Dolphin Cayman Review (2026): A $1,079 Weekly-Timer Dolphin That Doesn't Scrub the Waterline

Quick Answer: The Dolphin Cayman is a corded, 14.6 lb Maytronics robot that cleans the floor and walls — not the waterline — of in-ground and above-ground pools, and its standout feature is a built-in weekly timer (every 1, 2 or 3 days) with a 2-year warranty. It now costs $1,129 at Maytronics’ own US store and $1,079 at certified dealer Poolbots (MSRP $1,299), so it is no longer the sub-$1,000 robot older reviews describe. For most in-ground pools, Maytronics’ own Nautilus CC Plus with Wi-Fi ($849) does nearly the same job for about $230-$280 less.

The Cayman gets called a “best value” Dolphin almost everywhere it’s reviewed — but most of those verdicts were written when it sold for $700-$829. We checked Maytronics’ own US store and the dealer it links to on October 29, 2026, and the price, the coverage and even the basic spec sheet tell a more complicated story.

Dolphin Cayman at a glance: two spec sheets, two answers

Maytronics doesn’t sell the Cayman directly — the “Buy On Certified Site” button on its own product page sends you to Poolbots. The two companies publish noticeably different numbers for the same robot:

The disagreements are not trivial. A 40 ft rating versus 33 ft decides whether the Cayman suits a standard 16x32 pool with room to spare or only just reaches the far wall of a long one. Pool Express — which loads its Cayman product photos from poolbots.com and uses the same internal “NEW-CAYMAN” SKU — adds a third cord figure, listing a “36ft Cord” in its what’s-included box. Where the sources conflict, we treat Maytronics’ own spec sheet as the manufacturer’s word and the dealer’s figures as a second opinion.

By the numbers

• Price: Maytronics’ own US store lists the Cayman at $1,129; Poolbots sells it at $1,079 against a $1,299 MSRP, per both stores’ product pages on October 29, 2026.
• Above the $1,000 line: Among the robots shown on Maytronics’ own “Best Value” category page on the same date, only the Explorer E40 ($1,499) listed higher than the Cayman — the Nautilus CC sat at $649 and the Escape at $799.
• Owner ratings: Maytronics’ store shows 4.1 out of 5 from 66 reviews, with 85% of reviewers saying they would recommend it; Poolbots shows 4.4 out of 5 from 103 reviews.
• Power draw: Poolbots’ review puts the Cayman at 180 watts — about 0.36 kWh for a 2-hour cycle — and estimates roughly 10 cents per cleaning, versus the roughly 1,800 watts Poolbots attributes to old-school pressure-side and suction-side cleaners.
• Recalls: A search of the CPSC recall database on October 29, 2026 returned no recalls for Maytronics or any Dolphin robotic pool cleaner.

What it does well

The weekly timer is the real selling point. Set it once and the Cayman runs on its own every 1, 2 or 3 days — you only lift it out to rinse the filter. That matters more than it sounds in Maytronics’ 2026 lineup: Pool Express notes that the Nautilus CC and Explorer E20 lost their timer power supplies, and Maytronics’ own page for the base Nautilus CC confirms it has no weekly timer at all. Pool Express also points out a plain outlet timer won’t substitute, because Dolphin robots need their start button pressed for each cycle.

Twice the warranty of the Nautilus CC line. Maytronics now lists a flat 1-year warranty on the Nautilus CC Plus, CC Pro, CC Supreme and Nautilus Titan. The Cayman keeps 2 years — a real difference on a corded robot whose power supply and drive motor are the usual failure points.

Rated for above-ground pools too. Unlike the in-ground-only Nautilus CC Plus, the Cayman is listed for both in-ground and above-ground pools. At 14.6 lb it is also easy to lift out of a tall above-ground wall.

Easy filter access. The basket loads from the top, so you never flip the robot over to empty it. Pool Express measured its MaxBin basket at over 260 cubic inches, and Poolbots sells optional NanoFilter panels (a $99 add-on it currently bundles free with a code) for finer debris like pollen.

