Cart vs Cordless: Which Pool Vacuum Is Best?

Choosing the right pool vacuum system can make or break your route. The difference between a 10-minute cleanup and a 30-minute slog often comes down to the tradeoff between raw power and true portability. On one end, heavy-duty cart systems like Riptide and Hammerhead deliver massive thrust and wide cleaning paths that devour leaf piles. On the other, compact tools like Bottom Feeder and Shrimp start fast, travel light, and now capture finer dirt with a cartridge attachment. The stakes are simple: match the tool to the pool, or risk wasting time, bags, and battery life. The good news is you don’t have to guess. With long-term use across brands, we map the strengths, flaws, and best use cases so you can buy with confidence.

Cart vacuums still set the pace for heavy debris. Hammerhead is the nimble, balanced workhorse with a cart that’s simple and stable and a head that glides thanks to extra center wheels. Riptide is the brute: superior intake shape, huge pull, rugged build, and a head so tough it carries a long warranty but it’s heavy, and the bag collar locks so tight it’s hard to remove with cold, wet hands. Both accept long cords and larger batteries to hit around three hours of runtime, though extra amp-hours add weight on the cart. If you push trash bags of leaves out of wind-hit yards, a full-size head with a wide path can save your back and your schedule. Consider mounting options, too; T-bar receivers let you carry a vacuum cart and a service cart at once, which matters when you haul chemicals or extra tools.

The handheld Power Vac has evolved into the PV3600 and sheds the cart for a battery box, landing roughly in the middle on weight and runtime. Availability can be hit or miss, but the platform remains a solid performer with enough thrust to handle routine stops. Where the conversation really shifts is with the Bottom Feeder and Shrimp. These lithium-powered, cord-free units live on your pole, flip on instantly, and move fast. You give up some peak thrust compared to a full cart rig, but smart prop placement on the bottom keeps performance snappy for most residential pools. The compact Shrimp has a smaller path but a wide throat and standout portability, while Bottom Feeder scales up better to larger pools. For the 90 percent of stops that aren’t leaf disasters, the speed and simplicity of these tools win the day.

Filtration is where many buyers miss the mark. Micron ratings drive what you keep and what you push through. Higher micron bags capture leaves and miss fine dirt; lower micron bags catch silt but require slower passes. A 75-micron bag is the sweet spot for mixed debris. Riptide’s OEM bags lock hard and last longer with double lining, trading easy visibility for durability. Hammerhead’s lineup includes small-micron options too. The game-changer is the cartridge filter assembly now offered for Bottom Feeder and Shrimp: a 50-square-foot cartridge that grabs down to roughly 20 microns, letting a portable unit handle dust that used to demand manual vacuum to waste or a secondary filter. If your route runs dusty—desert winds, new decks, recent plaster—this attachment can flip your buying decision toward portable systems.

There’s also a niche tool worth noting: the Vac Daddy. It looks more like a powered vac head replacement than a cart system, but it shines for vacuum-to-waste jobs. Clip it to your pole, connect a hose, and use its motor to move water and debris out efficiently without dragging a portable pump and tank. For techs who frequently vacuum to waste, it can replace bulkier setups, and newer battery options free you from cords. Think of it as a specialist: not your leaf-eating primary, but a time-saving ace when the job calls for bypassing the filter.

The smartest path for many companies is a two-tool strategy. Pair a full-size cart vacuum like Riptide or Hammerhead with a portable like Bottom Feeder or Shrimp. Use the cart rig for storm days, heavy leaves, spring openings, and commercial decks with wide debris fields. Use the portable for routine weekly service, tighter backyards, and dusty pools when equipped with the cartridge assembly. You won’t cover every edge case with one device, and that’s okay—coverage is the goal. If budget forces a single choice, pick for your area: constant heavy leaves point to a cart vacuum; mixed debris and frequent dust favor a portable with a cartridge. Either way, choose the bag microns thoughtfully, size your batteries to your route, and mount your gear so it’s as easy to deploy as it is to stow.