I am putting in a pool, and currently debating between two different builders, one of which is proposing Hayward, and one is proposing Pentair. Any experiences generally regarding reliability and user friendliness of the two?

Pentair, Hayward, and Jandy are the "big 3" in this space and all are good.

We have Pentair currently, and have been very happy, but I wouldn't have any qualms with the others.

There are some slight differences though which could make a difference relating to heater BTUs, salt water chlorine generator sizing, etc. But quality and ability to repair should be similar for all.

Agree with ktown above.

My wife did a ton of research last year when we built our pool and we went with Pentair.

Pentair or Jandy

Hayward is the bottom of the barrel.

Personally I install Jandy and am a dealer so everything I install comes with a 3 year parts & labor warranty. I believe Pentair has this too but they have to be registered with the company.

ETA

Of the three, I find Jandy's app to be the most user friendly.

When I was doing my research for our pool build, I had heard to go with Pentair or Jandy, with Pentair being the more trusted of the two. It's only been 4 years, but I have all Jandy equipment with no issues.

Stick with big 3 as others have said. Avoid all waterway products. They are absolute junk.

There's a lot of ford vs Chevy vs dodge handwringing depending on who you talk to. Each has its own weak points. If it was me buying today, I'd go Pentair and make sure that the installer knew the equipment and how to get it running correctly.

I would suggest that you not select a builder based on the equipment they install. It is not that important.
If the builder is reputable they will be able to stand behind any of the brands. If the builder isn't responsible, they can screw up the best brand of manufacturer.

Select the builder that you feel is the best fit for you, and go with whatever equipment they suggest

I am very familiar with all of them, both from a product standpoint, as well as at the corporate level.
We use Jandy, however I think that Pentair is an equal. Hayward is by far the most forward thinking and innovative. They will close the gap a lot this year.

Hope this helps

TLDR: the brand of equipment doesn't matter as much as the quality of your builder

poolct00 said:

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I would suggest that you not select a builder based on the equipment they install. It is not that important.
If the builder is reputable they will be able to stand behind any of the brands. If the builder isn't responsible, they can screw up the best brand of manufacturer.

Select the builder that you feel is the best fit for you, and go with whatever equipment they suggest

I am very familiar with all of them, both from a product standpoint, as well as at the corporate level.
We use Jandy, however I think that Pentair is an equal. Hayward is by far the most forward thinking and innovative. They will close the gap a lot this year.

Hope this helps

TLDR: the brand of equipment doesn't matter as much as the quality of your builder

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Thanks for that - very helpful.