I added a Savio skimmer last spring after two years without. It was fairly
easy to install to an existing pond. It was much nicer to pull the basket out
once a week than to hand skim every night after work. The biggest benefit was
protecting the pump. I have a mag-drive and never found a very good solution
for the pre-filter problem. This worked well all year and I didn't have to
worry about the pump clogging. Also, the savio also has spots for UV's if you
want to add them.
Hope this helps.
Dave in Iowa