Battle of the Surface Pool Skimmers!

Battle of the Bots! Pool Skimmer robots that is!
Which one reigns supreme in this death match between surface pool skimmers?!
Well... none actually. These skimmers all perform very well in terms of skimming the pool surface of debris. All three skimmers can be charged with the power of the sun or via a charging cable included. All three are fully automatic and have ultrasonic sensors to avoid obstacles. The right choice for you depends on the amount of money you want to spend and the EXTRA features you would like.
Regardless, any one of these 3 skimmers will work very well in the pool.
You can pick one up on any of my links below!
DISCLAIMER: As an Amazon and Walmart associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. This does NOT affect the price you pay.
Aiper Surfer S1:
amzn.to/4btC1Ro
amzn.to/4blSSWs
Aiper Surfer M1(Same skimmer as S1 but different color):
walmrt.us/3Rug9hI
Betta SE Plus:
amzn.to/49AJDBz
walmrt.us/3VpaHPX
Smonet SR5:
amzn.to/3yOCTCS

[@davedavis7937]

I bought a Seauto Shark and a Beta after seeing your videos, and then verifying with other videos being published. After using a regular skimmer and Kreapy Crawlies for over 25 years I didn't expect this to work so well. My pool has NEVER been so clean! The Beta runs 24/7 on solar all day and stored power for night time, and I put the Shark in maybe two or three times a week. The Beta gets it's basket emptied maybe once a week, and the Shark gets the basket washed after every time its run; sooooo much less work than before. My pool is crystal clear like the sand filter could never get it; WORTH EVERY PENNEY! Thank you for the informative videos you guys!

[@flightofthekingfisher9766]

I bought a Betta based on one of your earlier videos, it changed my life. Pool has never been cleaner.

[@imdefinitelydavid]

Think about how I feel with 3 skimmers in the pool at once... I can't wait till the Fall and windy season when I get a ton of surface debris lol

[@versa319]

I recommend getting their 2 or 3 year extended warranty through their website. Its worth it!

[@davidbrodeur50]

Nice review! Thank you, I was contemplating buying the Aiper and your review affirmed my decision!

[@BarbaraWrigley]

I watched the video and purchased the Beta for the hand held remote control (with several family members I thought that would be more convenient). Immediately after purchasing, I saw a KZbin video that commented that the basket was open on top and debris tended to fall out and I found out the basket was 200 micrometers while the Aiper was 180 micrometers. So I returned it and purchased the Aiper Surfer S1 and couldn’t be happier. I have a screened-in pool with little to no debris - or so I thought. The amount of debris skimmed each day is amazing. The basket has a screened top and no debris leaks out. I don’t think my pool has ever been cleaner.

[@bdtang]

I have the betta from last year and have to say it keeps going. The just finished our fiberglass pool so using it to clean the debris. I have it in the pool for the past 4 days. It’s running when I wake up and still running when I go to bed. I guess The solar panels real charge the onboard battery enough to run even at night.

[@dgstreams]

Thanks for the review. I have used your link and added 1 to my cart on Amazon🤝

[@DanTheMentor]

I had the original betta, pooped out right over 13 months, but they were nice enough to repair it for free. The propeller motor had failed. It lasted another year, and the rotor has now failed, and they offered to trade in for the SE at $320 which was not bad. The aiper looks intriguing though. It did a great job when it was new.

[@briangaines.sandiego]

If you leave them in the pool all day, will they just resume the next day when the sun comes up?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

Yes! They all have a preset percentage on the battery. When it gets low enough, it'll turn off(sometime in the evening usually with no charging from sun). Then the next morning when sunlight comes in, it'll take a few hours to charge itself first, then turn back on. Depending on how intense the sun is(summer vs fall) it'll turn itself on faster, etc. But all should be AUTOMATIC and turn themselves on yes.

[@briangaines.sandiego]

@@imdefinitelydavid thank you, what a game changer! I’m in San Diego so good with the sun all year.

