EDIT: Aiper has very kindly sent me a new Orby!!! I'm so happy. I can't try it out because I closed my pool already, but it looks good and I'm sure it will work great. I'll be a lot more cautious with Orby Deux. Can't wait for summer. At the very least, their customer service has been great and replacing it entirely, is pretty awesome. So yeah, if you're on the fence, just do it. *Note that my above ground pool has a flat bottom, so I can't speak to its power with pools that have inclines.
To start with, this is a fantastic pool cleaner. I bought a house last year that came with an above ground pool that I immediately disliked. I'd had family who had a pool and everyone told me it would be a nightmare to maintain. I decided to keep it this summer and if it was in any way too much of a hassle, it would be gone by the next year. Turns out - pools are not that complicated! I got and kept the salt water clear and sparkling all summer with little to no work. The only thing was the dirt and leaves at the bottom. It was a pain to clean that up ALL THE TIME!! And almost impossible to get dirt and sand. I had some other things that I could have used, but they were big and clumsy and took way too much time and didn't do a good job anyway. I found this little guy on Amazon, the price was not bad at all (considering everything for pools is an arm and a leg), so I gave it a shot. Me and Orby had a great summer. We swam together, we cleaned together, we basked in the sun together. It was all love and romance...until the end.
First, it does what it says it does and it filled my little anxious heart with joy when I would look at my pool and there was no dirt or leaves skulking at the bottom. I would check chemical levels, then plop Orby into the pool and when family came for a visit, they thought I'd hired a pro to keep my pool looking so amazing. This thing picked up leaves, it picked up just general dirt that got in, it picked up bugs that for some reason thought it was a good idea to drink salt water. If I'd had to treat for algae, I have no doubt he would have picked up the dead stuff. He got pollen, he got sand, he got small twigs (OK, bigger twigs were not his thing, but that's not his fault). My little Orby was amazing and rarely complained about anything. I honestly was a care-free pool owner all summer, in part due to this little guy.
BUT - unfortunately, there is a but. Because Orby is made entirely of very plasticky pieces, I spent a lot of the summer worrying about breaking those pieces. The ones that clamp the bottom of Orby to the top machine part were SO hard to open and close. I broke most of my nails trying to pry them open until I got a spoon from the kitchen and wedged it in the gap to pop those clamps open. There were times I was trying to close them, though, where I was simultaneously pushing as hard as possible and trying to be gentle - because, as afore mentioned: plasticky pieces. I was terrified I would break those clips, Orby would not seal and then it would all be over. But that didn't happen. Those dang tougher than my nails clips lasted all summer without popping off or cracking or anything. They were total champs, those clamps! No, I didn't even see the disaster coming.
One sad day, Orby was sitting out to dry and I gently scooched him over so I could place something where he was sunbathing. I didn't even lift or drop him, or kick him (I would NEVER). I was always really careful with him. But the nudge over did it. In that one terrible, heartbreaking moment, the plastic clips that hold the wheels in place - on three of the four wheels Orby has - SNAPPED. Little tiny pieces of plastic went raining down all over the place and when I picked him up, the wheels immediately made a run for it. No amount of searching would bring the teensy tiny little pieces back for gluing or any other options. I'd like to be dramatic and say my world collapsed, but to be honest, I was just really sad. There were only a few weeks left to the pool season, so I ended a glistening and laughter filled summer without a proper pool vacuuming. The thing is, it's not parts that can be replaced, it's the actual plastic that holds parts in and it's all one big piece underneath and other than gluing them back on (which, quite frankly, I doubt would ever work), there's no way to fix them, or get new parts to replace them. My guess is that the scooching was not the entire issue, they were likely getting more and more brittle or slightly banged up over the summer, without me realizing it. I was really careful to never bang it too harshly or be rough with it because - again - plasticky pieces. Plus, with a salt water pool, I expect there can be a little more wear and tear (though chlorine pools have a lot of harsh chemicals as well, so...who knows?). It was probably something coming that I just didn't see and had I been just a little more careful, wouldn't have happened.
So here I am, with a perfectly functioning machine that can't go anywhere. I'm not sure what the answer to this issue is, yet. I've had it for something like 8 months and it's been the light of my life...well, it's certainly made my pool life better. But with no way of using it again, I don't know what to do about it. They have a newer version, now, which looks amazing, even if it would be cheating on Orby. The new one is more of a Wallie-esk type thing which is cool. But that's another couple hundred dollars and I only had one summer with Orby. I think, generally speaking, he's pretty tough, but caution must be taken in his care.
