I've been sticking with the Surfer lately, not for any major reason but only because I check the little battery indicator on the app way more than I should.
just got the Aiper. It is going in circles like others have said. Apparently the right motor is stronger than the left. Drive it straight with the app, if it doesn't go straight then something is wrong. Returning mine for a replacement. I returned the Betta for it reversing every few feet for no reason.
Hi David, looking at cordless pool cleaners and was wondering about your thoughts on the Aiper Scuba S1 Pro or the Liberty Dolphin 400. I can buy the Scuba S1 pro and the Aiper Skimmer for the price of the Dolphin. I have seen people mention the power sockets on the aiper getting moisture and rusting over time? Love your reviews
Hi, glad you like the reviews! The socket covers are much thicker on the Scuba S1 and Surfer S1. Like sometimes it annoys me how deep the cover closes now compared to the Seagull Pro of last year. But it also makes it seal better too. I would hands down choose the Scuba S1 and Surfer S1 over the Liberty 400. The Liberty series is great but waaaaay overpriced! The combo of the cordless cleaners in the pool is what I actually use during swim season.
Hi David, thanks for the very informative reviews. I am in Spain and my home has a mediterranean pine forest in the back which when windy, which other than summer, is relatively frequent. This means lots of pine needles n my pool with lots of them around the edges. I notice the surfer slows down and avoids walls so I assume cleaning the pool edges is poor at best. Is that correct? In my case this would mean that cleaning might reach 80% tops. I would appreciate your thoughts. I just purchased a Wybot S2 to be delivered this week to take care of the bottom and walls. Pool is free form with several rounded areas. Kind regards from Spain.
Hello! Yes, the skimmer does slow down and turn so the debris at the edge won't be sucked in, at least not unless there's some sort of circulation in the pool. If your return jets are on low and there is circulation in the pool it should be enough to push the debris away from the walls. There are times I watch the skimmer and think that it misses the walls completely but I walk away and come back a few hours later and the debris is all gone along the walls and sucked up.
@@imdefinitelydavid Hi David and thanks for your fast reply. I do have good circulation but the wind and odd shape do have them bunch up many times. One question I forgot to ask was if the filñter basket was fine enough to pick-up pollen. The same pines are also a PIA in spring with everything covered in no time. That is why I went with the double filtration model of the Wybot.
Hi David - You or Aiper make no mention if the motors, sensors, and other hardware are saltwater and chlorine safe. If they are not, I wouldn't expect this pool skimmer to last more then 1 or 2 seasons. What are your thoughts?
They don't actually list it as "saltwater and chlorine" resistant in the manual so I won't assume that they are. I would contact them and ask but I'm sure they'll just say that they are, even if they don't list it. And they'll also take a week to respond lol. They do list the battery and motor with a 24 month warranty. Which is actually longer than the Betta does so that's a plus. The Betta is a 1 year warranty. So it seems that Aiper is at least confident in it.
I like the Aiper more than the Betta because of the little battery indicator lol. Like I know it's not a big deal but visually I just like the idea of knowing how much charge I have left for the next day. Also, the Aiper is slightly faster I think, but not by much.
Yeah I was able to magically buy one when it listed for sale for on Amz and my watch list notified me. It was supposed to be released early March but has been pushed back again. Probably soon though.
Ordered this a couple weeks ago from Aiper's site and they are saying no ETA on when it will ship. Aiper tells me it can be ordered from Amazon since they have it in stock but there is no $70 off coupon like there is directly from Aiper. Doesn't make sense how a manufacturer doesn't have their own product while Amazon does..
I totally agree. Doesn't make sense. The benefit you get from Amz though is the return policy. I think Aiper has a restock fee unless it's something inherently wrong with the actual cleaner. Amz has that 30 day policy for any reason. But yes, totally dumb how the actual company doesn't have it in stock themselves.
Suppose you leave this in the pool at night. At some point during the night, with no sun shining down, it may run out of charge. The next day, it's out in the sun again and recharging - but does it turn itself on automatically, or do you have to push one of those two buttons to get it going again?
It turns itself on. You don't have to push the button to turn it back on. It will take a few hours of sunlight to get it charged but yes, it automatically turns itself back on.
Do you remove it at night and recharge it, or do you leave it in and let the sun recharge the next day? Obviously it's gotta be sunny! But just wondering what happens if you just leave it in on mutiple sunny days. Will it come back to life with the sun or do you have to charge it up with power wire?
