Baracuda G3 W03000 Advanced Suction Side Automatic Pool Cleaner

Why did you pick this product vs others?:I have been using barracudas for probably 20 years and love them. This is my 3rd G3 and before that I used one of the slightly cheaper baracuda vacs. The only reason I get a new one is it just finally wears out after 4 or 5+ years. Quality is good and about the only weak part is the rubber baffle that propels the vac. If there is anything to complain about that is the weak part to the system but they are fairly inexpensive. It works great and keeps the pool clean. I was considering going to a robotic unit this time but after reading reviews and having concerns about longevity I decided I knew what I was getting with the G3 and knew I’ll have a great vac that will last at least. 4 years so I bought another one. I highly recommend this pool vac.

So far the zodiac g3 works excellent! It doesn’t get stuck in the bottom corners like my last one did(Kreepy Krawly) but it does get stuck up on the ladder because it goes up on the wall and then gets hung up behind the ladder on the side of the pool so I do have to figure that out, but the vacuum works excellent

Why did you pick this product vs others?:I've bought this pool cleaner before and it is a good one! Have only had this particular one in the pool for a few weeks. This one came with a 45 degree elbow (the thing that connects it to the wall) that kept on falling out everyday when the pool pump would automatically turn off. Each morning we had to manually reattach it to the vacuum suction on the wall which was kind of a pain. Then we realized that the elbow was shorter than our old pool cleaners elbow so we decided to use that. Because the old elbow was a different brand, I bought an adapter for it. Problem solved! It now works great. Sometimes it'll get stuck in a corner, but all pool cleaners will do that from time to time.

Without hesitation, I bought a G3 to replace my old G3 that has been running great for well over a decade (see side by side photo). I decided to replace mine because 11+yrs submerged in pool water has finally caused some pitting and degradation of the plastic on the outer housing. Every so often, the inner diaphragm doodad, the round spiked blue pad on the base, and rarely the bright yellow rubber foot on the bottom need to be replaced due to wear, especially if you have pebble plaster. All those parts are cheap, easy to replace, and readily available on AmazonThe G3 appears on many pool websites’ “Top 10 Cleaners” lists. That’s because it works great, uses a minimum of moving parts, and is relatively inexpensive. For reference, my parents had a similar design (but a different brand) in the early 90s which cost them $750. The G3 is refreshingly about half the cost of that. I used a pool vacuum before the G3 which had the big goofy wheels on either side and that design DID NOT work for my pool. Terrible design, the wheels are just something else to fail/break downPros: Works great. Easily climbs the uneven sides of my deep end, which is about 7-8ft (see photo). Basically only one moving part, so no turning wheels to break or jam. Repair parts are cheap and available. Works great on pebble but amazing on standard plasterCons: Almost none. If your pool has uneven corners or sharp curves (mine has a weird oval step in the deepest corner), it may take minor adjustment not to hang up. Also, large debris with sharp edges (like garden bark chips) can tear the diaphragm and damage the vacuum when they get pulled throughIn short, I’ve had a G3 or something similar for a long time. I don’t think pool cleaners need wheels and it’s just another part to break down. Love my G3

Excellent product. Easy to install. Easy to repair. Only purchased because the main body cracked due to years of service and Arizona heat.

I have a in ground and the pole cleaner works so good . My pool is crystal clear. Very happy with it.

UPDATE: Well, I spoke too soon because the very next day the thing stopped moving and my pool pump lost prime to such an extreme it took hours to get it going again. There doesn't appear to be anything stuck in it and suction is happening, but it doesn't move and doesn't even make the annoying bipbipbipbip. I downloaded and printed the manual (which wasn't included in the box) and it told me there was a quick release cassette but didn't tell me where it was. I deduced from the drawing the general location but couldn't get anything to twist or unscrew. So much for quick release. Went over and turned off the pump and zoom! Out the hose flew from the wall just as it had been doing—along with a hoseful of leaves it had sucked up. So I can't travel even for a day without expecting to come home to a burned-out pool pump and am sending it back. Happily Amazon made the return easy._____I was losing my mind trying to get this thing to stop hopping up onto the swim outs and this shallow walk-in area. Plus it constantly got hung up on the vacuum wall connection, sucking air and causing my filter to lose prime. AND when the filter shut off the Barracuda hose would shoot out of the vac. connection into the pool. It also was spending all its time doing the walls and not the floor where all the leaves are.There was NO MANUAL included in my box, just a quick-start guide, so I talked to customer support with no success. I already had a VAC-LOK connection and I had already attached the weight to the first section of the hose. Turning down my pressure 50% didn't help either. I tried taking two lengths off the hose but put one back because it wouldn't reach to the other side.Back this thing was going because I travel for weeks at a time and can't have my pump burning out because it has lost prime.THEN SUDDENLY I got a brainstorm to take one section of my old Hayward Navigator hose, fill it with water, loop it through the black steering-wheel thing on the top of the Barracuda and put the whole thing in the water (don't ask me what inspired me to try this). I also took off the 45-degree angle fitting that came with the Barracuda and plugged the hose directly into my vacuum port. Amazingly it hasn't hopped up, gotten stuck or shot off the wall since! I watch it go over the vacuum connection, change its mind and go away without sticking. It climbs up to the swim-outs and walk-in but then goes back down without getting on it. I have enclosed a couple of photos showing my pool set up and how I rigged this hose thing to the Barracuda.The one thing I still hate is the noise it makes…a constant bibbipbipbip which, in addition to the sound of the filter pump, makes sitting outside near the pool in daylight hours (when I have to run the pump to get solar heat) an annoyingly noisy affair. And being in the pool with it gives me a headache. At least the Navigator was quiet.BUT unlike the Hayward Navigator, it has very few parts and I am so sick of dealing with Hayward equipment which seems to be built to break and designed to be tough for owners to repair themselves and the parts are ridiculously expensive for what they are. Plus terrible/no documentation.So for now this Barracuda is staying despite the noise and I will come back and update this space if I have to return the product.