How to Choose the Best Above Ground Pool Vacuum (Tips & Top Reviews)

Do you want to know the best way to clean your pool? While nets attached to telescopic poles are usually used by traditional pool owners, nothing beats a good above ground pool vacuum.

Now, if you want to buy one, we want to make sure that you buy the best above ground pool vacuum out of all the choices in the market.

In order to help you navigate through the many products out there, we created a guide with a narrowed down list of top products.

7 Checklists to Bear in Mind When Shopping for Pool Vacuum

In order to start off our guide, we’d like to first explain to you about features. While all pool vacuums are rather similar in nature, each product has its own set of unique features.

So, if you want to buy the best pool vacuum for your needs and wants, you need to familiarize yourself with the features that you need to take into consideration when you’re looking for a pool vacuum.

This buying guide will present you with a checklist of 7 criteria, allowing you to smartly single out the pool vacuum that you need.

Let’s take a look at the checklist below:

Hose Length

First, let’s talk about the hose length. The hose length is important to take note of because it determines how far down the pool your vacuum can reach.

Obviously, deeper pools will need longer hose lengths. However, a good standard that you can use is roughly around 30 feet. This is good enough to reach the bottom of a medium depth pool. The best way to get an accurate measurement of the hose length you’ll need is to simply measure the depth of the pool and work from there.

Battery Power

Hoses are usually powered by batteries such as Lithium-Ion or NiMH. This is important to consider because the battery power determines how long the vacuum can run without stopping.

Thus, if you happen to have a big pool, you’ll need a vacuum that has a strong battery power. Regular sized pools can be cleaned in an hour so that can be used as your standard.

Coverage

The coverage determines how much area the vacuum sweeps in one movement. This is usually based on how big the vacuum mouth is. Most vacuums have a coverage of 15 feet in diameter. But if you want to get work done faster, then you’ll probably need to have a vacuum that has a wider coverage.

Filter Bag

The next thing to think about is the filter bag. The filter bag is the place where all of the dirt that’s sucked up by the vacuum cleaner go to.

Why is this important?

Because if you have a vacuum with a small filter bag, you need to empty it every so often. But if you have a big sized filter bag, you don’t need to take out the trash often. This allows you to work continuously until all the dirt and debris from your pool has been sucked in. We recommend that you look for a vacuum that has a big sized filter bag.

Motor Power

Some vacuums that are a little more sophisticated run on motors. These can usually be left alone to clean the pool in a pattern. If you’re after this kind of vacuum, then you need to take into consider the motor power. We suggest that you get a pool vacuum that has a motor power of at least 24 volts.

Safety Features

Safety features are very important because they protect the life of the vacuum. One of the features that you’ll most likely want your vacuum to have is an auto shut off feature. This auto shut off feature allows the vacuum to turn off by itself via a timer. This ensures that your vacuum is not overused.

Another thing you may want to consider when buying a vacuum is material. You need to make sure that the material used is waterproof material like IPX8 material among others. This makes sure that the vacuum won’t wear out over time.

Design

The last thing that you may want to take into consideration is design. Now, design doesn’t just refer to the look or the color of the vacuum. It also encompasses the size, the bulkiness, and the construction. This is important because it factors in your preferences. For instance, there are some people who don’t like bulky vacuums because they don’t have any place to store them. In this situation, it’s better to get a more compact vacuum so storage won’t be a problem.

Another example is construction type. Not all pool owners want to have a vacuum with wheels. Some of them like the traditional types that can be attached to a telescopic pole or a hose. If you’re that kind of pool owner, then avoid the ones that run on motors and get the ones that run on batteries instead.

To sum it up, this factor is more subjective than the others since it has to do with preference.

Top 7 Above Ground Pool Vacuum Reviews

1.  XtremepowerUS Auto Suction Vacuum Cleaner

“Simple but reliable” is the phrase that’s used to describe this pool vacuum cleaner. First of all, it has a rather long hose length of 30 feet allowing you to reach the bottom of most medium-sized pools.

Another great thing about it is that it’s extremely easy to use. Unlike a lot of other vacuum cleaners, this does not require electricity nor does it need tools. Once you attach it to your water filtration system, you can use it right away.

XtremepowerUS Automatic Suction Vacuum Installation Guide

2.  Pool Blaster Water Tech Vacuum Cleaner

If you’re looking for a vacuum cleaner that can run for a long time without stopping and doesn’t require energy, then this is the one that you’re most likely going to choose. This vacuum cleaner is powered by strong Lithium Ion batteries that allow it to keep on going continuously for an hour.

From there, you need to recharge it. Aside from the battery power, it does come with an Xtreme MultiLayer Filter. This is used to take in even big debris.

3.  Intex Handheld Rechargeable Battery Vacuum

There are two aspects of this vacuum that are popular among pool owners. First, it is compact, lightweight, and completely portable. If you have a small pool, you can just scoop up the dirt by turning the vacuum on.

Another favorable aspect is the strong suction ability it has. For its size, the vacuum power is already very impressive and can efficiently suck up dirt without effort in an 18-foot diameter.

4.  Hayward 500 Aquabug Pool Cleaner

Probably the first thing that you’ll immediately notice about the cleaner is its design. Look closely and you’ll see that it is made in the shape of a ladybug. That’s why it’s called the Aquabug pool cleaner in the first place.

But it’s not just the design that makes it stand out. It also has a lot of cool features to brag about. For instance, it makes use of a unique turbine gearing system that allows the “bug” to move through the pool quietly and softly. It also has a steering pattern technology that allows it to know how to move so that it can completely clean the pool.

Hayward Aqua Vacuum Install and Review

5.  PentAirKreepyKrauly Lil Shark Vacuum Cleaner

If the previous vacuum cleaner came in the shape of a bug, this one comes in the shape of a cute little shark. It comes with a dual band of bristles allowing it not to just vacuum the dirt but also scrub the more stubborn ones out.

This is extremely handy if your pool always happens to have those sticky debris on the pool floor. This shark can open a path of 10 inches and thoroughly clean everything in a few goes.

6.  Aquabot APRVJR Robot Pool Cleaner

This handy little robot can really make pool cleaning so much easier for you. It is a completely automatic robot cleaner that vacuums your pool in less than an hour. The best part is that you don’t need a hose to use it. All you need to do is turn on the button and it will activate its powerful vacuum suction while moving on its 24-volt pump motor.

It also comes with a 2 hour auto shut down timer so that you can conserve energy and water costs.

7.  DOLPHIN Escape Robot Pool Ground Cleaner

Last on the list is the DOLPHIN Escape Robot Pool Ground Cleaner. This is probably the most robust and most powerful vacuum on this list. First of all, it has a beautiful design– sleek and techie.

It also doesn’t use filter bags. Rather, it makes use of a debris cartridge that can hold in much more than any ordinary bag. Lastly, it has a SmartNav 2.0 Robotic Scanning system to efficiently create cleaning patterns.

Conclusion 

With this guide, you now have a narrowed list of the best above ground pool vacuum products you can buy.

If you were to ask us which is our favorite though, we’d easily pick the DOLPHIN Escape Robot Pool Ground Cleaner.

With its robotic pattern scanning movement, you don’t need a long hose length to lead the cleaner to the bottom of the pool. At the same time, it can last really long and has huge coverage. Lastly, its debris cartridge can store 60% more than what a debris bag can.

While it can be a bit expensive at the start, it’s definitely worth the money.