Polaris FREEDOM Cordless Robotic Pool Cleaner, FFREEDOM

The Polaris FREEDOM is a cordless robotic pool cleaner. There is no floating cord and no power supply on the deck, because the cleaner carries its own lithium-ion battery. That removes the single most irritating part of running a robot: the cord that tangles, twists and has to be laid out and coiled every time.

Four ways to clean

Two modes live on the cleaner: floor only, or floor plus walls and waterline. Connect it to the iAquaLink app and two more open up, waterline only and SMART Cycle, which calculates how long your particular pool needs rather than running a fixed time. Whichever you pick, a cycle finishes in 2.5 hours or less.

Getting it out again

At the end of a cycle FREEDOM climbs to the surface and stays retrievable along the waterline for 10 minutes, so you can lift it out wherever you happen to be standing. Water evacuates as it comes up, which is what keeps the weight down. A push notification through the app tells you when that window has started.

Brushing and debris

The Double Helix brush scrubs the surface while channeling debris toward the vacuum inlet, and the catch lands in a large transparent canister. Because the canister is clear you can see how full it is without opening it, and emptying it is a matter of pulling it out, shaking it and rinsing it off.

Charging

The Easy-Charge Station charges by direct contact: cradle the cleaner in the base and it locks into place with a beep. A full charge takes less than 5 hours, and the app reports the battery state so you know when it is ready. Keep the charger itself out of direct sunlight, rain and bad weather.