Introduction
Robot design and efficiency have evolved significantly over the years with Miami-based Maytronics Ltd. leading the pack with their Dolphin series. The Dolphin Explorer E70 — a notable member of this fleet — is a product worthy of attention. Having performed rigorous testing of this unit over a span of three months has given us ample time to assess its viability. The Dolphin Explorer E70 has proven itself to be equipped with some surprisingly remarkable features that elevate the pool cleaning experience.
Its seemingly average performance score might raise eyebrows, but the Explorer E70’s delivery exceeds this initial perception as it delivers user-friendly operation combined with efficient cleaning ability. Its strength lies not in raw power, but in its ability to deliver reasonably well in a wide range of conditions. The core functionality of a robotic pool cleaner is its ability to tidy up your pool automatically and effectively, and the Explorer E70 accomplishes this with ease.
However, while the Dolphin Explorer E70 brings ample efficacy to the table, it may not be the most suitable choice for everyone. Should you seek optimal performance and superior features, models from Dolphin's ProLine and Max-Series like the Dolphin Premier, Sigma, Quantum, Cayman, or Escape might better align with your needs. These models offer exceptional performance and are highly recommended if your budget permits. Check out our comprehensive reviews of these models for more information.
Pool Types
The Dolphin Explorer E70 robotic pool cleaner is specifically engineered to handle In-Ground pools reaching up to 50ft. This substantial range easily encompasses most residential pools making the cleaner a versatile choice. Whether you have a long lap pool or a smaller plunge pool, the Explorer E70 is designed to navigate and clean efficiently. Its powerful suction and advanced scanning systems ensure that every inch is thoroughly maintained.
Interestingly, the Explorer E70 is quite adaptive in handling different pool materials. Armed with robust brushes, it smoothly navigates Gunite, Fiberglass, Vinyl, and Liner pool surfaces. This attribute reinforces the ability of this Dolphin device to adapt to virtually any home pool setup.
Another impressive feature of the Dolphin Explorer E70 is its compatibility with standard pool shapes. Whether you have a traditional Rectangle design, an Oval, or you're sporting a unique Freeform shape, this robot can efficiently maneuver around your pool. Thanks to the scanners and calculation systems, each cycle results in a comprehensively clean and sparkling pool.
Pool Coverage
When it comes to cleaning coverage, the Dolphin Explorer E70 demonstrates impressive versatility and depth of effectiveness. Its capabilities extend beyond just the pool floor, making its way up walls and even reaching the waterline with ease. This is attributable to its advanced climbing technology and powerful scrubbing brushes that work together to provide a comprehensive cleanup.
Unlike several of its counterparts in the robotic pool cleaner market, the Explorer E70 is not limited to flat pool surfaces. It showcases an admirable ability to also clean irregularly shaped and angled pool surfaces. This means that irrespective of your pool’s shape or design, the Dolphin Explorer E70 can adapt efficiently.
In summary, the cleaning coverage of the Dolphin Explorer E70 is exhaustive, leaving no component of your pool untouched. With this cleaner, expect to have a thoroughly cleaned pool – from the floor to the walls and up to the waterline. It also has the adaptability to incorporate any pool shape into its cleaning performance. Such comprehensive cleaning coverage makes this product delightful for any pool owner.
Filtration
As a major fan of ProLine models, I have to dedicate some time to sing praises about its impressive NanoFiltration ability. This advanced feature is truly something to behold, providing a level of cleanliness that is unparalleled in my experience testing pool robots. I have personally witnessed the NanoFiltration ability of ProLine models in action, and the brilliance of their cleaning prowess left me impressed.
It is an incredible sight, witnessing a pool robot like a ProLine model, delve deep into the waters, using NanoFiltration technology to purify the pool. The difference before and after the clean is truly remarkable and beats every other pool robot I've tested hands down.
Disrupting the industry standard, the NanoFiltration technology tackles any and all kinds of dirt particles in its path. Whether dealing with sand, leaves, or other stubborn impurities that evade regular pool cleaners, NanoFiltration takes them head-on and leaves the pool sparkling clean.
In conclusion, if a deep and thorough cleaning is what you're after, direct your gaze towards the ProLine models. The NanoFiltration ability of these robotic pool cleaners stands a world apart, making them undoubtedly a wise investment for any pool owner.
Cleaning Performance
In our test pools, the Dolphin Premier Robotic Pool Cleaner stood out as a real workhorse. Day in, day out, it diligently performed its tasks, never missing a spot. It's uncanny how it tampers with debris, small to large, thriving in all pool shapes and sizes. The advanced algorithms enhancing its navigation offer complete pool coverage, ensuring no spot is left untouched.
This cleaner proved to be extremely efficient, maximizing its power to deliver top-notch cleaning. The commercial-grade DC motors also ensure energy efficiency. In our observation, it worked out to cost just 5 cents per hour to operate. Moreover, the Dolphin Premier features a smart control weekly timer. This allowed us to set it and forget about it. If you dream about a spotless pool with little effort, it’s hard to find a better option.
The added convenience is that the Dolphin Premier is an ingenious plug-and-play cleaner. There aren't many robotic cleaners out there that you could just drop in your pool to do their job without worrying about connections or pre-installations. The Dolphin Premier is certainly one of them. Its user-friendly design truly shines through all the features mentioned above.
For its performance in all pool shapes, be it round, oval, free-form, or rectangular, the Dolphin Quantum followed close to the Premier. Its SmartNav 2.0 technology outperforms most traditional robots. Innovative sequential cleaning patterns combined with intelligent obstacle avoidance ensured a thorough cleaning job. We found impressive how it minimized the time spent cleaning walls to focus more on the floor and waterline.
