Price when reviewed

$39.99

Airrobo PC10

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Sometimes there’s a place for simplicity in and around the home, and pool owners who only need the absolute basics might want to give the affordably priced Airrobo PC10 a look for handling their pool-cleaning duties. Airrobo manufactures robot vacuum cleaners primarily; the PC10 and the similarly priced PC200 Lite are its only forays into pool-cleaning tech.

Specifications

The robotic pool cleaner looks the part. It weighs 22 pounds, and features the tread-based design with central, scrubbing wheels that are typical of high-end cleaners. The PC10 is powered by a 5200mAh battery and has a maximum coverage area of 1,076 sq. ft., which is roughly twice the size of my pool floor (excluding the walls). The unit is charged via a connector on the side. A screw-on cap keeps the water out when it’s working.

There’s no mobile app and no remote control here; in fact, the only control on the entire device is a switch on the top of the robot that allows you to choose between three operating modes: floor only, wall/waterline, or both. This switch is more convenient than the typical selector buttons on competing devices, in part because it makes it easy to remember to turn the robot off after a run, even if its battery is dead.

Too many times I’ve forgotten to turn off a robot, only for it to attempt to come back to life after it’s been plugged in and charged for a bit. A large LED bar near the switch provides a color-coded indication of either battery level or a fault condition, but that’s it.

Performance

While the Airrobo PC10 is a good performer in the water, it does not always suction debris up to 100% efficiency. In observing the robot’s rounds, I noticed that it often rolled leaves over without sucking them up. It also created a current which pushed the leaves up and over it as it approached.

It’s perhaps a strange quirk of the unit’s aquadynamics, and the primary reason why the Airrobo was only about 85-percent effective—at most—collecting both organic and synthetic debris in my testing. As with most robotic pool cleaners, the Airrobo was unable to clean steps, and it struggled with tight corners, although it never got stuck anywhere. Wall/waterline cleaning performance was about average in my testing.

The unit is designed to park itself near a wall upon completion of its two-hour cycle, which it did successfully in my testing, after which it must be retrieved with the included hook and a pole. Debris is captured in a mid-sized, tight-meshed filter basket, which is accessed through a hatch on top of the robot. The basket is a simple unit with a single, hinged lid. Cleaning it out with a hose is not the easiest because debris can’t pass through, but the size of the basket is small enough to make the process fairly uneventful.

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the

Best robotic pool cleaners

Airrobo PC10 comes in two colors: white and either blue or gray. Both robots were $360 at the time this review was conducted, a significant discount from the $800 MSRP. They are also cheaper than other midrange robots that Airrobo competes with, such as Wybot S2. It’s also more efficient than the entry level Aiper Seagull SE or similar robots that are designed for small pools with little dirt. Other robotic pool cleaners of this class also don’t typically scrub the walls. You can

If you’re curious, read more about Airrobo’s other pool-cleaning robot, PC200Liteif you are.

Should you buy the Airrobo PC10?

I think the Airrobo PC10 would be underpowered for my swimming pool. However, with a bigger battery and a redesigned suction system it could become a contender in the future. It’s aimed at users who are looking to upgrade from smaller units, without spending a lot more.

: Best Price Today:

$369.99

Christopher NullContributor, PCWorld.