Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have a fiberglass pool, so cleaners designed for vinyl bottoms really work better for me than those for "cement ponds." And the price was right.
However, this item is in the "Toys" category and that is TERRIBLE. This pool cleaner works off of the vacuum created by your pool pump/filter. The cleaner is made more efficient by the use of two venturi intakes (the smallest one is removable). With only about a half-square-inch intake, the suction on the bottom of this cleaner is ferocious. And instead of Wanda the Whale, they should have dubbed it Sarah the Shark.
DO NOT let children into the pool when this device is operating - or simple-minded adults for that matter. Get a toe stuck in the intake when Wanda runs over your foot and you might find yourself pulling it out of the filter before heading to the ER to see if they can re-attach it. And God help the curious adolescent boy who has the pool to himself....
Hayward is quite clear about the dangers of this product and the narrow operating environment, but making the thing cute and cuddly and allowing it to be categorized as a toy seems to be a massive product liability exposure.
Warnings aside, this is a great auto pool cleaner at a really great price. You may need to cut out the venturi intake to match up better with your pump pressure and to allow it to clean your pool in a more systematic way, but you'll be impressed with what the little thing can accomplish in a half-day or so.
Highly-recommended pool-cleaning TOOL! Highly-discouraged as a "toy" using any criteria.
UPDATE (13 Apr 2010): The Wanda the Whale cleaner comes with soft vinyl "feet" that allow it to move around a pool without damaging a liner. To use it in a fiberglass or cement pool, these feet should be replaced with cork feet that will provide a better grip, and wear longer than the standard vinyl feet. These feet can be ordered from Hayward but are available at any decent pool supply store that sells Hayward products. If you have this device - or plan to buy it - and will use it in a fiberglass or cement pool, be sure to replace the four "feet" to get the best performance of this unit.
With the proper cork feet, this wonderful little cleaner does a fabulous job keeping my fiberglass pool sparkling clean (it even cleans the side up to three feet from the bottom) - at a price that is dramatically less than typical automatic pool cleaners.
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Hayward 900 Wanda the Whale Above-Ground Automatic Pool CleanerProduct Description: You'll never be bugged by manual pool cleaning again. Wanda the Whale automatic pool cleaner provides you with easy, trouble-free operation. You never need to empty or replace debris bags. And because it works with your existing filtration system - no extra energy-consuming booster pump is required. Everything for simple 10 minutes or less installation is included - even the hoses. THIS cleaner loves to circulate. Plus, Wanda the Whale improves water circulation by acting as a moving main drain, pulling water from the bottom of your pool as it moves. Your water circulates and your pool stays cleaner - without the overuse of chemical sanitizers. This bug hangs out with a smart crowd. As part of a complete family of superior quality products designed to keep your pool at its sparkling best, Wanda the Whale is the smart alternative to the drudgery of manual cleaning. And it's from Hayward, the company that engineered automatic pool cleaning technology.
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