Most useful pool skimmer?

Leaves, dead bugs and other debris always end up on pool surfaces. This is why pool skimming is one of the very few pool maintenance tasks that people need to do more often, often daily. Something like the Aiper Surfer S2 right here ($359.98 on Amazon) comes in use.

Actually the premise is quite simple. The robot will keep the surface of your pool free of floating debris. It does just that, and it promises to do it very efficiently while keeping the experience as practical as possible. How good is it, and is the experience as seamless as Aiper promises? I got to test it out for a few days, and spoiler: it’s awesome.

Pool owners can attest that owning a pool is a bit of a responsibility. It is not easy to maintain, and it takes a lot of work. The thing is, most of these are done weekly or monthly, some are even done seasonally. This includes tasks like vacuuming floors/walls, testing water chemistry, adding chemicals, cleaning filters, etc.

Those who have a pool know what they are signing up for, so you might not mind too much. Small, repetitive tasks are more annoying and cleaning the pool surface is one that often requires daily attention. This is probably the thing you do most often.

With something like the Aiper Surfer S2 (sometimes called the EcoSurfer S2), you can forget about floating on the surface of the pool the whole time.

Let’s cover the main feature here. The Aiper Surfer S2 promises a very practical approach. This is due to a combination of two things. For starters, it has really good battery life, up to 35 hours on a full charge. Just plug it in, wait 4-6 hours, and the thing will be ready to go. That said, you won’t even need to have it physically plugged in (or at least not all the time).

The main feature of the unit is the large solar panel mounted on top. This can keep the Aiper Surfer S2 running as long as the sun is shining, and if you live in a mostly sunny place, you’ll never need to plug it in.

I really liked its “SolarSeeker” technology. When the robot runs out of juice, it will move to a sunny spot in the pool, recharge for 15 minutes, then resume cleaning.

All this means less work for you. It can charge during the day, clean continuously, and keep your pool surface clean without you having to move a finger. And if no one is using the pool, you can leave the robotic pool skimmer in your pool indefinitely.

Now, let’s look at what really matters. How well does it clean the pool surface? It works well, but I think this is also an area where Aiper could improve.

I’ve used robotic pool cleaners that use their cameras and sensors along with some AI assistance to actively seek out debris and intelligently pick it up. The Aiper Surfer S2 doesn’t do anything like that. Its cameras and sensors are used for obstacle avoidance. For cleaning, it uses a random pattern, so the robot mostly swims around the pool without any specific direction in mind.

Many times I saw the Eiper Surfer S2 floating right next to the leaves. As said, it will eventually pick up all the floating debris, so it works. It will just take your sweet time to get it all. And I think that’s an acceptable compromise considering its long battery life and solar charging. You can just let it run its course and do its thing. If you’re really in a hurry to take something specific, you can control its trajectory using the app’s remote control feature.

However, once it catches something, it is very adept at it. It has a 150 μm filter, so it doesn’t just collect larger debris. It is suitable for collecting fine materials such as dust and sand. And it has a large 4L basket, so it can collect a lot of trash before dumping it out.

Well, I couldn’t test it, but you can also use chlorine tablets to keep the water clean. It can be installed inside the unit, in a specific tablet holder.

How good is the app?

The Aiper Surfer S2 is kind of a one-task robot, so using the Aiper app with it is very simple. You get very few options. This lets you start/stop cleaning, enter remote control mode or schedule a cleaning session at a specific time. You can also opt for Eco mode, which will make the robot clean and sleep in a 3-hour session.

In Settings, you can update firmware, configure connectivity, or adjust path preferences. The latter has two options: full coverage mode and edge guard mode. Full coverage mode will allow the robot to swim to the edge of the pool. Edge Guard mode will help avoid edges, reducing the risk of scratches or damage to the device.

The app is clean and simple. It gets the job done. And honestly, once it’s set up, you won’t need to use it much. That is, unless you really like using the remote control mode. After testing the app a bit and setting up a cleaning routine I haven’t touched the app at all.

Here’s the thing about the Aiper Surfer S2: It’s only $399.99, and you can often find discounts on it. This is quite economical in the world of pool cleaners. Yes, it’s a one-trick pony, but it handles one of the most annoying tasks in pool maintenance. And it does so in a very intuitive, practical way. You can set it up and let it do its thing indefinitely, especially if you live in a sunny place.

I imagine most pool owners don’t use their pool daily (at least most of the time), so the Aiper Surfer S2 can live in your pool on days when no one is swimming. Plus, it can keep the surface clean at all times, just in case you suddenly want to jump in to take a sting. All this without you having to worry about doing it yourself all the time.

We all have busy lives, and maintaining your pool already keeps you busy in many other ways. I would say that saving yourself 5-15 minutes a day is definitely worth the trouble if you can afford it. And I guess if you have a pool you can do that.