Alright, let’s talk about this Polaris Freedom robot thing. My old pool cleaner, man, what a pain. Always tangling that cord, dragging it out, putting it away. Felt like more work than it was worth sometimes. So, I decided to bite the bullet and try one of these cordless ones.
Getting Started
Pulled the Polaris Freedom out of the box. Seemed sturdy enough, not too heavy which was nice. Instructions were pretty straightforward, thankfully. Didn’t need a magnifying glass or an engineering degree. First thing was charging it up. Plugged the charger in, connected the robot. There’s a light that tells you what’s happening – charging, done charging. Left it plugged in overnight for the first go, just to be sure it had a full belly.
First Dip in the Pool
Next morning, took it out to the pool. Carrying it was easy. Just kinda lowered it into the water like the instructions showed. It did its little self-check thing, lights blinked, then it just… started moving. No messing with hoses or power cords near the water, which honestly felt way safer. Big plus right there.
It just roamed around the bottom. Seemed to cover most areas, went up the slopes a bit. My pool isn’t some perfect rectangle, got some curves and weird spots. It navigated them okay, bumped gently off walls and turned around. Didn’t get stuck, which was my main worry. Let it run its cycle, think it’s supposed to be around 2.5 hours or something like that?
Pulling it Out and Cleaning Up
Okay, cycle finished. Time to get it out. It has this feature where it climbs the wall partially when it’s done so you can grab it. Came close enough to the edge. Used the hook thingy they give you on my pool pole to grab the handle. Lifted it out. Water drains out pretty quick as you lift, so it wasn’t suddenly super heavy.
Then came the cleanup. Popped open the top lid. Filter basket lifts right out. Took it over to the hose. Sprayed it down. Wow, it picked up a lot! Fine silt, some leaves that sank, general gunk. Gave the basket a good rinse, clicked it back into the robot. That was it. Super simple cleanup, much easier than my old bag cleaner.
My Thoughts So Far
So, after using it a few times now:
- The cordless part is the absolute best. No tangles, no hassle. Freedom, like the name says.
- Cleaning power seems pretty good for regular maintenance. Gets the small stuff.
- Easy to handle, charge, and clean out the filter.
- Seems to cover the pool floor pretty well on its own.
Haven’t had any major issues yet. It just does its job quietly in the background. Makes keeping the pool floor clean way less of a chore. Definitely beats wrestling with that old corded beast. Happy with the switch so far.