Many companies are diving into the robot pool cleaner market, but few come with the credentials of Ecovacs. Ecovacs has established itself as a company that has delivered time and time again in the domestic appliance market and competes in roughly 180 markets. They are famous for their Deebot range of robot vacuums, have ventured into robotic windows cleaners and lawn mowers and now have released the Ecovacs Ultramarine P1 Robotic Pool Cleaner.

I was keen to give this a go and compare it to others I have bought or reviewed.

So lets look at the headline specs first before we see how it performs. Ecovacs describe the Ultramarine P1’s key highlights as

  • Ultra-clean Performance: Powered by 18,200 LPH UltraPure Suction Technology, it efficiently tackles leaves, sand and debris.
  • Runtime & Durability: Built with up to 3 hours runtime and marine-grade durability for longer, reliable pool cleaning.
  • SmartNavi Intelligent Navigation: Maps efficient cleaning paths for up to 99% coverage.

I have had this cleaner for a few weeks and have thoroughly put it through it’s paces. I intend to judge it on several parameters

  • Design
  • Setup
  • App functionality & modes
  • Performance
  • Battery life and charging rates

Design

I like this. I like it a lot. The Ultramarine P1 is a sleek looking unit. With brushes both front and back, a great colour scheme, a flashy logo and perspex top cover. However I question the need to include the word PUSH in big bold letters on the button to access the filters. I am not sure what the designers were thinking there but it might just be a matter of taste. Some might like it. You certainly can’t miss it.

What’s in the box?

I was sent the Ultramarine Care kit version which comes with additional accessories

I am a big fan of the Quick-Start guide and this cleaner comes with one as soon as you open the box. Apart from those instructions and a manual the box contains a hook for fishing the unit out of the pool when done, a spare filter, rubber tracks and climbing rings (suitable for pools with slippery sides). These climbing rings replace portions of the standard tracks that can give that extra grip.

PUSH

App setup

If anyone already has an Ecovacs appliance no need to download the app as you already have it. I simply added the Ultramarine P1 to my app I use for my household robot vacuum. Keeping it simple you can just swipe from one device to another.

If this is your only Ecovacs cleaner just create an account. Adding the pool cleaner couldn’t be simpler. Point the app at the QR code on the unit and it’s as easy as that. Of course you also have to choose a suitable name. Get your kids to do that.

Then it’s time to choose from a series of options that best describe your pool

  • Pool Type (Above ground or in-ground)
  • Pool shape (6 different options)
  • Floor profile (Flat, Sloped or Tiered)
  • Dimensions and depth – get that tape measure out. Rookie error – when it asks for your pool dimensions keep your phone close to the robot when you go out and measure it. If not, the Bluetooth connection will drop out causing you to start all over again.
  • Surface material (Tile, Ceramic, Fibreglass, Vinyl, Concrete/Plaster, Glass or other)

Let the app check for firmware updates (mine had one waiting) and off you go

Modes

There are three modes, with different cleaning options available

  • All – Walls and floors
  • Walls only
  • Floor only

Cleaning options

  • Eco
  • Standard
  • Strong

This is where my eyes lit up when I saw that you could adjust the time. A feature that goes a long way to address what I see as a fundamental flaw in pool robot software design.

For anyone that has seen any of my pool cleaning robot reviews I rabbit on constantly about how pool robots are fundamentally different to household robot vacuums in the fact that I understand real-time monitoring of the cleaner is not possible due to the laws of physics being what they are. (Bluetooth doesn’t transmit underwater) I accept that but equally I didn’t see the point in a robot pool cleaner doing its job of covering the entire pool then continuing to do so until the battery runs down and the robot grinds to a halt awaiting collection.

If you send a home vacuum out to clean the kitchen you don’t expect it to clean it 15 times til the battery gets to critical levels and it just stops.

My reasoning was it can’t be that hard to sense when the pool is clean, or know when it has covered the whole pool, having done the job you gave it and then stop. It’s a software thing right?

Alas I haven’t seen it implemented, until now. Well sort of. I will explain. The Ecovacs Ultramarine P1 may not sense when the entire pool has been covered but they have done the next best thing. If you know it takes an hour for the robot to clean the floors, just set it to go for one hour. It wasn’t that hard after all.

