Aiper Scuba S1 Review

[Everett_88]

I am 98.684564% certain it has no ability to learn a pool, or retain that.

I am 98.684565% sure you’re right. It’s random. I’ve watched it many times.

 

[mike.stocker]

There is a non pro version that is about $1100

Lol yeah I have no interest in the pro model. The $1100 model and its 3-year warranty is intriguing to me. I also like the idea of a charging stand and it parking itself on the surface when it’s done. I don’t know that it would do any better though. I have read some reviews however that stated it acted weird during the first few cycles but eventually did a much better job so who knows, perhaps my expectations are too high. And I maybe would have had a similar experience with the Aiper but if I’m going to stick with Aiper, I’ll just order the standard model given yours and others positive feedback on this thread.

 

[bcre3306]

Lol yeah I have no interest in the pro model. The $1100 model and its 3-year warranty is intriguing to me. I also like the idea of a charging stand and it parking itself on the surface when it’s done. I don’t know that it would do any better though. I have read some reviews however that stated it acted weird during the first few cycles but eventually did a much better job so who knows, perhaps my expectations are too high. And I maybe would have had a similar experience with the Aiper but if I’m going to stick with Aiper, I’ll just order the standard model given yours and others positive feedback on this thread.

Just a reminder, some credit cards(including amex platinum) offer a 1yr extension on manufacturer warranty which would give you 3 yrs on Aiper also. Just a thought.

 

[cssnms]

So I contacted Aiper regarding the issue that I'm having with the bot not making it's way past the transition hump between the deeper end and shallow end and this was their reponse... They also offered to swap out my machine with a Seagull Pro or 1500.

"This could be a bug in the machine's software. We take this issue very seriously and are actively seeking a solution. We will upgrade the machine as soon as possible to prevent this problem from occurring. However, it may take 2-3 months from finding the solution to implementation."

I would encourage everyone that is having a similar issue or other issues to contact Aiper service at the following email esp if it ends up helping make the product better in the longer run.

[email protected]

 

[FlyingScot]

Joined as I’ve had an Aiper Scuba S1 (not the Pro) now for roughly 2-weeks. I went back and forth in my research on the Pro, Dolphin CC Plus, and Scuba S1 - this is the first “robot” pool cleaner for us. Our pool is roughly 25x15 with stairs, shelves and a Baja shelf + Integrated Spa. Surface is roughly 12 years old and we will be redoing in a year or 2. There is not a robot cleaner that does it all so you need to make some decisions on what is most important.

I ruled out the Dolphin as tech has advanced enough that battery + power = no need for a power cable. Looked at the features of the Pro vs S1 and frankly even though the pro is “only” $300 more than the S1, none of its ‘Features’ really bring anything new. The only real functional difference is the 180 micron filter + 3 micron vs. just 180 micron in the S1 (since WiFi doesn’t work, ultrasonic doesn’t seem to do anything, has 4 motors and a rear scrubber but that seems to bring only weight).

The S1 is lighter and if it worked, then it was easily worth the $500 (475+ tax). Well two weeks later and it works great on floor and walls. Stairs and shelf…no so much but also not expected. I run floor only and wall only when using - 3 hours floor, 3 hours wall. If something looks to be missed I just charge and toss in and it gets it. The patterns seems to cover 95% of floor and walls and yes, on occasion it looks like it gets “stuck”. I just leave it be and 5 minutes later it has corrected and moved on. Being in software, my guess is it seems to be running through timed options until it senses movement/suction again. Simplistic, but works.

Even in the small spa, it will do a bit of scrubbing on seats and floor - yeah I threw it in for 20 minutes to see how it would do. The only time it gets stuck is when rain has raised the pool level to the lip. Then it gets on my one shelf and jams its treads and scrubber right at the lip/waterline. Can’t seem to figure that out - but with pool 1” lower not an issue. Overall this thing is as the OP described - simplistic, works great with no hose, an easy to toss in. It is a big step up from the Hayward / Kreepy Krauly which we all had a few years ago. I have ordered the Pilot H2 to give it a try on the steps…will see how that goes. This thing does vacuum the steps somewhat as it buzzes around but yeah something else is needed for the shelf and steps.

Thanks to the OP and others that posted - joined to add in my 2-cents on this and say thank you. Pic of pool - old DiamondBrite and the shelf/stairs not scrubbed but you get the idea.

