EVAX Ultramarine Cordless Robotic Pool Cleaner Review
I dropped the Ecovacs Ultramarine P1 into a leaf-choked, cicada-filled Texas pool. Two hours later the water looked clean. Here's how it did.
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
Two hours in a leaf-choked, cicada-filled pool and the filter came out full of brown sludge. That was on less than a full charge, and the water still looked clean. This cordless robotic pool cleaner cleaned a leaf-and-bug-choked pool in two hours on a partial charge.
Buy if you:
- Have an above ground pool with wrinkles and settled spots that snag other vacuums
- Want floor, wall, and slope cleaning without dragging a hose around
- Deal with heavy leaf and bug debris after storms
- Like controlling suction and schedules from an app
Skip if you:
- Hate rinsing sludge out of a filter basket by hand after every run
- Have a tiny pool where a cheap manual vacuum already does the job
- Want it to also empty itself, because you still do that part
| Runtime | Up to 180 min (varies by suction) |
|---|---|
| Battery | 4600mAh |
| Suction | Up to 4800 GPH, S-Flow anti-clog |
| Filtration | Dual-layer, 180μm mesh + 3μm ultra-fine |
| Coverage | Up to 1,937 sq ft, up to 99% floor |
| Works with | Inground & above ground pools |
Holy Cow, Look At That Color
My pool was a disaster. We’d just had a Texas thunderstorm, cicadas are going crazy right now, and the bottom was covered in leaves and dead bugs. So I dropped in this Ecovacs Ultramarine P1 cordless robotic pool cleaner to see if it could actually deal with the mess. First thing I noticed was the thing looks cool. Blue and white, big handle, no cord to fight. That’s the whole pitch of a cordless robotic pool cleaner, and this one nails the first impression.
What’s Under That Big Handle
The core is a 4600mAh battery rated for up to 180 minutes on eco suction, drop it to strong and that number falls fast, so pick your mode before you drop it in. You get three suction levels and you can set them from the unit or the app. The detail I actually care about: brushes on both the front and the back, which means it’s scrubbing in both directions instead of just pushing debris around ahead of itself.
There’s a big button up top. Push it and the filter unlocks so it can’t fall out on you. Inside is a double-layer filter: a standard layer for leaves, dead bugs, and debris, and an ultra-fine 3μm layer for tiny dust, algae, and that sort of thing. The bulldozer tractor-style tires are the part that matters for me, and I’ll get to why.
It Ate The Filthy Pool In About Two Hours
The floor mode is the part that impressed me. To start it, I hold the button down and dunk it like it’s my little brother in the pool, then let go. It sinks, senses the water, and a minute later a bunch of bubbles come up so you know it’s kicked in. In floor mode it runs an S pattern, hugging the wall, turning around, overlapping a little, kind of like a big snake. Any debris it runs over gets sucked up.
I came back out after about two hours and man, oh man, my pool looked clean. The wall mode is fun to watch too. It climbs out of the water about 2 inches, scrubs for a few seconds to knock loose algae and soap scum, then drops back down in an N pattern. The scrubber is soft, so even vinyl comes up fine for those few seconds. On a full charge it’ll do that wall cycle for the entire three hours.
The Filter Basket You Have To Rinse Yourself
Here’s the part the box won’t dwell on. When I pulled it out, the basket was full of sludge and dead bugs, and the inside was so brown I almost couldn’t believe it came out of my pool. That’s the proof it worked, sure. But it also means you’re rinsing all of that off the mesh and the ultra-fine layer by hand every single run. I had to hang it off the side of the pool first to let the clean water drain so it didn’t dump all over my feet, then clean the hose and the whole basket before putting it back.
It’s the same deal with every robot vacuum in this class, none of them empty themselves. What I didn’t expect was how bad the sludge would smell. Budget two minutes per run for the rinse, and do it before the gunk dries on the mesh or you’re scrubbing a lot longer.