If you DON'T have one of these delightful orbs and are considering getting one - I say do it! It's worth every penny. BUT, and I think I've said this enough times now, because of those very plasticky pieces, be very, very careful and gentle with it. Maybe find a nice soft bed type thing to place it on where it can dry out and not get banged about with other equipment and whatnot. I did let him dry in the sun for an hour or so before plugging him in to charge (always indoors). Maybe the sun was a bad idea? I don't know. He probably could have dried just as well in the shade. As a first time pool owner, I was really muddling through it all and the amount of money spent on chemicals and other cleaners was, quite frankly, mostly unnecessary. This was BY FAR the best purchase I didn't even think to make, until it popped up and there I was, totally in love with this little robot.
I may look into options for fixing it, but as pool season is over, I'm just going to move on with my life for now and reconsider options next year. And for those of you holding your breath on this point - YES! I am keeping the pool for at least another year. I may upgrade to a "real" pool in the next few years, but I'm actually surprisingly content with this one. :)
AIPER Cordless Robotic Pool Cleaner, Pool Vacuum with Dual-Drive Motors, Self-Parking Technology, Lightweight, Perfect for Ab
3.8 | 11,346 ratings
Price: 249.99
Last update: 07-22-2024
About this item
CORDLESS & EASY TO USE: No more messy hoses and no more tangled cords. The Seagull SE is completely cordless and hassle-free! Simply power your cleaner on and submerge it in your pool and the cleaning process automatically begins.
INCREASED BATTERY LIFE: The newly designed battery only takes 2.5 hours to fully charge and provides over 90 minutes of cleaning capabilities. Ideal for above-ground pools up to 30 feet in Length.
POWERFUL PERFORMANCE: Equipped with powerful dual-drive motors, the Seagull SE tracks down and collects the most types of dirt and debris with ease. This cleaner features two independent brushes to give your pool a deep clean.
SELF-PARKING: Your pool cleaner will automatically stop near the edge of your pool when the battery is low or when a cleaning cycle has been completed. The included hook makes retrieving your Seagull SE simple without the need to get wet.
LED INDICATOR: Equipped with four 3-color LED lights to communicate the devices status.Comes with a 1-year protection. Let your robot do the dirty work, get your weekends back!
INCREASED BATTERY LIFE: The newly designed battery only takes 2.5 hours to fully charge and provides over 90 minutes of cleaning capabilities. Ideal for above-ground pools up to 30 feet in Length.
POWERFUL PERFORMANCE: Equipped with powerful dual-drive motors, the Seagull SE tracks down and collects the most types of dirt and debris with ease. This cleaner features two independent brushes to give your pool a deep clean.
SELF-PARKING: Your pool cleaner will automatically stop near the edge of your pool when the battery is low or when a cleaning cycle has been completed. The included hook makes retrieving your Seagull SE simple without the need to get wet.
LED INDICATOR: Equipped with four 3-color LED lights to communicate the devices status.Comes with a 1-year protection. Let your robot do the dirty work, get your weekends back!
Product information
| Power Source | Battery Powered |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 6.6 Pounds |
| Special Feature | new2023 |
| Assembly Required | No |
| Battery Weight | 2.5 Grams |
| Year | 2022 |
| Lithium Battery Energy Content | 2.6 Watt Hours |
| Number of Batteries | 2 Lithium Metal batteries required. (included) |
| Product Care Instructions | new2023 |
| Product Dimensions | 24.8 x 18.9 x 14.96 inches |
| Item Weight | 6.6 pounds |
| Department | Unisex-Adult |
| Manufacturer | AIPER |
| ASIN | B09HZ5K5Y2 |
| Item model number | Seagull 600 |
| Batteries | 2 Lithium Metal batteries required. (included) |
| Customer Reviews |
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars
11,346 ratings
3.8 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #13,558 in Patio, Lawn & Garden (See Top 100 in Patio, Lawn & Garden) #48 in Robotic Pool Cleaners |
Top reviews from the United States
M. S. Raven
LOVE this pool cleaner
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2022Leslie8671
Stops moving. New one works great!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2024Amanda P
Lasted just over 3 months
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2023