[@briangaines.sandiego]

@@imdefinitelydavid ended up getting the betta se plus. Thanks!

[@fortyyearfitness]

i have the betta se plus and i love it, it works great... just buy it

[@erice8502]

I just completed my first four hour run with the Beta SE Plus. Two comments to offer at this time: (1) Heed to the conversation on this getting caught in the skimmer. Turn off your pump or alter speed (which I have to figure out myself). (2) Downfall perhaps with all of these is that it “dumps” a lot of debris when it backs up from the wall or other sensor interaction. Frustrating.

[@brucethebarguy]

I just got the Aiper. It is going in circles like others have said. Apparently the right motor is stronger than the left. Drive it straight with the app, if it doesn't go straight then something is wrong. Returning mine for a replacement. I returned the Betta for it reversing every few feet for no reason.

[@imdefinitelydavid]

Wow sorry to hear that! You have such terrible luck with these skimmers! I mean yes, there will always be defective units but you are two for two now, sorry!

[@mcauleyrj]

Right now all three have promotions and there is only a $30 difference between the Aiper ($430) and the Betta ($400). The SR5 has a $150 coupon and is only $250.

[@imdefinitelydavid]

I'm expecting these skimmers to drop in price. There's way more competition this year!

[@Celestialrob]

Hi David, new to your channel. Thanks for this. I'm leaning towards the Betta. Then need to find a cleaner for the walls and bottom of our slopped pool. Binge watching your channel! Again, thanks!

[@imdefinitelydavid]

Thanks for the views! The Betta is a great choice. The great thing about the Betta is that you can combine it with a good cordless cleaner and use them both in the pool at the same time. With the Betta, you'll have to do less cleaning overall. Or were you more interested in a corded cleaner?

[@Celestialrob]

@@imdefinitelydavid Hi David, I think I will go for the Aiper. Thanks!

[@imdefinitelydavid]

Another good one! 👍

[@Celestialrob]

@@imdefinitelydavid Thanks David. I've swung back to the Aiper Scuba and Scimmer combo.

[@njwatkins1]

@Celestialrob if you’re looking for a underwater floor/wall solution I can’t recommend the M600 from Dolphin/Maytronics enough. They are amazing. A little pricey, but well worth it. Ours has paid for itself in less chemicals and no need for a pool attendant.

[@ShaneHarderPhoto]

Which one is the fastest? I'd love to see a drag race with all 3. Also which one will clean your entire pool the quickest? Meaning how well/fast can it turn around? How long does it take for one run over the entire pool surface of your pool? I own a small pool cleaning business and I'm thinking these could help service techs to clean pools a little quicker.

[@imdefinitelydavid]

The Smonet SR5 has a Sport Mode setting that makes it faster than the other two. But not much faster to be honest. And the Smonet has the smaller debris basket as well so you might be emptying it more often. The thing about these skimmers is that there is no preset time limit or pattern it follows. So it senses a wall and turns the other way but every pool is different so you can't really say it takes an hour or two to clean the pool. I would definitely say it takes more than 30 minutes to skim the entire surface automatically. These are great to set in the pool and to leave it alone to do its job. Like for your service techs, leave in the pool and to go clean the pool filter and then come back. But for on the spot cleaning in the pool, it's not fast enough at all. A tech with a pool net will skim the surface much quicker than these automatic skimmers do. Great as a maintenance tool more so than on the spot cleaning.

[@robertm1692]

Unless your techs are spending more than an hour at each stop it won't help. I've never had a tech at my house more than about 8-10 minutes.

[@geovanniroman9021]

Hey david in your opinion whats the best one u recommend im in the market for one but cand decide?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

I REALLY like the Surfer because of that unnecessary battery indicator on the app lol. Like I know it's not a big deal but more like a convenience feature. The S1 should be released this month. Performance wise they all do well in the pool. Really based off those "extra" features I'd say.

