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Aiper vs Dolphin

It comes down to the cable. If you want a cordless robot, Aiper's are the better-tested, led by the camera-guided Scuba V3. If you're happy with a cable at the poolside, Dolphin's corded Nautilus CC Plus and Premier have the stronger record, and Aiper doesn't make a corded robot at all.

Updated

Which suits your home

Start with the thing that matters most to you.

  • Cordless, mid-sized in-ground poolAiper

    The Scuba V3's camera steers it to dirt, and WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Bob Vila all found it cleans floors, walls and the waterline well.

  • You don't mind a cableDolphin

    Aiper only makes cordless robots. Dolphin's corded Nautilus CC Plus cleaned floors and walls well for three independent testers Reviewed Family Handyman Test Your Own Pool.

  • Floating leaves as well as the floorAiper

    The Scuba X1 Pro Max skims the surface too, and T3 found its slow skimming collected most floating debris. The Dolphins we compare here don't skim.

  • A grubby waterlineDolphin

    Bob Vila found the corded Dolphin Premier kept scrubbing with much of the robot above the water, and the tile line sparkled after a full cycle.

  • Easy to lift outAiper

    The Scuba V3 is light and climbs to the waterline when it's done Bob Vila, though it only waits about 10 minutes before sinking Trusted Reviews. Dolphin's cordless EON 100 is about 10kg and hard to reach in a deep pool without an extra-cost button Mon Robot Piscine.

Model for model

The closest match from each brand at three price levels, with today's prices.

Budget

Reviewers favour Aiper
Aiper Seagull Pro

Aiper

Seagull Pro

US$499at Aiper

Dolphin Escape

Dolphin

Escape

US$669.00at PoolRobots

The Seagull Pro climbs walls and PCWorld called it the most effective cleaner it had tested, though Aiper is phasing it out. The corded Escape only does the floor, which it did well for Bob Vila.

Mid-range

Reviewers favour Aiper
Aiper Scuba V3

Aiper

Scuba V3

Not currently sold in the US

Dolphin EON 100

Dolphin

EON 100

US$899.00at TC Pool Equipment Co (Dolphin EON 100)

Both cordless and both clean floors well. The Scuba V3 has three English-language tests behind it WIRED Trusted Reviews Bob Vila, is lighter to lift and drives to dirt by camera, while the EON 100's route is less methodical Meilleure Innovation.

What reviewers say about each range

Aiper

Aiper only makes cordless robots, from the floor-only Seagull SE up to the skimming Scuba X1 Pro Max. Its best-tested model is the Scuba V3, whose camera steers it to dirt: WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Bob Vila all rated its cleaning, though its battery is short for a big pool. Higher up, T3 and Heise rated the X1 Pro Max's cleaning among the best they'd seen, but Reviewed's unit kept stopping before it finished a run. Weight is the recurring catch on the bigger models.

Dolphin

Dolphin, made by Maytronics, sells both corded and cordless robots. The corded ones have the stronger record: Reviewed, Family Handyman and Test Your Own Pool all found the Nautilus CC Plus cleans floors and walls well, and Bob Vila rated the Premier's waterline scrubbing. The cordless Liberty 600 and EON 100 leave floors very clean for European testers Les Numériques Meilleure Innovation, but both wander at random and are heavy to lift out. Steps are a weak spot across the range.

Where they differ

  1. 01

    Cable: Aiper is cordless only

    Every Aiper runs on a battery, so there's no cable to lay out, but you charge it and fish it out after each run. Dolphin still sells corded robots, and they're its best-tested: the Nautilus CC Plus impressed Reviewed, Family Handyman and Test Your Own Pool, and Reviewed found the cable reached well without tangling. If a cable doesn't bother you, that's a strong reason to pick Dolphin.

  2. 02

    Navigation: Aiper's camera finds the dirt

    The Scuba V3 recognises debris and drives to it. WIRED watched it route itself to pebbles it had thrown in, and Trusted Reviews rated its navigation excellent. Dolphin's cordless robots wander at random: Les Numériques saw the Liberty 600 change direction for no clear reason, and Meilleure Innovation found the EON 100's route looked random, though it never got stuck. They get there in the end, just more slowly.

  3. 03

    Skimming: only Aiper does it

    The Scuba X1 Pro Max cleans the floor, walls and waterline, then skims, and T3 found the skimming slow but effective. The Liberty 600 doesn't skim Les Numériques. The catch is reliability, as Reviewed's X1 Pro Max repeatedly stopped and floated up before finishing a cycle.

  4. 04

    Getting it out: both are a lift

    The Scuba V3 is light and climbs to the waterline, but Trusted Reviews missed its 10-minute window and had to hook it out. Dolphin's cordless robots come up when you shake a clicker in the water, which Les Numériques and Maison et Domotique found worked, but the Liberty 600 weighs about 12kg. The X1 Pro Max is heavier still at around 15kg T3.

  5. 05

    Steps: a weak spot for both

    Family Handyman had the Nautilus CC Plus stuck on steps about once every ten days, and Meilleure Innovation saw the EON 100 give them only a quick pass. Testers of the Liberty 600 split Les Numériques Maison et Domotique. On the Aiper side, Trusted Reviews found curved sections trickier for the Scuba V3. Whichever you buy, expect to brush the steps now and then.

Questions people ask

Is Aiper better than Dolphin?

For a cordless robot, yes on the evidence: the Scuba V3 has three positive English-language tests WIRED Trusted Reviews Bob Vila and steers itself to dirt. For a corded robot, Dolphin wins by default, as Aiper doesn't make one, and the Nautilus CC Plus has a strong record Reviewed.

Which brand lasts longer?

Nobody has run either brand long enough to say. The longest test is Test Your Own Pool's swim season with the corded Nautilus CC Plus, with no leaks or loss of performance. For Aiper, Bob Vila found the Scuba V3 solidly built after a month, and Reviewed's X1 Pro Max kept stopping mid-run.

Which is better for a pool with lots of leaves?

For sunken leaves, both do well: T3 found the X1 Pro Max as good as anything it had tried, and Les Numériques saw the Liberty 600 collect every leaf. If leaves float on the surface, only the Aiper skims. The corded Dolphin Premier also comes with a leaf bag Maytronics (US).

Are Aiper pool robots heavy?

The small ones aren't: the Scuba V3 is light enough that Bob Vila found lifting it out easy. The X1 Pro Max is around 15kg dry and holds water T3. Dolphin's cordless robots are heavy too, with Meilleure Innovation finding the EON 100 hard work once waterlogged.

Do I need to stay near the pool?

With the Scuba V3, ideally yes. It waits at the waterline for only about 10 minutes before sinking Trusted Reviews. Dolphin's cordless robots wait on the floor until you call them up with a clicker Les Numériques, and the corded ones stay put until you lift them by the handle.

Sources

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