Let’s start with the context. I’ve never owned a pool before, which means I also haven’t owned a pool cleaner. As a result, my perspective on the Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max is that of a first-time pool owner who simply wants to keep the water clear with minimal effort. And, I’ll start by saying it looks a hell of a lot better than the ancient device that used to be in my pool.
The idea of a robotic cleaner is deeply appealing – a quiet (and tubeless), battery-powered unit that roams around underwater while you go about your day. Drop it in, walk away, and come back to a spotless pool. And while it lives up to much of that promise, it also proves that pool-cleaning automation still needs a fair amount of human involvement.
Design & Setup
The Scuba X1 Pro Max appears to be beautifully made. It looks more like a premium air fryer than a piece of pool equipment, with clean lines, carbon-look surfaces, and solid rubber tracks. You’d be happy to leave it beside the pool rather than hiding it away.
Setup is straightforward. Charge it up, pair it with the app, select your cleaning mode, and drop it in. The charging dock is a genuine highlight. It’s magnetic, compact, and doubles as storage when the cleaner’s not in use. It’s also ideal for families with kids because it keeps the pool area tidy – one thing less to trip over.
The Aiper app is equally impressive. You can schedule cleaning cycles, switch modes, and monitor battery life, all from your phone. It feels modern and well thought out, rather than an afterthought tacked onto the product. However, when the device is underwater, the connection drops out, which adds a level of uncertainty to the operation. Changing clean cycles means lifting it out, waiting for it to reconnect and then dropping it back in.
Performance
In the water, the Scuba X1 Pro Max submerses and moves with purpose. It glides across the pool floor, climbs the walls, and surfaces every now and then to adjust its path or move between cleaning modes. Watching it work is oddly satisfying – my toddlers love it. I do too.
The results, however, depend on which mode you use. The flagship Hero Mode, which is designed to clean the entire pool, often leaves the floor unfinished. I also don’t think the Wall Mode does a great job of removing debris at the waterline – you’re really better off scrubbing it first. I’ve found that using the more targeted Floor, Wall or Skimming modes (there are seven) produces better results, though they take longer to run and require you to be at home to retrieve the device, or reconnect to the app to schedule the next cleaning cycle.
Battery life is solid. A full Hero clean takes around four to five hours, and by the end, the battery is almost depleted. I run it between two and four times a week and recharge between cycles.
Retrieving it from the pool is the least enjoyable part. It’s about 15kg when dry, and must be closer to 25kg when it’s full of water, so pulling it up onto the pool edge is a chore. You need to lift it above the water line so the water can flow out of the device before pulling it entirely from the water. During this process, annoyingly, lots of debris that the device has just picked up also comes out with that water.
User Experience
Even the best automation still requires a human touch. The Scuba X1 Pro Max comes with two filters, one for heavy debris and another ultra-fine filter for algae and dust. They are easy to access; you just pop a lid up on top of the device, and lift the basket they’re attached to out. However, cleaning them is fiddly – you need to unclip four individual pieces from the basket, wash each of them, then wash the inside of the basket before reassembling.
Small nooks trap debris, and while rinsing them out isn’t difficult, it’s not something you can skip. At first, I was anal about getting every spec of dirt off; I care less now, which may impact cleaning performance. It’s a reminder that “self-cleaning” isn’t quite literal yet. The device handles the heavy lifting, but you’ll still need to give it a little attention. A simple hose down keeps the rest of the unit looking schmick.
Day to day, using the Scuba X1 Pro Max is generally a pleasure. It’s quiet, efficient, and well-built. The app and dock – which hides in my backyard shed (which fortunately has power) – elevate the overall experience, making it feel premium without feeling complicated.
It doesn’t revolutionise your life, but it does simplify pool maintenance, and that’s enough. You don’t have to think about it much; you just have to remember to charge it and clean the filters.
Living With It
After a few months, the Scuba X1 Pro Max has become part of my pool routine. I have started prepping the pool prior to a clean, a quick scrub of the water line and brush of the floor to loosen the settled dirt, then I drop it in and it does 90% of the rest. It doesn’t pick everything up, which is a tad frustrating, but it’s not bad.
Additionally, you do need to remember it’s in the pool because the app suggests you shouldn’t leave it underwater for prolonged periods. Once a clean is complete, it returns to the wall where you dropped it in so you can retrieve it easily. On one occasion, I forgot it was in the pool and left for the afternoon. It ran out of battery and sank to the bottom, where it spent another six hours before I came home that evening. Realising you forgot does cause mild anxiety, but fortunately, Aiper supplies a hook you can attach to your existing pole to hook under the handle and pull it out.
Finally, it feels like it’s built to last. The seals, wheels, and charging connections feel robust, although the filters are a bit plasticky. I get the sense this is a product (with a couple of new filters) that will see me through a few summers without complaint. Hero Mode might not live up to its name, but as a reliable cleaner that does the majority of the work for you, it’s impressive.
Value & Verdict
The Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max is smart, stylish, and practical. It takes a big chunk of the effort out of pool maintenance, even if it doesn’t completely remove it.
It’s not a true “set and forget” cleaner, but it’s close enough for most households. If you expect perfection, you’ll find flaws, but if you want something that genuinely lightens the load and looks good doing it, this is it.
In the world of pool maintenance, almost doing it all still counts.
Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max
Great
82/100
SCOREPROS
- Excellent design and build quality.
- Cleans effectively across multiple modes.
- Clever charging dock and storage.
- Great app experience.
- Solid battery performance.
CONS
- Heavy to retrieve from the pool.
- Requires frequent charging for regular use.
- Hero mode doesn’t always clean everything.
- Wall cleaning underperforms.
The author was provided an Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max for the purposes of this review.
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