Pros
- Solid performance, effective at cleaning debris
- Long running time, quick charging
- Large debris capacity
Cons
- On the pricy side
- Not the most attractive appliance
Our Verdict
Ofuzzi’s top-end pool cleaning robot packs plenty of power, but it has a price to match.
Best Prices Today: Ofuzzi Cyber 1200 Pro
The Ofuzzi Cyber 1200 Pro is a pricey pool-cleaning robot, but it’s also one of the most effective devices we’re reviewed to date. And as of this writing, it’s available at a $100 discount from its $400 list price.
Like most robotic pool cleaning robots, the Ofuzzi Cyber 1200 Pro uses its rechargeable battery to scoot back and forth across the bottom of your pool, vacuuming up all the debris it can until it’s out of juice. It’s a sizable device, measuring 15 x 13 inches and weighing about 13 pounds. It becomes considerably heavier when you’re hauling it out of the pool via its tethered, floating handle.
How large of a pool can the Ofuzzi Cyber 1200 Pro clean?
Designed to cover a maximum area of 1,076 square feet, the Cyber 1200 Pro is Ofuzzi’s highest-end cleaner. It comes with a 6600mAh battery and a promised two-hour running time. It’s also equipped with a quick-charge system, allowing the battery to be juiced up in just three hours.
It’s not clear why Ofuzzi thought it was important to provide all these garish stickers to make its Cyber 1200 Pro robot pool cleaner look even gaudier.
Ofuzzi
Before you drop the device into the pool, you’ll need to do some basic assembly, including snapping a brush onto the bottom of the device and installing an odd plastic paddle, Ofuzzi calls it a “swing plate,” on top of the robot. I’m not entirely sure what function the swing plate serves, but it seems to have something to do with helping the robot move in wide arcs, letting it cover the floor of the pool more effectively, depending on the shape and size of your pool. As with most robotic cleaners, you can change this movement route directly by adjusting the nozzles on either end of the robot to set it on a smaller or larger arc.
The Ofuzzi charges through a top-mounted power port secreted beneath a rubberized screwcap that protects it when it’s submerged. Getting this cap on and off is a bit difficult (and prone to coming free from its tether), but it’s convenient to have the power port mounted on top of the bot. The device is turned on and off through a dial that surrounds the power input port. Another lighted ring gives you a quick look at how the unit is doing while it’s in the water: green for good, red if there’s a problem, and so on.
Is the Ofuzzi Cyber 1200 Pro an effective robot pool cleaner?
The Ofuzzi Cyber 1200 Pro has a spacious debris bin and was very effective at cleaning the large swimming pool we tested it in.
Christopher Null/Foundry
The Ofuzzi proved effective cleaning my 468-square-foot pool, which has dimensions of 12 x 36 feet, with a small leg jutting to add another 6 x 6 feet at the shallow end. A testing note: I recently started testing pool robots with artificial silk leaves to improve testing consistency and repeatability. The Ofuzzi did well on this front, spending the full, promised two hours traversing the bottom of my pool and collecting about 80 percent of the test leaves, mostly leaving debris in the corners of the deep end.
I did notice the unit spending an inordinate amount of time running over the same patch of (clean) pool-floor surface in the center of the pool for quite a while, but the unit eventually found its way out of the rut and continued on its way. After recharging the device and doing a second run, it collected all the remaining debris except for a single leaf. All in all, the unit made a very good showing that puts it at or near the top of the devices I’ve tested to date.
While the Ofuzzi Cyber 1200 Pro can be difficult to remove from the pool when dragging it up by its tethered string, it at least drains quickly. Disassembling the unit to clean it is a bit more cumbersome than other units I’ve tested; but again, I’ve encountered worse, and unlike some robots, the screen doesn’t have a particular front or back and can go in either direction, saving time and frustration. (It does have a top and bottom, mind you.) A quick spray of a garden hose to the interior and the filter screen is all it takes to get the unit ready for charging and round two.
The Ofuzzi Cyber 1200 Pro is worth the money
Ofuzzi’s aesthetics might not be the most elegant, and the company bizarrely includes stickers in the box that you can use to make things even gaudier, but the nearly all-white design does at least give you the option of selecting an accent color in either blue or orange. The bigger downside is the price. At $320—$80 off the list price with the currently available coupons—it’s still on the high side for pool robots. That said, its solid operational ability should merit the modest additional outlay.
Best Prices Today: Ofuzzi Cyber 1200 Pro
Author: Christopher Null, Freelance Contributor
Christopher Null is a veteran technology and business journalist. He contributes regularly to TechHive, PCWorld, and Wired, and operates the websites Drinkhacker and Film Racket.