New for 2023, Aiper has released the Aiper Seagull Plus Pool Robot. With an improved battery life, we wanted to put it to the test to see if it improved on the Aiper Seagull 600 and Aiper Seagull 1000.
Let's start with this, it is only for pools with COMPLETELY flat floors. It cannot handle any slope at all. This has been a huge issues for nearly all Aiper pool robots, as they just simply lack the power to handle it.
Disappointing User Experince
The whole cordless pool robot sounds fantastic, but in reality, is a pain to deal with. In order to use the robot, I had to charge it for a few hours, then run it to the pool and let it run its 110 minute cycle. Once it was done, I had to switch out my pool net for the included hook to fish out the Aiper. And let me tell you, this thing is heavy with water.
While all robotic pool cleaners are heavy, most corded robots can be lifted to the surface then pulled out by the handle relatively easy. But trying to hold the pole in one hand and lift out the cleaner with the other was a struggle for me at times. Nothing major, but it is noteworthy.
From there, it could pickup some larger leaves, but failed to pickup any smaller debris. It lacks a true filter, as it just places the debris at the bottom of the body of the unit. Which is fine, but when compared to Dolphin and their cartridge filters, they are much easier to clean. It missed several spots in my pool, which was disappointing.
From there, you have to plug in the unit again for another few hours to try to pick up the spots it missed. It was very frustrating, as being able to run the cleaner over and over again is a perk from corded robots I found missing.
1 Year Warranty
It has a 1 year warranty, which is nice, but other robot brands usually offer 2 years. A lot of complaints on this robot stem from its lack of warranty and the battery life going down after a few months, so this is something to worry about.
Overall Thoughts
It is an okay choice if you own a flat above ground pool. I wouldn't recommend it over the likes of a Dolphin unit such as the Dolphin Escape or Dolphin Cayman however. In direct comparison, the power of the Aiper Seagull Plus is nowhere close to other true robotic pool cleaners. The battery technology just doesn't seem to be there yet, and the Escape and Cayman blew them out of the water.