Yup. On sunny days, I leave it all day and night in the pool. It's been doing great. It's pretty much been on all day and night since it gets enough sun to charge. I only check it once a week to empty the debris right now.
David, bought this based on your reviews (after returning Aquasense Pro). Can't connect to app (scuba s1 pro connected fine) and after one week of ownership all of a sudden it just spins in circles. Tried to reset several times, to no avail. Aiper customer support is terrible!
Wow you have terrible luck! Sorry! I strongly dislike Aiper on a personal level but... in terms of their cleaners, they do work really well, assuming they work normally.
Yes I do! Funny thing is I've been testing 3 different skimmers out over the last few weeks. ALL of them left in the pool overnight and for days at a time and since it's warmer now with more sunlight they all run day and night. Looking at the physical skimmers themselves, they look pretty much the same as the first day I put them in the pool. Given, it hasn't been years or even months yet of testing though
Merci pour ce test. Je l'ai commandé suite à cela. Deux défauts : - il est bruyant, on entend l' helice tourner quand il n'est pas loin, comme si elle frottait - on ne peut pas programmer des plages de fonctionnement avec l'application comme le fait un de ses concurrents. Dommage.😢
Yes, at the moment, all of the skimmers will get stuck on the cord of a corded cleaner. That's why it's recommended to use skimmers only with cordless cleaners for now.
Great Video David, I need your help please. New pool 12x28 with 8x12 of it being sun shelf so only 12x20 swimming space. First time pool owner and the pool will be completed in the next couple of months. Looking for the best pool cleaner for the sqft 336. I will have a pool cage so not worried about debris on water surface, just floor and walls. I have watched many videos you have but get more and more confused as to which on to get, if you could recommend me at least 2 I would really appreciate it. Thanks again and again get info on your videos.
Hello! Having a cage will definitely help with surface debris so it sounds like you will need a cleaner that focuses on scrubbing more so. Are you thinking cordless or corded?
@@imdefinitelydavid thanks for the response, the pool will have a vac hookup however I was wanting to go with cordless. Never had a pool before, but not a fan of the corded in the water and having to remove and put back in all the time, so cordless is the way I would like to go.
@user-rj7ru1ot8n that vac port will be great to have if you plan on keeping the pool open all year long. I'll explain if you do lol. But in terms of a cordless cleaner, since it's your first time, the number one thing I would consider first is a weekly timer. It may sound like something you don't really need but trust me, over time it gets to be more about conveniece and not needing to take a cleaner in and out after each use. I started with a corded cleaner with no timer and after a few weeks of taking it in and out I realized how much work it really is. Take a look at the Aiper Scuba S1, great price point being cordless with timer. If you have time to wait, the new S1 Pro version should be released soon as well with app control and more waterline cleaning at about the 1k price tag. I will also review this whenever it is released. Another great cordless cleaner at a great value is the Seauto Seal. A very inexpensive cleaner that's cordless and does a great job with climbing walls. Downside to this would be no weekly timer if you decide to want it.
Thanks again for the info, I will take a look at both options, to respond to the pool being open all year, yes it will be. I live in Southwest Florida and weather here permits that, plus I will have a heater. Thank you for the advice again, very helpful.
I think the skimmer should be treated like most other pool equipment before a storm. Take it out and store it away. It's waterproof, but with some large gusts of wind, I'm sure it would slam the skimmer all around the pool and possibly damage it.
I have my pump on low rpms so the leaves get pushed to the sides of the walls with the flow. And yes, the hardest area to clean for these skimmers are the edge of walls and corners. When the rpms are even lower, or when the pump is off though, most of the debris float freely in the center of the pool and if the skimmer is on during that time it picks it up well. There are however, new skimmers coming out that have new features to clean the wall area too.
100-240V rating with a full run-time of 10 -12 hours when fully charged and no other sunlight. More if it's in the sun and charging before sun goes down
I've actually tried the skimmer with the Polaris 360/280 and it hits the hose but doesn't get stuck. It gets around it eventually. It reacts to a hose better than a cord at least, as opposed to a plug in corded cleaner. What I'd worry more about is if that contact over time will break the hose down faster though.
Bought the Aiper Surfer but the legs don’t extend long enough and so the skimmer keeps getting stuck on my pool stairs. Anyone come up with a solution for that? Would the Betta skimmer be any better?
