Last year, we tested a pool vacuum cleaner from a newcomer on the market, the Aiper brand. Don't hesitate to read our test of the Aiper Seagull Plus, a robot vacuum cleaner that did its job rather well even if it was not without its faults. This time, we are testing the Aiper Scuba E1, a model marketed in the same price range and which seems to be aimed at the same clientele. But this time, the technical sheet has evolved and we tested it for several weeks.
Presentation Scuba E1 and technical characteristics
For 2024, Aiper has reworked its entire range of pool vacuums and they are systematically more advanced than the previous range. There is always something for all pools and all budgets ranging from 239.99 euros with the Scuba SE to 1499.99 euros for the Scuba S1 Pro. The Scuba E1 is marketed at 399.99 euros.
For this price, we have a multi-motor system. One is dedicated to propulsion and the brush drive while a second motor does its utmost to vacuum and filter particles. New this year, a double filtration system has been installed for better cleaning. It is intended only for pools with flat ground but is still capable of operating on surfaces of 100m2 and 10 meters in length maximum (most pools in short). It would be able to operate for around a hundred minutes for a charging time of 3 hours.
Easy to use and devilishly efficient
The Scuba E1 has a fully automatic operation. Simply turn it on and let it fill with water and sink to the bottom of the pool. From there, the vacuum cleaner will start to work a few seconds after touching the bottom and will move back and forth and change direction automatically depending on the obstacles it encounters. For our part, we tested the device in a round pool with a diameter of 4.57 m. It always performed very well during cleaning except that it got stuck once under the ladder. Definitely a stroke of bad luck because it only happened once so it's hard to hold it against him.
It moves relatively quickly along the bottom of the pool, which can sometimes create small eddies in the lighter dirt at the bottom of the pool. So it sometimes misses things, including small particles of dead algae that the sand filter can have trouble filtering properly. But ultimately, after its full cleaning cycle, there is nothing left in the bottom of the pool and the deposits have not returned. So it works very well, especially since the fine particle filter ended up slightly green.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000The brand announces a suction power of 60GPH, which seems largely sufficient because generally nothing escapes it. Our test pool is exposed to the elements and we often find dead leaves or even balls of lime blossom at the bottom of the water and everything passes very well in the robot. These relatively large particles are perfectly retained by the filtration basket (180m and capacity of 3.6l). The “invisible” particles are well retained by the 3m filter which avoids vacuuming the bottom with a traditional broom and sending too much water to the sewer. Compared to the Seagull Plus tested previously, it is night and day in terms of fine particles. And unlike the latter, the Scuba E1 no longer rejects part of the dirt when leaving the water.
As for autonomy, the data announced by the manufacturer are good, to be seen over time if the integrated battery maintains all its performance long enough. In any case, when the battery is low, the robot comes to stand near one side of the pool so that it can be easily removed from the water with the hook provided. And it works wonderfully.
Not much to complain about!
The Seagull Plus was already pretty good, but we had found fault with its ability to properly clean a pool when there are fine particles or small algae on the bottom. With the Scuba E1, that's over! It does the job perfectly welland for a small pool it is perfect because it goes back and forth in all directions and at the end of the cycle, everything is clean. All that is left to do is enjoy the water. The higher models are capable of climbing the walls, this is perhaps the only thing that can be criticized about it at the moment. But for 399.99 euros and sometimes even closer to 320 euros when there are promotions, we can't ask for the moon either. No complicated pipes to handle, no electrical wires, 100% autonomous and very efficient. It finally has a flaw, it is not able to get out of the water on its own to go and charge itself and clean its filters, but maybe we are asking a little too much!