 

[piezon]

So I contacted Aiper regarding the issue that I'm having with the bot not making it's way past the transition hump between the deeper end and shallow end and this was their reponse... They also offered to swap out my machine with a Seagull Pro or 1500.

"This could be a bug in the machine's software. We take this issue very seriously and are actively seeking a solution. We will upgrade the machine as soon as possible to prevent this problem from occurring. However, it may take 2-3 months from finding the solution to implementation."

I would encourage everyone that is having a similar issue or other issues to contact Aiper service at the following email esp if it ends up helping make the product better in the longer run.

[email protected]

So, are you keeping it or taking their swap offer? I’m keeping mine because, at the end of the day, my floors are clean and the Betta SE Plus is keeping the surface clean, so I’m happy. If I have to brush down the walls every 2 weeks or so, I’m ok with that but the vinyl seems to stay pretty clean and the wall mode works on about 50% of them.

 

[mriddell]

Thought I would give a follow up on the Scuba S1 Pro. I ran at 4 or 5 times. If in floor mode, it consistently got lost in a corner either in the deep or the shallow end. My pool walls are sloped somewhat and I suspect that that had something to do with it. When running in floor/wall mode it did do better. That said, it got lost even in that mode. Gave up and have returned the unit. I talked with Margaret at Marina Pool and Spa. They do not really feel that the wireless robots with the exception of the very high end models are ready for prime time as of yet. She suggested either the EVO 604 or the EVO 614 IQ. I doubt that I will ever use the app to control the robot, but I did buy the 614. We will see how it does. I guess in three or four years when this one dies the wireless units will be further along. I feel that the scuba S1 was lacking probably only in software, though I have no way to project longevity. Too bad.

 

[JayZed]

For what it’s worth, the YouTuber “Definitely David” has a couple of new videos out.
He reviews pool robots and buys them out of his own pocket and is usually not sponsored by anyone.
His reviews are by no means hard hitting, but at least he shows the robots in action in his swimming pool.
Possibly another point of comparison for actual or potential owners.

Here is his review of the Scuba S1 Pro:
Scuba S1 Pro Review

Here is his comparison between the S1 and the S1 Pro:
S1 vs S1 Pro

Perhaps some of you who have actually own these robots and have your own opinions might write some comments on his videos and urge him to look into some of your issues?
Just a thought.

P. S.
He also has reviews of the seaauto seal, beatbot aquasense, dolphin liberty, betta skimmer, etc.
Again, he usually doesn’t get very negative and mostly takes the manufacturer claims at face value, but at least you get to have a look and see how they perform in the water.

 

[Timetofloat]

After running for 3-4 days, the Scuba S1 has cleaned pretty much the entire bottom and walls of the deep end and shallow end. It appears it is no longer getting stuck in the deep end, so maybe it does need to "learn" the areas of the pool........ My 2nd Scuba S1 appears to be the charm!!!!!!

 

[cssnms]

So, are you keeping it or taking their swap offer? I’m keeping mine because, at the end of the day, my floors are clean and the Betta SE Plus is keeping the surface clean, so I’m happy. If I have to brush down the walls every 2 weeks or so, I’m ok with that but the vinyl seems to stay pretty clean and the wall mode works on about 50% of them.

I'm not sure... I may wait until the figure out the issue and swap it then. It's not clear to me if the Seagull would be any better. Right now it only cleans half of a pool, which is a failure in my view, but then again it's only half the price of the Dolphin. So I guess with the Scuba S1 you really do get what you pay for.

I'll report back on what I decide. Wondering of the N1 would do any better?

 

[Belo]

I'm about a week into my experience and was hoping it would improve, but it hasn't. I've read several of your reviews saying your robot was kind of stupid out of the gate but then learned your pools. Mine has not. I've tried floor only and auto with no success. You can see my pool in my avatar and what happens is that it gets stuck in the deep end right below the slope. I've watched it and what happens is that it vacuums a strip, it tries to cycle over to get another strip, but it slides back down the slope and just repeats the same 3' strip before it runs out of battery. If it would try vacuuming in the other direction (shallow to deep instead of width) I feel it'd be successful. Now my pool is also freshly opened and maybe it's a little slick still so I'm holding out hope, but this might be a return to sender

 

[cssnms]

I'm about a week into my experience and was hoping it would improve, but it hasn't. I've read several of your reviews saying your robot was kind of stupid out of the gate but then learned your pools. Mine has not. I've tried floor only and auto with no success. You can see my pool in my avatar and what happens is that it gets stuck in the deep end right below the slope. I've watched it and what happens is that it vacuums a strip, it tries to cycle over to get another strip, but it slides back down the slope and just repeats the same 3' strip before it runs out of battery. If it would try vacuuming in the other direction (shallow to deep instead of width) I feel it'd be successful. Now my pool is also freshly opened and maybe it's a little slick still so I'm holding out hope, but this might be a return to sender

Be sure to send Aiper an email about the issue.