If the Aiper is too short the Betta would be about the same I think. The Betta however, some people have developed hacks and even sell 3d printed legs that are even longer. I haven't seen any for the Aiper though sorry
On the steps? If so, have you tried extending the bars underneath it? Or do you mean in general like a corner of the pool? Sometimes I watch the Surfer for a bit and it looks like it's stuck in the corner but eventually it'll move out of it. Like I've stood there and watched it for 5+ minutes before it backs out.
You can't change the speed on the skimmer no. But if you have your pool jets pointed up which most people do and a high speed running on your pump then it can cause the skimmer to get pushed away and stuck in corners. One real way you can test it is when your pool pump is OFF. If it doesn't get stuck when the pump is off then it's definitely too high of a speed when it's ON and causing the skimmer to get stuck.
I bought one of these and it WAS great at first. Now all it does is sit in a corner and spin in a circle. I have done all the trouble shooting and cleaning it and it still does it. Very disappointing.
I think it will. I have two ledges at the very corners of my pool with just about 6 inches of water only, and I've watched it go over those corners perfectly fine.
very helpful for my pool in France.Chhers my friend.
Hi David. Thanks for the videos. Out of all the solar powered skimmers you've tested, what's your personal favourite?
I've been sticking with the Surfer lately, not for any major reason but only because I check the little battery indicator on the app way more than I should.
just got the Aiper. It is going in circles like others have said. Apparently the right motor is stronger than the left. Drive it straight with the app, if it doesn't go straight then something is wrong. Returning mine for a replacement. I returned the Betta for it reversing every few feet for no reason.
Hi David, looking at cordless pool cleaners and was wondering about your thoughts on the Aiper Scuba S1 Pro or the Liberty Dolphin 400. I can buy the Scuba S1 pro and the Aiper Skimmer for the price of the Dolphin. I have seen people mention the power sockets on the aiper getting moisture and rusting over time?
Love your reviews
Hi, glad you like the reviews!
The socket covers are much thicker on the Scuba S1 and Surfer S1. Like sometimes it annoys me how deep the cover closes now compared to the Seagull Pro of last year. But it also makes it seal better too.
I would hands down choose the Scuba S1 and Surfer S1 over the Liberty 400. The Liberty series is great but waaaaay overpriced! The combo of the cordless cleaners in the pool is what I actually use during swim season.
Hi David, thanks for the very informative reviews.
I am in Spain and my home has a mediterranean pine forest in the back which when windy, which other than summer, is relatively frequent. This means lots of pine needles n my pool with lots of them around the edges. I notice the surfer slows down and avoids walls so I assume cleaning the pool edges is poor at best. Is that correct? In my case this would mean that cleaning might reach 80% tops. I would appreciate your thoughts. I just purchased a Wybot S2 to be delivered this week to take care of the bottom and walls. Pool is free form with several rounded areas.
Kind regards from Spain.
Hello!
Yes, the skimmer does slow down and turn so the debris at the edge won't be sucked in, at least not unless there's some sort of circulation in the pool. If your return jets are on low and there is circulation in the pool it should be enough to push the debris away from the walls. There are times I watch the skimmer and think that it misses the walls completely but I walk away and come back a few hours later and the debris is all gone along the walls and sucked up.
@@imdefinitelydavid Hi David and thanks for your fast reply. I do have good circulation but the wind and odd shape do have them bunch up many times. One question I forgot to ask was if the filñter basket was fine enough to pick-up pollen. The same pines are also a PIA in spring with everything covered in no time. That is why I went with the double filtration model of the Wybot.
Yeah it picks up pollen, I get it quite often as well
@@imdefinitelydavid Thanks David, great to know. Will be buying this week. Have a great day.
Hi David - You or Aiper make no mention if the motors, sensors, and other hardware are saltwater and chlorine safe. If they are not, I wouldn't expect this pool skimmer to last more then 1 or 2 seasons. What are your thoughts?
They don't actually list it as "saltwater and chlorine" resistant in the manual so I won't assume that they are.
I would contact them and ask but I'm sure they'll just say that they are, even if they don't list it. And they'll also take a week to respond lol.
They do list the battery and motor with a 24 month warranty. Which is actually longer than the Betta does so that's a plus. The Betta is a 1 year warranty. So it seems that Aiper is at least confident in it.
