Dolphin M600 Review

Aquabot M600 Review

Hey guys, I’m Joshua with Poolbots.com. And today we’re looking at the Dolphin M600 robotic pool cleaner from Maytronics.

The M600 is a relatively new design from Dolphin, but it’s only available in brick-and-mortar pool stores. So you can’t buy it from any authorized retailers online. Despite this inconvenience, the M600 is a good robotic pool cleaner.

This is one of those odd robots that Maytronics says is brick and motor only, which means in store. However, you can find one online for around $1700 or as high as $2,600. This makes the M600 about the most expensive robotic pool cleaner you can buy, even if you choose to buy online. But buyer beware – if you buy online, you may be risking warranty coverage. Even at $1700, it is still more than $300 more than the Dolphin Sigma which has nearly all the same features and identical performance.

Let’s see if the M600’s performance matches its hefty price tag.

Features

First, we’ll take a look at what all comes with the M600.

Like all Dolphin products, the tracks are great at wall climbing. They help the M600 adhere to pool surfaces. It has front and rear split-spinning brushes, which can rotate in either direction. This is just like the Dolphin Sigma, which is available online for hundreds of dollars less. The filtration system is a large, top-loading filter basket with dual layers and two filter options. This is once again very similar to the Dolphin Sigma. There’s also the 60-foot cable with an anti-tangle swivel, which helps the cord stay loose and pliable. Finally, there’s the one-button power supply. To control the M600, you use the MyDolphin App on your smartphone.

Once you get the M600 in the water, it’s clear just how powerful it is. It uses CleverClean navigation to scan the pool and create the best cleaning route, and it uses a jet technology to adhere to vertical surfaces and move along them.

The M600 is also helped by its onboard gyroscope and split-spinning brushes. The Dolphin Sigma is the online robotic pool cleaner with these best-in-class premium features, but we’re excited to see them used on the M600 as well. The gyroscope helps detect the unit’s orientation to all surfaces of the pool, and the split-spinning brushes help it maneuver in and out of tight spots easily. Where a simple, two-wheeled unit would have to do a tedious three-point turn, the Sigma, and now the M600, can rotate without taking up any excess space, time, or energy.

Performance

The M600 had consistent and thorough waterline cleaning. In fact, we’d say it was almost on par with the Dolphin Premier, which is known as the “king of the waterline.” The M600 doesn’t use a dual stabilizer like the Premier, but the M600 is helped by these high-grip tracks and the water propulsion from the jet ports.

When it comes to cleaning power, the M600 has plenty of power. The split-spinning brushes rotate rapidly to help dislodge tough, stuck-on debris. Plus, they can rotate both forward and backward for extra scrubbing power. Combined with the M600’s solid coverage, its actual scrubbing power is thorough and effective.

Filtration

This brings us to filtration. It has an extra-large, top-loading basket that has two layers. The inner layer is a fine mesh, and the outer basket has interchangeable panels. While the dual-layer filter basket with filter options adds a level of cleaning customizability to the M600, it still lacks a simple solution for really large debris, like leaves, twigs, or pine needles. We wish they had a few more filter options, especially at this high price tag.

The Dolphin Premier, for example, has MultiMedia which gives you four filter media options, including an oversized leaf bag that can hold a ton of leaves before ever needing to be emptied. Although the M600’s basket is fairly large, you’ll still need to empty it more often than a dedicated leaf bag like you’ll find on the Premier.

App Control and Warranty

Like the Dolphin Sigma, you can use the MyDolphin App to control its cleaning schedule, cleaning jobs, diagnostics, and even drive the unit with the remote-control feature. The M600 comes with a 3-year warranty just like the Dolphin Sigma and Dolphin Premier. For this hefty price tag, we would like to see longer coverage. Especially with comparable units like the Dolphin Premier and Dolphin Sigma which are hundreds of dollars less, offer the same performance, and have the same warranty.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the Dolphin M600 from Maytronics is a solid robotic pool cleaner if you’re willing to shell out a ton of money. The performance is on par with the top of the line online units such as the Dolphin Sigma, which also has the same app, gyroscope, and powerful motors. Also, if you have a bunch of leaves, this unit likely isn’t for you.

The price and local store only availability is also certainly not for everyone. It’s only sold in brick-and-mortar pool stores, so you’ll have to call around to even find the unit. You’ll probably need to call around to get the best price too. Unfortunately, pool-store-only units can get very expensive. So while the M600 may be priced around $2,600 in one store, it may go for several hundred more at another.

For much less money, similar features and performance, and easy online availability, we suggest a unit like the Dolphin Sigma or Dolphin Premier. Both units clean the floors, walls, and waterline just like the M600. And both offer multiple filtration options, hands-off control, and 3-year warranties. With almost identical performance to the M600 at a fraction of the price, units like the Dolphin Sigma and Dolphin Premier are a much smarter investment for pool owners.

As always, you can read real reviews and learn more about dozens of other robotic pool cleaners at poolbots.com. Visit our website to find the best deals, tips, and tricks for pool ownership, and special buys that’ll help you enjoy your pool to its full potential.