Oh boy, after spending the last few days looking at exclusively high end machines straight outta Aquabot, I now have to go back and look at a robotic pool cleaner I missed, and wouldn’t you know it happens to be the best of them. I loved the Breeze when I reviewed it, but that was mainly because it looked so sleek. It did what it did well, but I prefer a pool cleaner that can climb, which is exactly the feature that was added to the four wheel drive variant. So not only do we have the coolest looking robotic pool cleaner in the Breeze 4WD, we have one of the most versatile products on the market.
So let’s dive right in, see if this is the robotic pool cleaner for you.
Aquabot Breeze 4WD Design and Build Quality
At the end of the day my opinions on how a robotic pool cleaner looks should not weigh heavily on your decision, I mean, you may well think the Breeze 4WD looks horrible, but I still think this section has merit. The Build quality on offer is to the usual Aquabot standard, a flush and rattle free cleaner.
Aquabot Breeze 4WD Features and Specs
The Breeze had its faults. For one thing it could not climb walls, and in this day and age that is pretty much a requirement. The 4WD variant addresses the minor issues that I had with the XLS, lack of wall climbing an a missing handle, and as a result Aquabot have made what is probably my favorite lower mid option on the market. The built in brush might not be powered, but it is a little bit extra, it cleans a little bit deeper than the XLS. It’s a wonderfully compact cleaner, 13.8 x 16.1 x 8.7 inches at 28.9 pounds, which is great for storage and it’s a top loader, which I think is a little easier to use than a bottom loading filter bag system. With that size difference between this and, say, the Classic you might think they had to sacrifice power, but they haven’t. Expect the full 4200 gallons of water per hour filtration out of this build. Add in a cleaning cycle of 3 hours, less than the Classic, and we have an extremely versatile robotic pool cleaner. Did I mention the no tangle swivel cable? No I didn’t, it has one, giving it yet another edge over the competition.
I cannot overstate how impressed I am with this machine. It takes all the things I liked about the XLS, that sublime aesthetic and speed cleaning, and removes the issues I had with it, cleans walls, no tangling cable. Aquabot have some great designers working with them, I just wish their other lines shared the Breeze’s wonderful look.
Aquabot Breeze 4WD Ease of Use
The Breeze XLS was by no means a tough machine to use. In fact is has a leg up on other more feature rich builds by virtue of its top loading filter bag. But it lacked a handle. Getting a robotic pool cleaner out of a pool can be a hassle that is rendered moot with a handle. The 4WD is another great build from Aquabot, based on a different model that improves upon the lower end model in tangible ways. Add in a swivel cable and the 4WD blows the XLS out of the water.
I tend to avoid robotic pool cleaners that might be considered difficult to use. There are options out there that require connection to external pumps or even external filters, but I find their extra level of set up unnecessarily complicated. All of the pool cleaners I review are plug and play, straight to the power socket and dump it in the water. It essentially means that when I talk about their ease of use I have to get into the tiny issues, the ones that barely matter, but are required if I am to differentiate these machines. In most cases I would not recommend a straight upgrade, but the increased utility of the 4WD are such that I have to recommend you upgrade to it if you are using anything lesser. It simply is that much better.
Aquabot Breeze 4WD Pricing
It is the least expensive Aquabot product that can clean walls effectively, it looks great, the handle is top mounted, you really do get what you pay for. What we have to think about when buying a robotic pool cleaner is the fact that we are buying free time. Rather than spending time cleaning a pool we can now spend out time doing something more fun, and the value in that new free time is entirely up to you. I would argue that any pool cleaner worth its salt will have paid you back in time within a year. I know I say that a lot, but it is true. Now, we also have to consider the electrical cost, which does vary depending on where you are. Look up[ your local price per kilowatt hour, and hope for a low number. Granted, with a 180W power draw I am not overly concerned with the running costs, but they still must be considered. Finally we look at the warranty, a full years coverage, with a further year of limited coverage. I dislike the limited coverage option, read the limited warranty and you’ll see what I mean by the phrase “Arbitrary restrictions”. In spite of that issue I would still say we are getting a good deal here. Also, bear in mind Aquabot do not charge for delivery.
Aquabot Breeze 4WD Conclusion
I feel like I’ve gushed over this build enough. I love things to be cheap, fully featured and aesthetically pleasing, and Aquabot have delivered on all fronts with this one. You will not find a better looking robotic pool cleaner that can do all the things this one can do.
Pros:
- Automatic, requires no supervision.
- Works out of the box, no need to connect it to a pool pump.
- Looks fantastic
- Cleans walls from bottom to top.
- Built in brush for deep cleaning
- Handle makes it easy to lift out of the water.
- Swivel cable is tangle resistant.
Cons:
- Brush is stationary, so not as deep a clean as other machines
- In ground pools only.
- A little more expensive than I would like.
