This odd duck of a robotic pool cleaner taught me not to prejudge

Price When Reviewed

$1,199.99

Best Prices Today: Fanttik Aero X

$999.99

$1,199.99

In a world dominated by bulbous black-and-blue {hardware}, the Fanttik Aero X pool robotic instantly caught my eye. It’s not simply that it’s black and yellow, it’s that the commercial design appears extra like a garden mower than any pool robotic I’ve examined.

It has a lot smaller entrance wheels than common, and an uncovered rubber drive belt that connects them to its motor. The forward-center brush cylinder is even harking back to the entrance of a garden mower. And I suppose it is sensible: A robotic pool cleaner performs about the identical operate, solely underwater.

As an organization, Fanttik markets an eclectic assortment of digital instruments, together with tire inflators, vacuum cleaners, and electrical screwdrivers. The Aero X is its solely pool robotic and the one machine it sells that’s even remotely linked to swimming swimming pools. Given all that, I didn’t have the very best of hopes that the product would make a lot of an influence in an more and more crowded market.

Christopher Null/Foundry

Well, it goes to point out that first impressions aren’t all the time appropriate: After every week of testing, the Fanttik Aero X proved itself as one in every of my favourite pool robots—and probably the most succesful fashions I’ve examined to this point.

Specifications

Weighing 20.7 kilos, the Aero X in all fairness maneuverable, with handles on each the rear and each side of the machine to make it simpler to seize when it’s on the waterline. Three cleansing modes cowl flooring solely; flooring and waterline; or “all,” which provides partitions to the combo. The mode might be chosen both by way of switches on the rear of the robotic or by way of the Fanttik app, which I’ll cowl in additional element in a bit.

Christopher Null/Foundry

The Aero X has a really giant (6 liters) center-mounted filter basket that may be optionally enhanced with the addition of a mesh bag for amassing extraordinarily fine-grained sand and dust. It’s powered by an enormous 16,000mAh battery, which Fanttik says can present a whopping six hours of operating time.

I used to be certain this was hyperbole, however repeated testing proved that the robotic can really ship on that declare, as I used to be often in a position to get a full quarter of a day of cleansing on a single day. Officially, Fanttik specifies a most protection space of an enormous 5,382 sq. toes, or about 40 % the dimensions of an Olympic swimming pool.

Christopher Null/Foundry

One extra {hardware} function of be aware is an extended wire that snakes out the again of the Aero X, with a Styrofoam float linked to the tail finish. This wire doesn’t hook up with the rest, but it surely does hold a small digital factor floating on the waterline. Effectively, the wire works as an antenna that means that you can remotely management the robotic by way of Bluetooth, both by way of the app in your smartphone or with the bodily distant management that comes with it.

That could be not possible in any other case, as a result of it’s troublesome for wi-fi indicators journey by means of water. Some different remote-controlled robotic pool cleaners I’ve examined use pulsed-light indicators for this objective.

Performance

The Aero X is a demon on wheels underwater. Drop it into the pool and it tears throughout the ground like an underwater remote-controlled automotive, so quick the entrance finish generally pops up off the underside of the pool. Again, I can’t recall seeing one other pool robotic with this a lot velocity—and that’s usually not a very good factor. I’ve discovered that quick robots ceaselessly miss particles, merely zooming over it and failing to suction it up.

Christopher Null/Foundry

Not so with the Aero X: It’s not solely good at amassing particles on the primary move, however its prolonged run time additionally means it has loads of time to go over the pool time and time once more; so, something it missed the primary time round ultimately will get scooped up. In each natural and artificial exams, Fanttik’s machine delivered exemplary performances, lacking solely 2 of the 100 check leaves in my silk leaf check.

Like many pool robots, nevertheless, the Aero X struggles with steps, and it even received caught diagonally on the steps at one level, unable to free itself with out my assist. This may be its solely main failing.

The Aero X works simply advantageous by itself, however the distant management is one thing else; it’s arms down one of the best distant I’ve encountered on a pool robotic. Powered by three AA batterie, the distant is pretty easy, with solely an influence button, a mode button (to modify between auto and handbook mode), and a 3rd button for altering the bot’s velocity.

Christopher Null/Foundry

The centerpiece is a joystick that provides you full, real-time, responsive management over the robotic. Again, the analogy to a remote-controlled automotive is apt. Driving the Aero X across the pool is enjoyable and nothing just like the halting, buggy expertise it’s essential to undergo by means of with conventional pool robotic remotes.

Fanttik’s app is easy however efficient, offering primary management over the machine, together with one other joystick-like management system, easy logs, and a scheduling system that allows you to direct the robotic to periodically clear the pool on a weekly foundation, should you choose to go away your robotic within the pool as a substitute of drying it out after every run.

There’s additionally a “lift” operate within the distant that directs the robotic to climb to the waterline and look forward to retrieval, however this is likely one of the few points I had with the Aero X, as I used to be by no means in a position to get it to efficiently dock itself on the fringe of the pool until I managed it manually with the joystick.

Christopher Null/Foundry

Although Fanttik’s handbook says in any other case, I discovered that by default the Aero X will run till its battery is absolutely useless, leaving no battery energy remaining for steering the robotic to manually climb the partitions for retrieval. I solved this after a firmware replace by dialing down the default operating time to 5 hours, leaving sufficient juice behind for retrieval.

In a pinch, I discovered I might merely pull it out of the water by grabbing the cable, although my suspicion is that this isn’t formally sanctioned (though it isn’t prohibited within the handbook). No retrieval hook is included within the field.

Christopher Null/Foundry

Clean-up might be time consuming, as that filter basket is gigantic and troublesome to get absolutely clear, even with prolonged time with a hose. The added mesh bag is even more durable to correctly clear out, and it’s additionally price noting that Fanttik gives no directions in any respect about how the mesh bag is meant for use.

This assessment is a part of TechHive’s in-depth protection of the best robotic pool cleaners.

I guessed at its placement (straight hooked up to the suction consumption contained in the filter basket), however discovered it troublesome to wrangle into place. Fortunately, the basket does such a stable sufficient job by itself that I count on most customers gained’t want to make use of the bag in any respect.

Should you purchase the Fanttik Aero X?

The solely different hiccup I encountered with the Aero X was a stray error message in its app alerting me to a clogged filter and instructing me to instantly retrieve the robotic for cleansing. The robotic saved operating usually regardless of the error, nevertheless; and once I retrieved it, I discovered that there was no clog. That’s a fairly minor grievance, all issues thought of.

Despite a couple of operational points—specifically its hassle with steps—the Fanttik Aero X is a uniquely unbelievable robotic that deserves consideration to be used in any pool—even bigger industrial or public swimming pools.