Zodiac MX6 Pool Cleaner with X-Trax Review: The Compact Climber with a Serious Flaw

There’s a certain romance to owning a pool—the promise of lazy summer afternoons, refreshing dips, and backyard barbecues. But behind that idyllic picture lies a relentless reality: the constant, back-breaking chore of cleaning. I remember spending countless hours tethered to a manual vacuum pole, slowly tracing the floor of my pool, my shadow my only companion. Every gust of wind that blew in dust from the nearby desert landscape felt like a personal insult, undoing my hard work in minutes. You’re not just cleaning; you’re fighting a never-ending battle against nature. Neglect it for even a week, and you’re faced with a cloudy, debris-filled mess that’s both uninviting and unhealthy. An automatic pool cleaner isn’t just a convenience; it’s the key to reclaiming your time and truly enjoying the oasis you’ve invested in.

What to Consider Before Buying a Suction Pool Cleaner

A Suction Pool Cleaner is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for automating one of the most tedious aspects of pool ownership. These devices connect to your pool’s existing skimmer or a dedicated suction line, using the power of your pool pump to move around and vacuum up dirt, sand, and small debris. The main benefits are affordability and simplicity. They have fewer moving parts than their robotic counterparts and don’t require an external power source, making them a cost-effective entry point into automated pool care. By constantly patrolling your pool floor and walls, they prevent sediment buildup, reduce the workload on your filter, and keep your water looking pristine with minimal daily effort from you. For a closer look at its capabilities, you can see the full specifications and design details online.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone with a small to medium-sized in-ground pool who is tired of manual vacuuming and wants an efficient, set-and-forget solution for fine debris like sand and silt. They should have a sufficiently powerful pool pump (typically 1 HP or more) to drive the unit effectively. However, a suction-side cleaner might not be suitable for those with pools that collect a massive amount of large debris like leaves, nuts, and twigs, as this can overwhelm the system unless paired with an effective leaf canister. Similarly, individuals with very large or complex-shaped pools with sharp ledges, multiple levels, or unusual steps might find these cleaners prone to getting stuck, in which case a more advanced robotic cleaner with programmable mapping might be a better investment.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Pool Type & Shape: Your pool’s construction is paramount. Is it vinyl, gunite, or fiberglass? Does it have steep inclines, sharp corners, or features like wedding cake steps and swim-out ledges? While cleaners like the Zodiac MX6 are designed to climb, certain shapes can become persistent traps, requiring you to manually free the device. Always check compatibility with your pool’s surface and geometry.
• Pump Power & Suction Flow: A suction cleaner is entirely dependent on your pool’s pump. An underpowered pump will result in a sluggish, ineffective cleaner that fails to climb walls or pick up heavier debris. Most models, including the MX6, come with a flow regulator to handle overpowered pumps, but they cannot compensate for an underpowered one. Before buying, ensure your pump meets the manufacturer’s minimum requirements for optimal performance.
• Debris Load & Type: Consider the typical debris your pool collects. If you’re in a desert area battling fine sand and dust, a cleaner with powerful, focused suction is essential. If you’re surrounded by trees, the ability to handle leaves and twigs without clogging is key. The inclusion of a leaf canister, as with the reviewed model, is a massive advantage for the latter scenario, preventing clogs in your skimmer and pump basket.
• Hose Quality & Durability: The hose is the cleaner’s lifeline, delivering the suction and allowing it to navigate. Unfortunately, it’s also a common point of failure. Look for hoses that are flexible yet sturdy. As our testing and user feedback confirm, premature cracking and splitting of hose sections is a significant long-term issue with some models, turning a great cleaner into a stationary piece of plastic. Factoring in the potential cost of a replacement hose is a wise precaution.

While the Zodiac MX6 Pool Cleaner with X-Trax is an excellent choice for many, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

First Impressions: Compact, Capable, and Ready to Roll

Unboxing the Zodiac MX6 Pool Cleaner with X-Trax, the first thing we noticed was its compact and lightweight design. Compared to older, bulkier suction cleaners, the MX6 looks lean and modern. There’s no real assembly to speak of; the main unit is ready to go out of the box. The process simply involves connecting the proprietary twist-lock hose sections to the required length for your pool and attaching the cleaner head. The inclusion of the Zodiac Cyclonic Leaf Canister is a standout feature and a significant value-add, as these are often sold separately for a considerable price. The X-Trax treads feel rugged and grippy to the touch, inspiring confidence in its climbing ability. It immediately feels like a more advanced piece of engineering than diaphragm-based cleaners, which often look far simpler. Attaching it to the skimmer was straightforward thanks to the included adapters and the MX Flow Regulator, which gives peace of mind that you won’t be overpowering the unit’s internal gears. You can check the latest price and included accessories to see the full value proposition.

