The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra is the most expensive pool cleaner I have tested thus far, but it is also the most feature packed out there.
Currently priced at $2,829 (discounted from its $3,550 MSRP), the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra is around $1200 more than the comparable Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max I reviewed a three months ago, and almost $900 more than their next model down, the AquaSense 2 Pro.
Technology in the robot cleaning market is growing so fast that each year seems to present an exponential number of technological upgrades over the previous year – and as you can imagine, everyone is slapping AI into their products.
But, if spending this much on a pool cleaner seems like overkill (and it probably is), there are plenty of models in the market from a plethora of brands that will do a great job too.
The Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max for example offers similar features for considerably less, and there are always discounts available in this segment if you keep an eye out.
Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra: what comes in the box?
Quick take: replacement brushes and a waterproof cover are nice inclusions
In addition to the AquaSense 2 Ultra pool cleaner itself, the company gives you a dust and waterproof cover for the cleaner itself (a nice touch for winter storage), a charging dock, hook for your pool stick, the clarifying kit, and some extra parts that include two replacement side brushes, four screws for the side brushes, and a screwdriver.
Seeing the extra parts immediately gave me pause because that usually means that something specific will wear out soon, and the company knows that. The Beatbot rep assured me that was not the case, and it was just the company ensuring that the unit would last for many years to come by including parts you might need in a few years.
Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra: features and design
Quick take: packed-full of features, this pool cleaner is all-singing and all-dancing, with the weight to match
The AquaSense 2 Ultra features an attractive deep blue, IP68-rated chassis that withstands light scratches and has a submersion rating up to 9.8 feet.
Its 29-pound weight – while one of the heaviest in its class – does aid in maintaining traction on walls and floors, while six guide wheels and snap-on brushes facilitate navigation around corners and help prevent scratches on the unit’s cover.
The design includes dual filter baskets for easy maintenance and a self-flushing system to avoid clogs. Personally, I much prefer the blue color of the AquaSense 2 Ultra over the black piano finish of the Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max which easily shows off water stains and scratches.
The AI camera is located on the front of the AquaSense 2 Ultra along with an ultrasonic sensor to help scan your pool and map out its cleaning path. You are paying for very advanced technology that likely will only be used a handful of times, primarily the initial mapping of your pool (your pool doesn’t physically change now does it?) for example.
Core features of the AquaSense 2 Ultra revolve around AI, as do most robot products these days. The HybridSense system uses cameras and sensors for real-time mapping, adapting to pool shapes, including steps and ledges.
The ClearWater clarification employs natural chitosan pods to aggregate particles and improve filtration efficiency. App controls enable mode selection, such as AI Night with LED illumination, and provide data on cleaning stats – there is enough here for any geek to really dig into the stats of the pool cleaner.
One of the new features that I really like is the voice announcements the unit has. When you change the pool modes or other features on the unit itself, a voice will announce the new setting you have selected.
In bright sunlight it can sometimes be difficult to see the settings on any of these pool units, and the voice announcements help you navigate the settings better – big kudos to Beatbot for this innovative feature.
Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra: specs and competitors
Quick take: powerful cleaning, even for large pools, and greater capability than rivals
The AquaSense 2 Ultra features a 5,500 GPH suction system and extensive sensor suite to clean up to a 3,975 square foot pool – the most in its class.
My pool comes in at just around 570 square foot, so you can imagine how much this cleaner can really handle. I put together a chart to show how the AquaSense 2 Ultra compares to other cleaners on the market with varying ranges of prices and capabilities.
Keep in mind that there are probably 100 or more cleaners out there easily to choose from and I only chose a handful.
Some stats that stood out to me when putting this chart together include the Dreame Z1 Pro pool cleaner which is priced 50% less yet sports an incredible 8000 GPH of suction. You had better look for dead birds or the occasional hand in that filter basket. Kidding of course.
The Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max is slightly heavier at 33 lbs., but that company at least offers a caddy with wheels for an extra cost to help you move their pool cleaner around – Beatbot sells no such accessory.
The Aiper also skims the surface to help remove debris as one of their features just like the AquaSense 2 Ultra, but the Aiper does not offer pool clarifying as part of the package.
Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra: testing and use
Quick take: a thorough clean all round, with one of the better performances cleaning pool stairs – although still not perfect
During the tests in my home pool, the AquaSense 2 Ultra mapped out the pool with solid accuracy and cleaned the floor, walls and surface without any issues, including most of the stairs (I have yet to find a pool cleaner that does a thorough job on the stairs).