Ultimately, testing in different pools under various conditions helped us evaluate the performance of these robotic pool cleaners better. In terms of functionality, durability, and efficiency, both Dolphin Premier and Quantum showed high scores. Thus, they certainly get a strong recommendation from our side.
Restocking Fee
Cordless
In the world of robotic pool cleaners, the debate between cordless and corded versions always stirs up interesting discussions. Some people may argue that cordless models offer the advantage of convenience, however, our extensive experience and testing of over 100+ robotic cleaners tell a different story. We found that corded models unquestionably offer constant power and superior performance which make them stand out in the crowd.
In contrast, cordless robots, despite their seemingly effortless usability, have their fair share of drawbacks. Our day-to-day experience with these robots involves interacting with them several times per day and needing to recharge them daily. This kind of daily maintenance goes against our preference for the ease and automation of a weekly timer option that most corded models offer.
Over time, cordless cleaners tend to lack longevity due to their battery-driven capacity. Corded cleaners, on the other hand, have the advantage of durability and a consistent power supply, ensuring they last longer and perform at their best for an extended period.
Another significant disparity between corded and cordless cleaners lies in the power output. Cordless robots may appear handy, but they are incomparable with cordless robots in terms of performance. We've noticed that they are significantly less powerful than their corded counterparts, resulting in a noticeable difference in the quality of pool cleaning.
Therefore, for these reasons, we are inclined towards corded robotic pool cleaners, stating them as the best for household usage. We are confident in our stance as it stems from rigorous testing and a quest for quality and efficiency.
Weekly Timer
A standout feature for us when navigating the broad spectrum of robotic pool cleaners is the presence of a weekly timer. The convenience factor this small addition brings makes a remarkable difference in the automation of the pool cleaning experience. The ability to set your robotic cleaner to operate on a schedule - whether that's every day, every other day, or every third day - is such a time-saver and allows you to have one less thing to worry about.
We believe that all robotic pool cleaners should ideally include a weekly timer. From our perspective, pool cleaning isn't a task you’d want to manually manage every day, your robot should provide a helping hand without needing daily interaction. A robot that can handle the weekly pool cleaning schedule on its own is, in our opinion, a top-tier robot.
However, it's important to note not all robotic pool cleaners currently have a built-in weekly timer. For those that don't, the need for daily set-up and interaction might seem manageable initially, but can quickly become a tedious task. Especially compared to the benefits of an automated schedule that a weekly timer provides.
Overall, a weekly timer greatly enhances a robot's utility. It not only enables an automatic cleaning schedule but also allows you to focus on other important tasks, knowing your pool will stay pristine. This is a feature we heavily weigh in our reviews and impacts our overall assessment of any robotic pool cleaner.
Overview
The Dolphin Explorer E70 is a premium robotic pool cleaner that's designed to deliver exceptional cleaning performance for in-ground pools up to 50 feet. This powerful device comes with dual scrubbing brushes and a high-capacity filtration system that can capture everything from fine particles to large debris. The robot's advanced navigation system ensures full coverage of the pool, including the floor and walls, while its durable tracks provide superior grip even on slippery surfaces. It's also impressively energy-efficient, with a consumption rate of just 5 cents per hour.
One of the standout features of the Explorer E70 is its Smart-Nav 2.0 technology. This intelligent software not only enhances the cleaner's overall route efficiency but also prevents it from going over the same areas repeatedly, thereby saving both time and energy. Also, this formidable cleaner allows you to enjoy fully automation using its weekly timer option. A fantastic feature, especially for homeowners who prefer setting the device to run at specific times.
Despite falling slightly short when compared to my personal favorites such as the Dolphin Premier, Sigma, Quantum, Cayman, and the Dolphin ProLine, the Explorer E70 stands its ground as a commendable device offering admirable features. It's a robotic pool cleaner that ticks the boxes of top-tier functionally, durability, and user convenience.
To round it off, the Explorer E70, with its robot.score over 90, has proven to be an exceptional product in the Dolphin lineup that offers a substantial amount of value for its price range. It's an excellent choice for those seeking a blend of performance, ease of use, and advanced cleaning technology. For different options or additional information, kindly check out other robotic pool cleaner reviews on our site. We have done a broad spectrum review series which includes reviews for the Dolphin Premier, Sigma and Aquabot among others.
Recommendation
With years of expertise in assessing robotic pool cleaners, we highly recommend the Max-Series and ProLine robots from Dolphin. These state-of-the-art pool cleaners exhibit top-notch performance, unrivalled durability, and remarkable value for money. From the Max-Series, our nod goes to models like the Dolphin Premier and Sigma for their outstanding ability to thoroughly clean large pools with less effort.
You can read our in-depth reviews on the Dolphin Premier here and the Sigma here.
Continuing with the ProLine robots, these machines are a testament to Dolphin's relentless quest for perfection. Our favorites include the Quantum and Escape, both of which promise unmatched efficiency in small to medium-sized pools. The Cayman, on the other hand, excels in maneuverability and speed, making it ideal for larger pools.
To get a better understanding of these ProLine robots, check out our detailed reviews of the Quantum here, Escape here, and Cayman here.
We encourage you to make an informed decision based on the capacity and cleaning requirements of your pool. However, choosing a product from either the Max-Series or ProLine ensures you are investing in a product with superior quality and effective cleaning capability. For a broader view of your options, visit our list of best robotic pool cleaners here.
Reviewed by Robert Knight
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