Which is the best pool vacuum: the TigerShark Quick Clean or the Dolphin Nautilus CC+? These are the two that we were left with when we wanted to compare the best models from each company. The elimination process was, as always, long and brutal.
To answer the question of which one is better, you have to understand the features of each one. Only then can you decide which will work best in your particular pool. Get the features you need. That’s how you make sure you get a good value, right?
So let’s just dive right in, make a big splash and find you your new pool cleaning robot in this pool vacuum comparison.
Contents
In A Rush?
To compare pool vacuum robots, it’s sometimes useful to run through the relative pros and cons real quick. So here we go.
Both models clean all pool surfaces, but the Dolphin Nautilus CC has more suction to get more fine debris off the pool floor. But the TigerShark cleans the waterline. The Dolphin doesn’t, so you have to brush it yourself.
Both have long cords. The TigerShark is good for pools up to 45’, and the Dolphin can handle 50’ pools.
Each of these automatic pool cleaners feature easy-to-clean filter cartridges. The Dolphin has two filters, so it takes a little more time to clean them.
The TigerShark has two cleaning modes: three-hour deep clean and 90-minute quick clean. Dolphin’s cleaner has only a single two-hour cycle. You can program the Dolphin to start cleaning automatically at the frequency you want it to, but the TigerShark must be manually started each time you want it to clean.
Dolphin’s warranty is only two years, while TigerShark’s is three.
The Dolphin is lighter at 19 pounds, and the Tigershark weighs 21-½.
TigerShark’s cleaner is more expensive.
So the TigerShark is a good pool vacuum, but so is the Dolphin. Stick around and we’ll get more specific below.
- Our Rating:
- Hayward TigerShark Robotic Pool Vacuum Quick Clean
- Ideal for all pool surfaces
Good for pools up to 45’
Easy-to-clean filter cartridges
Warranty: 3 year
Weight: 21.5 lbs
- Our Rating:
- Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Automatic Robotic Pool Cleaner
- Ideal for all pool surfaces
Good for pools up to 50’
Easy-to-clean filter cartridges
Warranty: 2 year
Weight: 19 lbs
Hayward TigerShark vs Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Robotic Pool Cleaners Review & Comparison:
Hayward TigerShark Robotic Pool Vacuum Quick Clean
- The long 55’ cord is good for large and deep pools
- It cleans all pool surfaces without needing any adjustments
- It cleans the floor, walls and waterline of all pools, whether above-ground, in-ground, oddly shaped or beach-entry
- The single top-loading filter cartridge is easy to remove and clean with a hose
- It has powerful 60 GPM suction
- Two cleaning cycles: 3-hour deep clean and 90-minute quick clean
- It’s a fairly heavy pool cleaner vacuum, weighing in at 21-½ pounds
- The three-year warranty covers materials and workmanship, but excludes the normal wear and tear of the parts that are prone to failure
- It is one of the most expensive robotic pool cleaners of its type
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Review
This automatic pool cleaning robot has some useful features for people who don’t have time to clean their pool. Have you ever spent time scrubbing the waterline of your pool? Most pool cleaners can’t clean that area. But this one can. In fact, this pool cleaner gets every area of the pool. That includes the floor, walls and waterline.
You can get a good cleaning when you choose the three-hour cycle. If you just need a quick cleanup, you can choose the fast 90-minute cycle. That’s great for before guests arrive or after everyone gets out of the pool.
Cleaning the filter is pretty easy. You just take it out of the top of the robot, take it apart and spray it out with a regular garden hose.
It is pretty expensive, but it gets your whole pool clean. Plus it has a long warranty. This may be your best choice if you want the quick cleaning cycle and the waterline cleaning.
What Customers Are Saying
Pool owners love that the TigerShark Quick Clean scrubs the waterline of their pools. It saves quite a bit of time, not to mention effort. And they are really happy with the overall cleaning capabilities. The long three-hour cycle makes their pools sparkle.
They also comment in swimming pool vacuum reviews about how easy it is to use. But there are complaints about the power cord getting tangled.
Pros
- It cleans the waterline, where you get that ugly dirty ring. You shouldn’t ever have to scrub your waterline again.
- It works with beach-entry pools. Not all robotic cleaners can do this. The ones that can’t will just beach themselves when they leave the water.
- There is only one filter cartridge to clean, which can save you a little time.