[@geovanniroman9021]

Perfect thanks 👍

[@jwhite4]

Good video. I think a more useful test might have been to sort of replicate a (carpet) vacuum cleaner dump test: get a consistent amount of debris, put each unit individually into the pool, and then see how they perform (either: how long does it take for each to clean the entire pool; or, how much has it collected after an hour or so). I sense that the most expensive might clean faster. But as long as say a lesser expensive one can do the job during the day, that should be fine. I've read a number of comments where posters have talked about defects and issues. Do you think these units are stable enough to get? Or do they need a bit more Q&Q time?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

That's a good idea for my next run of new skimmers. There are quite a few being released soon. To be honest, all of these skimmers work very similarly. And yes, the more expensive one does move faster in general and longer so technically it cleans faster. But left alone for 24 hours, I would say all three do about the same in terms of cleaning debris in that time frame. And in terms of durability and defects, I think it's a normal amount. I have all three of these skimmers in 3 different pools(2 my own, 1 in a friend's pool) and they're in there almost 24/7. Only take them out to empty the basket or to film/swim in. And all 3 are still working as well as the first day. The people that post about defects aren't the norm. More people will post about something if they have an issue with it as opposed to other people that don't post and have no issues, if that makes sense. I mean, it totally sucks to have a defective cleaner. And I feel bad for all of those people that do. But from my own use, they are great. And in the future, they will have more features and become better imo.

[@tkdtres]

Do you feel that the advertised run time is accurate? 30 hours for the beta plus and 10 hours for the surfer? Do you have an updated top choice? Thanks

[@imdefinitelydavid]

I don't ever know how to fully test the actual run-times for these things. There's no way I'd record 30 hours straight of video and then review it... plus those numbers are generally for optimum conditions where it's direct sunlight all day long. What I do know is that during summer months, these skimmers all do run when I'm awake and before I go to bed. So I'm happy

[@ZZIRHT]

Nice video! My Solar Breeze Ariel just died. David, which would you pick if you could only get one, the Betta SE Plus or the Aiper Surfer S1, regardless of price and only basing choice off overall cleaning ability and happiness with the unit?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

The Aiper Surfer S1 is my favorite at the moment, the app control is minimal but I find myself using the battery indicator a lot lol. I didn't realize how paranoid on battery life I was until I had the option to check and look at it. Also, it moves slightly faster than the Betta does so I assume it has slightly more power

[@chrisvacek7699]

I've been watching your pool skimmer videos and robotic cleaner (Beatbot) videos. What would be a great combination or robots to clean my pool? A Betta to skim, and a Beatbot AquaSense for the walls and bottom?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

That would be a great combo. Any combo of surface skimmer plus cordless cleaner works great. BETTA plus Aquasense would work well! For me, I'd personally look for a cordless cleaner with a weekly timer though so I can leave both the skimmer and cleaner in and not have to check it for a week at a time. That's the downside to the normal Beatbot Aquasense version, there no weekly timer function. But that might be okay for you if you don't need a weekly timer. Otherwise, check out the Aiper Scuba S1 or S1 Pro, they have timers.

[@steveharris5730]

I have the Betta, was great for the first month then it started going back-and-forth continuously nonstop I mean forward 2 feet then back to feet and repeat indefinitely. The other thing that I don’t like about this is every time it goes backwards it dumps out all the stuff from the basket. This is a design flaw.

[@brucethebarguy]

Mine is doing the same thing after a week. Is there a fix?

[@robertcloutier4169]

Battery sizes comparison and autonomy not mentioned

[@fireman535a]

I have read so many reviews and watched you tube reviews on these skimmers. It appears many Aiper Surfer units have an issue right out of the box with going in circles and Aiper seems to be aware of this. Both the Betta models still dump out whats collected when they go in reverse and many of the motors aren't lasting more than a year. People leaving one Month reviews aren't doing us any favors. Even if they last a year, is it worth $300 to $400 to clean the surface for that amount of time. I think the Manufactures need to test there units for a decent amount of time and work out the kinks instead of letting the consumers be the beta testers.

