The answer — one pick, priced
Get the
Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus
no budget ceiling
The consensus best-overall robot across three independent test labs — corded, weekly-timer automation, dual scrubbing brushes, ultra-fine filters, and zero lithium-ion fire risk.
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Fit ledger — need → measured evidence
■ The catch — co-equal billing, always
You are still managing a cord. A 60 ft cable gets dropped in, unwound and hauled back out with the robot every single time — the exact chore cordless buyers pay to escape. It also has no dedicated waterline scrubber, so the scum line stays yours.
Dealbreaker? Runner-up №1 is cordless — and costs $100 less ↓
■ Every product has a catch. Verdicts that hide it are how bad buys happen.
Runners-up — if your needs differ
Adjacent verdicts — same method
Traps — this verdict avoids
The charging fire
Cordless robots run on lithium-ion. The CPSC recalled roughly 22,000 Aiper Elite Pro units for overheating and short-circuit, and individual charging fires have been reported. Poolbots reports never encountering a corded robot fire.
The suction gap
Battery robots push roughly 2,000 GPH through coarse mesh screens. Corded robots push 4,000-4,500 GPH through 2-micron NanoFiltration. Same price no longer means the same clean.
Phantom coverage
Quoted square footage and pool-length ratings assume a rectangular inground pool. Freeform shapes, steps and sun-ledges cut real coverage, and several cordless units are reported to get stuck on steps.
Provenance — 8 sources, dated
Winners are picked before affiliate payouts are checked, from the full research dossier at knowledgelib.io. Prices, stock and listings are re-verified monthly by an automated pipeline. Some links earn us a commission — it never changes the pick, and we say so here rather than in a footer you'd never read.