot released rapidly, and it didn’t take much effort to haul the machine back onto dry land.

Dolphin’s filtration systems are renowned for their ease of use and cleaning. And the Active 20 is no different. With the push of a button, the top of the cleaner pops up with the handle of the filter basket. We just pulled that out and peered inside to see what all the Active 20 had captured (more on that below). You can snap apart the filters that comprise the filter basket to give them a really thorough rinsing, but you can also just dump the larger debris and rinse the basket while it’s intact.

Performance
With high marks in usability and impressive features, we were eager to see how the Dolphin Active 20 robotic pool cleaner actually performed in the water.

We selected a 50-foot in-ground pool to test the Active 20, which is the maximum size the model is supposed to be able to clean. Like with all of our tests, we let the pool accumulate a few days’ worth of debris. Some windy weather had blown in grass clippings and dirt as well, clouding the top and bottom of the pool.

Once the Active 20 had sunk to the bottom of the pool and we started its cleaning cycle, it got to work. We watched as it actively scrubbed the bottom of the pool first, leaving behind a satisfyingly bright strip of pool flooring after every pass-through. It was obviously picking up the sunken silt, and it grabbed some of the larger sunken bits of debris like twigs.

More than just vacuuming, we could also witness its active scrubbing function. As it climbed the sides to the waterline, you could see the tough bristles spinning, and it scrubbed away algae growth that had accumulated on the tile of the waterline.

Speaking of climbing, we were impressed with the dexterity of the Active 20. We mentioned the power stream mobility system earlier, which is where the jets on the outside of the robot come into play. The force of these jets creates a patent-pending multi-directional water flow. This means the Active 20 can navigate up walls and hold a vertical position with ease, and more importantly, do so without losing grip and falling backward. The jets on the sides of the cleaner also move it laterally when needed, and they help the Active 20 conquer trickier spaces. For example, the pool we tested with has several different obstacles that would prove challenging for any robotic pool cleaner. The Active 20 dexterously climbed the pool’s toe ledges, seating ledges, and even stairs. We thought it might simply float over them as it attempted to climb them, but the robot actually hugged each surface and scrubbed them, even reaching into the corners and nooks that are easy to miss.

The Active 20 ran for two hours in our test pool. It never got tangled, nor did it get stuck or stop mid-job. Once it was done the power supply informed us the job was complete with a flashing LED light notification.

The pool looked substantially cleaner than how it started. There was hardly any visible debris except perhaps a few blades of grass, and the bottom was far brighter and cleaner than before. But the real proof of power is in the filters.

We popped open the top of the Active 20 and peered into the filter basket. It was impressively full of debris. It grabbed leaves, twigs, dirt, and even a few small kids toys that had been abandoned on the bottom. What was most surprising was how much sand and dirt the filters had trapped in its hardworking folds. We dumped out the larger debris and took the filter basket apart to give the filters themselves a very thorough cleaning, and we were impressed with the effectiveness of the standard filters. It took a good dousing with the hose before the water running from the filters became clear, as it was compact with small particles from its cleaning job. We’re pretty sure it grabbed some algae as well, but the moral of the story is that the filters worked well enough to be incredibly dirty.

In Conclusion
The Dolphin Active 20 robotic pool cleaner is a solid purchase in our book.

It’s affordable and efficient, which isn’t always a combination you find in the robotic pool cleaner market. We questioned whether the value was really all Dolphin had made it out to be. But after putting it to work and challenging it in the water, we think it meets the expectations set out by its designers. It isn’t the Ferrari of robotic pool cleaners, but it is a solid, well-designed machine that is easy to use, simple to care for, and highly effective at its job. It’s the epitome of convenience, making it easier than ever for owners to drop it into the pool and forget about it. If you value saving time and money but won’t compromise on efficiency with a robotic pool cleaner, you can’t go wrong with the Dolphin Active 20