Trying to figure out which skimmer to buy. Which do you think is best the Aiper or the Betta SE plus?
I like the Aiper more than the Betta because of the little battery indicator lol. Like I know it's not a big deal but visually I just like the idea of knowing how much charge I have left for the next day. Also, the Aiper is slightly faster I think, but not by much.
Still not available in Amazon
Yeah I was able to magically buy one when it listed for sale for on Amz and my watch list notified me. It was supposed to be released early March but has been pushed back again. Probably soon though.
I love my betta se
Ordered this a couple weeks ago from Aiper's site and they are saying no ETA on when it will ship. Aiper tells me it can be ordered from Amazon since they have it in stock but there is no $70 off coupon like there is directly from Aiper. Doesn't make sense how a manufacturer doesn't have their own product while Amazon does..
I totally agree. Doesn't make sense. The benefit you get from Amz though is the return policy. I think Aiper has a restock fee unless it's something inherently wrong with the actual cleaner. Amz has that 30 day policy for any reason.
But yes, totally dumb how the actual company doesn't have it in stock themselves.
Suppose you leave this in the pool at night. At some point during the night, with no sun shining down, it may run out of charge. The next day, it's out in the sun again and recharging - but does it turn itself on automatically, or do you have to push one of those two buttons to get it going again?
It turns itself on. You don't have to push the button to turn it back on. It will take a few hours of sunlight to get it charged but yes, it automatically turns itself back on.
Do you remove it at night and recharge it, or do you leave it in and let the sun recharge the next day? Obviously it's gotta be sunny! But just wondering what happens if you just leave it in on mutiple sunny days. Will it come back to life with the sun or do you have to charge it up with power wire?
Yup. On sunny days, I leave it all day and night in the pool. It's been doing great. It's pretty much been on all day and night since it gets enough sun to charge. I only check it once a week to empty the debris right now.
David, bought this based on your reviews (after returning Aquasense Pro). Can't connect to app (scuba s1 pro connected fine) and after one week of ownership all of a sudden it just spins in circles. Tried to reset several times, to no avail. Aiper customer support is terrible!
Wow you have terrible luck! Sorry!
I strongly dislike Aiper on a personal level but... in terms of their cleaners, they do work really well, assuming they work normally.
Do you leave it in overnight..extended periods
Yes I do!
Funny thing is I've been testing 3 different skimmers out over the last few weeks. ALL of them left in the pool overnight and for days at a time and since it's warmer now with more sunlight they all run day and night.
Looking at the physical skimmers themselves, they look pretty much the same as the first day I put them in the pool. Given, it hasn't been years or even months yet of testing though
Merci pour ce test.
Je l'ai commandé suite à cela.
Deux défauts :
- il est bruyant, on entend l' helice tourner quand il n'est pas loin, comme si elle frottait
- on ne peut pas programmer des plages de fonctionnement avec l'application comme le fait un de ses concurrents. Dommage.😢
Will it work on a 6in deep lounge area?
will it get stuck on the floating umbilical cord for the underwater pool robot?
Yes, at the moment, all of the skimmers will get stuck on the cord of a corded cleaner. That's why it's recommended to use skimmers only with cordless cleaners for now.
Great Video David, I need your help please. New pool 12x28 with 8x12 of it being sun shelf so only 12x20 swimming space. First time pool owner and the pool will be completed in the next couple of months. Looking for the best pool cleaner for the sqft 336. I will have a pool cage so not worried about debris on water surface, just floor and walls. I have watched many videos you have but get more and more confused as to which on to get, if you could recommend me at least 2 I would really appreciate it. Thanks again and again get info on your videos.
Hello! Having a cage will definitely help with surface debris so it sounds like you will need a cleaner that focuses on scrubbing more so. Are you thinking cordless or corded?
@@imdefinitelydavid thanks for the response, the pool will have a vac hookup however I was wanting to go with cordless. Never had a pool before, but not a fan of the corded in the water and having to remove and put back in all the time, so cordless is the way I would like to go.
@user-rj7ru1ot8n that vac port will be great to have if you plan on keeping the pool open all year long. I'll explain if you do lol.
But in terms of a cordless cleaner, since it's your first time, the number one thing I would consider first is a weekly timer.
