Catfish Ultra Gen 2

Although this vacuum may look small it is mighty and does the job. Very easy to operate. I have a 54 high 24 round above ground pool. I noticed using this little vacuum as opposed to my regular vacuum has helped a great deal in between heavy duty cleanings. The smaller handheld vacuum also picks up the fine nitty gritty sand where your regular pull vacuum can recirculate it back into the pool and I've noticed the pool stays much clearer. It has a lot of suction power. I was super amazed at how good it is. Now you don't have to pull out the big clunky heavy Pole and hoses to have a clean vacuum all the time. This little baby does a trick. I don't know how I ever lived without it. But I'll never live without one again. This really does the job I promise you. You will be impressed as I was. Of being an above ground pool owner for over 25 years I have come to find that this is well worth the money and it is so convenient. The minute you try it you'll be hooked for life. I think they really outed themselves when they found this little machine. Like I said don't let the size fool you. It's powerful and didn't even picks up little sticks and twigs which really impressed me. And the filter bag is so good that those little fine grains of sand do not get released back into your pool like it does with your regular pull vacuum. So I do hope you try this and enjoy it. I know cleaning the pool now is a pleasure. Thanks for listening.

This solves a problem I've had for years and it does it pretty well. I have an in-ground 26,000 gallon pool. Every year, I clean the cartridge filters before the season and at the end. They are always an ugly off-green color that is a mix of dirt, pollen, dog hair, etc. and I suspect a fair bit of yellow mustard algae that I battle every year, brushing down the sides and shallow end (Yellow Out works, but is temporary). Anyway, that dislodged algae has to go somewhere, and I have until now been brushing it toward the drain once it settles. There are some obvious "dead spots" in the pool where dirt, brushed-algae and debris settle if I don't run the in-floor cleaning system and pool filter pumps for hours (and hour$ and hour$$ and hour$$$). So, despite reading a lot of 1-star "stay-away" reviews, I took a chance and ordered this via Prime at about $2.00 over the next cheapest non-Prime offering. I figure if it fails, Prime has such a great return policy, I'll only be out the hassle. Apparently, Watertech got the message about the difficult-to-use on/off dial and replaced it with a push button. Only time and waterproof housing integrity will tell if they've fixed that problem. Also, while the internal catch net is way too small to be practical for full-on pool cleaning, the included fine-mesh "sock" that works with the catch-net is simply the perfect solution for vacuuming up the fine silt, sentiment and little piles of dead algae. It really works and works well. Only problem is, the sock is as small as the net and the vacuum action pretty much comes to a halt (even as you can feel the vibration of the unit, knowing it is running) as the sock clogs up with debris. That said, although I had to clean the sock several times (a pain, but m'eh, whatareyagonna do?) it really did the job. Each time I went to clean it, it looked like my pool filter cartridge filters, all off green and yucky. That's a good sign. It's a little challenging getting the sock just right on the rubber ring of the catch-net, but once you get the hang of it, it's not that bad. It's super simple to install the net without the sock, but I need the sock on it. Overall, to be honest, it doesn't feel all that rock solid, but it's not simple plastic crap either. They have to keep the price point down for Joe Homeowner to buy this and for me, it's really all I need. I'm sure there are expensive professional-grade versions of this, but why would I want that? Also, I have a good net for major clean ups (say after a wind storm) that this product wouldn't be able to handle, no way, no how. So, that's how I use it for a fairly large swimming pool. This is probably perfect for a wading or relatively small above ground pool. Just expect to pull and clean the net a lot. It really is too small the way it is. Update Oct. 21, 2015: I've been using this since May and it has been flawless. I wish it had a bigger net, but physics gets in the way. I've switched my review from 4 to 5 stars.

