AIPER Seagull SE Cordless Robotic Pool Vacuum Review
I dropped the AIPER Seagull SE into a leaf-filled above-ground pool to see if this cordless robotic pool vacuum actually pulls its weight.
Reviewed by
Scott Ayres
Welcome to the Product Demo lab where I (Scott) demo products so you can make an educated buying decision. I keep it real, honest and laid back.
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Quick Verdict
I dropped it into a pool full of end-of-season leaves and it just started sucking up everything around it, even stuff coming in behind it. This cordless pool vacuum ran about 45 minutes and packed the lower basket full. No cord to fight with, and the power buttons finally sit on top where you can reach them.
Buy if you:
- Own a round above-ground pool up to 40 feet
- Are tired of dragging a corded vacuum around
- Deal with heavy leaf fall before you cover for the season
- Want to drop it in and walk away
Skip if you:
- Won’t rinse the filter and clear the intake holes after each run, leaves get stuck in there
- Need a full-size in-ground pool cleaned
- Want climb-the-wall scrubbing, this works the floor
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| Suction | 1200 GPH, dual-drive motors |
|---|---|
| Runtime | Up to 90 min (about 45 min in my test) |
| Charge time | 2.5 hours |
| Pool size | Above-ground up to 40 ft |
| Battery | 44.4 Wh Lithium-Ion |
| Warranty | 1-year limited |
Pool Vacuum Power Buttons Move to Top
The power buttons sit on top now instead of the bottom, which matters when you’re leaning over the edge of a pool trying to turn it on. The older model, the 600, has them on the bottom, so it’s a little harder to reach and turn on. Small change, big difference when you’re leaning over the edge of a pool. If you want to check the current price while you read, here’s the AIPER Seagull SE pool vacuum on Amazon.
My pool was a mess. We’re past season but haven’t covered yet, so there were a lot of leaves in there. Perfect torture test for a cordless robotic pool vacuum. So I got it charged up and dropped it in.
What’s Inside the Seagull SE
1200 GPH of suction from two dual-drive motors, and it’s fully cordless. That’s the headline. It runs on a 44.4 Wh Lithium-Ion cell that charges in 2.5 hours and is rated for 90 minutes of runtime. Mine ran about 45 minutes on the charge I had it at, working nonstop through leaves.
It has two independent brushes on the bottom, which is cool because it scrubs while it drives. There’s a three-color LED indicator up top so you can tell what mode it’s in at a glance. It’s rated for round above-ground pools up to 40 feet, and AIPER backs it with a 1-year limited warranty.
Dropping It In: Bubbles, Then Go
Setup is about as simple as it gets. Hold the power button down, you’ll hear it beep, and just kind of set it in the water. It’ll start to take on water, and once you get all the bubbles out, you let go of it. Then it just starts going.
It’s just going to start sucking up everything around it. Stuff was even kind of coming in behind it to get pulled in. When it reached the side you could see the little flaps opening and closing to grab debris off the wall edge, then it just kind of goes around. It’ll run forward or reverse, either direction, on its own.
It Ate the Leaves. Look at That.
Forty-five minutes of nonstop grinding through end-of-season leaves, and the two bottom brushes did real work, knocking debris loose ahead of the intake rather than just rolling over it. The 1200 GPH suction pulled in everything the brushes disturbed, including stuff drifting in from behind the unit.
When I opened it up, look at that. The top part stays pretty clean overall. It’s the lower section that does the work, and it was packed with all those leaves. For an above-ground pool that’s past season and loaded with debris, that’s the result you want. This is where the strong 1200 GPH suction earns the marketing line, it fills the basket completely.
Rinse the Screen or Regret It
Here’s the part the box won’t stress: clean out the intake holes every time. When you rinse it out, make sure there are no leaves stuck in those holes, because they will jam in there. Most of the debris just falls out when you open it, but you’ll still want to rinse that screen out good.