It may sound like something you don't really need but trust me, over time it gets to be more about conveniece and not needing to take a cleaner in and out after each use. I started with a corded cleaner with no timer and after a few weeks of taking it in and out I realized how much work it really is.
Take a look at the Aiper Scuba S1, great price point being cordless with timer. If you have time to wait, the new S1 Pro version should be released soon as well with app control and more waterline cleaning at about the 1k price tag. I will also review this whenever it is released.
Another great cordless cleaner at a great value is the Seauto Seal. A very inexpensive cleaner that's cordless and does a great job with climbing walls. Downside to this would be no weekly timer if you decide to want it.
Thanks again for the info, I will take a look at both options, to respond to the pool being open all year, yes it will be. I live in Southwest Florida and weather here permits that, plus I will have a heater. Thank you for the advice again, very helpful.
Is it safe to leave it in the pool during a storm
I think the skimmer should be treated like most other pool equipment before a storm. Take it out and store it away.
It's waterproof, but with some large gusts of wind, I'm sure it would slam the skimmer all around the pool and possibly damage it.
Hmm most of my leaves are against the pool walls, looks like this avoids the wall edge completely so it wouldn't get the debris against the walls
I have my pump on low rpms so the leaves get pushed to the sides of the walls with the flow. And yes, the hardest area to clean for these skimmers are the edge of walls and corners.
When the rpms are even lower, or when the pump is off though, most of the debris float freely in the center of the pool and if the skimmer is on during that time it picks it up well.
There are however, new skimmers coming out that have new features to clean the wall area too.
how about the voltage for the battery? The runtime for this pool skimmer is 12 hours ?
100-240V rating with a full run-time of 10 -12 hours when fully charged and no other sunlight. More if it's in the sun and charging before sun goes down
I have a Polaris that cleans the bottom of my pool. I would like to know if the Surfer S1 would play nice with the Polaris.
It will but only if the Polaris is cordless. I don't recommend the combo if you have a corded cleaner.
@@imdefinitelydavid thanks for the response! Yeah, my Polaris has the hose with its own pump & all that.
I've actually tried the skimmer with the Polaris 360/280 and it hits the hose but doesn't get stuck. It gets around it eventually. It reacts to a hose better than a cord at least, as opposed to a plug in corded cleaner.
What I'd worry more about is if that contact over time will break the hose down faster though.
On the Aiper website it says presale. I can’t find anywhere online saying when they plan to ship these units out.
For thr Surfer? They're on sale now at Amz. Don't know why their main site isn't updated
Does it move randomly?
Yes, no navigation with these skimmers
Bought the Aiper Surfer but the legs don’t extend long enough and so the skimmer keeps getting stuck on my pool stairs. Anyone come up with a solution for that? Would the Betta skimmer be any better?
If the Aiper is too short the Betta would be about the same I think.
The Betta however, some people have developed hacks and even sell 3d printed legs that are even longer. I haven't seen any for the Aiper though sorry
I bought one like that and gets stuck easily and I have to be there in order to move it.
On the steps? If so, have you tried extending the bars underneath it?
Or do you mean in general like a corner of the pool? Sometimes I watch the Surfer for a bit and it looks like it's stuck in the corner but eventually it'll move out of it. Like I've stood there and watched it for 5+ minutes before it backs out.
@@imdefinitelydavid on the corners and it will never move from there, sometimes on the middle
Are you running a one speed pump or a variable speed pump with higher rpms? The pool jets could be pushing it in the corner maybe.
@@imdefinitelydavid i don't know, it moves to slow, can i change the speed? How?
You can't change the speed on the skimmer no.
But if you have your pool jets pointed up which most people do and a high speed running on your pump then it can cause the skimmer to get pushed away and stuck in corners.
One real way you can test it is when your pool pump is OFF. If it doesn't get stuck when the pump is off then it's definitely too high of a speed when it's ON and causing the skimmer to get stuck.
Bought one and the app wont connect to the robot
Mine gets stuck easily
All mine does it spin in circles. !!!!!!!!
I bought one of these and it WAS great at first. Now all it does is sit in a corner and spin in a circle. I have done all the trouble shooting and cleaning it and it still does it. Very disappointing.
No one puts baby in the corner
Review cosmy
Will it work on a 6in deep lounge area?
I think it will. I have two ledges at the very corners of my pool with just about 6 inches of water only, and I've watched it go over those corners perfectly fine.