Rip tide for the win here. 

For vac pumping we use Jandy pool pumps that I prewire with a waterproof switch and extension cord. Makes it so easy and convenient for vac pumping especially with the self-priming pump. 

So, we use both. We have three dedicated Commercial Pool Techs, with two of them using RipTides, and out of the 20 or so Residential Pool Techs, two of them use Riptides, with the rest of the crew rocking Hammerheads. The feedback from the team is that those who use Hammerheads love them, and then those who use RipTides love them lol. To me, is seems like the RipTides are more effective, and we seem to have less maintenance needs with them as opposed to the Hammerheads. 

We have used both, but switched to Riptide a few years ago. My techs say they are a little heavier and resisted the change, but now they love them. The company is great to work with and replacement parts are readily available and ship quickly. 

We use a regular vacuum and hose connected to the skimmer, a Riptide, The Bottom Feeder, and a Remora Hammerhead.  I really like the Riptide.  It is the workhorse of our company.  I have 2 guys that run around with a Bottom Feeder and a Riptide w/o the cart.  He uses the carry along battery pack.  I’m on my second bottom feeder.  I won’t be buy any more of those.  I use the Remora Hammerhead.  It’s light weight and easy to use. It’s almost as good as the Riptide.  It’s got more power the the bottom feeder.  The thing that I don’t like about the Remora is the lid won’t stay on the battery pack.  It falls off a lot.  

Hammerhead here!

We use Riptide. It is a bit heavy, but they have thought of every possible way to reduce trips to the truck with add-on compartments and platforms. Parts are readily available and come fast. It is easy to work on. 

I've been very satisfied with Hammerheads in my time in the industry 

Riptide no question. Besides my affiliation with them I truly believe they are the best portable system out there. They are continually trying to make it better, it’s user serviceable and their customer service is the best. When I had a HH and PV I had to send the head and cord in and wait a long time. Their parts come in quick and you can change anything out in under 30 minutes so your down time is minimal. 

If you have anything specific please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Riptide so far. I never tried the hammer head.

Riptide is definitely the longer term goal, but this is my 1st season in operation and I’m still a little too small to justify the expense so for the time being it is mainly system vac’ing with the exception of spring cleanups which are usually vac to waste with a portable pump.

Go for the Riptide. I do this part time after my day job and I had 15 pools I weekly. Without the Riptide I would loose my mind using a vac hose and regular vac head through the customers equipment. It was COMPLETELY worth the money IMO. Reduced my time at the pool drastically and my frustration per pool even more by not using the vac hose. I love my Riptide, it’s so incredibly convenient and will allow me to grow and take on more pools without hesitation. I have the trailerable one. I also got the swing away hitch so I can access one of my back van doors while the vaccum is mounted.

I also love it for initial cleanings getting the bulk leaves out with the larger debris net. 

Years ago when I had more free time I ran an unscientific test. One week without the riptide and the next with. Based on the times I could average 4-5 more pools a day with the riptide and wasn’t as tired. It literally pays for itself. 

Bottom feeder.  Georgia is too hilly(too many pool decks have stair entrances) and I don’t use my vac every time, or even most of the time. So I love the lightweight portability and durability of the Bottom Feeder.

We use different tools for different cleaning jobs. For wide open pools, we use the Riptide. For pools with ledges or pools not on the ground level, we use the Bottom Feeder. For swim spas, we use the Water Tech Volt FX-8, and for hot tubs, we use the Kokido 110. For vac-to-waste or lots of vacuuming, we use the VacDaddy.

We have 2 Riptides and 1 Hammerhead. They both work well and I have used them both. I personally find the Riptide easier to use and my techs seem to prefer the Riptide as well. 

My fingers start to hurt when using Hammerhead bc of the claw foot tie for the bags. I can also lower the handle on the Riptide for my shorter techs and replace pieces parts instead of the whole machine. I have also had the pleasure of meeting the creator of Riptide and he’s a nice guy.

We also have the old faithful hose and vac head on each truck and the lovely spa wands for those small spaces.