 

[Belo]

Be sure to send Aiper an email about the issue.

I'm doing that as we speak. I ran it last night (after a bad storm) and I think it helps illustrate where it's getting stuck and obviously missing a whole bunch.

 

[piezon]

So I contacted Aiper regarding the issue that I'm having with the bot not making it's way past the transition hump between the deeper end and shallow end and this was their reponse... They also offered to swap out my machine with a Seagull Pro or 1500.

"This could be a bug in the machine's software. We take this issue very seriously and are actively seeking a solution. We will upgrade the machine as soon as possible to prevent this problem from occurring. However, it may take 2-3 months from finding the solution to implementation."

I would encourage everyone that is having a similar issue or other issues to contact Aiper service at the following email esp if it ends up helping make the product better in the longer run.

service@

I'm not sure... I may wait until the figure out the issue and swap it then. It's not clear to me if the Seagull would be any better. Right now it only cleans half of a pool, which is a failure in my view, but then again it's only half the price of the Dolphin. So I guess with the Scuba S1 you really do get what you pay for.

I'll report back on what I decide. Wondering of the N1 would do any better?

Had a 20 minutes storm pass thru this morning. Debris everywhere. About 500 rose petals floating on the pool along with seeds, pine needles, etc, and the bottom was dirty in a handful of places. So I put in the Betta SE Plus and the S-1 and went out for 2.5 hours. I returned to relatively spotless floor AND pretty much all the floating debris was inside the Betta. Both machines did their jobs quite well.
I’m hooked.

 

[mike.stocker]

Had a 20 minutes storm pass thru this morning. Debris everywhere. About 500 rose petals floating on the pool along with seeds, pine needles, etc, and the bottom was dirty in a handful of places. So I put in the Annetta and the S-1 and went out for 2.5 hours. I returned to relatively spotless floor AND pretty much all the floating debris was inside the Betta. Both machines did their jobs quite well.
I’m hooked.

Dang, that’s awesome. Would love to have seen a before and after of this. I sent my pro back today, couldn’t tell a vacuum had been in the pool after its first run. The fine filter was useless, it just spit dirty water back out the top so the pool looked the same the next morning as everything settled back on the floor. Betta seems to be doing a good job though. I may try out another robot vacuum soon, leaning towards the standard S1 or the standard Beatbot AquaSense.

 

[JayZed]

A much more opinionated review site.
It's interesting that he puts the Scuba S1 at the bottom of all the Aiper models, even apparently below the cheaper ones like the Seagull SE. He seems to love the older Seagull Pro but hasn't reviewed the new Scuba Pro line.

Tech Hive 2024 robot pool cleaners

 

[piezon]

Be sure to send Aiper an email about the issue.

Did you try it in floor mode only. Mine is having no probe lens getting from the 8.5’ deep end to the 3.5’ shallow end. Sometimes it goes straight up the incline and other times back & forth. It works quite well in that mode and I’m basically not interested in the wall mode if it keeps my floor clean. It Does do the walls in the shallow end but I have the same issue as you do in the deep end with the hopper.

 

[cssnms]

Did you try it in floor mode only. Mine is having no probe lens getting from the 8.5’ deep end to the 3.5’ shallow end. Sometimes it goes straight up the incline and other times back & forth. It works quite well in that mode and I’m basically not interested in the wall mode if it keeps my floor clean. It Does do the walls in the shallow end but I have the same issue as you do in the deep end with the hopper.

Yes Eco mode is floor only. This problem has been reported by others as well.

 

[cssnms]

This is where my S1 gets stuck and runs out of time so I never makes it past mid pool.

 

[JC707]

I'm pretty jealous of everyone getting their deliveries. As described a few pages back, my scuba was delivered to Texas. I reached out to customer service then escalated to upper supervisor, no luck.

Was told sometimes it gets diverted to their main hub before moving on but I'm not so sure as the delivery started in California where I live.

Will probably end up asking for a refund and rebuying.