No one likes to pay to return something. Before I purchased the Dolphin DX3, I noticed a TON of negative reviews regarding a hidden "restocking fee".
After diving into it more, it seems sellers of the DX3 may hit you with a 20% or larger restocking fee just for using the robot. This doesn't appear to be the case for other robotic pool cleaners. As some product lines, such as the Dolphin Max-Series and Dolphin ProLine, seem to advertise none of these fees. While I personally didn't return my unit, it's something to keep in mind.
The Dolphin DX3 is an entry level cleaner that packs the typical Dolphin power, and a surprising feature, but a few details hold me back from giving it my recommendation for a robotic pool cleaner. As usual, I will be rating the DX3 in three categories: pool coverage, filtration ability, and feature set and warranty. So let's dive in!
First, let’s look at the Proteus DX3’s pool coverage. The DX3 is designed for inground pools up to 33ft. The average pool is around 35ft, so this could be an issue for your pool. The DX3 can cover from the floor to the walls of your pool. It may occasionally reach just below the waterline, but is not designed to stay there and clean as it does not have waterline cleaning.
As an inground pool owner, this is a big deal. Waterline cleaning is a must for any robotic pool cleaner. For the money, I would spend a little bit more and get a unit like the Dolphin Quantum, as it can get to and consistently clean the waterline, which means no more manually scrubbing the walls and less work for me. And this is in addition to some other features we will cover, such as additional filters and SmartNav 2.0 found with the Dolphin Quantum.
As it is though, the DX3 does a standard job. Dolphin units always clean in a clear and calculated path, and the DX3 is no exception. Since it can cover all of your pool, except the waterline, I have to give the DX3 a 4/5.
Now, let’s look at the Proteus DX3’s filtration ability. The DX3 comes with a standard fine filter basket. This basket can do a good job collecting most of the debris you will find in your pool, but if you struggle with cloudy water or lots of leaves, this may not be the robotic pool cleaner for your pool. I know my pool struggles with cloudy water, and this means I always make sure that my robots include at least the NanoFilters in addition to the standard filter.
The upgraded Dolphin Cayman, a part of the Dolphin Max-Series, has an optional NanoFilter MaxBin. This basket has the NanoFilters which can clean deeper than the Dolphin Proteus DX3's standard filter.
If your pool struggles with cloudy water as well, the Dolphin Quantum, Dolphin Premier, and Dolphin Sigma are worth looking into. In the past, my pool has also struggled with leaves, and the Dolphin Premier came to the rescue, as it’s the only Dolphin with a leaf bag. The Premier comes with four filter media types: a standard filter, an ultrafine filter, a disposable debris bag, and most importantly: an oversized leaf bag. The oversized leaf bag can expand to fit tons of leaves and twigs, leaving nothing behind.
The standard filter that comes with the DX3 is still a solid filter that will do a good job if your pool lacks fine debris, algae, or leaves. I still would have loved to see an extra filter option here, so I have to give it a 3/5.
Finally, let’s jump into the Proteus DX3’s feature set and warranty. Right out of the box, I was glad to see that the timer is programmable. This means you can set it to clean every day, every other day, or every three days; and you only need to set this schedule once a week.
While this may make the DX3 easier to use, I do have a problem with the robot’s design. The handle that you use to pull the DX3 out of the water is tucked into the top of the unit, and I found it awkward to pull out of the water and carry, especially when compared to units like the Dolphin Cayman and Quantum. This may not be a big thing, but these cleaners are heavy, so I figured I would point this out.
The DX3 comes with a 2-year warranty, and this is fairly standard at its price point, but there is a small point I discovered while looking at other people’s experiences with this robot. While the 2-year warranty is nice to see, I was surprised to learn about a mysterious restocking fee on other people’s reviews, which means you can be out up to 50% of the robot's cost if it breaks or just doesn’t work, even if it came that way. This is just a strange policy that means you could be out hundreds of dollars and have nothing to show for it.
I went and checked a few of my favorite robots to see if they have this fee, and I am happy to say the Dolphin Escape, Cayman, Quantum, Premier, and Sigma do not have a restocking fee, but other bots might have this fee. This whole policy sort of makes the warranty very costly, so I have to dock major points here. The DX3 does include a programmable timer, but its awkward handle and hidden restocking fee make me give it a 2/5 in feature set and warranty.
Totaling up all three categories, the Proteus DX3 scores a 6/10. It is still an above-average cleaner, but you could do better. It doesn't break into our best pool robots of 2024 because of the setbacks in filtration and restocking fee.
I would look into the Dolphin Cayman if you want a robot that can do all the DX3 can do without a restocking fee. But if you want a cleaner that will do it all for you, I recommend the Dolphin Quantum, Dolphin Premier, and Dolphin Sigma. If you’d like to learn more about these pool cleaners and pick up a few other pool cleaning tips on the way, go check out my other reviews!
Solid and reliable, but the restocking fees and the lack of NanoFilters bring it down a notch.