We have a large gunite pool and a gunite spa. We also have two German Shepherd dogs who like to throw their balls into the pool and jump in after them. Those balls are generally covered in sand, dirt, and mud that then settles to the bottom of our pool and spa. We have a cleaning head with a net that attaches to our aluminum pole and the hose pipe. It uses water pressure to push debris into the net. This is fine for leaves and larger debris, but the sand and grit go right through it and re-settle into the bottom of the pool. This means that even if we get all the leaves out, our pool looks dirty all the time. Our only options for taking care of the dirt and sand are to either drag out our heavy electric pool shark that tends to get stuck around our drains and then has to be lifted out of the pool and cleaned, including all three of its filters, or we can drag out the hose that hooks into the skimmer. It does a great job, but sends dirt back into our filters, which then have to be cleaned more frequently. Enter the Pool Blaster Catfish Ultra! It worked great for picking up the sand, dirt, and grit that we are typically unable to get out of the bottom of the pool and spa. The plastic poles that it came with were fine for the spa and the shallow end of our pool. However, they were too flimsy for the 6 foot deep end of our pool. As other reviewers have mentioned, I left the bottom plastic adapter pole in place and attached our aluminum pole to that. It worked great for helping me keep the device submerged under the water. As others have also mentioned, this device must stay FULLY submerged under the water in order to function properly. If the top of it comes out of the water, it will not suction. For the steps and seating ledge, I was able to lay it back far enough to keep it under the water. You can also detach the longer poles and hold it by the adapter pole for steps. I do wish that it came with a large rectangular head that could be swapped out for the smaller triangular head. For the larger areas of the bottom of the pool, I had to make several slow passes to make sure that I covered the area completely. Also, I don’t feel that this device is great for larger leaves and debris. However, it is a good tool to have to keep our pool cleaner than we normally have been able to. It does require manual labor and it did take me a while to use it to get the bottom as clean as I wanted it. The filter was very easy to rinse out with a hose pipe. We rinsed the entire device and let it dry. We are keeping it inside our house. We have only used it once or twice, so I can’t speak to issues with charging. I will update my review if that becomes an issue.

I bought this for cleaning our Endless Pool. I use it several times a week as we live in an area with a fair amount of blowing fine dirt. This is a year round swimming climate so the Catfish has received a LOT of use. Plus: 1. I can get 3 - 4 very thorough cleanings of our Endless Pool ( 7 x 14 x 4 foot depth) before it needs recharging. This is with the use of the optional silt sock which MIGHT reduce battery longevity between charges, 2. Despite some of the other comments I've read, I've found the fit and tolerances to be quite tight. The pole attachment is quite tight but works just fine as an example. 3. Battery recharging is fairly quick. 4. It does a great job of picking up debris and even most fine silt with the included mesh bag. Minuses: 1. Using the mesh bag and silt sock will result in the nozzle being rather difficult to put on properly. It does require a bit of patience and persistence. 2. No battery level indicator to show charge remaining. 3. The nozzle can be hard to remove when it and your hands are wet. 4. On off button is fairly easy to accidentally trigger. One additional note: if you're familiar with underwater electronics from scuba diving and the like you will understand just how to treat this tool. If not: Carefully inspect the o ring seal near where the on/off button is before each use and keep it lubricated with a good silicon grease. Do NOT use Vaseline or anything with petroleum products in it, they will ruin the seal. use a lube that designed for underwater camera housings (available at any dive shop) and you'll be fine. Carefully inspect the closing of the rear part of the vacuum before putting it in water. Make sure the string retainer is out of the way, the handle is in the closed and locked position and the cap is uniformly closed around the rear of the unit. All in all it's been a good buy for our endless pool.

I was excited about this product when I saw it removed fine dirt and sand and came with two fine filters. When it arrived I assembled it and charged it for four hours. It assembles easily if you do not add the fine filter. If you add the fine filter to the regular filter that makes an EXTREMELY tight and I was afraid I would break the flimsy plastic closing it. When I turned it on after charging it didn't have ANY suction out of the water so I wondered if it worked at all. I tried to remove the fine dirt in our shallow Baha area and it would not work at all. Apparently it does not have suction until it is about 2 feet under water. Then I tried to remove the leaves and fine dirt in the deep end. It had VERY LITTLE SUCTION. but was able to remove the smaller leaves if I was persistent. Larger leaves and pine needles would get caught in the small opening then there was zero section. It would not pick up ANY of the fine dirt because the suction was so weak. It did not even stir the find dirt up. The first and second time I removed it from the water to clean out the basket, 80% of the leaves in it came out when it was one foot from the surface and went back into the the water. Obviously the flap they use to prevent that did not do its job. The first time I tried to open the top to empty the basket I could not turn the top to release it. I'm very experiences with pool equipment on many pools and mechanical minded and strong. I would have broken the plastic had I turned any harder. I got a cloth and vise grip to try to turn it carefully without shattering the plastic and still NO LUCK. At that point I went to the Amazon ad and started reading questions. A lot of people complained about not being able to take it apart when the fine filter is attached. Before getting the unit, i saw those responses I thought they were just not doing it correctly, but it was REALLY TIGHT then using the Fine Filter with the regular filter. I finally put the vacuum head back on it to see if that gave me more leverage. I was finally able to get it off that way but had to turn so hard was afraid I would shatter the plastic in the process. No doubt if it I took it off several more times the flimsy plasty would be destroyed. When I removed the fine filter the bottom of it was chewed up and twisted very tightly and had several big holes in it. Apparently that fine filter is so long that it extends into the vacuum mechanism and that twists it badly and and puts holes in it. I tried the unit without the fine filter and it opened and closed EASILY, so the problem is adding the fine filter. They absolutely did not leave enough room to use the Fine Filter without making it EXTREMELY TIGHT the people will destroy it trying to close and open it. I tested the suction with just the regular filter and it was much better at picking up leaves but still would not even stir up the fine dirt on the bottom. For removing leaves, I would give it 2 stars. Leaves are easier to remove with a net or with my $29 Poolmaster 28316 Leaf Vacuum. Needless to say I am returning it the same day I got it.

