The Poolease X1 arrives with assembly required, including installation of four caster-style wheels in two sizes, two brush scrapers, and two plastic plates. The manufacturer specified the robot to cover 861 square feet, equivalent to a 30-by-30-foot pool.
The robot's charging port is located on the bottom of the unit, requiring it to be flipped over to connect the power adapter—a design that risks damaging the device's finish. The connection consists of two bare metal posts sitting in a narrow channel, covered by a rubber stopper when in water. The stopper is not tethered to the robot and can be easily lost, though a spare is included. The stopper is difficult to remove and reinstall.
A 1.8-ampere charger tops up the 4300-milliamp-hour battery in approximately three hours, providing enough power for a specified 90-minute operating cycle. In testing, the robot ran for approaching two hours of operation.
Once powered on via a button on the device's bottom, the X1 moves back and forth across the pool floor with limited navigation capability, reversing primarily when it reaches a wall. Testing showed the robot had difficulty collecting debris efficiently, with cleaning dependent largely on battery endurance rather than systematic coverage.
