Owning an in-ground swimming pool is all fun and games until it comes time to clean the floor and walls of the pool. Retrieving fallen leaves, nuts, and other debris is a challenging, time-consuming task that makes you wonder whether owning a pool is worth it. However, thanks to robotic pool cleaners, you don’t need to empty out your pool water every time you want to do a thorough scrubbing of your pool.
Polaris is arguably the most well-known robot pool cleaner manufacturer on the planet. In this article, we’re going to compare four of their most popular robots – the Polaris F9550, the F9450, the F9400, and the Polaris F9350.
From the get-go, we want you to know that there are several overlapping specs between several of the models, but we’ll put a greater emphasis on what makes some of them different. With that in mind, let’s dive right into our comparison.
Easy Lift System
F9550, F9450, F9400, and F9350
Imagine having to dive into your pool every time to retrieve your robot. It’s wet business that nobody wants to do – in fact, the reason most people buy a robotic pool cleaner is to avoid being unnecessarily wet.
All of these Polaris pool cleaners come with an Easy Lift System. Mainly, the units will creep up your pool’s wall until the point where the user submerges his or her hand in the water to pull the robot out. After pulling the robot to the surface, simply let all the water drain from the back-end and check whatever treasure/garbage it received.
4-Wheel Drive
F9550, F9450, and F9400
4WD improves traction in all driving situations, though it comes at a cost: heightened electricity usage. However, having 4WD helps the robot climb up walls more effectively since the wheels will have a better grasp on your pool’s slippery sides.
F9350
This in-ground robotic pool cleaner doesn’t feature 4WD, but instead it the two front wheels do all the pulling. However, since only two wheels are moving the unit, the F9350 will use less energy than the other three models, though your electric bill savings are negligible. However, with FWD, the back wheels might lack the traction needed to support unit when it’s time to surface. You might have to jump in the pool to get the robot back, after all.
Conclusion: We favor the 4WD system of the F9550, F9450, and the F9400 since it makes climbing out of the pool a much easier task than with the F9350’s FWD. However, if you can navigate your robot to the shallow end of your pool, this might not even be an issue.
Remote Control
F9550
The main control panel is found on the screen of the caddy, but the included remote control makes it much easier to control, especially when it’s time for the robot to take a breather. The F9950’s remote control is unique in how users can manually drive, reverse, and turn the unit simply by tilting the control. It’s more for entertainment purposes than anything else, but it’s still pretty neat.
F9450, F9400, and F9350
As for these models, they do not come with a remote control. All of the controls must be done using the control interface located on the caddy. The screens are straightforward and don’t require any special tinkering to get optimal cleaning performance.
Conclusion: The remote control is fun to use, but other than the Lift button, it serves no other functions. All of these models come with a transport caddy with a control panel, and even in the case of the Polaris F9550, you’ll be doing most – if not all – of your work from the caddy.
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Dirty Canister Indicator
F9550
The dirty canister indicator tells users when it’s time to empty out the contents of its dirt canister. All of the robots are able to pick up fallen leaves, rocks, and other large-sized debris from the bottom and sides of your pool. With this indicator, you no longer need to guess when the canister is completely filled with pool gunk.
F9450, F9400, and F9350
These models don’t come with a dirty canister indicator, so you’ll have to manually open the robot’s canister compartment to check. It’s not a tremendous hassle since it’s easily accessible, but a light is telling you when the canister is filled to the brim is a nice touch.
Conclusion: Obviously, the dirty canister indicator takes a lot of the guesswork out of cleaning out your canister. However, the indicator is probably best-suited for people with large-sized pools since the canister can be filled with pool debris before thoroughly cleaning your pool. For the average-sized pool, empty out the canister every time your robot resurfaces.
7-Day Programmable Timer
F9550, F9450, and F9400
When you forget to activate the robot, the next time you go diving into your pool, don’t be surprised to resurface with a mouthful of dead leaves and other debris. When you don’t have the time or patience to manually activate your robot to clean your pool, simply program the robot’s schedule to include periodic cleaning cycles for up to seven days.
The robot stays submerged in your pool for the entire duration (completely waterproof).
Polaris F9550 Sport Video
F9350
You don’t get this feature with the Polaris F9350. You have to set it up manually each time you want your pool to be cleaned. It’s not that big of a deal, but you might forget to clean out the pool before your next poolside BBQ.
Conclusion: The F9350 is the lone model that doesn’t come with a programmable cleaning schedule, so you have to remember to activate the robot whenever you need a clean pool. As for the other three models, you get the ease of mind by setting up their cleaning schedules for one week in advance.
Polaris F9350 vs. F9450 vs. F9350
| Polaris | F9350 Sport | F9450 Sport | F9550 Sport |
| Main Specs | |||
| Pool Size | Up to 50 Ft | Up to 50 Ft | Up to 60 Ft |
| Pool Type | In-Ground | In-Ground | In-Ground |
| Cleaning Cycle | 1.5 / 2.5 Hours | 1.5 / 2.5 Hours | 1.5 / 2.5 Hours |
| Tangle-free Swivel | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cable Length | 60 Ft | 60 Ft | 70 Ft |
| Weight | 21 lbs | 16 lbs | 21 lbs |
| Dimensions | 22 x 22 x 18.5 in | 22 x 22 x 18.5 in | 22 x 22 x 18.5 in |
| Cleaning | |||
| Cleaning Coverage | Floor, Walls | Floor, Walls | Floor, Walls, Waterline |
| Weekly Timer | No | Yes | Yes |
| Brushes | 2 Brushes | 2 Brushes | 2 Brushes |
| Brushes | Solid-Blade | Pleated | Pleated |
| Filtration | Medium to Fine | Medium to Fine | Medium to Fine |
| Filter | Basket, Top-load | Basket, Top-load | Basket, Top-load |
| Full Bag Indicator | No | No | Yes |
| Features | |||
| Easy Lift System | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Easy Clean Filter | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Vortex Vacuum | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ActivMotion Sensor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rear Water Stream | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Other Specs | |||
| Remote Control | No | No | Yes |
| Drive | 2WD / 4 Wheels | 4WD / 4 Wheels | 4WD / 4 Wheels |
| Caddy | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Release/First Seen | Aug, 2014 | Apr, 2014 | Aug, 2014 |
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Polaris F9550 vs F9450 vs 9400 vs F9350: Bottom Line
Based on our comparison, the Polaris F9550 is the best model of the batch. We can completely ignore the remote control since it doesn’t actually help with the cleaning process. It’s fun to manually control the robot for 5 minutes, but then it becomes a chore.
The F9550 comes with 4WD, a dirty canister indicator, and a 7-day programmable timer. The unique feature that gives this model the upper hand is its dirty canister indicator which lets users know when the canister is full. Regarding performance, all of these models do exceptionally well at cleaning the floor and walls of your pool, but they might struggle around you pool steps.
Read our Dolphin Premier vs Polaris F9550 Robotic In-Ground Pool Cleaner Comparison
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• How to Use a Robotic Pool Cleaner
• What Features to Look For in a Robotic Pool Cleaner?
• How to Maintain a Robotic Pool Cleaner?
• Robotic Pool Cleaner Troubleshooting Tips
• What is a Swivel Cord?
• Pressure vs. Suction vs. Robotic Pool Cleaners
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Last Update: 2023-12-07 | Affiliate links/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