It’s not hard, it’s just a step you can’t skip. Skip it a few runs in a row and the suction has to fight through a clogged screen. Rinse, clear the holes, put it back together, done. That’s the maintenance tax on a cordless pool vacuum that pulls in this much at once.
Get it now
AIPER Seagull SE Pool Vacuum
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Who This Is Actually For
Round above-ground pool owners who are done with corded vacuums. That’s the sweet spot. If you’re the kind of person who dreads pool cleanup, dropping this in and walking away for 45 minutes is the whole appeal. The self-parking near the wall when the battery runs low means you’re not fishing it out of the deep middle either.
End-of-season is actually its best use case: I ran it on a leaf-choked pool days before covering it, and one 45-minute session packed the basket full. That’s one pass instead of an afternoon with a manual vacuum.
Seagull SE vs the Older 600
The SE fixes the biggest annoyance of the 600: the power buttons. On the 600 they sit on the bottom, so turning it on is a little harder and more fiddly. The SE moves them to the top where you can reach them without flipping the unit over.
Beyond that, this cordless robotic pool vacuum keeps the same drop-in-and-go workflow. If you already own a 600 and it still runs, the button placement alone probably isn’t worth upgrading for. If you’re buying fresh, get the newer one.
Advice Before You Drop It In
Get it charged up fully before the first run so you get the whole runtime out of it, the full charge takes 2.5 hours. Wait for the bubbles to work out before you let go, otherwise it floats instead of sinking to work the floor. And build the filter rinse into your routine every single time, clear those intake holes.
Six steps, zero guesswork. The Seagull SE earns its keep by making pool cleanup something you set up in under a minute and forget about for the next 45.
Pros
- Strong suction, it sucked up everything around it including debris coming in behind it
- Power buttons on top, easier to reach than the older 600
- Fully cordless with self-parking near the wall
- Two bottom brushes scrub while it drives
- Packed the lower basket full of leaves in one run
Cons
- You have to clear leaves stuck in the intake holes every time or they jam
- Built for round above-ground pools, not full in-ground setups
- Works the floor, don’t expect wall-climbing coverage
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I clean the AIPER Seagull SE filter?
Open it up, dump the debris, and rinse the screen out with a hose. Most of the leaves just fall out on their own, but you’ll want to rinse it good and clear any leaves stuck in the intake holes. Do it after every run so suction stays strong.
How long does the battery last per charge?
It’s rated for up to 90 minutes and takes 2.5 hours to fully charge. In my leaf-heavy run it went about 45 minutes, so your real number depends on how loaded your pool is and the charge level you start at.
What size pool does it work in?
It’s designed for round above-ground pools up to 40 feet. It’s a floor cleaner built for that format, not a full in-ground pool with steps and deep ends.
Does it climb the pool walls?
It works the floor and the lower wall edge rather than climbing all the way up. When it reaches the side, little flaps open and close to grab debris right at the base, then it turns and keeps going along the bottom.
How do I get it out when it’s done?
It self-parks near the pool wall when the battery runs low, so you don’t have to fish it out of the middle. Just reach over and grab it from the edge.
Can it handle a lot of leaves at once?
Yes. I ran it in a pool full of end-of-season leaves and it packed the lower basket full in one session. It picks up as much as it can hold, so with heavy debris you may need to empty and run it again.
Is it worth upgrading from the older 600 model?
Mainly if the bottom-mounted power buttons on the 600 bug you. The SE moves them to the top for easier startup. If your 600 still runs fine, that alone probably isn’t worth the upgrade, but for a fresh buy the newer one is the pick.
Do the batteries come included?
Yes, the two lithium cells are built in and included, totaling 44.4 watt-hours. There’s nothing extra to buy to get it running, just charge it up before the first use.
Get it now
AIPER Seagull SE Pool Vacuum
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About the reviewer
Scott Ayres
Welcome to the Product Demo lab where I (Scott) demo products so you can make an educated buying decision. I keep it real, honest and laid back.
