Intex Auto Pool Cleaner (Open Box)

When I look to purchase items on Amazon, I read through reviews and usually seemed disappointed in some of the reviews I read due to their lack of information and honesty with the product, so I want to give an accurate honest opinion of this purchase for future buyers like I was. SO this will be lengthy, but full of honest information... I purchased this vacuum in hopes of finding an affordable vacuum option for our pool. We have a 24-foot round, 52-inch-deep above ground metal frame pool, not an INTEX pool from Wal-Mart. The pump is a Hayward 1 HP pump with a sand filter system. I read some reviews and watched a few YouTube videos on this product prior to purchasing it. Straight out of the box, this vacuum is extremely easy to assemble. The mount kit that comes with it is made for INTEX return valves and will not work on our above ground pool jets, without a simple modification. I was able to remove the eye piece from the return jet on our pool, which directs the water to re-enter the pool, I want to re-iterate this, this vacuum is for the return ports of your pools, not the skimmer suction to the pump. Once this was removed, I attached a 1-1/2 in threaded pvc pipe with hose barbs on one end for attaching vacuum hose pipe too. The hose that comes with this vacuum is obviously made to attach to the head it comes with for INTEX return valves due to the large mounting nut and hose attachment. I simply cut the manufactured hose clamp tightening area from the hose itself which allowed the larger slinky part of the hose to easily slide up onto the pvc fitting for 1-1/4 inch hoses. I connected it with a basic hose clamp and turned the pump on. I will admit, for a cheaper vacuum I was skeptical, but this thing literally amazed me at how well it worked the first time using it. We previously had a shark attachment vacuum prior to this which attached to the suction/skimmer basket of our pool. When the pool was dirty, it would slow the pump down due to the debris removed from the pool being clogged up in the skimmer basket and the sand. This vacuum with the return setting option never slows the pump down and this vacuum worked overnight like a charm. There was not a spot of dirt to be seen in the pool bottom the next morning. I removed the vacuum from the pool and opened it up to clean it out. This was a simple task with four easy clips to open and remove the debris screen. Once this was opened, I used our garden hose and simply sprayed the debris screen off and the inside of the vacuum assembly itself. Everything washed out easily onto the ground. I gave this vacuum a 4 star rating on the suction only for the reason when I first watched it, it went over a few spots in the pool and didn't pick up everything visible on the floor. But I left it running overnight and noticed it had eventually removed everything from the pool bottom. I think the areas it was skipping over at first were probably dips in the pools floor bottom and just needed an extra sweep sometime during the night. Even if you do not own an INTEX pool, I highly recommend this pool vacuum to any above ground pool owner with a little common sense to make the attachment work. Even if this vacuum only lasts one season for some reason, I will buy this vacuum each year if they continue to make it. This vacuum is well worth the money spent on it.