Here on the Gold Coast, pretty much everyone's got a pool — and pretty much everyone's pool is collecting leaves, pollen, bugs and wind-blown mess off the surface every single day. I've now tested both of Aiper's solar pool skimmers in my own pool: the Aiper Surfer S1 and the newer Aiper Surfer S2. When I first reviewed the S1, I thought it was one of the smartest pool skimmers I'd ever used. Then I ran the S2, and it showed me just how much better this whole category could get.

So today it's a proper head-to-head. I've had both running in my own pool for months, in real Gold Coast conditions, and I'm covering design and weight, solar charging and battery, navigation, the basket and filter, the new edge-cleaning mode, the built-in chlorine dispenser and the app. Should you buy the S1, step up to the S2, or upgrade if you already own one? One honest note up front: both of these were tested in a sunny Gold Coast backyard, and solar skimmers live or die on sunshine — so if your pool's in heavy shade, factor that in.

▶Watch the Full Head-to-Head

01Why a Solar Pool Skimmer at All?

A robotic floor cleaner deals with what sinks. A surface skimmer deals with what floats — leaves, pollen, dead bugs, dust — and gets it before it ever hits the bottom. Both the Surfer S1 and S2 sit on top of the water, run on solar power, and just work their way backwards and forwards across the pool all day.

If your pool collects debris and you want it spotless with the least effort from you, this is the kind of gadget that makes a real day-to-day difference. The question is which one actually does that better — and whether the gap is worth paying for.

02Design, Weight & What's in the Box

Put them side by side and you can see straight away that the S2 has evolved. The S1 is a sleek, lightweight catamaran design with a solar panel on top — when I first picked it up, it reminded me of the CityCats on the Brisbane River, just skimming along. Light, well built, UV-resistant materials, and at 5.8 kg it's easy to carry and drop in the pool.

The S2 comes in at 5.7 kg — a touch lighter — but it actually feels more solid, more refined and more premium. It's the more mature product, and you feel that the moment you pick it up. Both are UV resistant and built to live outside next to your pool in Australian conditions without falling apart.

In the box you get the skimmer, a DC charger, the manual and a small orange foam noodle that goes in the skimmer port. Important detail: don't leave that noodle sitting in the basket, or it'll block the skimmer from working properly.

03Solar & Battery: 12 Hours vs 35 Hours

Both skimmers have a solar panel on top and charge in the sun. The S1 runs for around 12 hours, and you can top it up manually with the DC adapter when you need to. On the Gold Coast, where we get sun basically every day, that's worked well for me.

The S2 is the one that got me. It has what Aiper calls SolarSeeker technology: when the battery starts running low, it actually drives itself towards the sunlight to recharge, sits there and tops up for about 15 minutes, then heads straight back to cleaning. On a single DC charge it's rated for 35 hours, against the S1's 12.

I ran the S2 in my pool for two days without touching it once. The solar kept topping it up the whole time, and the pool stayed spotless. That's not just an upgrade — that's a completely different level of set-and-forget.

04Navigation: Ultrasonic vs dToF

This is where the S2 really separates itself. The S1 uses ultrasonic sensors to navigate and avoid walls. It works well — it bumps gently off the sides and keeps moving — and for what it is, it's impressive.

The S2 uses dToF obstacle detection, with dual optical sensors that pick up walls, ladders and pool edges before it gets to them. Watching it in my pool, it accelerates across, slows itself down before the wall, spins around and takes another path. Smooth, deliberate, efficient — no bumping, no wasted movement. Because it isn't bouncing off walls, it covers the pool faster and more efficiently, and honestly it just looks like a much smarter machine than the S1.

05Stuck Alerts & Anti-Stranding

Both skimmers have an anti-stranding design, with adjustable columns underneath that stop them getting caught on steps or shallow edges. My pool has some tricky edges and corners, and both handled them well — but the S2 handled them more confidently, every time.

The S2 also adds a stuck alert in the app. If it does get caught on a step or an edge, your phone tells you straight away. On the S1, you have to walk outside and check. Small feature, but a really useful one. And both of them are super quiet — you genuinely can't hear them working.

06Basket & Filter: 5L/200µm vs 4L/150µm

This is a genuine upgrade on the S2. The S1 has a 5-litre basket with a 200-micron filter — good capacity, handles a variety of debris and it's easy enough to clean.

The S2 has a slightly smaller 4-litre basket, but it's a side-drawer design that slides out without spilling anything back into the pool. If you've ever emptied a skimmer and watched half the debris fall straight back into the water, you know exactly why that matters. Slide it out, tip it, hose it off, done.

The filter is finer too: 150 microns on the S2 versus 200 on the S1. That means it catches smaller particles — fine dust, pollen and floating algae, the stuff that makes your pool look slightly off even when it looks clean. The S2 gets more of that; the S1 lets some of it through.

07Edge Cleaning Mode (New on the S2)

This sounds minor until you see it working. The S1 covers the pool in a zigzag pattern and does it well, but debris that collects along the walls and in the corners doesn't always get caught.

The S2 has a dedicated edge cleaning mode — 10 minutes focused specifically on the pool perimeter. It automatically alternates between full-pool coverage and edge passes, so you don't have to set anything up or think about it. For a pool like mine, with different shapes and edges, that makes a real practical difference.

08The Built-In Chlorine Dispenser

This one genuinely surprised me. The S2 has a built-in chlorine dispenser: pop in a standard 3-inch chlorine tablet and it slowly releases as the skimmer moves around the pool. The release rate is adjustable depending on your pool size and climate, so it's keeping your water balanced while it cleans the surface.

I didn't expect that on a surface skimmer, and it ended up being one of my favourite things about the S2 — one less job to remember. The S1 doesn't have this at all.

09The App: Good vs Great

The app has always been one of the things I like about Aiper, and the S2's feels like a proper control centre now. Start and stop, cleaning schedules, battery status, cleaning history, remote control, edge cleaning, stuck alerts and real-time notifications for blockages and the basket — it's all there on your phone.

I can be sitting inside at night and know exactly what's happening in my pool without going outside. That's the Gold Coast lifestyle right there: clean pool, zero effort. The S1 app is good. The S2 app is great.

10Surfer S1 vs Surfer S2: Side by Side

Here's everything from my testing in one place. The S1 holds its own on basket size, but on almost every other line the S2 pulls ahead.

⚙Aiper Surfer S2: Key Specs

$Where to Buy + Giveaway

Building a fully automated pool? The skimmer I'd pair with the S2 is the Aiper Scuba X1 for floors and walls — between the two, the pool pretty much looks after itself.

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