Zodiac MX8 MK2 Pool Cleaner Review - Worth The Price?
| 👍The Good: | Good cleaning, easy repairs, long-lasting (with maintenance) |
|---|---|
| 👎The Bad: | Requires maintenance from one year mark, gets stalled by leaves, doesn’t clean steps |
| ⭐Rating: | |
| 🔍Verdict: | Recommended if you are okay with the maintenance, repairs, and upkeep costs |
Product Comparison Table - Zodiac MX8
Before we dive into the review, let's take a look at the main specs for this product, and how it compares to other similar models.
| Name | Zodiac MX8 | Kreepy Krauly Sprinta Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Image |  |  |
Best Price |
Zodiac MX8 MK2 Pool Cleaner Review - Worth The Price?
The Zodiac MX8 is a suction-powered pool cleaner that carries a premium price tag when compared with similar suction cleaners. Although the cost of this machine may make some assume it’s a top of the line model, is what you get really worth the price?
In this article, we’ll go over the pros and cons of this machine and cover everything you should know about its design, cleaning performance, build quality, and warranty in order to help you determine if the Zodiac MX8 is right for your pool.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Easy to repair/replace parts
- Good coverage of pool surfaces
- Noiseless operation
- Works well with leaves and dirt
- Climbs walls to clean waterline
- Tangle-resistant hose
Cons
- Doesn’t do steps
- Lasts about one year before repair and maintenance begins
- Can suck air when climbing to waterline
- Can become clogged if an abundance of leaves is present
- High upkeep costs; requires regular maintenance
Design
The Zodiac MX8 is a new and improved model of the Zodiac MX6 that is intended for pools no larger than 12 x 6 metres in size and comes with a piece of hose that is just shy of 12 m long.
This cleaner is compatible with most pool types and linings, including tricker surfaces such as tiled pools or pebblecrete.
The MX8 has dual-action cyclonic scrubbers on its base, as opposed to the MX6 which only has one. This feature also produces extra suction, covers more area at a time, and has better performance in terms of scrubbing stuck-on debris.
This machine uses the power of your pool’s pump to move around and generate suction, drawing water and debris into your pump system through the hose.
This cleaner does not have its own filter basket; all debris collected by the machine will be handled by your pool’s main filter unit, as with all suction cleaners. If you want a unit that can capture its own debris, look into robotic pool cleaners.
Because of this, there is a highly recommended and popular add-on for this cleaner known as the Zodiac leaf catcher. This device attaches to the middle of your cleaner’s hose, and can be purchased to keep larger debris from entering your pool’s pump system.
Cleaning Performance
Unlike its predecessor, the Zodiac MX8 has great reviews regarding its cleaning performance. This cleaner is capable of handling dirt, small leaves, and other debris without much issue.
Occasionally, users report the machine getting clogged by leaves, but this is most common with palm fronds which can get tangled around the rotating parts of the machine, or when an abundance of leaves is left to sink to the bottom of the pool before cleaning.
If you use your skimmer basket properly, there should not be dense piles of leaves on the floor of your pool. Large piles of leaves such as these are much more likely to clog the Zodiac MX8 as well as other pool cleaners.
This cleaner has great reviews about its ability to climb the walls and scrub the waterline. Occasionally it may suck air during this process, which can be a nuisance but typically does not impact the quality of cleaning that the machine provides.
Even though this machine may still occasionally become clogged by leaves or other large debris, compared to the Zodiac MX6, there are many more positive reviews regarding the cleaning quality of the Zodiac MX8.
Power Specifications
This cleaner uses your pool’s pump to operate. To figure out the total power usage of this machine, multiply the amount of wattage used by your pool pump per hour by the amount of time that the cleaner is set to work.
Build Quality & Warranty
Zodiac MX8 Problems
Doesn’t Clean Steps & Ledges
One small issue with the Zodiac MX8 is that it does not handle steps or ledges effectively. This is typically due to the fact that the base of the cleaner is too large to fit comfortably on most steps.
High Upkeep Costs
The biggest complaint most users have with the Zodiac MX8 is that it requires a significant amount of upkeep.
After a single year of owning and operating this cleaner, it is likely that you will begin to have to perform regular repairs and maintenance to keep the machine running as intended.
This can drastically increase the lifetime costs of this cleaner when compared to those produced by other brands.
Despite these high upkeep costs associated with repairs and maintenance, if you are willing to put this extra care and effort into your machine, the Zodiac MX8 can last for up to ten years before needing to be replaced entirely.
Zodiac MX8 Warranty
The Zodiac MX8 has a two year warranty (one year on wearable parts like the scrubbers, tyre tracks and diaphragm), which is standard among most varieties of pool cleaner across the industry.
The only downside to this is that consumer reviews mention having very hit-or-miss interactions with Zodiac customer service teams.
While some customers mention having success in their interactions involving warranty claims, many more report receiving unhelpful and inadequate responses to their concerns.
Additionally, some reviews mention failing to get a response from Zodiac’s warranty department for weeks at a time, which is pretty substandard.
Zodiac MX8 Price
The Zodiac MX8 carries a price tag of approximately $740, making it one of the most expensive suction-powered pool cleaners available on the market.
Although this machine has an abundance of reviews from satisfied customers, it is important to note that many of these users are happy to perform the required maintenance and repairs to their machine.
If you will be disappointed by having to purchase repair kits and replacement parts in order to perform upkeep on your cleaner, we recommend that you invest in a model with a lower upfront cost.
It’s important to remember that _all _pool cleaners are produced with consumable parts, meaning that if you expect to not have to do any maintenance at all, you are bound to be disappointed with your purchase.
Zodiac MX8 - FAQ
Is The Zodiac MX8 A Good Pool Cleaner?
On paper at least, it is pretty similar to the Zodiac MX6. However, when you take the time to read these reviews, you will notice that there are many more satisfied owners of the Zodiac MX8, most of whom have been using their pool cleaners for five years or more.
When considering the premium performance of this cleaner, combined with the number of users who have used this machine successfully for many years, we consider the Zodiac MX8 a good pool cleaner.
Final Thoughts - Zodiac MX8 Review
The Zodiac MX8 is a suction-side pool cleaner with a premium price tag. This machine tends to have consistently positive reviews about its cleaning performance overall, yet it is still prone to small problems such as routine maintenance and getting stalled by dense piles of debris.
If you are willing to perform the necessary repairs and upkeep, we highly recommend the Zodiac MX8 as a suction-side pool cleaner.
However, it should be noted that the upkeep costs associated with maintaining this machine may be significantly higher when compared to other machines.
Price Comparison - Zodiac MX8
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