BaracudaZodiac Ranger Suction Side Automatic Above-Ground Pool Cleaner

works great! much better than Wanda that I had previously in my above-ground pool

Prior to my Ranger purchase, I had a vacuum for 7 years that frustrated me because it always got stuck on my steps. It did a great job, but I couldn't leave it unattended to go in the house or I would come back out and it had gotten stuck and the pool was not finished. I got the Ranger yesterday and it was super easy to put together. I probably took longer to open the box than to put it together. I have used it twice now and it does a good job! There is no flapper noise to annoy you and it makes a good circuit of the pool. (I have a round 18' diameter above ground). The real test was what it was going to do at my steps. The ring around the top keeps it from sticking! I thought it might be stuck once, but waited and it got loose and off it went!No product is perfect, though. Because of the ring, it doesn't go quite as deeply into the edges. I also had some dirt residue under the return jet and the Ranger kept getting deflected because of the water stream. No problems, though, I just got the brush and brushed that area.All in all, I think I'm going to like this replacement vacuum!

Great product and works well, this is a second one

I purchased this to use with an 18' Intex Easy Set vinyl pool. I no longer use the Intex factory pump and filter, but rather a sand filter and pump from Hayward, so I cannot guarantee it would work with an Intex pump. I purchased the Baracuda Ranger because my pool is near trees, and ends up with too much dirt and debris on the pool floor, most of which is too small to be removed with a leaf net.The Ranger is very easy to assemble, setup and connect. Assembly takes only a few minutes. The hose is made up of many sections of hose that connect together to give you the precise length necessary for your pool vs. having one long hose that needs to be cut to length.It does a great job of keeping dirt and debris off the bottom of my pool, and even climbs the sides to clean them. I often let it run all night, and since I usually run my pump and filter 24/7, this is not an issue for me.It takes me about 5-10 minutes to get the Ranger in the water, flood the system, and get it started. From there, I can pretty much walk away from it and come back to find the pool floor clean.Suction is powerful enough to clean my pool floor, which is not completely smooth. The Ranger picks up dirt and some leaves, although it sometimes misses leaves because the pulsating action of the Ranger pushes them away as it approaches them. I just use a leaf net to get any large leaves off the bottom before running the Ranger.I'm very pleased with the Ranger, and would recommend it to others.

This has been a great product. I bought the first Ranger in 2006 and am replacing it with a 2nd Ranger June 2017. The only reason I'm replacing my original is the hose sections have become frail from the sun and chlorine. The vacuum head itself, while tattered and banged up, still functions, so I'll keep it as a backup.I've had to modify the head some over the years as the yellow weights, which hold the unit under water, sometimes come loose. I believe the chlorine cause the plastic pieces that hold the weights in place to become loose. I've used JB weld to keep them in place and usually have to reapply yearly.Overall, though the ranger works well. I have a 24' round pool and it cleans the floor and walls of the pool. Proper adjustment is needed to get the vac to cover all areas of the pool, but once that is done, it works great. Also, by using this vac or any other, the water temp is more consistent as it pulls the cooler water off of the bottom and recycles it back onto the top.