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Ecovacs Ultramarine P1 Pool Cleaner
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Above Ground Owners, This One’s For You
My above ground pool has a buckled floor from the ground settling underneath it, the kind of ridges that high-center cheaper vacuums and leave them spinning in place. The P1’s motorized bulldozer tires drove straight over every fold without hesitating. That’s the single biggest reason I’d steer above ground owners toward this over the cheaper suction-only options. One caveat: in a round pool the S-pattern coverage looks uneven because the robot is mapping for a rectangle, so expect it to miss the outer curve on the first pass.
The App vs. Doing It On The Unit
You don’t need the app, but it’s worth setting up. It was real simple to connect. In it you enter your pool size, length, shape, and diameter, then pick floor, wall, or all, and eco, standard, or strong suction. You can set the run time too, so if you only want a 30-minute pass instead of the max, you can. Schedules are in there as well. On the unit itself you just hold the button, watch the blue light, and tap through floor-only, wall-only, and all. Both routes work. The app just gives you the fine control.
My Advice Before You Run It
If your pool is buried in leaves like mine was, the recommendation is to run it once without the ultra-fine filter first. Let it grab all the big stuff, then run it again with both layers so the fine filter can pick up the dust and algae. That keeps the fine mesh from clogging early. Also charge it fully before your first real run. Mine did all this on less than a full battery, so imagine the results with the whole 180 minutes. And when you pull it out, use the hook they include on one of your poles and let it hang at the waterline for a few seconds so the clean water drains before you lift it.
Pros
- Pulled a filthy pool clean in about two hours on a partial charge
- Bulldozer-style tires climb wrinkles and walls that stall other above ground vacuums
- Front and back brushes give all-around scrubbing everywhere it drives
- Filter locks in with a button so it can’t fall out, and pops in and out easy
- App control for suction, run time, and schedules is simple to set up
Cons
- You rinse a sludge-packed filter basket by hand after every run
- Max runtime drops noticeably once you turn up the suction
- Round pools get a less uniform cleaning pattern than rectangular ones
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Ecovacs Ultramarine P1 work in a saltwater pool?
It’s built for inground and above ground pools regardless of type, and saltwater pools are chemically similar to chlorine ones for cleaning purposes. Rinse the robot with fresh water after use to keep salt off the components, same as any pool electronics.
How do I clean the filter?
Press the top button to release the basket, pull out both filter layers, and rinse them with a hose. The inside gets caked with sludge and bugs, so give the mesh and the ultra-fine layer a thorough rinse before snapping it back in. It only goes in one way, so you can’t reinstall it wrong.
How big a pool can it handle on one charge?
Up to 1,937 sq ft on a full charge, which covers medium to large pools. The 180-minute runtime is the max on eco suction. Bump up to strong suction and you’ll get less time, so match the mode to your pool size.
How does it charge?
There’s a charging port under a small cover on the unit. You pop that cover off, plug it in, and let the 4600mAh battery top up. It’s cordless during cleaning, so the cable only comes out when it’s sitting on the deck charging.
Will it get stuck on a bumpy above ground pool floor?
It didn’t get stuck on mine, and my floor has plenty of wrinkles from the ground settling. The motorized bulldozer-style tires drive right over the folds that trap cheaper above ground vacuums. That’s one of the biggest reasons I’d point above ground owners toward it.
Do I have to use the app?
No. You can run everything from the button on the unit, cycling through floor-only, wall-only, and all modes. The app just adds suction control, run-time limits, pool mapping, and scheduling. Skip it if you want the basics.
Can it climb and clean the walls, not just the floor?
Yes. In wall mode it climbs out of the water about 2 inches, scrubs to loosen algae and scum, then drops back down in an N pattern. The scrubber is soft enough that it won’t hurt a vinyl liner during those few seconds up top.
Does it pick up fine debris like algae and pollen, or just leaves?
Both, thanks to the dual-layer filter. The 180μm layer grabs leaves and bugs while the 3μm ultra-fine layer catches dust, pollen, and algae. For a leaf-heavy pool, run it once without the fine layer first, then again with both so the fine mesh doesn’t clog on the big stuff.
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Ecovacs Ultramarine P1 Pool Cleaner
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Every product mentioned, in one place — these are affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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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.