[@imdefinitelydavid]

I think with all these skimmers and cleaners, you hear more from people that have issues with them than from others that love them and work well for them. I know that every cleaner, whether it be from a big name brand or small, will have some defective units. So I'm always going to assume someone will eventually have an issue. To me, it's more about how the company handles their defects and how well their customer service is. And yes, I agree, it still is too early to test how long all these skimmers will last.

[@Mar-py4um]

How do these do with pollen and very fine particles? Do any of these have a nano filter option?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

They pick up pollen well, dust and even dog hair. All of these skimmers are standard fine filters at the moment.

[@newfiemom8696]

Does the Smonet SR5 pick up pollen and fine allergen debris?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

They all pick up the same type of debris, they all use a fine filter material and will pick up pollen and hair depending on the size.

[@TommyJones49]

Whats important is 1. Which has the least moving parts. (They go bad) 2. Which basket is easiest to clean. Example, why does Betta have a raise circle in middle of the basket? Can not sweep debris out. I use a paint brush, unable to sweep brush the Betta basket.

[@brucethebarguy]

The bottom center of the basket even has a circular holder that fits a three inch chlorine tab. The instructions don't mention it, so I'm not sure if the company wants to advertise it, but it holds a tablet perfectly.

[@daveweir6407]

I don't have a main drain in my pool. The only return is the side skimmer. Would these solar skimmers get sucked to the side of my pool and just stay there?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

I've learned that depending on what kind of pump you have that it may or may not get stuck. Do you use a variable speed pump? If so, on the lower rpms or when it's off the skimmers will do just fine. But at higher rpms it will get stuck and not move. If you have a one speed pump(usually high rpms), you'll have to readjust your pump schedule for turning on in the evening and off during the day so the skimmer is able to move freely and charge during the day.

[@daveweir6407]

@imdefinitelydavid thanks for your response. I have a single speed pump. I do have a timer on my system, so that is how I can make the skimmer work for me.

[@sirslimothy7402]

How does the solar charging work with a shaded area? Sun still peaks through but we definitely have a lot of shade over the pool.

[@imdefinitelydavid]

It won't charge enough in the shade, unfortunately. You would have to take it out and charge it in that case.

[@massiveian]

Looks for a skimmer bot to go with my nautilus cc plus. I thought about selling it and getting the aqua sense pro, but it's hard to justify since the cc plus is so darn good. When do you think you'll get the maytronics skimmi to review?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

I love the CC Plus as well so I totally understand! I plan on reviewing the Skimmi whenever it becomes available. No real word yet on the release date though. One real cool thing about the Skimmi is that it's the first automatic pool skimmer with something called "Smart Detect". It has the ability to sense pool cords and hoses in the pool! That may not sound like much but every other skimmer I've tried to date does not have thus feature so you must use a CORDLESS cleaner with those skimmers. This Skimmi is the first to say it's actually safe to use with corded cleaners. There's also a few other cool features for the Skimmi I've never seen before so I'm excited to try out when released.

[@bloggsy10FN]

I have a cosmy and it is really good I think u should test one

[@2-4outdooradventure53]

Which one had the most debris suction? Looked like they struggled to get debris in due to lack of suction

[@imdefinitelydavid]

The Aiper looks like it has slightly more suction but that could be because it's slightly faster/stronger motor.

[@JamesKampfer]

Nice review! Although, some imperical data would be extremely helpful. Like battery size, charge time, speed, etc. Some helpful advice, go back and listen to your video and count how many times you use the word actually.

[@KWCASE16]

I purchased a Smonet SR5, and have been through two of them and neither of them appear to automatically restart if left in the pool and charged by the sun. Did you notice this same behavior?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

It shouldn't do that... Are you getting actual sunlight to charge the skimmer? Like shaded sun doesn't count. It needs straight sunlight to charge. It would be rare to have two back to back defective units. Strange.

