Hayward W3PHS41CST AquaNaut 400 Suction Pool Cleaner for In-Ground Pools up to 20 x 40 ft. (Automatic Pool Vacuum)

Absolutely blown away by this thing. I’ve have a g3 barracuda I’ve been using for 10yrs now. It did a decent job and was way better than vacuuming manually. I left it in the pool 24/7 and depending on the time of year had it running several hrs a day. Pool would be decent but struggled with leaves and pine needles especially in fall and winter here in FL. Over the last 10yrs the trees behind my property line have grown and throw way more leaves and pine needles in my pool every year and the barracuda struggles more and more, constantly getting clogged and not working.Got my aquanaut 2 days ago hooked it up, dialed it in as close as I could to the correct rpm. This thing is a beast just sucking up everything within a few hours it had my filthy pool almost spotless. I have a zodiac leaf canister hooked up as well and had to dump it 4-5 times as well as the cleaner got jammed up with debris a few times in the hrs it ran. While the cleaner did get clogged I don’t fault the cleaner as my pool was an absolute mess with leaves, pine needles, bark and some small sticks, that is beyond anything the aquanaut is advertised to do and directions say to clean out large debris prior to using the aquanaut. No that the pool is clean I have no doubt it will run flawlessly without getting clogged. I did have to run my Hayward variable speed pump almost 300rpm higher to achieve the correct rpm on the aquanaut. At first I’d did not like this as it pulls almost 200w more power but from the looks of it I will be able to drastically cut down the hrs of cleaner time. I was running my barracuda cleaner 4hrs a day and looks like I will be able to run the aquanaut under 2hrs which will save a few $ over the yrs of use. One thing I wish I had researched was the big difference between the 2 wheel vs 4 wheel version being the 4 wheel does longer straight aways before turning aka for larger pools. I thought the 4 wheels was more for climbing and traction from deep end to shallow. Again not the cleaners vault it’s mine but the good news is they make the gear to gain that ability for the 2 wheel and it’s on like $13.

So we have been using the Hayward Ultra Vac and in years past the Hayward Navigator. I bought the parts (A Frame, Pods, Turbine, Rubber Feet, etc) and it cost me about $100 for all that. In the past, it was easy and the unit worked after I replaced the parts. This time it didn't (not sure if I did something wrong but I'm tired of rebuilding everything). The parts wear out pretty darn quickly as it runs everyday in our pool. Now..enter the new Hayward Aquanaut 2 wheel drive cleaner. It has a turbine with adjustable size flaps for larger debris to enter without clogging. Much simpler workings inside and the really only part that looks like it will need regular replacing is the set of rubber tires that I think cost about $15 a set. I hooked it up tonight and our pool was covered in leaves. In just one hour, most were gone and in the large leaf canister (Hayward) inline on the new Aquanaut cleaner. I tried going with a different brand/model based on reviews and the Barracuda G3 I purchased was complete garbage. Got stuck in corners, passed over leaves and didn't pick them up...not good at all. The Hayward Ultra Vac was about $379 and this 2 wheel Aquanaut was $449. For the difference, I'm guessing it will be easier to maintain and it did a fantastic job of cleaning our pool t his evening. The 4 wheel is probably great too but recommended for larger pools with a deeper deep end (ours is only about 6 feet deep). The steering on the Aquanaut is great as it seems to randomly cover every square inch of our pool. The tires have a nubby that sticks out on each one that helps ensure it won't get stuck at a corner or on a drain that sticks up in the deep end. It also covers well both deep and shallow end of our pool ( I see so many complaints about cleaners that stay in one area only...not so here). Yes it's more than I expected to spend but it works great. I highly recommend this cleaner. Great for leaves.

Great product, pool looks amazingly clean !

I purchased this 6 months ago. For 6 months I was a tad frustrated. It kept falling over onto its side and wasn’t cleaning the pool very well; it was simply recirculating the water 80% of the time. HOWEVER, after being frustrated for 6 months I suddenly realized that it was MY FAULT; USER ERROR. I failed to place the hose sleeves that are meant to go just above the cleaner on the hose. Once I realized this and went and found them in the box. I clipped one about 6 inches above the cleaner and the second one 4-6 inches above the first one. After I had put them where they belong, my cleaner suddenly stopped falling over on its side and started working great!!!I have noticed that there are several other reviews where people are claiming the same issue with the cleaning falling over, some with pictures of the cleaner on its side; most of which also show the lack of the hose sleeves properly placed, which leads me to think that I’m not the only person making this error. Now that it’s properly installed, it’s working great and has yet to fall over even one time.