Water Tech CATFISHPPV Pool Blaster, Catfish
by Water Tech
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List Price: Our Price: $78.50 You Save: $70.50 (47%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $75.04 (click here) Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Water Tech CATFISHPPV Pool Blaster, Catfish
Customer Review: Just "OK"
Summary: 3 Stars
I've had this product for about 2 1/2 months and have used it about ten times. On the plus side, it moves a lot of water and the filter bag catches all but the finest debris. For my purposes (small areas with coarse debris) it works fine. On the negative side:
As was noted elsewhere, using a "standard pole" with this is impossible unless the screw in the upper clamp is loosened, the clamp is opened up a bit, the pole is inserted and the clamp re-tightened. It would have been nice if the instructions had explained this.
And as was also mentioned elsewhere, the vacuum head is VERY difficult to remove from the nose cap. Not a problem for me, since I rarely need to vacuum tight areas, but it will be for some.
It also appears they didn't use stainless steel screws in manufacturing, as the ones which hold the assembly together are already showing signs of rust.
Finally, I encountered a problem with one of the parts (nose cap) which was either manufactured incorrectly or failed prematurely. An initial phone call to customer service took a week to get returned (email worked a little better) and when I finally connected with someone (the manager), I was informed that the part was specifically excluded from warranty coverage on the grounds of "wear and tear". I would have to purchase a new part (About $14). Given the age of my unit, the low usage, and the nature of the problem with the part I felt the denial was absurd. Ultimately, after a lengthy email exchange, the manager relented and they are sending me a "used" replacement at no charge. Not a great customer experience!
Customer Review: Not even close to worth the money.
Summary: 2 Stars
I picked up one of these at Sam's Club for $99 and though it must do a great job for that price, but it's not that great. I have a 12' x 36' pool so don't need much, but I think I'll be going out looking for something else. First thing you'll find is a cheap wooden screw together poll with plastic connectors that looks like a bunch of crooked sticks put together by some 5 year old. Next is when you put in the water it wants to float so you have to keep downward pressure on it (with those cheap polls it's a pain). Suction doesn't seem that bad for a small area, but it kicks up debris, perhaps partially from the turbulence from the impeller (it just circulates water to suck), when done trying to turn off the unit is very hard (you have to lay it on your knee and twist with a lot of force). When using the filter bag, trying to get on the end is a pain because it doesn't want to fit under the lip unless just right. There is no way this unit would be acceptable in any larger pool. It is durable, I dropped it (just the main unit) on concrete from about 4' when trying to plug it in to recharge and it didn't break. But, really, I can't recommend this, particularly for anyone with a lot of debris or sand.
Customer Review: Powerful Little Sucker!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the Catfish and have been very pleased with it.
We have a small "simple set-up pool" (about 18' x 4') and wanted something to vacuum it out, but the small pump that came with the pool isn't really powerful enough to do a good job.
We had been told by two different pool companies that we were out of luck, when a customer in the pool store recommended the Catfish. It wouldn't be suitable for a major project like opening a pool for a season that's full of leaves, etc. But if you're looking for an inexpensive way to vacuum up sand, small leaves, bugs, and other debris, this really does the job!
I did need to find an extension pole with a diameter of about 1 13/16" (which was bigger than the 1 1/16" pole that came with our small pool), but was able to find one at Walmart.
Note: For some reason, Amazon has this product listed as a toy (which it's not)!
Customer Review: Absolute Junk!
Summary: 1 Stars
Be prepared to charge this unit for 24 hours and then don't expect it to have any real power. I have an 8' by 20' indoor pool. The micro-filter bag is a joke! I had sand on the bottom of my pool... most of it filtered right out through the unit. You could actually see it coming back out the side vents! The nose cap is very difficult to attach to the body and even more difficult to remove. The instructions state, "Your cleaner is designed to accommodate any standard pole." Ha! Not a chance! The "standard" pole that came with my pool could not slide through the cuff on the unit. This unit is advertised as a "toy". That's about right. Between the lack of power and the small size of the cleaning head and filter bag... this unit is greatly overpriced and a complete waste of time and money.Customer Review: Stopped Working After About 3 Months
Summary: 2 Stars
The product worked well for me for a handful of months. However, though I was extremely careful with the end cap, the seal failed. Water damaged the switch, and soon I was unable to switch the vacuum on. The switch is not designed to be replaced, so there isn't any good way to fix this yourself. I didn't bother trying to return the product, so I don't know if the manufacturer would have replaced the entire thing. Other than the seal failing, I think the product is actually well-designed and useful. That's why I've given it two stars, rather than one.