Robot pool cleaner vs handheld: which one for a flat pool
Updated: 21.10.2026
You are tired of the pole, and a robot at about £139 to about £149 looks like the weekend off. In this [pool cleaner comparison](/hub/pool-care/pool-cleaner) it is allowed a flat floor up to 90 m², and it is not allowed slopes, heavy wrinkles or steps. The handheld is a VIVOHOME pole from 90 to 278 cm. Bag steps are on the [how to use a cordless pool vacuum](/hub/pool-care/pool-cleaner/sub/pool-cleaner-how-to-use) page. Choosing a type is on the [buying guide](/hub/pool-care/pool-cleaner/sub/pool-cleaner-buying-guide). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are tired of the pole, and a robot at about £139 to about £149 looks like the weekend off.
You are tired of the pole, and a robot at about £139 to about £149 looks like the weekend off. In this pool cleaner comparison it is allowed a flat floor up to 90 m², and it is not allowed slopes, heavy wrinkles or steps. The handheld is a VIVOHOME pole from 90 to 278 cm. Bag steps are on the how to use a cordless pool vacuum page. Choosing a type is on the buying guide. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Floor | Runtime | amazon.co.uk | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  VIVOHOME VIVOHOME VH1715 blue | You aim the head | About 60 min | 4.3 from 893, shared | 8.2 | about £79.83 | View offer |
| Alternative |  POOLPURE POOLPURE RPC-100A | Flat, to 90 m² | About 100 min | 3.4 from 100 | 5.1 | about £149.00 | View offer |
| Alternative |  POOLPURE POOLPURE AquaGuard SE II | Flat, to 90 m² | About 100 min | 3.4 from 60 | 4.7 | about £139.00 | View offer |
On this page
What each tool is allowed to clean
A POOLPURE robot drives the floor. The RPC-100A covers flat pools up to 90 m², with 100 minutes and a floating handle. The AquaGuard SE II is the same job at about £139.00 rather than about £149.00. Both exclude slopes and heavy wrinkles. Neither claims walls or a waterline.
The handheld is the VIVOHOME VH1715, blue at about £79.83 or yellow at about £79.99. You walk a head on a pole up to 278 cm. It is not for saltwater pools, and it includes a 300-mesh bag. The robots state no micron. You pay more than the pole for a machine that only works if the floor matches the box. If you are unsure, the top pick is the pole, because you can see what it misses.
The floor test
Flat means no hopper slope and no ridges the wheels must climb. POOLPURE says it is not suitable for sloped floors or heavy wrinkles. A light crease may be fine. A bunched liner is the excluded case.
The cap is 90 m². A circle of that area is a little over 10 m across, a rule of thumb, not a diameter the seller prints. A smaller pool can still be wrong if the floor is not flat. IPX8 does not settle it: the listings state no depth and no time. If the liner fails the test, the pole is the tool that can still work.
What UK reviews actually reported
The RPC-100A is 3.4 from 100. Some UK buyers report a clean flat pool. Others say it is too fast, the switch cuts out, or a wheel snapped off after about a week. The AquaGuard is 3.4 from 60, with two early UK failures in a thin sample. Fewer comments are less evidence, not a hidden success.
The VIVOHOME line is 4.3 from 893, shared by both colours. A wheel off in the first weeks is a rejection under section 22 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Two POOLPURE listings, one part-number overlap
Do not add 60 and 100. The AquaGuard at about £139.00 uses part number RPC100A. The RPC-100A at about £149.00 is a separate ASIN. Both list about 100 minutes from 5000 mAh. The dearer listing has the UK notes on speed, the switch and the wheel. The cheaper one has a thinner UK slice that is already mixed. Filter size is on neither. Buying either for a pool the bullets exclude is the risk.
The pick with a condition
Choose the robot when the floor is flat, inside 90 m², the liner is not heavily wrinkled, and you would rather leave it than walk a pole. Accept 3.4 before you pay. The AquaGuard is the lower price. The RPC-100A has more ratings. Choose the VIVOHOME when you must chase sand with the 300-mesh bag or clean a step. Salt water is forbidden on the VIVOHOME page and is not stated on the robots. A blank is not a yes.
If you are unsure, buy the pole. Sticks for a tub are on the best cordless pool vacuum page.
Common questions
When is the robot the better buy?
When the floor is flat, inside 90 m², without heavy wrinkles, and you accept a 3.4 rating plus UK notes on speed and wheels. Steps or a ridged liner mean it is not the better buy, however tired you are of the pole.
When is the pole vacuum the better buy?
When you must aim at steps, corners, sand or a wrinkle. The VIVOHOME reaches 278 cm and includes the 300-mesh bag UK reviews use for silt. You trade time for a tool you can point, and for a larger review file than 3.4 from 60 or 100.
Will either POOLPURE clean walls?
No. The listings are a flat floor. They do not claim walls or a waterline. Another brand's wall-climbing robot does not change these bullets. Dirt on the wall still needs a brush or a pole.
What is 90 m² in a normal above-ground pool?
The seller's area cap, not a printed diameter. As a rule of thumb a circle of that area is a little over 10 m across. A smaller garden pool can still be the wrong shape if the floor slopes or the liner is heavily wrinkled.
Are the two POOLPURE ASINs the same machine?
Two listings of the same class. The AquaGuard at about £139.00 uses part number RPC100A. The RPC-100A at about £149.00 has its own 3.4 from 100, including UK notes that it was too fast and that a wheel came off after about a week. Do not add the review counts.
Does IPX8 mean the deep end?
No. IPX8 needs a depth and a time from the maker. These listings state neither. The code is not a hopper rating, and a wrinkled liner is already outside the job they described.
What if the liner is wrinkled?
Heavy wrinkles are excluded in POOLPURE's own words. That is also the wheel complaint in the UK reviews. Use the handheld pole. Neither tool irons a liner flat.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources for plugs, backflow, CE marking and the 30-day right to reject, taken from the research digest. Listing prices, stars and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026.
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK — Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, Great Britain (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK — Product regulations and UKCA and CE marking (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- WaterSafe — Hosepipe backflow (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- ABB — Applying IP ratings, including IPX8 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk listings for the nine pool cleaners in this comparison (retrieved 19 October 2026)