The Best Robotic Pool Cleaner We've Ever Tested Now Has a Similar Model That Costs $1,000 Less

I have a lot of opinions when it comes to the right pool robot vacuum, having gone through three different cleaners in the three years I’ve had a pool. While I have one robotic pool vacuum that I personally prefer for my own pool, there’s one model that has consistently performed above and beyond in our testing. The Dolphin Explorer E50 fared so well during our rigorous, six-month period of testing that we ended up naming it “Best Overall” in our roundup of the best robotic pool vacuums (which was completely dominated by different Dolphin pool vacuum models, by the way). But we can’t ignore the fact that it’s expensive—more than $1,500—which isn’t exactly economically realistic for many of us right now. That’s why we want to put the E50’s sister model on your radar; it’s $1,000 less and picks up almost as much pool debris as its fancier, smarter, and costlier counterpart.

It’s important to be frugal in the current economic climate, but if you need a new robotic pool vacuum, then you need a new robotic pool vacuum. So, go for the Dolphin E10 Automatic Robotic Pool Vacuum instead. It has so many of the same features that the E50 does, but it’s only $497.

Dolphin E10 Automatic Robotic Pool Vacuum

Credit:

Amazon

We know what you’re thinking: For such a large gap in price, you must be sacrificing something, right? That’s true. The E10 does not possess the Wi-Fi–enabled smart capabilities that the E50 so proudly boasts. It can’t connect to your smartphone, run on an automatic weekly timer, or clean your pool’s waterline.

While we loved the E50’s ability to directly alert your phone via the app, we specifically called it out for being lightweight enough to drop in the pool one-handed. Well, the E50 weighs 29.3 pounds. Imagine how much easier it would be to drop in the E10, which is only 14.6 pounds in comparison.

This robotic pool cleaner has a double-filtered waste basket and customizable interface. Credit:

Better Homes & Gardens

The E10 does, however, have very comparable capabilities, even if its capacity is slightly smaller. While the E50 cleans pools up to 50 feet in size, the E10’s hose extends to 30 feet. Both vacuums take 1.5 hours to clean, but the E50 can take up to 2.5 hours, depending on debris levels and pool size. Both cleaners also have similarly-sized filter baskets, but the more expensive model is a smidge roomier, and both use mapping technology to scan the floor, although the E50’s is more intensive.

Most importantly, customers can’t stop raving about the Dolphin E10. One Amazon reviewer, who called this Dolphin pool vacuum “the most amazing purchase ever,” wrote, “I have saved so much money not having to buy so many chemicals to keep it clean.” The reviewer said it “gets the job done better [than] any other product on the market, and keeps my pool crystal clear and ready to swim [in] every day.” They also said it has “replaced all the labor of me having to sweep the pool.”

Someone else, who lives in Texas, was struck by the E10’s ability to pick up sweetgum balls, spiky pinecone-like balls that fall off sweetgum trees, which are known for “jamming the impeller.” They wrote that their “pool is under constant assault.” They continued that the E10 “picks up leaves, pine needles, gumballs, and even small sticks!”

Yet another reviewer said, “I am an engineer, and this is designed to work—easy to use and clean. I especially like the fact that the panels on the basket are removable for quick and easy cleaning.”

All comparisons considered, people with more compact pools—who are also OK with foregoing high-tech smart features—don’t need to spring for the pricier model, even if we named it “Best Overall.” Its sister model, the Dolphin E10, which is only $497 at Amazon, is a no-brainer. Check out more of our favorite pool robot vacuums, including another Dolphin pool vacuum model, below.