Since we tried the Aiper Seagull Pro the idea of an old-school pipe connected pool cleaner has been nothing more than laughable and for the last few months we’ve been testing the Aiper Scuba S1 – turns out, they know what they’re doing at Aiper.
Here’s the long and the short of it. When compared to the Aiper Seagull Pro, the Aiper Scuba S1 in our testing has a longer battery life, it’s a lighter device and the debris basket is easier to clean.
It’s around the same price, so frankly, I think it’s the pick of the two.
On an “average family pool” – it takes around 2.5 hours to do a full floor clean, about an hour and a half to do the walls.
Basically, remember, this is a “throw it in and go” kinda pool cleaner.
On the Scuba S1 there’s a button to press to switch between the modes, which are “Auto”, “Wall”, “Floor” and “Eco” – Eco just does less work on the floors basically.
When it’s done, it just sits and hopes you’ll come get it with a pool pole and hook (the hook is an optional extra which seems to be a bonus deal right now, and in my view should be included – but, I’ll forgive that for now.
With a simple pop open top, you get access to the basket which you can just turn upside down to empty into the garden or green bin, and a quick hose will have it ready for work again immediately.
Of course, your Aiper Scuba S1 needs rest, so plug it in, charge it up, ready for the next day.
I was blown away to test this in just one short hour long session and see it really make a difference to the pool.
Then, the next day I came back after Angus (the name we gave the Aiper) had done the full walls and floor, and the pool looked brand new! Even the edges which I thought were no chance and might need a scrub – clean as a whistle!
At the time of writing, there are some cracking deals on Aiper Scuba S1 around $850, but even at $1100 it’s great value compared to the traditional units.
What’s peaked my interest now is the “Surfer” series device from Aiper – out there skimming the top of the pool with solar charging? That’s thinking!
Trev is a Technology Commentator, Dad, Speaker and Rev Head.
He produces and hosts two popular podcasts, EFTM and Two Blokes Talking Tech. He also appears on over 50 radio stations across Australia weekly, and is the resident Tech Expert on Channel 9’s Today Show each day and appears regularly on A Current Affair.
Father of three, he is often found down in his Man Cave.
