Pool Blaster Centennial Cordless Pool Vacuum Review

You know what sucks? Debris in your swimming pool. You know what sucks when that sucks? The Pool Blaster Centennial Cordless Vacuum (available at Amazon) —a handheld pool vacuum that promises to make cleaning your pool and spa areas easier than ever.

Now, there’s nothing I love more than a good gadget. And my kids—just like their dad at their respective ages—are rightfully terrified of the pool skimmer, as well as the hose that drives it. But this handheld pool vacuum is a lot less scary for all of us. It’s actually fun to clean with—and it really works.

While the rechargeable Pool Blaster Centennial Cordless Pool Vacuum isn’t designed for big or deep pools and has a subpar battery life, it’s a simple way to clean your pool—or other outdoor spa—quickly.

About the Pool Blaster Centennial Cordless Pool Vacuum

The Pool Blaster vacuum is a battery-powered vacuum meant for underwater use and claims to remove all debris, leaves, sand, and algae from your pool without using hoses or pumps to function.

The handheld pool vacuum, which weighs 4 pounds, comes with a 10.5-inch cleaning head accessory and a reusable, detachable filter. The reach of the rechargeable pool vacuum can be extended using an included pole that has an “easy-grip” handle on one end and a maximum length of 45 inches.

The device takes four hours to fully charge, has an estimated battery life of 45 minutes and can be used in pools up to 12 feet deep, according to specifications.

What we like

It’s easy to build and it works well

The Pool Blaster vacuum spared no time in getting to work on cleaning my pool.

There’s nothing complicated about setting up this Pool Blaster vacuum. Instructions are included, but it’s a straightforward process, and many users can likely piece together the entire unit in a couple of minutes without them.

Beyond that, I was simply impressed by how well the rechargeable handheld pool vacuum worked once I got it in the water.

My kids and I took turns using it at various depths, and there was no arguing its effectiveness collecting the sticks, mulch, leaves and other debris it encountered along the bottom of the pool.

If anything, I was surprised by how easy it was to keep the vacuum gliding along the ground, even for our 5-year-old, and it rarely required two swipes to pick up a given item.

When it came time to empty the vacuum, the water drained immediately, leaving a collection of debris behind in the filtration system. The waste is a cinch to discard, and the detachable filter bag is easy to clean between rounds of underwater vacuuming.

There’s no connectivity or app required

Sometimes it’s nice when a product doesn’t do too much. This pool vacuum certainly won’t be accused of trying too hard, and it’s kind of refreshing to see.

There’s no app to download and install, no Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity to sort out, no smart features to forget to use or automations to forget to turn off.

It’s a simple, fully submersible vacuum that inhales everything in its path, and it serves its function well without any bells and whistles of note.

As a result, it’s not an item that requires huge investment relative to its usefulness—making it a much easier impulse buy to justify than most typical pool toys.

It’s affordable and useful beyond the typical ‘swimming pool’ setting

One of the things that struck me when using the Pool Blaster vacuum was the list of other recommended use cases for the device, including kiddie pools and inflatable pools—which these days often take the form of full backyard bounce houses, like the one in my yard.

It’s also perfect for hot tubs, kiddie pools, small clean-ups that don’t require a full skimmer setup, jobs where there are a lot of small pieces to pick up (sand, rice, Orbies, etc.) or delicate jobs where it might not be easy to see the item you’re hoping to find—think a missing piece of jewelry or a shard of glass from a broken bottle.

What we don’t like

The battery takes a while to charge and doesn’t last long

I was surprised to learn that the rechargeable lithium-ion battery included in this pool vacuum takes four hours to completely charge—and it takes the full window to get there from zero. It’s not ideal if you’re opening the box looking to use it right away, although I found the battery was adequate for about 20 minutes of use after approximately two hours on the charger.

The vacuum claims to have a 45-minute battery life when fully charged via a standard outlet. That should account for most small clean-up needs, but still feels short relative to the time it takes to reach a full charge.

It’s not ideal for big pools

With 45 minutes of estimated run time and a maximum depth of 12 feet, you technically could use this Pool Blaster vacuum to clean most types of pools. However, at a certain point, the amount of manual effort required to complete the job outweighs the convenience of using a cordless, hoseless vacuum in the first place.

In my case, I tested the vacuum in a pool that’s approximately 35 feet long by 18 feet wide and nearly 10 feet deep at its lowest point. With a pool that size, I couldn’t imagine making a regular practice of vacuuming by hand and would likely reserve this product for spot clean jobs only. An in-ground pool vacuum is best used as the primary cleaning tool for pool cleaning.

It’s not cheap—and it doesn’t replace a full-service robotic pool vacuum

One additional concern I had with the Pool Blaster Centennial Cordless Pool Vacuum was the waterproofing at the charging point, which felt destined to become the source of a bad “that sucks” moment at some point down the line.

To be fair, the rubber stopper felt snug while in place and did not appear to let any liquid through to the electrical components during testing. But putting the stopper in place is a completely manual process, and I could see even the best-intentioned pool-cleaners—kids or adults—hurriedly forgetting to secure it properly before use and causing irreversible damage to the handheld pool vacuum.

Should you buy the Pool Blaster Centennial Cordless Pool Vacuum?

Yes, but not as a replacement for automatic pool cleaners

This Pool Blaster vacuum is designed to clean small pools and spas, and it does a great job. It’s a reliable and affordable alternative that should get the job done.

If you have a full-size residential pool that needs regular cleaning, you’re probably better served leaving the major clean-up duties to a robotic pool vacuum cleaner, like the Dolphin Nautilus CC, for standard maintenance.