Wybot Pool Cleaner Review: Programmable Option for Pool Owners
Updated: Jun. 27, 2024
Maintaining a pool can be a major hassle. This budget-friendly pool robot manages to make cleaning fun!
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My husband and I closed on our first home earlier this year. The real estate market was incredibly competitive, but we managed to find a place with all of our must-haves—a quiet neighborhood, big backyard, finished basement—and one feature that we weren’t necessarily looking for: An in-ground pool.
As new pool owners, we were surprised by how much work maintaining a pool requires: monitoring chemical levels, skimming, and vacuuming. We wanted to enjoy our pool, not add another half-dozen tasks to our to-do list! Needless to say, when an opportunity arose to test the Wybot C1 Robotic Pool Cleaner, I jumped at the chance. Less time cleaning and more time lounging poolside? Yes, please!
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What is the Wybot C1 Robotic Pool Cleaner?
The Wybot C1 Robotic Pool Cleaner is an automatic pool vacuum. Like other automatic pool vacuums, this machine sucks up leaves, insects, and other debris to help keep your pool pristine, as well as cleans your waterline. This sleek robot is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that lasts up to 150 minutes.
This compact machine measures 14 inches by 13 inches, so it’ll fit right alongside the rest of your pool gear in your shed or garage. It also has a carrying handle, so you can easily lower it into your pool and fish it out when it has finished its cleaning cycle. Weighing just under 23 pounds, the Wybot C1 feels substantial but light enough for most family members to use.
In a world where robotic pool cleaners can cost well over a thousand dollars, the Wybot C1 Cordless Robotic Pool Cleaner, at a moderate $400, is a budget-friendly option for pool owners.
VIA MERCHANT
We Tried It
Wybot C1 Pool Cleaner
Cordless cleaner features quick-charging, long-running, smart path planning and wall-climbing capability.
Wybot C1 Pool Cleaner Product Features
The Wybot C1 Pool Cleaner comes with a charger, optional attachments to help it tackle slippery surfaces and a plastic hook that can be attached to your pool pole. It is also equipped with a water pump motor, which achieves a maximum filtration rate of 2642 GPH (gallons per hour) and dual PVC brushes, which help it grip cement, vinyl, tile or fiberglass surfaces.
Users must download the free Wybot app to indicate their pool shape, slope, and material and select cleaning modes (floor, walls, or both) and paths. After setting up their preferred cleaning cycle, you’re ready to lower the Wybot into the water and watch him get to work (which, admittedly, is very entertaining).
The filter basket is easy to remove and clean, requiring just a quick rinse from the garden hose after service. The basket features a fine mesh, so it traps small debris and insects.
How We Tested It
I tested the Wybot a few weeks after my pool had been initially opened and cleaned by a local pool cleaning company. Our pool is bordered by our lawn and surrounded by trees and shrubs—a good amount of leaves, grass clippings, and debris had collected on the bottom when I got around to testing the machine.
The Wybot took about two hours to fully charge and ultimately lasted about two hours, but was able to fully clean the walls and floor in that time. My pool is moderately sized: 14 feet by 28 feet, with a sloped bottom—folks with larger pools will likely need to opt for cleaning the walls or floors at a time, not both.
Using the Wybot for the first time was a little confusing as the English translation in both the user manual and the app was, at times, a bit unclear. At the time of this review, the app was rated a concerning 2 stars, and for good reason. I found that whenever I made changes in the app, for example, selecting a different cleaning mode, it would crash and close. The app also offers fairly limited functionality: it does not display basic information about your robot, like battery life or how long the cleaning cycle is. You are unable to review your cleaning history or see a completed cleaning map like you can with a traditional vacuum robot.
After a few tries, I was able to select my preferred cleaning mode and put the Wybot to work. It slowly sinks to the bottom and then begins to methodically clean in its signature N, star or grid pattern. The Wybot scoots around the pool at a fairly rapid pace, occasionally using its water pump motor to rise to the surface and change direction.