- It has two cleaning cycles. The three-hour deep clean mode is very thorough, and it may clean your pool two or three times. The 90-minute quick mode is great for an extra cleaning before or after using the pool to make sure it’s at its cleanest.
- The warranty is a year longer than Dolphin’s.
Cons
- The cord, although pretty long, may not be long enough for the largest residential pools or pools that are far from a GFIC outlet.
- Its suction isn’t quite strong enough to get fine particles off of the floor.
- The extra few pounds it has over the Dolphin makes it a bit harder to remove from the pool.
- It’s pretty expensive, which detracts from its overall value.
Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Automatic Robotic Pool Cleaner
- The extra-long 60’ cord is also good for large and deep pools
- The tangle-free cord features a swivel that keeps it from wrapping around the cleaner
- It cleans all pool surfaces without having to be adjusted
- It cleans floor and walls of in-ground and above-ground pools
- The dual filter cartridges are easy to remove and clean
- Its high-powered 75 GPM suction gets even the finest debris and silt
- The two-hour cleaning cycle is long enough to clean all common residential pools
- It can be programmed to automatically clean every day, every other day or every three days
- It’s light, at about 19 pounds
- The two-year warranty covers defects in parts and workmanship, but doesn’t cover normal wear and tear
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Review
This Dolpin robot cleaner is a few hundred dollars cheaper than the TigerShark, but it cleans all that fine gritty material off of a pool’s floor much better. It has more suction and dual filters.
There’s only one cleaning cycle, two hours, but you can program it to start cleaning on its own at a frequency of your choosing. This is a good feature if you don’t live where you plan to use your new pool cleaner. If the pool is at your house, the programming capability is convenient. You won’t even have to think about cleaning your pool.
The tangle-free cord is a big plus. When a pool cleaning robot’s cord gets tangled, you have to get in the pool to free it up. But you will rarely, if ever, have that problem with this one.
This may be your best bet if you like the convenience of being able to program those automatic cleaning cycles or if you want to make sure that all of that fine sandy debris will be taken off of your pool’s floor.
What Customers Are Saying
The chief complaint is that it takes too much time and hassle to clean the filters. First, you have to remove the filters from the cleaner. That’s easy. But disassembling the filters for cleaning is a four-step process. Reassembly is also four steps.
But there are a lot of brags about how well it actually cleans. That’s where the strong suction and the dual filters come into play. Of course, there are those who wish that they didn’t have to scrub their waterline. But all in all, people are very happy with their Dolphin.
Pros
- The power cord is five feet longer than the TigerShark’s, which is better for bigger and deeper pools.
- That long cord has a swivel to keep it from getting tangled up.
- Its 75 GPM suction makes it one of the most powerful pool vacuum cleaners. That extra suction gets tiny debris out of your pool and into the filter.
- You can program it to automatically clean from every day to about twice per week. There’s no need to actually power the unit up when you choose one of the auto modes.
- It’s lighter than most other robotic cleaners, so it’s easier to get it out of the pool when you need to remove it.
- The low price offers a great value.
Cons
- It can’t clean the pool’s waterline. You’ll have to brush that part of your pool occasionally.
- According to inground pool vacuum reviews, it will get stuck on beach entries. Although beach-entry pools are rather uncommon, you should be aware of this.
- It takes twice as long to remove, clean and reinstall this one’s two cartridges than it does the TigerShark’s single filter.
- There is only one cleaning cycle, which is two hours long. There is no option for a quick touch-up cycle.
- Its warranty is one year shorter than the TigerShark’s.
Conclusion
So, if you have a beach-entry pool, the Hayward TigerShark Quick Clean is the only way to go here. Ditto if having the option to run a quick touch-up cleaning cycle is important to you. And keep in mind that the TigerShark Quick Clean will scrub your waterline.
The Dolphin Nautilus CC+ gets more fine silt out of the pool, and it’s less prone to tangling. But it can’t clean the waterline. It is, however, about $300 cheaper.
If you want to save some money and don’t mind putting in a little effort to do some of the cleaning yourself, you may want to go with the Dolphin. But if it’s important to you to have your robot do all of the work, we’d recommend the TigerShark.
But here is one more important consideration. If you can’t be around your pool very often, like if your pool is at a vacation home or something, remember that the Dolphin lets you program an automatic cleaning schedule.