Performance Deep Dive: A Tale of Powerful Suction and Perilous Steps

A pool cleaner’s worth is proven not in the box, but in the water over weeks of relentless work. We put the Zodiac MX6 Pool Cleaner with X-Trax through its paces in a 15,000-gallon in-ground pool, evaluating everything from its raw cleaning power to its navigational intelligence and long-term viability. What emerged was a picture of a highly capable machine, brilliant in some areas and frustratingly flawed in others.

Cyclonic Suction: A Masterclass in Fine Debris Removal

The core of any vacuum is its ability to suck up dirt, and this is where the MX6 truly shines. The advertised “Cyclonic Suction” is not just marketing jargon; it creates a powerful vortex that pulls in debris with impressive force. During our testing, our pool floor was lightly coated with the fine, silty dust that is a constant presence in our area. After just a few hours, the MX6 had cleared entire sections with surgical precision. This aligns perfectly with feedback from users in desert environments, with one noting it “works incredibly well at vacuuming up sand and dirt.” We found its performance on fine particles to be superior to many older suction-side models we’ve tested, which can sometimes just stir up fine dust rather than capture it.

This powerful suction is also the engine for its mobility. A single, articulating turbine blade inside the unit spins rapidly, powering the gears that turn the tracks. It’s a clever and efficient design. However, as one user wisely learned, this entire system is predicated on proper setup. “Suction is the key,” they stated, “if you have poor suction you have poor performance.” We confirmed this during setup. Initially, with our main drain partially open, the MX6 was sluggish. After closing the main drain valve to dedicate all suction to the skimmer line, the cleaner came alive, zipping across the pool floor. The included MX Flow Regulator is also crucial, automatically bleeding off excess suction from overpowered pumps to prevent the unit from moving too fast or causing excessive wear on its internal gears. For anyone struggling with performance, checking for suction leaks and properly configuring your valves should be the very first step. The difference it makes is night and day, transforming it from a listless drifter into an energetic cleaning powerhouse. To see this technology in action, it’s worth a look at the cleaner’s detailed product page.

The X-Trax Advantage: Tenacious Climber, Awkward Navigator

The most visually distinct feature of the Zodiac MX6 Pool Cleaner with X-Trax is its tank-like treads. Zodiac claims this enables “extreme maneuverability” and aggressive wall climbing. On the climbing front, we were deeply impressed. The X-Trax provides a large, continuous contact patch with the pool surface, allowing it to scale vertical walls and navigate the tricky transition from the floor to the wall with confidence. It even cleaned up to the waterline, which is a challenge for many suction cleaners. We watched it successfully climb the steep slope from our deep end to the shallow end without slipping, a feat confirmed by a user who specifically bought it to “make the climb out of the deep end w/out a problem” after their old cleaner constantly failed.

However, the “extreme maneuverability” claim comes with a major asterisk. While the tracks are brilliant on flat or gently curving surfaces, they become a liability around sharp angles. Our pool has a built-in ledge and wide, rectangular steps. In these areas, the MX6’s small size and track design worked against it. It would frequently drive one track onto a step while the other remained on the pool floor, getting it high-centered and stuck. It would remain there, tracks spinning futilely, until we gave it a nudge. This experience was a mirror image of a user’s complaint: “It seems, due to the small tracks, it gets hung up on the ledges and steps… When we put it in and leave it and come back 3 hours later it is always stuck in the same place.” This is the cleaner’s primary navigational flaw. If your pool is a simple rectangle or kidney shape with no sharp ledges or square steps, you may never encounter this issue. But for pools with more complex architecture, its tendency to get stuck can negate much of its automated convenience.

The Full Package: A Fantastic Canister Undermined by a Terrible Hose

The inclusion of the Zodiac Cyclonic Leaf Canister is a fantastic bonus. During the fall, our pool gets a fair share of leaves and palm seeds. The canister intercepts this large debris before it can reach and clog the skimmer basket or, worse, the pump’s impeller. It works brilliantly; the same cyclonic action that drives the cleaner swirls the water in the canister, keeping debris away from the intake screen and maintaining strong water flow. It’s transparent, so you can see when it’s full, and a simple twist-lock mechanism makes it a breeze to empty. It’s a feature that truly elevates the entire system.

Unfortunately, we have to address the elephant in the room: the hose. While the 30 feet of proprietary twist-lock hose sections worked perfectly during our initial weeks of testing, we cannot ignore the overwhelming chorus of user complaints regarding its long-term durability. User after user reports the same story: after 6 to 12 months of use, the hose sections become brittle and begin to crack and split. “Last one the hoses did not last long at all,” one user wrote, “Hoses started breaking after 6 months.” Another was more blunt: “I will never purchase another hosed pool cleaner again especially from Zodiac… There is no excuse for a company that has been around as long as Zodiac not to address the well known issue with their hoses.” This is not an isolated issue; it is a clear pattern of premature failure. While the cleaner itself may be well-built, it is rendered useless by a faulty lifeline. Any potential buyer must be aware of this and should consider the future cost of a replacement hose, which unfortunately is not cheap. This single, critical component flaw is the biggest mark against an otherwise excellent product and something we hope the manufacturer addresses in future iterations.