My pool has a vinyl liner, so the machine had no problem climbing to clean the walls and waterline. However, the liner has creased in a few places, and the Wybot struggled to clean debris from those areas. Instead of stairs, we have two pool ladders, which the Wybot had some difficulty navigating—one day it even managed to lodge itself between the ladder and the wall and needed to be rescued.
Despite these setbacks, I was very impressed with Wybot’s work overall: It managed to clean both my pool’s walls and floor in just two hours.
Pros
- Cordless—no wires or hoses to get tangled or dislodged
- Strong suction
- Short charging time
- Features mapping technology
- Easy-to-clean filter basket
- Able to climb steps, walls and waterline
- Quiet when cleaning underwater
- Two-year warranty, 30-day return period
- Fun to watch (my guests loved to watch it work!)
Cons
- App regularly crashes during use
- Some difficulty navigating ladders
- No cleaning history in the app
FAQ
Can you leave Wybot pool cleaner in the pool all the time?
No, the Wybot C1, like other automatic pool cleaners should be removed from the pool after each cleaning cycle. After cleaning, you should let the Wybot drain, rinse and replace the filter basket and store it in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.
What pool shapes and materials is the Wybot suitable for?
The Wybot C1 can be used in rectangle, oval, or irregularly shaped in-ground swimming pools. The machine can be used on pools made of PVC and gunite. For slippery materials, like tiles, mosaics or fiberglass, users should add the included “floating parts” accessories to the machine.
What Other Reviewers Had to Say
Other reviewers had similar experiences to my own, they are impressed with how easy it is to use and how well it cleans but are frustrated with the low quality of the app.
Gina R., who left a five-star review on Amazon, praises its ability to vacuum small debris, “It’s the tiny debris that I had a hard time getting out of my pool, though, and the Wybot pool cleaner does an excellent job of getting the sand and small bugs vacuumed up! … [T]he filter basket has a very good quality fine mesh that captures and holds the tiny debris it has vacuumed. I’m very happy with this item!”
Another five-star review came from Kevin F. who praises Wybot’s performance, “I am extremely impressed with this product. We have ordered [others] before including a more expensive [model]. Neither of them worked as advertised. The Wybot has been amazing. It climbs the wall when others do not even though they are supposed to. It cleans very well with great suction power. I am beyond happy with its performance.”
Ahmad R. ultimately returned the Wybot after a frustrating experience with the app and left a one-star review, “The actual cleaner itself was a nice piece of engineering, and did navigate around the pool as advertised. But the app that controls the cleaner is a piece of garbage. It worked once, and then never again.”
Final Verdict
The Wybot C1 Robotic Pool Cleaner is an essential piece of pool equipment. After using it for a few weeks, I can’t imagine cleaning the pool any other way. It cleans the floor, walls and waterline effectively, and is so quiet and unobtrusive that we’ll have it working while we’re swimming in the pool. While I did find the app to be frustrating at times, ultimately I was able to connect to the machine, set up my cleaning cycles and launch it without any major hiccups. Because the app is a bit finicky, I wouldn’t recommend the Wybot for people who aren’t tech-savvy. Though the interface is fairly straightforward, the slow connection speeds and instability will likely frustrate those users.
I’ve been impressed with Wybot’s work so far, and I’m confident it’ll continue to keep my pool crystal clear this summer. If you’re looking for a moderately priced cordless pool vacuum, you’re sure to be happy with the Wybot C1 pool cleaner.
Where to Purchase the Wybot C1 Pool Cleaner
VIA MERCHANT
We Tried It
Wybot C1 Pool Cleaner
Cordless cleaner features quick-charging, long-running, smart path planning and wall-climbing capability.
The Wybot C1 Pool Cleaner is available on Amazon, the Wybot website and Walmart for around $400.
Originally Published: June 18, 2024