Best pool step cleaner I've had - hands down. The rechargeable battery lasts for many uses and holds a charge for a long time. I like being able to remove debris from the pool entirely instead of just sweeping it in and hope the cleaner picks it up. The downside - after only 15 months of service it died. I opened it up and saw what others are posting - the motor was rusted out. So eventually the seals go bad. I sure never abused it. I kept the o-ring clean and properly lubricated. It looks like an internal seal gave way, not the one on top. Personally, I don't mind buying it again - it's that good when it works. Crossing my fingers that I will get at least 15 months out of this one, hoping for more - a lot more. If the thought of that makes your head explode at this price point, this might not be the pool vacuum for you. But the way I look at it, a pool is a hole in the ground you throw your money into. It costs what it costs to have one. As disappointing as at is, it seems like anything for the pool only lasts one season. The failure did happen in stages over about a week. The first warning was that it didn't turn on right away. That delay got a bit longer each time I used it that week until it finally wouldn't start at all. Maybe if I had taken it apart the first time it could have been saved but I haven't gotten deep enough into it yet to see if there are o-rings I could easily replace. If your love of having a great workhorse with a high performance rechargeable battery is stronger than your hate for having to replace it in a year, this is the pool cleaner for you.

Water Tech CATFISHPPV Pool Blaster, Catfish *** Updated August 23, 2014 *** My first vacuum finally went dead a few days ago. I then ordered the replacement - I was expecting the same stuff. The new one arrived with some much needed improvements, i.e., It has push button to turn ON/OFF. Although, this is not an issue for me (see my older review below) but for most users, it is. This is a good improvement. Other noted improvements (minor point - in my opinion): It has a few drain channel on both sides, thus when pulling out of the water, it has less water splashing (since motor is still running). Also, AC/DC adapter has a replaceable pin type, i.e., flat for US and round for Europe. This last one, I am not sure if it is an improvement though, i.e., the bag material has been changed from meshed nylon to coffee filter paper like !! In my opinion (also I use this to clean KOI pond), this is more of a backward step. Because, paper filter is a very fine filter not suitable for filtering dirt and sand from the pool/pond. Dirt and small sand will be difficult to rinse clean and won't last as long as the previous meshed nylon bag. There is only one bag in the box. Replacement is $15 - $20 a pop (per Amazon search). This may end up more expensive for many users. In my case, I continue to use old bag with new machine. I also have comments for the manufacture (if they ever read this review). I would like that you consider (1) making the rechargeable battery to be replaceable. You can make money selling battery module (this is better than the poor bag design) (2) design the DC motor and battery compartment to be "water tight". This way, it will prolong the life of your product (mine went dead from corrosion - even though I used it in KOI pond - no chlorine). (3) protect electronic component from corrosion (perhaps applied grease to each pin) *** Below is the original review of my first unit *** since July 2013 Like many of buyers, I was quite nervous after I ordered this Pool Vacuum. But on the other hand, I do not want to spend > $100 for pool vacuum for my experimental 300 gallon KOI pond either !! First of all, the shipment arrived quickly. Everything is well packaged. Initial inspection shows no sign of damage what so ever. In the box, I have the following items: - vacuum machine (that blue machine in the picture) - dirt trap with rubber o-ring, 2 microfiber dirt bags - nozzle head (the transparent plastic part at the top) - vacuum head with brush and roller (that blue triangular shape) - 1 small package of silicone grease - the vacuum handle extension (4 pieces) - mine come in white (plastic) and not aluminum as shown - instruction manuals - Power adapter Here are the steps taken: 1. Read (scan quickly) through all instructions. I give it a 7 (out of 10) in terms of clarity of what was written. It is important to understand that "you need to ensure proper grease on the inside cap of your machine at all time" This will (a) prevent water to get to the battery and (2) smooth out when you twist it to ON or OFF I must admit it is not the best design idea for On-OFF switch. But this thing is cheap, so this is not a complain. I check the grease and found that mine came properly greased. 2. Charge the vacuum. The charger has LED that will turn green when it is fully charge. Mine took about 2 hours. 