What Other Users Are Saying

Sifting through dozens of user experiences reveals a very consistent narrative. On the positive side, satisfaction is high among those with the right type of pool and debris. Owners praise its exceptional ability to pick up fine particles, with one happy customer stating it “did a great job getting the pool clean” and that “it only took 2 days to clean up the pool, even after a dust storm.” Many feel it offers great value, like the user who said it was a “great at a good price, so far so good I’m very pleased how is working.” The most glowing reviews often come from people who previously owned less effective cleaners and were impressed by the MX6’s power and climbing ability.

Conversely, the negative feedback is just as consistent and centers on two key issues. The most common complaint, by a wide margin, is the poor quality of the hose. We saw numerous reports of hoses cracking and failing in less than a year, with one frustrated owner noting, “In less than 7 months, the hose is coming apart in multiple parts… The robot is good, but this hose is awful!” The second major issue is its tendency to get stuck on pool features. This is especially true for users with steps, ledges, or anti-vortex main drain covers, turning the “automatic” cleaner into a device that needs frequent manual intervention.

How Does the Zodiac MX6 Compare to the Alternatives?

The Zodiac MX6 Pool Cleaner with X-Trax operates in a competitive market. While its feature set is compelling, understanding how it stacks up against other popular models is crucial for making an informed decision. We compared it to three key competitors to see where it wins and where it falls short.

1. Hayward Poolverkleinerung PVS20JST Reinigungsgerät für Becken

The Hayward Poolvergnuegen, often called “The Pool Cleaner,” is a direct competitor focused on navigation. Its key feature is a pre-programmed steering system that forces it to turn at set intervals, ensuring more comprehensive coverage than the more random path of the MX6. It also features adjustable skirts and patented tire treads for better climbing and movement over obstacles. For a pool owner whose primary frustration with the MX6 is its tendency to get stuck, the Hayward’s superior navigational logic could be the perfect solution. However, it may not match the sheer suction force of the MX6 for extremely fine, embedded dirt, making the MX6 potentially better for pools plagued by sand and silt.

2. Pentair Kreepy Krauly Universal Pool Cleaner

The Pentair Kreepy Krauly is a legend in the pool world, known for its incredible simplicity and reliability. It operates with only one moving part—a flapper—which makes it exceptionally durable and easy to maintain. It’s a workhorse that methodically cleans the pool floor and most walls. Someone might prefer the Kreepy Krauly if their top priority is longevity and minimal maintenance over aggressive wall climbing. It lacks the advanced mobility of the MX6’s X-Trax system and won’t be as effective at scrubbing the waterline, but its bulletproof design means you’ll likely spend far less time and money on repairs and replacement parts over the years.

3. Zodiac G3 Suction-Side Pool Cleaner

From the same manufacturer, the Zodiac G3 represents a more traditional approach. It uses a single, durable diaphragm for propulsion and suction. This design is excellent for small and medium debris and is generally very quiet. The primary reason to choose the G3 over the MX6 would be for simplicity and cost-effectiveness in a pool without significant fine debris or wall-climbing needs. The G3 is a proven, reliable design. However, the MX6 is the more advanced machine, offering superior climbing with its tracks and better fine-particle pickup with its cyclonic suction, making the MX6 a worthy upgrade for those facing tougher cleaning challenges.

Final Verdict: A Powerful Cleaner Held Back by a Weak Link

After extensive testing and analysis, our verdict on the Zodiac MX6 Pool Cleaner with X-Trax is one of qualified recommendation. It is, without a doubt, a fantastic cleaner for fine debris. Its cyclonic suction and wall-climbing X-Trax make it a formidable weapon against sand, silt, and algae on both the floor and walls of a pool. When you factor in the included Cyclonic Leaf Canister, it represents excellent value for money.

However, this recommendation comes with two significant warnings. First, it is not the ideal choice for pools with complex shapes, sharp ledges, or square steps, where its tendency to get stuck can become a daily frustration. Second, and more critically, the widespread and well-documented issue of its hose failing prematurely is a serious flaw that cannot be overlooked. We recommend this cleaner to owners of simple-shaped pools who need high-performance cleaning for fine dirt, but we strongly advise you to go into the purchase expecting to replace the hose within a year or two. If you’re prepared for that eventuality, the Zodiac MX6 can deliver a brilliantly clean pool. You can find the best price and order yours here to see if its power is the right fit for your pool.