Guides
8 shortlists, each saying what it ranked on
There is no test pool behind this site and nobody here picking favourites. Each list is a filter and an order applied to the catalog, and it prints its rule at the top — so you can disagree with the rule, which is a more useful argument than disagreeing with an opinion.
Cordless Robots With the Battery for a 16 × 32 In-Ground Pool
23 qualifying robots
Cordless wall-climbers the maker rates for in-ground pools, whose published runtime covers at least a 32 ft pool at 13 sq ft a minute; ordered by the pool length that runtime supports (floor-only figures after floor-and-wall ones), then by price.
Robots Rated for Above-Ground Pools
26 qualifying robots
Every floor robot whose maker lists above-ground pools, ordered by price. Skimmers are left out; they have their own guide.
Corded Robots That Scrub the Waterline for Under $1,500
7 qualifying robots
Corded robots whose maker lists waterline scrubbing, priced under $1,500, ordered by price.
Robots That Filter Fine Dust and Algae (50 Microns or Finer)
5 qualifying robots
Every robot whose in-box filter the maker rates at 50 µm or finer, ordered by that rating and then by price. Optional filters sold separately do not count.
The Easiest Robots to Get Out of the Pool
32 qualifying robots
Robots with a published weight, ordered with self-parking models first and then by weight, lightest first.
Solar Robotic Skimmers, by Filter Mesh
6 qualifying robots
Every surface skimmer, ordered by its basket's micron rating (finest first, unpublished last), then by rated runtime.
Floor Robots With the Lowest Cost per Warranty Year
42 qualifying robots
Every floor robot with a published price and warranty, ordered by price ÷ warranty years.
Cordless Robots Rated for Bigger Pools Than Their Battery Covers
11 qualifying robots
Cordless robots whose maker's pool claim is more than 10 % beyond the pool its published runtime covers at 13 sq ft a minute, ordered by the size of the gap.
A list has to qualify at least 3 robots to exist at all. A shortlist of two is a comparison with a headline on it. How the catalog is built.