I test cleaning robots for a living – these 3 robot pool cleaners will make your pool sparkle
Robot pool cleaners: how they work and why you need them
At first, there were robot vacuums which were closely followed by robot lawn mowers. Despite these innovations coming out as far back as 1996 – the year I was born! – these robot cleaners and trimmers became most popular in the 2000s and 2010s, and now, they’re more advanced than ever before.
Now that robot vacuums can climb the stairs and robot lawn mowers can trim over uneven terrain, what is the next step for home robotics? I’m not talking about the creepy full-sized household robots we’ve been seeing at CES – I’m talking about robot pool cleaners.
Robot pool cleaners aren’t anything new, but they only appealed to a specific, small demographic a.k.a people who owned pools! A select number of manufacturers made them as well, but as more people have homes with pools and brands have expanded their robot cleaning offerings, there are now more options than ever before, and at a more affordable price.
In this guide, I’ve picked the top three robot pool cleaners you should know about for all your pool cleaning needs.
1. Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max
Ideal for medium to large pools, the Aiper Scuba X11 Pro Max expertly cleans the floors and walls of your pool, plus the waterline and surface. It has a large sensor that maps the pool in its entirety for complete and persistent coverage, and its large battery gives enough power to cover pools up to 3,200 sq. ft.
We gave it five stars in our Aiper Scuba X11 Pro Max review and found it worked superbly for all types of pool cleaning tasks. It picked up fine particles and large debris pretty well, as well as submerged items, and while it’s not cheap at $2,599.99 / €2,499.99, it’s a decent price for this type of all-purpose cleaner and it’s often discounted.
2. Mammotion Spino E1
Mammotion debuted the Spino E1 last year which marks the first time the brand has ever made a robot pool cleaner. An entry-level pool cleaner, the Mammotion Spino E1 effortlessly climbs the walls in your pool, and professionally cleans it with its powerful triple-motor and 5,800 suction power.
The Mammotion Spino E1 cleans up leaves, stones, sand and even insects from the floors and walls of your pool. It comes with Adaptive Climbing technology to scrub walls up to 110-degrees of slope, while getting close to the surface to remove waterline stains. It does all of this using its high-precision sensors to create clear paths for cleaning.
3. Dreame Z1 Pro
The Dreame Z1 Pro claims to be the world’s first cordless robot pool cleaner with a poolside operated remote control. The handheld remote uses LiFi technology to connect to the cleaner while it's underwater, and it allows you to assign tasks and steer the Dreame Z1 Pro while it’s in action.
Packed with AI navigation, the Dreame Z1 Pro uses sensors to map your pool for full coverage, and it adapts to any pool shape so it can clean around curves and up steps. It can also detect and avoid obstacles, and has a huge 8,000 GPH suction power to clean up debris.
How do robot pool cleaners work?
How robot pool cleaners operate is by using motors, brushes and filters to clean your pool. Typically, they do this without being connected to the pool itself, as all the tech is built into the device, and they’re run on rechargeable batteries or with floating cords.
Robot pool cleaners look similar to robot lawn mowers, and use wheels to move along the pool’s floor or walls. Like a vacuum, a robot pool cleaner has suction power to suck up debris and water which goes into its built-in filter. Once it’s full or the clean is finished, most robot pool cleaners will pop up on to the surface so you can pull it out the pool and empty and recharge it.
To navigate your pool, robot pool cleaners have sensors that map paths around your pool – just like a robot vacuum does in your home or a robot lawn mower does to your garden. Most robot pool cleaners will also come with an app so you can schedule cleans and adjust cleaning areas.
