Aiper Scuba S1 First Impressions

[sirhicksalot]

Hello all,

I'm still a relatively new pool owner, just have about 2 months under my belt so I'm still getting my bearings in some areas. Pool chemicals are balanced and stable though, and that's what matters. Anyway, I got tired of manually vacuuming the pool, and having the cartridge get clogged up often because of it. It was getting to the point that as I was vacuuming I could see debris coming out of the returns. Just frustrating. Maybe I'm doing something wrong or my cartridge isn't functioning properly. Or maybe that's just par for the course with vacuuming directly into the pump.

Enter the Scuba S1. After a lot of research, and mostly decent reviews of the product here I decided to pull the trigger. It arrived today, and the box was honestly pretty beat up. I was surprised because it came FedEx, and I ordered it directly from Aiper. Interior packaging was solid though, and the unit was unharmed. After a quick charge to full I threw it into the pool on auto mode. We all watched it work on the walls for a minute, and it appeared to be doing a fine job. It came up and scrubbed the tile line for probably 5 seconds before heading back down. Then we wanted to see it work the floor so I put it on floor only mode, and it instantly started picking up debris. The pool wasn't terribly dirty, I just vacuumed it this past weekend, but after running for about 2 hours I fished it out because it was getting dark and I was curious. It was showing a yellow light, so it used most of the battery. I was honestly pretty surprised at how much it picked up, especially all the sand you can see in the bottom left of the basket. I'll be picking up the ultra fine cloth filter when it gets released for this model, but I am very pleased with the first run, and more pleased that I'll be able to swim without cleaning the pool when the weekend comes around.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to drop it in on the eco mode, which is supposed to clean for 45 minutes every 48 hours and we'll see how well it maintains the pool. This weekend I'll send it on a walls mission when I have time to watch how it progresses.

 

[HermanTX]

Good review. Thanks. My Aiper box was in another plain box so it was not evident to see the product on the box.

Anyway, I got tired of manually vacuuming the pool, and having the cartridge get clogged up often because of it. It was getting to the point that as I was vacuuming I could see debris coming out of the returns. Just frustrating. Maybe I'm doing something wrong or my cartridge isn't functioning properly. Or maybe that's just par for the course with vacuuming directly into the pump.

What size cartridge filter do you have? Add that info to your signature data. Most members only clean their cartridge filter 1x or 2x a year. The bigger the filter usually it prolongs the time between filter cleaning.

Dirt / debris should not pass through the filter cartridge. You may want to ensure there is no tear in the cartridge itself.

 

[JJ_Tex]

I picked up a S1 a few weeks ago and have been very impressed. It cleans just as good as my old Maytronics, for half the price and no cord.

Going from corded to cordless has some differences so far. I like the fact that there is no cord to interfere with leaves and surface debris. Fishing the thing out with a hook is a little odd, but I've learned it generally stops around the wall where I drop it in so I can somewhat plan where I get to fish it out. In the early spring when my live oak rains leaves into my pool for a few weeks may be a bit challenging, since I have to add an extra step of recharging for 2-3 hours in between runs. Not ideal, but did I mention it was half price I can also get a solar skimmer I guess in the fall to help out.

A tip, my local Walmart carries these for under $500, and you can get the 3-year service plan for a measly $38 dollars so if it dies early I should be covered.

 

[sirhicksalot]

Dirt / debris should not pass through the filter cartridge. You may want to ensure there is no tear in the cartridge itself.

I think it’s just a result of a lack of maintenance. The filter was disgusting when we moved in, and I’ve cleaned it twice since. Last time it was totally clogged up with dirt and Crud. Also a lot of particulate sitting in the bottom of the filter housing that I have to flush out. Not to mention there’s a crack in the pump basket that I need to replace.

I’ve yet to figure out the cartridge size, one of those things that’s been on my to do list that hasn’t gotten done. It’s not clearly marked that I can find on the unit.

Also yes my Aiper came in a plain cardboard box as well.

 

[sirhicksalot]

I picked up a S1 a few weeks ago and have been very impressed. It cleans just as good as my old Maytronics, for half the price and no cord.

Going from corded to cordless has some differences so far. I like the fact that there is no cord to interfere with leaves and surface debris. Fishing the thing out with a hook is a little odd, but I've learned it generally stops around the wall where I drop it in so I can somewhat plan where I get to fish it out. In the early spring when my live oak rains leaves into my pool for a few weeks may be a bit challenging, since I have to add an extra step of recharging for 2-3 hours in between runs. Not ideal, but did I mention it was half price I can also get a solar skimmer I guess in the fall to help out.

A tip, my local Walmart carries these for under $500, and you can get the 3-year service plan for a measly $38 dollars so if it dies early I should be covered.

I saw them at Walmart, but saw it was the N1 model. I didn’t know if that was different in any way, so I just got it directly from the Aiper website. It was on sale and I got an extra $30 off for email sign up. $520 out the door with the 2 year warranty.