[@KWCASE16]

@@imdefinitelydavid I live in Texas and I tested several times during perfectly sunny days. Its clearly charging, because it will work after I pull it out and hit the start button. It just doesn't restart by itself.

[@pamelarichardson935]

Love my beta

[@RyanJohnsonD]

What do you think of the Ariel Solar Breeze? What bottom surface robotic pool cleaner?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

The Ariel breeze was the first automatic skimmer I used... but it broke down within a few months and I never reviewed that one. Any cordless cleaner would work well with any skimmer. I would recommend a cordless cleaner with a weekly timer so you can leave it in the pool for a week at a time. Not necessary, but very convenient and even less work. The Aiper Scubas, Wybot C1, and Liberty 300 all have timers. Take a look at those. If you don't need a timer, any other cordless works.

[@RyanJohnsonD]

@@imdefinitelydavid I will look at those cordless bottom skimmers. Thank you! QUES 2: Do any of those surface skimmers you reviewed in this video get jammed?My Ariel Solar Breeze for years kept getting jammed with debris, and with my warranty I had to get a replacement 5+ times. I want something new and want to avoid jamming.

[@RyanJohnsonD]

@@imdefinitelydavid which bottom cleaner (Aiper Scubas, Wybot C1, and Liberty 300) is best for scrubbing black algae off and keeping it off?

[@RyanJohnsonD]

@@imdefinitelydavid Thank you. Do any of them get stuck or clogged by debris? My Solar Breeze did. Required a lot of replacements.

[@imdefinitelydavid]

I've been using two skimmers lately, the Betta SE Plus and the Aiper Surfer S1. Neither of them have jammed once yet and I've had them since they were released. I have been swapping one in the pool every other week and they've been great so far. Both, much better than the Ariel was.

[@Ho0kiD213]

Who has a stronger motor?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

Visually, it seems the Aiper moves the fastest on normal speed so I'd assume it has a stronger motor. Although, not by much.

[@tonymattei169]

Good review, yet, please be aware the pump filtration system needs to be off or off to the skimmer when running....or it gets stuck!

[@imdefinitelydavid]

This is only for certain pool setups. I've never had issues with any of my skimmers in the pool with the pump on. Again, I have a variable speed pump and that may be the reason.

[@tonymattei169]

@@imdefinitelydavid Make sense on variable speed, yet those with single speed(like me) should be aware. I believe a large portion of pools still do run on single speed, high capacity pumps. I plan to keep to hopefully reduce my run time on pump and use when pump is off.

[@imdefinitelydavid]

That's a good point for a one speed pump. Thank you! I will point that out next time I do a video on another skimmer. 👍

[@tonymattei169]

@@imdefinitelydavid Great & thanks

[@pamelarichardson935]

David when do you expect the Zima Pro?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

I just posted the video, hope it helps! 😃

[@cja2192]

I bought the Betta pool skimmer and like it but the motors aren’t strong enough for where I live. Any little wind and it keeps the skimmer on one side of the pool. I just bought the Surfer S1 and currently waiting on it to arrive. Hopefully the motors are a little more powerful

[@imdefinitelydavid]

It does look like it moves slightly faster in the pool to be honest. So I would assume it's more powerful. Unfortunately I don't have winds at the moment to test it sorry! I used a blower on it but that isn't really fair or the same thing

[@cja2192]

@@imdefinitelydavid I went ahead and canceled the order for the Surfer S1 and just bought a Beatbot AquaSense Pro instead.

[@imdefinitelydavid]

The Aquasense Pro will always be a good choice if you have the money to spend on it. It's very reliant on wifi though. How's your connection?

[@cja2192]

@@imdefinitelydavid It’s excellent, 5 gig fiber with WiFi 7. I don’t know if the cleaner supports WiFi 7 but it’s there if so

[@imdefinitelydavid]

And your pool is within distance to your wifi I assume? If so, great! I hope it works well for you!

[@caesarmustelier9851]

Why is the aiper not available?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

Aiper constantly relists their cleaners under different listings even though it's the same cleaner. It's quite annoying but I try to keep it up and updated the links.