Winner

The Ecovacs app allows you to choose “Max” if you want to just keep cleaning til it dies, or choose a minimum of a 30 minute clean or increase that in 30 minute increments. And this timer functionality is available in all modes.

Other robot pool cleaners allow a timer of sorts. Some only allow it on Eco mode, others allow you to choose set durations over several days til the battery is exhausted

The Ultramarine P1 is the first I have seen to give you this ultimate flexibility. Visitors coming in an hour? Set the cleaner for the hour, not set a timer for an hour and try and catch it with a big hook as it swims past you before your guests arrive. Thank you Ecovacs.

Standard timer options are also available. Name the days of the week, the start time, duration and mode

Timers

So lets see what this thing can do

But first we have to charge it and that takes quite a bit of time. Out of the box the charge was 64% and the charge to 100% took 1h 35 minutes. Subsequent charges from it’s low battery state of 5% to full took 3h 40 mins. Depending on your choice of mode or cleaning duration, some combinations will not allow you to choose them if the battery state is at an insufficient level.

Upon it’s first full charge you are prompted to perform a full clean (Walls and Floor), standard setting for maximum time

I witnessed the cleaner climbing every wall and crisscross around the floor covering the area at least twice

Walls

Pool floors are easy but what about walls?

The Ultramarine P1 had no issues climbing the walls and even managed a two-tier step configuration that others struggle with. Once up on the steps it is very difficult for any cleaner to reach every corner of a platform but this one did ok.

Handled the steps to get where others have failed

Performance stats and runtime

For these reviews I always test every mode in every configuration, from fully charged to when it stops due to low battery. For the Ecovacs that low battery level is set to 5%. To give you an idea how long each cycle lasts below is a table of results. I think it is pretty cool that the results presented to you after each clean (and also available as a history in the app) contains the number of litres of water that was pushed through the robot

*Please note in Walls only mode a standard clean is the only option.

Ok it goes around the pool but does it pick up dirt and debris? Yes it does. And very well. All the more reason to have the ability to select a timed clean (Ok I will stop going on about it). My pool was spotless in the space of around 90 minutes. Of course my second selection had nothing to pick up and by the time I recharged and set it free for all 7 modes lets say I had nothing to hose out of the filter baskets. Yes it has two. A standard filter at 180 microns and an ultra-fine at 3 microns.

Cleaning is achieved by hosing the filters. Ecovacs suggest you hose out immediately as if the debris is allowed to dry it is harder to remove. The main filter is easy enough to clean but it can be challenging to remove some of the finer dirt from the inside and outside of the fabric ultra-fine filter. You might get a bit wet yourself.

A slight hiccup

During one of my “All pool” cleaning passes there was a small interruption to the cycle as the poor guy had a bit of a mishap. After scaling the wall the robot did a backflip Matthew Mitcham would have been proud of and travelled upside down across the pool. Of course, again with no Bluetooth penetrating the water it was pure luck I found him. I quick restart and he was on his way again. Nothing serious. I have now clocked up several thousands of square metres coverage and hundreds of thousands of litres passed through the little guy in testing and I couldn’t replicate it so I will put it down to a one-off. Perhaps fitting the optional climbing rings in the Care Kit would address this

OOPS

The Verdict

The Good

  • Great design
  • App functionality
  • The timer function
  • Thoroughness of clean
  • Wall climbing ability

The not so good

  • What’s with the big “PUSH” button 🙂
  • Slow to charge
  • Ultra-fine filter a bit hard to clean
  • The robot must be connected to the app to browse so browsing whilst cleaning is not possible

It is clear to see that Ecovacs hasn’t come into this market blind. They have channelled their expertise in home vacuuming robots into their outdoor offerings. As with all robot pool cleaners these machines are designed to maintain your pool, not resurrect it if it has been neglected. It is an easy routine to get into of setting the mode and timer, placing this cleaner in your pool and just let it do its thing. For emergency cleans when the in-laws are coming around just set it on strong, choose the length of time it usually takes to get around and throw it in. There is a lot to like about the Ultramarine P1.

Available August 4, it’s coming to Australia with the standard model at a sharp price of just $999