Best Pool Sweepers in the UK

The Zodiac W78046 T5Duo has been described and marketed by the people behind it as a simple and efficient unit and while we can agree with the efficient notion, simple is not the word we would use to describe this one. To start with, there's nothing simple about the company's unique motion system that ensures suction even when targeting the smallest spaces. Between two independent but equally flexible toothed discs, the unit offers excellent traction in and around corners and on walls, and that's besides improving the machine's manoeuvrability.

While there's nothing humble about its output, what we appreciate about this product before anything else is the little details that make its operation as convenient as it is. These little details include anti-block wheels so that the unit can get past various obstacles without third-party assistance. Steps, angles, even ladders, this machine can handle them all. Of course, the company's signature twist-lock hose has not gone anywhere as well, creating a tight seal and a secure connection.

When you start counting these features, the model's versatile disposition becomes quite evident. To wit, this unit can clean private in-ground pools as well as standard above-ground pools with rigid walls measuring as much as 12 x 6 metres. These pools can be oval, rectangular, any shape really. The floors can be flat. They can also incorporate a gentle or composite slope. As far as pool surfaces are concerned, the model can handle anything from liners and polyester hulls to tiles, reinforced PVC, granite, painted concrete, fibreglass, vinyl, and more.

Whilst the previous machine from the same company is a little more impressive than this one, the thing is that most people do not need as much output and as many features as that machine's offering. The Zodiac T3, on the other hand, has been designed to meet everyday people's needs, and the model does that exceptionally well. Sure, there are some drawbacks here as well. To name one, the cleaning width caps at 30 centimetres, which is not great. With this much cleaning width, the machine can sweep above-ground pools with rigid walls measuring less than 9 x metres. Anything above that will present noticeable challenges.

But, again, assuming you're working with a small or medium-sized pool, which most people are, the width will be sufficient. The fins on its head will be more than sufficient though. No, these fins do not just improve the machine's mobility, they also improve its efficiency. Using these fins, the sweeper can access the tightest, sharpest corners and is able to sweep all pool shapes, from oval to rectangular to free-shape pools. Not unlike its more expensive peer, this machine is also fine with most materials. Granite, concrete (including painted), fibreglass, PVC (reinforced or standard), tiles, vinyl, you name the material, the model can handle them all.

What's more, its movement speed measures 6.5 metres per minute, making the machine even more expedient than the aforementioned premium-class relative. Borrowing from the same relative, this unit also adopts anti-block wheels. Owing to these wheels, this suction-side sweeper can clean staircases, ladders, corners, and bottom drains, the obstacle's irrelevant as the machine can defeat them all.

The Jacksking Swimming Pool Cleaner might seem a little tame at first. But, when you get to know this fellow, you start forming a second impression that's almost 100% opposite the initial one. For starters, its cleaning width is brilliant. Measuring 60 centimetres, this machine spends less time cleaning medium-sized pools than its more expensive counterparts with less cleaning width.

But, before that, let's figure out what this product is constructed from. Besides certain connection points that seem more flimsy and fragile than most (primarily the one around the head), the machine adopts high-strength polypropylene, so you can submerge the head without worrying that some parts might start showing corrosion signs eventually or forming rust patches with time. No, despite its flexible nature, polypropylene is a tough thermoplastic, lightweight yet practically uncrackable. As long as you avoid high heat exposure, which is not difficult, this machine should easily last years, maybe even decades.

The KOWE Swimming Pool Vacuum Cleaner follows the common playbook that is deployed across almost all pool sweepers. From where we're standing, there's nothing necessarily great about this product but there are a few advantages that earned this unit a spot on the list, albeit not the best spot.

First things first, we can appreciate the overall package that the company ships you with this pool-sweeping machine. Needless to say, you receive 12 white pipes, nothing interesting about them. There's also nothing interesting about the white bracket that connects these pipes to the head and the 7 general-use accessories that you receive with the kit.

But there's something interesting about the cleaner support, the round cleaning brush, the round fixed bracket, and the long pole. The pole's yellow, which is usually the case with these extension poles, no idea why. The brush and the bracket are blue, matching the model's blue and white paintwork. As you can imagine, the pole will let you extend the head's reach so that the machine can sweep medium-sized in-ground pools and above-ground pools with matching ease. The round fixed bracket will support the round cleaning brush, using which the unit will be capturing more dirt and moss at a time. The brush is as corrosion-resistant as the main unit, fitted with high-density yet flexible bristles that should not start shedding anytime soon.

The PAXCESS Pool Cleaner is the least expensive entry on this list. Because the product costs less than 100 quid, there are certain trade-offs that come without saying when you're talking about low-end suction-side pool sweepers. Most aren't that bad but its operation speed is quite slow (somewhere around 4 metres per minute), which is unfortunate since everything else here presents an attractive package relative to the product's price tag. To name one, its cleaning width measures 50 centimetres. Though there are models that stretch the cleaning width as much as 60 centimetres, this is still nothing to sneeze at, covering more pool real estate at a time than most sweepers.

Matching its less affordable peers, this model can climb walls, capturing leaves, hairs, tree seeds, different debris particles, small stones, sand, dust, and more. The surprising part is that this machine is also quite good at accessing and sweeping corners, so even pools with an unusual shape will not stand a chance against this cleaner. However, unlike more expensive models, this one cannot sweep stairs. Also, the machine is not great with right-angled walls.

Though we're not done with the main unit quite yet, the 16 upgraded hoses deserve some recognition as well, so let's switch gears and discuss them for a moment. First, they're airproof, so you don't have to worry about fine debris and different small particles leaking out. Second, the hoses are long and scuff-resistant, meaning that you won't be replacing them anytime soon.