SMOROBOT Tank C1 cordless pool cleaner review – keeps our pool sparkling

REVIEW – This is our seventh season with an inground pool and our fourth robovac — we love them for pool maintenance, but seem to go through them quickly. The homeowners got rid of our pool’s main drain, so we were told early on that a robovac, in addition to our pool skimmer, would be key to keeping it in top shape. We tend to run the robovac a ton during the pool opening, regularly through the season, and then again a lot when the leaves start falling just before closing time — and we were eager to try our first cordless model. Here’s how the SMOROBOT Tank C1 cordless pool cleaner compares.

What is it?

The Smorobot Tank C1 intelligent robotic pool cleaner is a cordless, automatic pool cleaner for inground pools. It features 150 minutes of battery life, takes 2.5 hours to fully charge, and has two cleaning modes: floor-only or floor-and-wall cleaning.

What’s included?

• SMOROBOT Tank C1 cordless pool cleaner
• Charging adaptor
• Retrieval hook
• User manual

Tech specs

Design and features

Setup

We were impressed with how easy it was to set up the SMOROBOT Tank C1 cordless pool vacuum and get it going. In addition to a good user manual, with pictures and detailed instructions, there are clear stickers on the vacuum itself to explain how to use it.

The only setup required is to charge it up before usage.

Once charged, you unplug it and select if you want it just clean the floor of your pool (F) or the standard mode (S) to clean the floor and walls.

Since this is our first experience with a cordless pool vacuum, the process for getting it started was a little different than what we are used to, but the vacuum guided us the whole way.

The green lights let you know the vacuum is ready.

The lights on the side start flashing yellow, which means it’s ready to be submerged.

You should hold the SMOROBOT Tank C1 cordless pool cleaner for a few seconds at the top of the waterline right after it submerges, to release any air trapped in it, then you release it to sink to the bottom. It will take another 1-2 minutes to self-test and start the clean cycle.

Performance

We tested the SMOROBOT Tank C1 cordless pool cleaning robot after a storm that left a lot of debris in our pool.

I was able to run it through two clean cycles on a single charge, emptying in between. The first run was floor-only and the second was the standard clean. While the first didn’t capture every bit of debris, it did a good job. After the second clean, it was crystal clear.

However, with the second clean, the SMOROBOT Tank C1 cordless pool cleaner didn’t run up the walls, it would just start and then fall backward. Since most of the gunk was on the floor, I just let it continue the cycle. However, the manual explains this can happen if the charge is low. So, after the second clean, we charged it overnight.

We then tried the floor-and-wall mode with a full charge the next morning, and it worked great, climbed the walls with no problem.

It’s important to note that this pool vacuum is designed for inground pools at a max depth of 9.8 ft and 1.64 ft minimum, a climbing slope of less than 15 degrees, and does best with drains less than 1.7 inches (or it may get stuck).

The big question is: Will the battery life deteriorate over time? And if so, how fast? Right now it charges quickly and cleans efficiently; we’ll have to wait and see how it holds up over time.

The cordless feature is a really nice change from our older models. It’s easily portable without a long cord getting tangled or in the way, making storing and cleaning that much simpler.

Post-clean

The SMOROBOT Tank C1 cordless pool cleaner will stop at a pool wall when it’s done with its clean cycle. Curious how to pick it up with no cord? It comes with a hook that fits into a standard pool pole.

And then you fish it out.

You just hook it to the handle… which is easier if it parks in shallow water, but not difficult either way. For reference, the unit is 28 pounds and significantly heavier filled with water; but if you lift it slowly, most of water will drain before you hoist it.

Once out of the water, you turn the power off.

Then to clean the filter, you press the button to pop it open.

Inside is a large filter basket with a handle that you just lift out.

You unhitch the latch to open the basket and empty it.

I always spray the filter with a hose to get out all the silt and small particles.

The manual warns not to let the filter basket dry out before cleaning it, because it will affect the vacuum’s overall performance. The manual also shares troubleshooting tips and care instructions, including how to easily remove the wheel tracks (with just a screwdriver) for deep cleaning and how to best store it in the off-season.

What I like about the SMOROBOT Tank C1 cordless pool cleaner

• Fast charging
• Easy to use

What needs to be improved?

• Better wall climbing on low battery

Final thoughts

The SMOROBOT Tank C1 cordless pool cleaner is an easy-to-use pool vacuum makes pool maintenance a lot easier.

Price: $599.00
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Smorobot. Smorobot did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.