Congratulations, Hayward!
It was a tight contest, between a couple of the finalists, but Hayward has earned the most votes from the readers of About.com's Pool and Patio site. To make it official, the winner for 2012 Best Pool Cleaner/ Vacuum is Hayward. It is the second year in a row that Hayward won this award.
About the Contest
Starting in mid-January, we accepted reader nominations for hundreds of award categories across About.com. Based on those nominations, our experts chose up to five finalists per award category, and during the voting phase (02/22/12 - 03/21/12) readers were able to vote for their favorite finalists for each award category.
What Controls Were in Place to Ensure Fairness During the Voting Process?
To place a vote, users provided an email address or logged-in via their Facebook or About.com accounts. Votes were limited to one vote per award category per user per day, and any votes not originating from the about.com domain were rejected. Internal checks were in place to detect fraudulent voting activity, and in some cases the poll results shown during voting may not reflect the accurate final counts used to determine winners.
Please note that About.com polls are not scientific. Rather, they are a way for readers to share their opinions about their favorite products, services and innovations with About.com Guides and other users.
What's the Prize?
A winner -- in this case, Hayward -- doesn't receive a trophy, statuette or any tangible prize-like object during a televised awards ceremony at a star-studded theater in which nominees rub shoulders with Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie and Cold Play. Not even Alec Baldwin's brothers. Just the bragging rights that come with knowing that the readers of one of the Web's largest networks love their stuff. Visit the About.com awards page to see all the awards categories.
The Makings of a Winner
Best Pool Cleaner / Vacuum honors the year's top pool and spa cleaner and vacuum brands and manufacturers. We asked our voters to go beyond looks or familiar brand names when making a decision.
History: Hayward has been helping pool owners maintain their pools for more than 80 years. In 2007, Hayward acquired Florida-based AquaVac, which has been manufacturing commercial and residential automatic pool cleaners since 1962. AquaVac's MakoShark and TigerShark were the industry's first and only portable robotic cleaner to feature a patented easy-clean filter cartridge.Products: Hayward makes cleaners for pool professionals, residential pool owners and for above-ground and in-ground pool styles. Robotics are the company's most energy-efficient automatic pool cleaners, and are 94% more energy efficient than most pressure cleaners. Hayward pool and spa cleaners include:
- Robotic: TigerShark, which has been selling worldwide for more than 40 years, and Hayward SharkVAC
- Suction: the Navigator Pro, Pool Vac XL, Pool Vac Classic and the DV5000.
- For above-ground pools, Hayward cleaners include: the AquaRay, AquaBug, Diver Dave and Wanda the Whale.
A Salute to the Finalists
- Aquabot
- Baracuda
- Pentair Kreepy Krauly
- Polaris
The Other Pool and Patio Winners
Curious what brands, companies and products are the winners in their respective categories? Sure you are! Congratulations, also, to the following winners:
- Best Decking: GeoDeck
- Best Hot Tub / Spa: Bullfrog Spas
- Best Outdoor Lighting: Sea Gull Lighting
- Best Patio Furniture: Brown Jordan
- Best Pool Cleaner / Vacuum: Hayward
- Favorite Outdoor Toy: Swimways Rainbow Reef Turtle
To get weekly updates about what's new outside your back door, like pools, spas, patios, decks, outdoor furniture, accessories, safety, trends and more, subscribe to About.com's weekly Pool and Patio newsletter, which includes projects, ideas and news on Thursdays -- right before your DIY weekends.
Whether you're promoting a product or company you love, or you yourself have been recognized, you're probably ready to get the word out to fans, friends, family or users. Check out these quick and easy ways to spread the news.
