I get asked often about which pool cleaner I recommend.  In my experience, the Polaris 280 is the best bang for the buck.  It has a wide throat that can pick up fairly large leaves (maybe not something like a Magnolia though).  It’s easy to work on and fairly durable and the bags are easy to clean and replace as necessary.  You can find it here at my Amazon affiliate link.  As of 7/9/25 it is $599 which is actually cheaper than I can buy the brick and mortar model in distribution.   https://amzn.to/4lDIKOm

For a little more money @ $845 currently, you can step up to the Polaris 380.  I do not see the appeal of this unit.  The throat is smaller, with even big oak leaves getting caught up in the passage, and the wheels are now belt driven and the belt is internal, meaning you have to take more apart to get to the broken bits so it takes longer to work on.  You can find the 380 here.  https://amzn.to/3GF2EcN

If you are thinking about stepping up to something ‘better’ than the 280, the 3900 would be my recommendation.  It’s seems internally more robust and comes with the wider throat like the 280, and has an enormous bag.  It’s arguably a better looking unit than the others in the lineup, but again if it were my money, and my pool, I’d go with the tried and true 280.  The 3900 can be found here.  https://amzn.to/44m1NqB

All of these cleaners are pressure-side cleaners and require a dedicated booster pump to operate correctly.  If you have a booster pump, you can not use the 360 models.  The 360 is intended to be used with the regular circulation pump and if you hook it up to a line fed by a booster pump the pressure will be too high and operation may give unexpected results.  Visually, you can identify the 360 because the hose from the wall to the cleaner is much thicker and has a spiral outer edge, while the 280, 380. 3900 hose is thinner, stiffer, and smooth on the outside.

📸 Recent Work: Using Fix-A-Leak to stop multiple leaks in a portable hot tub
I don’t normally work on portable hot tubs, but wanted to share my experience with this product. I works using sodium silicate. You have to take the filter out, then you add an 8oz bottle to the hot tub and let it circulate, sometimes on, sometimes off. I did this with fresh fill water and just left the heater off. As the water drains through the leaks, it hardens where it hits the air, and eventually forms a little plastic looking clot. In my case it was successful and I was able to drain and refill and the spa has been trouble-free since.  You can find this product at https://amzn.to/4jAuZOT

Leaks are sealed with Fix-a-Leak after about 7 days. You can see the plastic like clog where the water was coming out before.

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