Betta~$370
Betta SE
Surface skimmer · 30 h skimming
- Pool fit
- Skims all day; no pool-size limit
- Filtration
- 200 µm · sand, grit and leaves
- Retrieval
- Floats; lifted by hand
- 30 h runtime
- 200 µm basket
- Solar only
Cleans: Surface
Surface skimmer~$390Betta
Betta SE Plus
The SE Plus is the SE with an AC adapter as a backup, which charges it in 3.5 hours when the sun will not. Otherwise it is the same 30-hour skimmer with a 200-micron basket and twin salt-tolerant motors.
Approx. price
~$390
snapshot, not a live price
Skims all day; no pool-size limit
Floats; lifted by hand
30 h skimming
Best for: Skimming in climates with cloudy stretches
Specifications
- Approx. price
- ~$390
- Type
- Surface skimmer
- Power
- Solar, with battery
- Cleans
- Surface
- Charge time
- 3.5 h
- Finest filter
- 200 µm
- Filtration tier
- Sand, grit and leaves
- Filter
- 200 µm fine-mesh basket
A specification not listed here is one Betta does not publish for this model. It is left blank rather than estimated or borrowed from a sibling.
Features
- Solar or AC adapter charging
- 3.5-hour adapter charge
- 30+ hours per charge
- 200 µm fine-mesh basket
- Shallow-water safeguard
What it does well
- Adapter backup for cloudy weeks
- 3.5 hours on the adapter, against six for the Surfer S2
- Same 30+ hours per charge as the SE, so the adapter adds backup, not runtime
- 200 µm mesh, far finer than the iSkim's 550
What it gives up
- $20 over the SE for the adapter
- Betta's new-unit listing gives no warranty term
- Remote only; both iSkims and the F1 have apps
The two lists above come from the maker’s own specifications and this site’s arithmetic on them, not from owner reports. Where owner discussion has been read it appears in its own section below, so the two are never mistaken for each other.
What owners say
The SE Plus is the Betta most often recommended alongside a floor robot when a new owner asks what to buy, and the owners who have one describe it in the same terms as the SE: the skimming job simply stops being theirs.
What the Plus adds is the adapter, and owners' reports suggest it is rarely needed in a sunny yard — one ran from May to August on sunlight alone — but it removes the one way a solar skimmer fails, which is a week of cloud.
It is the sensible Betta for shaded pools and cloudy climates; in full sun the plain SE does the same work for less.
What owners like
- Solar keeps it going for a very long time between wall charges: one owner put it in the pool in mid-May and needed the adapter for the first time in August.
- Owners with large pools describe it as the end of skimming — one with a 30,000-gallon pool said they had not skimmed all summer, through several strong storms.
- The adapter is the reason owners choose it over the SE: it is the backup for the cloudy stretch when a solar-only unit would stop.
Common complaints
- New owners are sometimes thrown by its movement: one asked why it drove forward about ten seconds, stopped and reversed over and over in daylight while cruising more steadily at night.
- Like the SE, it shares the pool badly with corded floor robots, and owners pair it with cordless ones where they can.
Questions owners ask about the Betta SE Plus
How often does the SE Plus need the adapter?
In full sun, rarely. One owner used the adapter for the first time about three months after putting it in the pool. Shade and long cloudy spells shorten that.
Is its stop-and-reverse movement normal?
A new owner reported it moving forward for about ten seconds, stopping and reversing repeatedly during the day while cruising more steadily at night. Contacting the maker is the usual advice if the pattern continues.
Should I get it with a floor robot?
Owners commonly pair it with one and recommend a cordless floor robot, since corded cables and floats snag the skimmer.
Others in the same part of the catalog
Beatbot~$429
Beatbot iSkim
Surface skimmer · 28 h skimming
- Pool fit
- Skims all day; no pool-size limit
- Filtration
- 550 µm · leaves and bugs only
- Retrieval
- Floats; lifted by hand
- 28 h without sun
- 9 L basket
- 3-year warranty
Cleans: Surface
Aiper~$340
Aiper Surfer S2
Surface skimmer · 35 h skimming
- Pool fit
- Skims all day; no pool-size limit
- Filtration
- 150 µm · sand, grit and leaves
- Retrieval
- Floats; lifted by hand
- 150 µm basket
- 35 h runtime
- $340
Cleans: Surface