I had fully expected the unit to get stuck on the wall jets from the pool like the AquaSense Pro I reviewed a year ago did, but this newer unit didn’t have any issue.
In Pro mode, it handled debris like leaves and fine particles over the four hours it took to clean the pool. I live in Oregon so there wasn’t a lot of fine debris to pick up in the pool, but it did pick up the sand I poured in one area of the pool without issues.
The AquaSense 2 Ultra also did a fine job cleaning the edges and corners of the pool thanks to its side brushes. It’s not the same as using a professional pool cleaner or doing it yourself, but good enough that it saves you a couple personal cleaning sessions.
Personally, I usually use the custom mode I set up to have it clean the pool floor twice before parking it. And every few cleanings, I would switch it to pro mode to do a more thorough cleaning of the walls and surface. The clarifier is a nice touch and works as designed, but I always question whether it’s worth the extra cost.
Battery performance was not an issue and I was usually able to run two custom cleanings before having to charge the unit.
In Pro mode, I had some battery life left over, but not enough for another full Pro cleaning. The app makes controlling and programing the AquaSense 2 Ultra very simple to use. You can see statistics around your pool, clean time, any issues the cleaner ran into, and more.
Beatbot touts a parking and water draining feature which I felt was a very cool idea and they proved it works. The AquaSense 2 Ultra would return to the spot that I put into the pool and stay at the surface for easy retrieval.
The SmartDrain feature would drain the cleaner relatively quickly so the unit was not incredibly heavy to pull out of the pool. The Aiper takes a while to drain, and the older AquaSense Pro I reviewed was a beast to get out of the pool with all the water that was in it.
My recommendation is to pull the AquaSense 2 Ultra out slowly to let the water drain rather than jerk it out quickly.
Sadly, Beatbot does not offer a portable caddy that you can put their cleaner on to help move it around. My advice is that if you are a smaller or older person, seriously consider a lighter pool cleaner as this thing is heavy!
Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra: durability and warranty
Quick take: A durable, well-built pool cleaner with one of the best warranties on the market
The AquaSense 2 Ultra proved to be very durable with no signs of serious scratches, parts falling off or loosening up after using it for a few weeks. I would make sure to do a regular check though to make sure everything feels tightly screwed together.
In my experience, most pool cleaners do a fairly good job of staying in shape, but I do recommend cleaning it once a year to make sure its operates smoothly.
As for warranties, the AquaSense 2 Ultra has one of the best on the market with a 3-year full replacement warranty that includes the battery.
I put together a chart comparing its warranty to others so you can see how it compares.
I did a quick scan on Amazon to see what people were saying about the AquaSense 2 Ultra, and it generally has positive reviews.
One person complained about the unit not parking when finished, and sitting at the bottom of the pool, but in my experience that only happens when you leave the pool cleaner unattended for hours on end and the battery simply dies.
This cleaner weighs 33 lbs., and it uses jets to keep the cleaner at the surface in its parked position when it’s finished cleaning. When those jets lose power, of course the cleaner sinks.
What else should I try? And should you buy the AquaSense 2 Ultra?
If you’re looking for a cleaner that does everything the AquaSense 2 Ultra is capable of then there isn’t a better product out there.
Keep in mind Beatbot threw the kitchen sink into the AquaSense 2 Ultra when it comes to features and capabilities.
If you don’t need the pool clarifying capabilities but want the surface skimming, I’d recommend the Aiper Scuba X 1 Pro which is considerably cheaper.
And if you are like me and would like a separate robot to clean the surface altogether, then I would recommend the Aiper Surfer S2 which uses solar to charge itself and has a nearly limitless battery life as a result.
So, you can always purchase a more affordable cleaner and a separate skimmer and still save some money.
However, if you want a cleaner that does literally everything, the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra reigns as the all-in-one pool cleaner champion.
How I tested the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra
I used my personal pool which I have used to test several pool cleaners before. For fine debris, I poured sand into the pool in a couple spots: grouping in the corner of the pool and the other in the middle of the shallow end.
On the surface of the pool I have plenty of leaves, and bugs that organically land on the pool due to the surrounding trees, so I tested the skimming feature on those.
Other tests include charging speed, battery drain time, and completion of task time.