Aquabot Classic Platinum – Robotic Pool Cleaner Review

Heading up to the highest echelon with the Aquabot Classic Platinum. The Classic is a fine machine, but the Platinum takes everything that was great about the Classic and improves upon it. There are a few things that we demand of our pool cleaners, and the Classic Platinum delivers in spades. A more robust machine for those who have major problems keeping their pools clean, maybe you live in an area full of trees and are plagued with twigs, leaves and acorns. Well it is your lucky day, as I am about to spend the next several hundred words explaining why this is the right pool cleaner for you.

So let’s take a closer look at the Aquabot Classic Platinum, see if it’s what you’re looking for.

Aquabot Classic Platinum Design and Build Quality

The Platinum marks yet another high end iteration of a mid range Aquabot product. you get a little more out of your robotic pool cleaner for a slight bump in price. Whether it’s worth it or not is up to you, but I actually really like this one. The build quality is amazing, most of Aquabot’s products tend to be, but with the Platinum there is more attention to detail. The parts fit flush and the plastic feels tough and hard wearing, but the major bump is in the aesthetics. The vanilla Classic is an okay looking machine, it looks like it can do the job, but the simple addition of molded parts, smooth transitions and slightly stronger colorings have turned what was a very basic looking design into a sleek and pleasing one. Just take a look at it an compare it to the Classic, or the Junior, you’ll see what I mean. For my money, more thought went into it, and I love me a product that looks worth the extra cash, in addition to being worth it.

I honestly didn’t think the basic look present in the Junior could be made to look good. I thought the mid range robotic pool cleaners from Aquabot were all doomed to looking exclusively functional, but I am happy to admit I was wrong. The usual sturdy nature of the product is present here, no two ways about it Aquabot know how to build a pool cleaner, but that little something extra in terms of design has gone a lone way to endear the Classic Platinum to me.

Aquabot Classic Platinum Features and Specs

Last time I raved about the Classic, with all of its high end features with a low end price, and now I am about to do the same with the Classic Platinum. The Platinum will clean the entirety of your pool, to as high a standard as the vanilla Classic, but it will do it with less hassle and faster. not to say that there are major issues with the Classic, but I would be remiss if I did not point out the issue with its cable. The anti-swivel cable present is some machines is a lot easier to deal with, upon occasion a regular cable will tangle and stop a cleaning cycle, not the case here. The brush on the Platinum is powered, and their is a separate scrubber for the tops of pools. How does it get to the top of your pool you might wonder? It climbs the walls, something I love seeing in a robotic pool cleaner. Add in a 60 foot cable, great for larger pools, and a variable cycle time, 1hr, 1.5hr and 2hr, and we have a build that improves upon the Classic in every way. It’s even slightly lighter than the Classic, 18 x 21 x 20 inches at 33 pounds.

Another impressive machine from Aquabot. There really isn’t much more that I would have liked to see. The addition of remotes and direct control are nice in the truly high end builds, but they aren’t required for a deep clean. The Platinum will do everything you want a pool cleaner to do at a reasonable price, which I will get to in a moment.

Aquabot Classic Platinum Ease of Use

As is the case with all of the pool cleaners I review, the Platinum is simple by design. there are more complicated robotic pool cleaners on the market, and even some than require connection to an external pump, but that extra level of complication is unnecessary in my opinion. I want my pool cleaning robot to be plug and play and I hope you do too. The Platinum is a bottom loading build, and while there is nothing inherently wrong with that, I still think having to flip the beast over to remove and replace a filter bag is cumbersome. The handle on the Platinum is fitted to the top though, which is where a handle should be, looking at you vanilla Classic. Getting these robots out of the water can be a difficult process, so easily fixed by the addition of a top side handle.

Great build, again the issues I had with the lower end variant are resolved by the slightly more expensive model. Love the handle, and that swivel cable is a god send.

Aquabot Classic Platinum Pricing

This is where the choice is made. If you have been reading this review, nodding your head and thinking to yourself, yeah this is just what I am looking for, then you may well have to stop nodding in a moment. The Aquabot Classic Platinum is an impressive $799. Yeah, no small investment. But that is what it is, an investment. A robotic pool cleaner of this caliber will save you time, and how much is your time worth? I would argue that any robotic pool cleaner will have paid you back in time within a year. Consider too that Aquabot do not charge for shipping, which is always good to see. The other major areas you have consider price in is the electrical costs, which varies depending on where you are. What you need to find out is the price per kilowatt hour, but considering the power draw here is 230W i am not overly concerned with that price. Finally a look at the warranty, and I am so happy top finally report that we have a full 2 years coverage. None of that half inn 1 year full 1 year limited malarkey we saw in the Classic. Be sure to read the warranty yourself but I have and found it comprehensive and fair.

While it might look a little expensive, the value on offer here is fantastic. You get everything you got in the vanilla classic package, but with added features, that have real tangible value, and a much better warranty. Overall, a steal.

Aquabot Classic Platinum Conclusion

The Platinum improves upon the Classic in so many little ways. It looks nicer, it is faster, lighter and it comes with a swivel cable. If you have the cash for it it is a good buy. Can quite easily recommend.

Pros:

• Automatic, requires no supervision.
• Works out of the box, no need to connect it to a pool pump.
• Anti tangle cable, really easy to use.
• Can climb a wall and clean deep
• Active brush is rare, and good to see
• Top mounted handle is great.

Cons:

• Somewhat more expensive, might put some people off.
• In ground pools only.
• Even with the handle, it is a little heavy, getting it out of the water requires a decent effort.