I bought mine last Monday and have used it twice already. The first time, I didn't use the mesh bag and allowed the water to run straight to the grass. That left an algae of mess. Today, I used the bag and all the algae was kept in the bag. Not too bad. I did experience the suction loss, but I fixed that by running the hose through the handle, into the intake, and tightening the handle in the resting position. I've never vacuumed my pond with anything else, so I'm not sure how to rate the system. It works. There is a period of wait in between discharge, but not too long. The filters inside the machine do not really serve a purpose. I guess it would be used if the vacuum was used as a dry vac? Don't think I would use it for anything else, but the pond.