[@ericc6181]

Thanks David. Will these do damage to a vinyl liner if they do hit the side?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

I don't think these skimmers will damage a vinyl lined pool. It has these rubber wheels on all four corners that extend out a bit to reduce the impact to the walls. Plus, they don't move THAT fast enough to cause damage. Should be fine. 👍

[@tonyaguilar0626]

Who has the best warranty? Currently have the Betta SE

[@imdefinitelydavid]

All 3 of them have a 1 year warranty. Seems to be the standard. Most likely because they're left in the pool usually 24/7 so that 1 year goes by quick

[@tonyaguilar0626]

I don’t think any of them offer the 3 year extended warranty except for Betta. I learned my lesson and just ordered the SE Plus through their website with the 3 year warranty. Amazon has their own extended warranty which I purchased in the past but it’s trash. Anytime I’ve tried to use Amazon’s extended warranty there’s always some kind of push back or they will stop responding.

[@imdefinitelydavid]

I always thought Amazon had the best return policy. But never even thought about their extended warranties. Thanks for the info!

[@tonyaguilar0626]

Amazon itself has great warranty but their extended warranty is covered by another company called Asurion.

[@abb0tt]

@@tonyaguilar0626 Asurion has been great for us. A couple warranties that paid out the original retail amount to gift card, no questions asked.

[@DaveBigDawg]

What about the new unit from Dolphin

[@imdefinitelydavid]

That new Dolphin Skimmi seems like a very overpriced pool skimmer. It's listed at a whoppin $699 on their site... That's double the price of what other brands are going for right now. It has no game changing tech and no external charger. And that's a step backwards for a pool skimmer. Dolphin can and SHOULD do better for their first-ever automatic pool skimmer.

[@eyefly001]

These sound great but they are way too expensive for what they do. Plus, I wouldn't be able to use a solar cover.

[@vannorman-tg3ph]

Bettya SE is no good! Nobody that does these reviews ever mentions that anything that floats in floats right back out when the stupid thing backs up. Why doesn’t that get mentioned?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

The SE version had that issue because it would hit the wall head on and when reversing, the front roller brush doesn't spin, allowing some debris to exit until it started moving forward again. But even with this happening it still does a great job overall. The newer SE Plus, Surfer, etc all have ultrasonic sensors that instead of hitting the wall head on, they begin to turn before hitting a wall so the brush keeps spinning, this keeps most of the debris in.

[@fireman535a]

You are correct, the one Month reviews don't really help in my opinion either.

[@rprug]

Seeing you have 3. Maybe you'd like to give one to me? It never hurts to ask.

[@jamespetersen7214]

Is there any way to use the betta skimmer and a wired pool vacuum together without the skimmer getting caught by the wire?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

Wouldn't be able to because eventually the skimmer and cord will collide. Definitely don't recommend that. I only use it with a cordless cleaner.

[@jamespetersen7214]

@@imdefinitelydavid What about putting weights on the wires to keep it below the waterline? I read on Amazon in the comment section that this lady did that and she claims it works. She said she used universal pool hose weights for it. Would that work and would it be a good idea?

[@imdefinitelydavid]

Sounds very crafty! It would probably work to an extent, but eventually, out of a blue moon, the skimmer will hit the part of the cord closest to the cleaner. I mean, the cords are built to last, but every single corded cleaner recommends against having another cleaner/skimmer in the pool. The chance of the skimmer getting caught in the cord and then the chance of it shorting from damage to the cord is probably very small but always a chance I think. Another reason to void the warranty if any. Use at your own risk lol

[@jamespetersen7214]

@@imdefinitelydavid It did sound like a good idea but after looking at the weights, it's not for the vacuum wires but for the hoses.

[@imdefinitelydavid]

Oh you mean the floater weights for the suction and pressure side cleaners. Funny, those are designed to keep the hose up above the water I thought. 😕