Replacing my Polaris with a Dolphin Explorer E20




My Polaris VXR IQ+ got hit by lightning. It was in the pool when a storm rolled through (pretty normal for Nashville). It fried the controller. I took it back to Leslie’s, where I bought it — they said they could fix it, but recommended a new one. The part alone was about $600, and I knew I could get another cleaner for not much more, so I didn’t fix it.

It was summer, not many leaves, so I started shopping.

Honest take: the Polaris was overkill for our 30′ pool. We weren’t using the extras — Wi‑Fi, scheduling, app, remote, temperature (we already get that from the pool app).

I paid about $1,500 for the Polaris. I wouldn’t buy that model again (overkill for this pool), but it was still worth it. I had it about five years, and it saved me more than enough time to justify roughly $300/year.

I looked at Dolphin and was ready to buy a ~$700 Premium 20 at Leslie’s. Then I found the Explorer E20 at Walmart on sale for $550. Specs looked the same to me, so I went with that.

Polaris pros

  • Anti-kink swivel
  • Lift feature (brings the unit up to the waterline so you can pull it out)

E20 pros

  • Cheaper
  • Lighter
  • 24-month warranty

Cleaning

No noticeable difference so far. Both climb walls and clean the floor. Neither does the tanning ledge.

On the E20, to get it out we pull the cable until it rises to the waterline, then grab the handle. Not as nice as the Polaris lift, but easy enough for the family.

I’ll check back in a month, but so far so good.

My original Polaris VXR IQ+ review

Dolphin Explorer E20 at Walmart




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