I get a lot of leaves and insects in my pool and have been wanting to get one of these solar powered pool skimmers for a while. This one has dual charging modes (solar, USB-C) and also comes with a 2-year Australian warranty. Not many reviews but happy to take the risk at $439 delivered.
Referrers get $50 store credit. Referee get $20 off 1st purchase.
I'm in a few FB pool-related groups and the general consensus amongst ALL of them seems to be to avoid this company (Robot My Life) like the plague? Sooooo many issues with slow/non-delivery, zero after-sale support, etc
Not sure about the product itself - it looks a little flimsy from the video, but who knows. There is the Aiper Surfer S1 skimmer available too - but at least $150+ more expensive (when on sale) it seems (e.g. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/855033). At least you can be pretty confident with warranty support with Aiper…
Thank you. You seem like you know what you're talking about.
Do you have any recommendations above the regular suction pool cleaners?
Are the robot ones worth it?
(have a fortnightly pool guy and an old automatic suction vibrating cleaner).
My view is that a robot is 100% worth it - of course some people will get more benefit, depending on their location/environment (e.g. trees, wind, etc). It keeps my pool very clean, and I have a giant poinciana tree next door that drops tiny leaves most of the year (also a giant carpet of red flowers for about 2 weeks lol).
Note however that this post is about a skimmer, not a pool cleaning robot that does the floor/walls.
I've been tempted by the recent introduction of cordless robots (mainly by Aiper, but most of the other major brands do them too)…however my Dolphin DB2 (which is the equivalent of their S200 model) has been going strong for 5 years now, although it had a couple of parts replaced in that time (total cost ~$750).
I also leave it in the pool 24/7, which goes against most recommendations :D. I think it depends on the type of pool whether this is viable - mine is mineral with an ozone system that lets me keep the chlorine levels relatively low.
If I was buying my first robot (or a replacement), I'd probably try the latest Aiper cordless model. I've heard good things about their warranty support - the only time I'd be hesitant was if my pool had lots of steps/ledges/etc; they don't do so well with those (at all).
If I had unlimited funds I'd get a top of the range Dolphin (either the cordless Liberty model, or otherwise the S400) - but they are expensive.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a detailed reply that is extremely helpful! 🙏
i bet my pandanus tree would clog it inside 5mins.
Keep it simple with pools, suction powered devices like the Pentair Rebel 2 are super effective & have replaceable parts. All you have to clean or empty is the skimmer sock.
I disagree with this comment. I’ve had one of these from a different company about 10 years ago with an old pool. It was fantastic. Get the leaves & bugs & dirt before it sinks to the bottom of the pool. So much more efficient too in terms of chemicals & power usage, compared with running the main pool pump. I found I could reduce the main pool pump run times with this device.
BTW, an apparent flimsy design is okay as long as the important bits are well sealed. It needs to be light to be efficient so the materials are going to appear thin and there might be a bit of flex in the machine.
Can't make sense of your reply. Most stuff gets grabbed by the skimmer box, everything that sinks gets sucked by up the cleaner. Why have a device that does what the skimmer box already does?
To get stuff into the skimmer box, or to run a floor suction cleaner, requires the main pump to run (or a separate dedicated pump if you’re plumbed that way). So the skimming or cleaning is usually only for about 6-8 hours/day.
One of these skimming devices runs off solar power using its own panels & batteries all hours day and night. The one I had also had slots for chlorine tablets so I needed to run the main chlorinator less. I think I was running the main pumps 4hrs/day instead of 8hrs/day, saving a couple of hundred dollars a year in electricity alone.
@bcarp: I think investing the money you spend on this & subsequent replacements on a solar system (which runs the pool for free) would make much more economic sense, and you get the bottom of the pool kept clean as well.
@Ham Dragon: That’s also fair enough. With this skimming service, you still need a bottom cleaner of some sort. I was dropping in a robot once a week or so, I think, for an hour.
I'm late to this party, but if you have a pool being filled up with tiny leaves or flowers from the tree on the footpath, your skimmer box will fill up pretty quickly and put a lot of strain on the pump. Our pump will almost stall out at certain times of the year if you are not cleaning the skimmer box at least every second day.
These skimmers are meant to catch the stuff before it drops onto the floor for the suction cleaner or drops into the skimmer, so yes it is doing the same job, but it's reducing pressure on the pump and reducing the amount of debris making it into the filter.
If the pool owner is rigorous about cleaning out the skimmer box every day, they probably don't need one of these skimmer robots.
I watched that video. Was it supposed to be impressive? The way it misses all but one leaf as it travels across the world's smallest pool? You wouldn't even need a pole on your net to clean that pool.
The thing is that this will run almost 24/7, so missing stuff on a single pass is not big deal. It will get it later.
Caution here! This seemed a good idea, so I purchased one on pre-order. It simply didn't work - kept heading to the wall & staying there. Support suggested it needed calibrating. However this required using the app, and no matter how many times I tried (with Support's help), it would not accept my registration. They agreed I could return it, but I have been waiting almost 2 months for the refund (despite email promises). I'm now in the process of submitting a claim to Consumer Affairs Victoria
Had a similiar-ish issue with Harris Technology, I advised unless the refund was made within 5 business days (after weeks of stalling & not returning calls) I would lodge a writ in the Magistrates Court aka an "Originating Process". They know the MC is much more efficient than VCAT and the matter decided upon immediately + legal fees required. Money received in 48hr. Good luck with your proceeding mate.
If anyone is even thinking of buying this, I would strongly suggest using paypal to pay ONLY after these comments. At least their claims' system should provide a strong claim back service.
Not sure if it's just me but the promo video just doesn't look convincing at all… $439 seems to be on the higher side for a device construction like this.