Zodiac MX6 Pool Cleaner Review 2024 – Pros, Cons & Verdict
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We give the Zodiac MX6 Pool Cleaner a rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars.
Review Summary
A compact, powerful side suction pool cleaner, Zodiac’s MX6 has the juice to climb walls and also clean in those little nooks and crannies that give pool owners fits. It’s quiet, fits easily with hoses to prevent stripped teeth, operates on as little as 25 gallons per minute of suction, and puts a lot of muscle behind its cleaning. It comes with a handle for easy removal from the pool, and access to the interior is a quick release button away.
On the negative side, it comes with just one directional gear. If it gets caught in a corner, it’ll need some help getting out. It also comes with only about 30 feet in connecting hoses. If you’ve got a big inground pool, this might not be the cleaner for you.
Zodiac MX6 – A Quick Look
- Handle to pull out of pool
- Clip attachment to hose to prevent stripping
- Easy to clean
- Compact power
- Can’t reverse direction
- Brand name: Zodiac
- Model: MX6
- Type: Suction side
- Pool type: Inground
- Dimensions:8 x 9 x 14.4 in
- Weight: 5 lbs.
Cyclonic Cleaning
The MX6 comes with a single, powerful turbine that kicks up dirt and debris from the bottom of your pool so it can get sucked into the cleaner. This doesn’t just aid it in aggressively cleaning your pool surfaces, it also helps it climb walls and stairs and clean those, too.
Easy-connecting Hoses
One lingering headache for every pool owner is getting their cleaner going in the first place. Part of that is making sure they know how to turn it on and get it moving. Part of that is the simple, yet often aggravating, hooking up hoses. The MX6 comes with easy-connecting hoses that make setup a snap. Once connected, they’re designed to swivel around instead of hold in place. This means less operational wear and tear on your hoses. It also means the connecting teeth don’t get stripped.
Energy-efficient Operation
The MX6 comes with a flow regulator valve to guarantee optimal performance without wasting a ton of energy. It also means that you can operate it with a variable-speed pump or a pump operating with as little as 25 gallons per minute of suction. That makes it ideal for people who own small inground pools, where pumps typically don’t operate at high levels of suction.
FAQ
What kind of pressure is required to operate the MX6?
Right around 25 gallons per minute is the recommended minimum suction power to operate the MX6.
What kind of warranty covers the MX6?
Zodiac offers a two-year free-from-defects warranty on its pool cleaners.
How mobile is the MX6?
The MX6 comes with only one directional gear, so while it can climb walls and clean steps, if it gets into a corner it will just stop. It can’t turn itself around.
What the Users Say
Generally speaking, people who bought the MX6 were pleased, but not entirely enthusiastic, about the pool cleaner. For most of them, it did a sufficient job of cleaning the pool. A couple of people even said they enjoyed watching it move back and forth across the bottom of their pool, like watching wood burn in a campfire. With most consumer products, it’s not uncommon to have a very clear majority of user reviews at the top with the rest spaced out like the peak and trough of a wave. For the MX6, however, user reviews are mostly about half very favorable, with the remaining spaced out equitably across the rest of the spectrum.
People who like it like the way it cleans small pools—the entire pool, including the walls. People reported that it does this pretty well, and some were surprised that it climbed walls as well as it did.
One common thread of discontent concerned the hoses. A fair number of users said that the hoses weren’t really all that hassle-free and that they created more of a headache than a traditional hose connection.
Speaking of hoses, a fair number of users also complained about the length of hose that comes with the MX6. You can buy extra if you need it, and the extra length doesn’t appear to reduce the suction power available, but the length of hose included is an issue nonetheless.
Overall, however, users were happy with the MX6. That’s happy, not ecstatic. A number of users report that they really like how it works, but they don’t give it a top grade and they don’t explain why. This suggests that, while the pool cleaner does its job for the money it costs, people aren’t likely to rave about it at their next outdoor barbecue.
Conclusion
The MX6 is a wall-climbing, hard-cleaning, compact side suction pool cleaner designed with smaller pools in mind. It can operate at reduced suction power, and it has features intended to make maintenance and cleaning a snap. It’s also quiet while in operation, and the way it connects to the suction prolongs the life of the hoses used to power it.
It is limited by the 30-foot length of hose that comes with it, though if you need extra those are available as an accessory purchase. It also only has one directional gear, so if it gets caught in a corner it’ll need your help getting out. It could also stand to be a bit heavier, to help hold it down and keep it from sucking air at the top of your pool after it climbs the walls.
A comparison between the Zodiac MX8 and the MX6
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