Pool maintenance requires a lot of hours and energy, and if you decide to clean your pool yourself, you will spend a lot of time cleaning than doing other activities (maybe even swimming in your pool!). The time-consuming aspect, alongside other factors, is why people hire professional pool cleaners to clean their swimming pools. These professionals put in necessary measures to eliminate bacteria, algae, and other harmful microbes from your pool.
But technology has made some advancements that have resulted in robotic pool cleaners; these are automated machines that clean swimming pools. Automated pool cleaners range from simple pool vacuum cleaners to advanced, intelligent robots; there are different kinds of automatic pool cleaners with prices ranging from very expensive to affordable.
Hayward and Maytronics are two brands that produce some of the best pool cleaners in the market; Hayward manufacturers the TigerShark models, and Maytronics produces the Dolphin models.
TigerShark has a cleaning cycle time of 3 hours, and this is standard across all TigerShark models; Hayward’s patented Quick Clean offers the possibility of a quick 90-minute clean cycle. On the other hand, Dolphin models’ cleaning cycles vary depending on the model; for example, the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus has a cleaning cycle of 2 hours, and the Dolphin Nautilus has a standard cleaning cycle of 3 hours.
| Hayward TigerShark | Maytronics Dolphin | |
| Pool Types | Hayward’s TigerShark works only in large in-ground pools. You cannot use TigerShark pool cleaners if you have an above-ground pool. | On the other hand, Maytronics’ Dolphin models work in in-ground and above-ground pools. |
| Models | Hayward TigerShark comes in different models, and the models have descriptions to make them easily identifiable. There are six TigerShark models, and they are as follows: TigerShark Robotic Pool Cleaner (Expert Line), TigerShark Plus Robotic Cleaner (Expert Line), TigerShark QC Robotic Cleaner with Quick Clean Option (Expert Line), TigerShark Robotic Pool Cleaner, TigerShark Plus Robotic Cleaner, and TigerShark QC Robotic Cleaner with Quick Clean. | Dolphin pool cleaner is available in Dolphin Triton PS, Dolphin Triton PS Plus, Dolphin Nautilus, Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus, etc. |
| Prices | TigerShark pool cleaners are generally more expensive than Dolphin pool cleaners. The TigerShark QC Robotic Pool Cleaner costs $1,079, and the TigerShark Robotic Pool Cleaner costs about $1,200. | Dolphin pool cleaners are high-end, pricey products that deliver quality and easy cleaning. The Dolphin Premier Robotic pool cleaner ranges from $1,000 to $1,500. Some Dolphin pool cleaners are priced as follows: Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus is $800 to $850, depending on where you buy it. |
Differences Between Hayward TigerShark and Dolphin Pool Cleaner
Contents
Different Models
TigerShark and Dolphin are available in different models; all have unique features and work with varying types of pools. Maytronics’ Dolphin is available in these models: Dolphin Nautilus, Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus, Dolphin Triton PS, and Dolphin Triton PS Plus. These models provide different coverage when cleaning pools, and they have different cleaning cycle times; for example, Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus has a cleaning cycle time of 2 hours, and it cleans your swimming pool’s floor and walls. The Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus has a cable length of 50 feet, and it works well with swimming pools whose length is up to 33 feet.
TigerShark pool cleaner models include the W3RC9990CUB (this is TigerShark’s Quick Cleaner), the RC9950CUB, and the RC9955CUB. All TigerShark models have a standard 3-hour cleaning cycle, within which time it cleans your pool’s floor, walls, waterline, and coves. The TigerShark QC pool cleaner uses a fast 90-minute Quick Clean cycle; this is possible courtesy of Hayward’s patented Quick Clean technology. InTigerShark’s QC models, this 90-minute Quick Clean cycle works with the standard 3-hour cleaning cycle.
Scheduled Cleaning
All Dolphin pool cleaner models have a feature that allows you to schedule the times the pool cleaner will clean your swimming pool. For example, suppose you purchase the Dolphin Nautilus CC. In that case, you can schedule it to automatically clean your pool every week using these settings: every day, every third day, or every other day. The Dolphin pool cleaner’s memory board creates a pool diagram and follows it while cleaning. Although you cannot program how your Dolphin automated cleaner will clean your pool, it has been programmed for optimal pool scanning and cleaning.
Energy Consumption
TigerShark pool cleaners are outfitted with pre-installed 24-volt motors with incredible energy-saving abilities. These 24-volt motors can save up to 93% of energy. Maytronics’ Dolphin pool cleaners and Hayward’s TigerShark cleaners have different motors, but they have little difference in energy requirements.
Dolphin pool cleaners do not have these 24-volt motors, but they have powerful suction motors that can suck up debris and dirt. These suction motors would have consumed too much energy (and increased pool owners’ energy bills) were it not for the SmartNav 2.0 microprocessor, which calculates the optimal cleaning pattern and follows it. The SmartNav 2.0 microprocessor acts as an energy-saving device and saves up to 90% energy.
Similarities Between Hayward TigerShark and Dolphin Pool Cleaner
Filter System
Hayward’s TigerShark and Maytronics’ Dolphin models have their filter system; they do not use the swimming pool’s filters, reducing the frequency of filter backwash cycles. Everything the pool cleaners suck up during the cleaning process stays inside the cleaners, and when they are done cleaning, you can open up the cleaner, remove the cartridge, and rinse it out. It would be best to remember to clean out your pool cleaner’s filters after each use to last long.
Self-Contained Pool Cleaners
TigerShark and Dolphin robot pool cleaners are self-contained. They do not require any pre-installation or booster pump, and they do not need to be connected to your swimming pool’s system. All you have to do to get started with either of them is connect them to a standard 110/120-volt electrical outlet.
Conclusion
When choosing which item to purchase, many consumers often consider price the sole factor or an essential factor. Some people may think that a product is good because it is pricey, so they should buy it; other consumers may think it is better to buy a less expensive product because they believe it is just as good as a pricey product. The most expensive product may be wrong for you, and the cheapest one may also be bad. You should not apply this mindset to purchasing your pool cleaner because price does not determine if the pool cleaner will suit your needs.
You need to consider a couple of factors and features when you are buying your pool cleaner; some of these things to consider are: what is the size of your pool, and what is your pool type? This article has covered it, but you should remember that certain pool cleaners only work with certain pool types, e.g., TigerShark models are used in in-ground pools. Also, consider the type of cord (and if the pool cleaner has a cord or is cordless), cord length, etc. Other factors to consider are: what kind of filtration system does the pool cleaner have? How fast is the pool cleaner’s cleaning cycle? And if you are on a tight budget, how much does it cost? After careful consideration and examination of these questions and the pool cleaner’s features, you may choose which is best for you: Hayward’s TigerShark, or Maytronics’ Dolphin pool cleaners.