Vortex OV 5300 SW
Limited evidenceRead the findings →Zodiac's corded four-wheel-drive pool robot, with a big filter and a swivel to stop the cable tangling. It's built for awkward medium-sized pools, with no app to fuss over. There's no scheduling or lift button, which the OV 5480 iQ above it adds.
Updated
Check the manufacturer’s site for current availability.
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
Feedback
What we know
Per Zodiac and its Zodiac, the OV 5300 SW is a corded robot whose four-wheel drive is meant for awkward pools and obstacles, rated for pools up to 12 x 6 metres. A large 5-litre filter takes big debris, cyclonic suction should resist clogging, and a swivel on the 18-metre cable guards against tangles. Several French and German shop and comparison pages describe it, repeating the same figures. You get two cycles, set on the control box, and no app.
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. Zodiac rates it for in-ground pools up to 12 x 6 metres.
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 light tells you when the filter's full.
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, but 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.
Still to be proven
The French and German shop and comparison pages we found describe it, but none show the writer using it in a pool. So the things that matter most are open: how it handles steps, drains or a steep slope, how well it covers a full pool in its cycles, how often the filter needs emptying in a leafy garden, and whether the swivel really stops the cable tangling. The Zodiac page explains the design, not the results.
Our take
Should you buy the Vortex OV 5300 SW?
Best for: Regularly shaped pools needing floor and wall cleaning. Skip it if: You want a stronger record in independent tests before buying.
hold off until it's been tested unless you already know the Vortex range. The Zodiac OV 5480 iQ adds an app and a lift button on the same drive, and if you'd rather buy something tested the corded Dolphin Premier's waterline scrubbing is rated highly.
The OV 5300 SW is a Vortex 4WD model from Zodiac. It's corded, powered through an 18-metre cable from a control box by the pool, 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.
Zodiac rates it for pools up to 12 x 6 metres, with a five-litre filter and a full indicator, and an hour and a half for the floor alone or two and a half for everything. The trade-off is simplicity: it has no app, no scheduling and no lift button, which the OV 5480 iQ above it adds. At 9.5kg dry it's also a lift to get out.
Where to buy
Where to buy the Vortex OV 5300 SW in United Kingdom
No United Kingdom price checked in the last 21 days. We re-check daily.
We’re still looking for more United Kingdom retailers for this model.
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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, while the shorter cycle does the floor only. We couldn't find a test of 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.
Alternatives
Other robotic pool cleaners to compare.
OV 5480 iQ
Why consider it: It's built on the same Vortex four-wheel-drive platform and adds iAquaLink app control and a lift system to help you get it out.
The compromise: We hold little test evidence for it yet, so it's just as unproven.
Premier
Why consider it: A long-running corded Dolphin with a choice of filters, including a big leaf bag, and testers rate its waterline scrubbing highly.
The compromise: It has no app, and it's heavy to lift out.
AquaVac 650
Why consider it: Another corded robot for in-ground pools, and both testers praised its cleaning and filterless canister.
The compromise: Neither tester could make its tug-the-cable recall work.
Specs
Full specifications
Each specification names its source. Manufacturer claims are not independent test results; unconfirmed figures are labelled.
Owner reviews
Do you own the Vortex OV 5300 SW?
Tell people how it’s held up: cleaning, maintenance, faults and support. Owner accounts are shown separately from independent reviews.
Sources
Where this page’s findings come from
Sources
- Zodiac: OV 5300 SW product page ↗Manufacturer
- Zodiac: OV 5300 SW leaflet ↗Manufacturer
Videos
- Search YouTube for Zodiac Vortex OV 5300 SW ↗Search results may include company demonstrations or similar models. Check the source and model name; a demonstration is not an independent performance test.