3. Assemble the pieces together (I need to remove some residual sand. So, I user the micro-fiber bag). As my KOI pond is only 3-4 feet tall, I only need 2 sticks of the extension handle. Feedback after using it: - First use, I did not use the vacuum head (triangular piece) as there were lots of gravel - It does the job very well. The suction is quite good, suck up pea gravels, sand, leaves, pine straw and fish drops. I notice the suction drop off after a few mins. but this is due to the debris that clog inside the bag. After unload and rinse the dirt bag - - all is good. - I don't remember if this is written in the manual. But I will NEVER OPEN THE CAP until I finish the use. This is my own precaution to ensure no water will get to the battery chamber. - I used it several timed now. Each time for about 15-20 mins. I never turned it OFF, even when I change the dirt bag. So far, it runs ok - when done, I let the water drip off (takes about 30 sec), open the cap. Leave the extension handle as a stick to hold it up and let water drip down. dried it out - I will not recharge unless I am sure it is completely dry !! - so far, the grease on the cap are quite ok. But I will apply more soon. NOTE: one pack of silicone grease probably last just 1 summer. You will need to buy more. I have not check the price, but I will just use the normal grease I have in the garage as it seems to be the same just different color. Overall, I am quite happy with it. The quality of the machine is quite ok (all plastic of average quality - - it matches well with the price). Use it properly with proper care (apply more grease as needed. Do not leave it in full sun all the time). I believe this thing will last 2-3 years. *** Updated April 8 2014 *** I used it sparingly during the winter months. Each time always follow the same routine as explained above. So far, it still works great. Noticed that during cold weather, a fully charged batt did not last as long - - I guess this is normal for any batt anyway. Just re-greased it and now ready for spring + summer heavy dose of usage. *** Updated August 3 2014 // applied simple DIY and it can last longer *** well, just slightly over a year, of heavy usage, it will not recharged anymore. To test that only the battery is bad and not the DC motor, I plug in the AC/DC charger to the unit and use paper clip to short-circuit the 2 metal points (where the metal plate on the cap would have done the job)... and motor is running again. So, it is clear that the rechargeable battery is dead. Disconnect the connector, unscrew the 2 screws to see the battery looking for part# to order the replacement. Well, Water Tech does not sell this item nor that I can find it from anywhere. This means, this unit is useless and I may need to spend another $100+ for a new one. At that point, I had a eureka moment. I try the MacGyver approach. I cut the wire (red & black) as close as possible to the battery. Drop the battery in recycle bin. I have a long spool of 2-wire (the left over from sensors of garage door opener). I thread the external wire through one of the holes and connect it to the red&black ones (make sure to remember which wire connect to red), tape it nice, screw the cover plate back on. Drill a tiny hole on the white cap and thread the other end of the external wire through, use silicone to seal it. I make sure I have a this external wire long enough for use with the pond. Then connect the other end to the AC/DC adapter (the wire connected to red should connect to the inside wire of the adapter). Here it is, the unit has been modified and can be used directly with AC/DC adapter (be careful to seal and insulate all electrical wires properly to avoid any electrocute). And it works great, in fact better than with battery since it is driven directly from AC/DC adapter. Motor spins at max rate at all time without slowing down due to the loss charge. Anyhow, I don't think this will last forever, most likely the adapter will get overload at some point. NOTE: Do not try this if you do not have basic electrical knowledge.

I have a Gunite pool and spa with a StoneScapes pebble finish. This info is for those of you with a similar pool so you will have an idea how this product will work in a similarly built pool. I bought this specifically for cleaning my spa since my pool vac is too big to use in the spa and other methods were difficult and not very good at getting the spa clean. The included plastic pole pieces are very cheap and flimsy. I attach my Catfish Ultra to my aluminum pool pole and it fits perfect. Attaching it to the aluminum pole also gives much better reach as it is longer than the included pole parts. I found that I had to extend the telescopic part of the pole a couple of inches to get the Catfish to fit since it will hit the inner pole if it is all the way in the outer pole. The vac itself is great. It cleans the loose pebbles, dirt, sand and small leaves without issue. The inlet on the bottom is too small to suck up larger leaves, but they are easy enough to clean out with my net. I can have the spa cleaned in just a few minutes with this vac. I have only charged it twice since I bought it last summer and I have cleaned the spa quite a few times with it. This vac has worked out perfectly for cleaning the spa and I will buy another one when this one quits working.