WWNC71 Nitro Wall Climber Scrubber 60 Robotic Pool Cleaner (Available with a Swivel)

Updated note after spending the life of the 2nd Smartpool NC71 robot:I purchased 2nd Smartpool NC71 robot after junking the 1st as commented in the previous notes. The 2nd went dead not long after its 2-year warranty expired with the following issue and comment.(1) The purchased 2nd unit was purchased in the end of August but found not working at all about 50 days after coming back from my Europe trip, the manufacture replaced with a brand-new one and it start its first service about 100 days later. I asked the manufacture to extend the warranty to cover the period that had not worked at all, but was refused. Now the unit just broke right after its original warranty period.(2) I give up on all Smartpool products from now on, and consider to switch to "Dolphin premier robotic pool cleaner" because of its 3-year warranty and the reliability based on editor and user reviews even though it costs about twice more.Updated note after 20 months of using the robot:The robot had to be shipped to close-by city for repairing three times, and it cost about $20 for each shipment.The last repair required three items to be replaced: motor; cord from low impedance; and track from loosen part. Only the first item is covered by the two-year warranty. To replace the other two items would cost about $300, and I choose not to repair them.It is so difficult to find a reliable pool robot in the market. Most of them last for only about two years. I reduced its rating to three stars because of those repairs.Updated note after three months of using the robot: It could not move after three months. However, the customer service was helpful to help diagnose the problem and asked me to ship it to Dallas for repair. It cost me $18 to ship from Houston, and the robot was returned in one week under working condition. Thanks to its two-years warranty instead of 90-days. If there is one complain, it would be that they should have a contracted repair service in every major metropolitan area, such as the 4th largest city, Houston. Because of the repair, I reduce its rating from five-star to four-star._______________________________________________I had used Polaris pool cleaners for years and found it has the following disadvantages: high electric bill from running a water pump; small bag capacity with frequent cleaning; frequent expenses for buying expensive replacement parts or repairs; and moderate durability (last about 3 years and then cannot be justified for repairing and forced to buy a new model with a trade-in rebate).Thus, I switched to electrical pool robot which cost significant less by avoiding running a big water pump and has large bag capacity. In addition, it filters fine particles thru its bag and reduces the load and the frequency of cleaning pool filter compared to Polaris'.I had tried three electrical pool robots: Aquabot Turbo T; Smart Pool's Kleen Machine; and Smart Pool's NC71 Nitro Wall Scrubber, by the sequence of usage.I have used a digital timer with photocell to automatically turn on/off the robots. The timer works directly for the power supplies from Smart Pool. However, to make it run for Aquabot, you need to buy a different power supply (cost about $150), but I got it free from the store I purchased.I found there are some advantages and disadvantages of the three robots:1. Aquabot Turbo T: This is the most expensive robot I used, cost about $1,300 including taxes. Its main advantage is having large bag capacity so that you don't need to clean the bag as often as Polaris'. It comes with two large bags to filter different fineness particles. Its major disadvantage is durability: it works for only about 18 months and need a replacement of motor which would cost about $900. Thus, I decided to try the other robot.2. Smart Pool's Kleen Machine: I bought a brand new model from Costco with a cost of about $350. It has smaller bag capacity and a shorter length of wire than Aquabot. However, sometimes, the robot would clean only a small area. Finally, I decided to return it back to Costco with its generous return policy. A few weeks later I tried it again by purchasing a refurbished model from eBay which cost about $300, but it could not be turned on from the beginning. When I checked Smart Pool's website, I found that they don't make this model anymore. Thus, I asked the vendor to replace it with the following brand-new model.3. Smart Pool NC71 Nitro Wall Scrubber Pool: It seems to be a model improved from Kleen Machine and uses fewer parts. It costs about $700s in about half of the cost of Aquabot. Its advantages are: costless to run without a need of water pump; filtering fine particles and reduce pool filter loading; super large bag capacity (unsure if it is bigger than Aquabot's); 60 feet long wire; two years warranty with less moving parts that seems to have longer durability; and DIY serviceability by video for repairs and parts. The other distinguished advantage is it can scrub much better than any other models for all nearly vertical walls with a continuous transition of surface. However, it still cannot climb to steps with no continuous transition of surface (no reviewed model can do this).I have used Nitro Wall Scrubber for about a month, and I like it very much because it costs me less money and spend fewer efforts to maintain my pool. However, I am still unsure about its durability. Just in case it breaks, I hope the DIY video and parts may save me money and will not cost me an amount of money for buying a new one to repair it, such as the case of Aquabot.I give it a rating of 5 stars based on about one month's experience by comparing it to the other models I used including Polaris's. However, I will revise the rating if I find it has any other unexpected problem such as short durability, etc.

After owning this unit for a month it works and does a great job of cleaning pool.Especially impressed with its wall climbing capability. Only negative is it can get hung up on the 4 entry steps. I simply sweep the steps first and then lay the pool broom across them to prevent this problem.

I was initially happy with the Nitro Pool Cleaner as it did a good job cleaning my pool. However, less than a year in, and only several cleanings, the catch bag began falling off with every cleaning. I contacted the supplier and they gave a very brief reply simply stating your 90 days are up. I thought I was being reasonable asking only for a new catch bag. Terrible customer service.

This one is my second Scrubber60. The first one, bought in May 2011, worked for just three months until it "traction" motor stopped completely. As the replacement cost of this part is almost half of a new machine I decided to buy a new one in November 2011...which worked for just two weeks. This time it was its Pump motor which did not work anymore. After investing so many $$$, and living in Argentina (so warranty is not an option), I decided to cannibalize the first unit, taking its Pump motor for a desperate transplant to the newest one...and it worked! Now it's working for two weeks already and I hope it will continue alive at least until the end of the local Summer (March). This machine should have a five stars qualification for the way it works (when and if) but, on the other hand, it should have a one star for its durability, so my rate is the average: three stars.

I bought this on the advice that it was easy to fix. All these pool robots eventually break, so it is better to plan for it. I've had the nitro wall scrubber for about a month with no problems. It does the job, but does not clean algae off the walls as well as the blue pearl robot that it replaced. I like that it is so light and that the water drains our easily. The leaf bag is large and fairly easy to clean. Oddly enough, it seems to spend most of its time in one end of the pool which is odd since it is a plain oval pool. The nitro wall scrubber goes up a wall and then releases and floats down. This causes some problems since as it descends it pushes the leaves out of the way. Then it takes off with the leaves swirling around it, but the vacuum isn't strong enough to suck them in, so it leaves a little cloud of swirling leaves in its wake. It will eventually pick them up, but plan on it taking a full 3 hour cycle.

Worked for one day...had to return. I had one of these for five years and was really excited to get this at such a great price.

Cleans well, great wall climber. Lightweight and easy to clean. After 2 weeks, extremely happy with it. Hope durability will not be an issue.

The filter won't stay attached, so the dirt and debrie goes back into the pool and inside the filter housing. If not for that it would be great.