Vortex OV 5300 SW
Zodiac's corded four-wheel-drive robot for pools up to 12 x 6 metres, with a big 5-litre filter and a swivel to stop the cable tangling. There's no app, and no independent test yet.
See the alternatives below, or switch market.
The short version
The OV 5300 SW is a Vortex 4WD model from Zodiac, sold in the UK and across Europe. It's a corded robot: a control box by the pool powers it through an 18-metre cable, and the SW stands for the swivel that stops that cable twisting. Four-wheel drive carries it across the floor, up the walls and along the waterline, and a cyclonic pump keeps debris swirling in the filter so it clogs less. You get two cycles, floor only or everything, and a trolley for storage.
What it leaves out is the smart stuff. There's no app, no scheduling and no lift button, which the OV 5480 iQ above it adds. We also couldn't find a finished, independent test, so how well it covers a pool is unknown.
Our take: Hold off until it's been tested, unless you know the Vortex range already. If you want the same drive with an app and a lift button, the Zodiac OV 5480 iQ is the step up. If you'd rather buy something with test results behind it, testers rate the corded Dolphin Premier's waterline scrubbing highly, and it offers a choice of filters.
Where it sits in Zodiac’s range
- Vortex OV 5300 SWThis model
- Zodiac OV 5200Other model in Zodiac's Vortex 4WD range
- OV 5480 iQSame four-wheel-drive platform, adds app control and lift system
What we know so far
Limited evidence No independent, finished hands-on review of this robot yet. What follows comes from the maker's specifications and early coverage, and says where something is untested.
We haven't found a finished, independent test of the OV 5300 SW. Several French and German shop and comparison pages describe it, but none show that the writer used it in a pool. What follows is what Zodiac and its Zodiac claim, so read it as a checklist for a future test. The claims that matter are the four-wheel drive for awkward pools and obstacles, the large 5-litre filter for big debris, the cyclonic suction that should resist clogging, and the swivel against cable tangles.
Four-wheel drive for awkward pools
Zodiac says four-wheel drive lets it move with agility in difficult pools, cross obstacles and cope with any floor surface and shape, including sloping bottoms. The Zodiac adds that it runs on gears with three motors and cleans a 24.5cm strip on each pass. Nobody has tested how it handles steps, drains or a steep slope, so that's what we'd want a reviewer to check first.
A big filter for big debris
The extra-wide inlet and 5-litre filter are meant to swallow large debris such as leaves, per Zodiac. The standard filter is rated at 100 microns, and the Zodiac lists very fine, fine and large-debris filters as extras, so you can match the filter to your pool. A red filter-full light tells you when to empty it. How often it needs emptying in a leafy garden is untested.
Simple controls, no app
You pick one of two cycles on the control box: floor only in about 90 minutes, or floor, walls and waterline in about two and a half hours, per the Zodiac. There's no app, scheduling or lift system on this model; the OV 5480 iQ adds them. The swivel on the 18-metre cable should reduce tangling. The robot weighs 9.5kg dry, so expect some effort lifting it out full of water.
No independent review of the OV 5300 SW yet. Everything here comes from Zodiac and its retailers.
Prices
Where to buy the Vortex OV 5300 SW in Australia
Not sold in Australia. Switch market above, or see the alternatives below.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Does it climb walls and clean the waterline?
Zodiac says it cleans the floor, walls and waterline on its longer cycle, per the specifications. The shorter cycle does the floor only. Nobody has tested how well it climbs or scrubs yet.
Will it work in an above-ground pool?
Zodiac lists in-ground pools and above-ground pools with rigid walls, of any shape and floor, up to 12 x 6 metres, per the specifications. That rules out soft-sided above-ground pools.
Does it handle leaves as well as fine dirt?
The wide inlet and 5-litre, 100-micron filter are aimed at large debris, per Zodiac. For fine dirt, Zodiac sells a very fine filter separately, per the specifications. None of this has been independently tested.
Does it need an app?
It doesn't have one. You choose between two cycles on the control box, per the specifications. If you want app control, scheduling and a lift button, the OV 5480 iQ adds them.
Compare with
OV 5480 iQ
Built on the same Vortex four-wheel-drive platform, and adds iAquaLink app control and a lift system to help you get it out.
We hold little test evidence for it yet, so it's just as unproven.
Premier
A long-running corded Dolphin with a choice of filters, including a big leaf bag, and testers rate its waterline scrubbing highly.
It has no app, and it's heavy to lift out.
AquaVac 650
Another corded robot for in-ground pools, and both testers praised its cleaning and filterless canister.
Neither tester could make its tug-the-cable recall work.
Full specifications
Figures come from the manufacturer’s product page unless a source is named. A blank means nobody we trust has confirmed it.
Owner reviews
Own a Vortex OV 5300 SW?
Tell people how it’s held up: cleaning, maintenance, faults and support. Owner reviews are shown separately from expert tests and never mixed into the score.
Sources
Everything cited on this page. Expert scores are shown as the reviewer gave them.
- Zodiac: OV 5300 SW product pageManufacturer
- Zodiac: OV 5300 SW leafletManufacturer