Where it falls short

• It no longer fits a sub-$1,000 budget. At $1,079-$1,129 new, only Poolbots’ certified refurbished units (from $999) come in under $1,000. Most “best value” reviews were written at prices roughly $250-$430 lower.
• No waterline scrubbing. Maytronics lists waterline scrubbing as “No.” Poolbots’ own review says it saw the robot pop up to the tile line “once or twice” but that the Cayman “definitely won’t scrub your waterline.” If scum lines are your main complaint, look at the Dolphin Quantum instead.
• No app, and a misleading icon. There’s no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth control, yet the power supply carries a Bluetooth-style symbol — Poolbots’ reviewers guess it’s a shared power supply used across several models.
• No anti-tangle swivel. Both Maytronics and Poolbots list no swivel, so the cord can twist over repeated cycles and needs occasional untangling.
• Inconsistent published specs. Pool size (40 vs 33 ft), cycle time (2 vs 1.5 hours), navigation name (CleverClean vs SmartNav 2.0) and cord length (50 vs 36 ft) all depend on which page you read. Poolbots’ own review even calls the warranty “only a 1-year warranty” in one paragraph while its spec table says 2 years; Maytronics’ page says 2.

Where to buy the Dolphin Cayman (prices checked October 29, 2026)

The open-box discount is just $20 — not worth giving up a sealed box for. The refurbished price saves $80, and Poolbots says it carries the full manufacturer warranty, unlike the 12-month term on Maytronics’ own Outlet refurbs covered in our Dolphin refurbished guide. Read the warranty paperwork before you check out.

Dolphin Cayman vs the alternatives

Coverage, timer, app, pool types and warranty in the table come from Maytronics’ own spec sheets on October 29, 2026; the Quantum’s waterline coverage and timer come from our Dolphin Quantum review.

The comparison that matters most is the Nautilus CC Plus with Wi-Fi. On Maytronics’ own spec sheet it matches the Cayman’s floor-and-wall coverage, has a weekly timer, adds the MyDolphin Plus app and an anti-tangle swivel, and is rated at 4,500 GPH versus 4,000 — for $849. What the Cayman buys you for the extra $230-$280 is the second warranty year and an above-ground rating. If neither matters, the Nautilus CC Plus is the better deal.

Above-ground owners who only need the floor swept should look at the Dolphin Escape ($799, or about $669 on sale) — same 2-year warranty, but no walls and no timer. For waterline scrubbing, the cheapest step up is the Dolphin Quantum. And if you’re tempted by a pricier Nautilus, note that the $1,599 Nautilus Titan carries only a 1-year warranty. See every tier side by side in our best Dolphin pool cleaner guide, or the full sub-$1,000 field in our best robotic pool cleaner under $1,000 guide.

Who should buy the Dolphin Cayman

Buy it if you want a corded Dolphin that runs itself on a schedule without an app, you value a 2-year warranty over the Nautilus CC line’s 1 year, or you have an above-ground pool and want wall climbing (which the Escape and Explorer E10 don’t offer).

Skip it if your budget is under $1,000 and you won’t buy refurbished, you need the waterline scrubbed, or you’d rather schedule cleanings from your phone — the Nautilus CC Plus with Wi-Fi covers that for less.

The bottom line

The Dolphin Cayman is a well-built, easy-to-live-with corded robot with two genuine advantages in Maytronics’ 2026 lineup: a built-in weekly timer and a 2-year warranty, on a model rated for both in-ground and above-ground pools. But at $1,079-$1,129 it no longer earns the “best value” label older reviews gave it. It cleans the floor and walls rather than the waterline, and Maytronics’ own Nautilus CC Plus with Wi-Fi matches most of its features for $849. Buy the Cayman for the warranty and the above-ground rating; otherwise, save the difference. We rate it ★★★½.