diy

March 13, 2025

Beatbot AquaSense 2 Pro: Is this the paramount of pool robots?

by Jeff Daum, Ph. D., PPA

Product & Technology Analyst

The is the second generation Beatbot pool cleaner.  I was really impressed with the first generation and its capabilities.  You can read that review by following this link https://insight.daumphotography.com/2024/05/14/beatbot-aquasense-pro-clean-your-pool-with-a-robot-every-bit-as-smart-as-r2-d2/

Unboxing and Technical Information

The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Pro Robotic Pool Cleaner arrives in a single large box, approximately 20 inches wide by 31 inches long by 14 inches high and weighing 41 pounds. [50.8 cm x 78.74 cm x 35.56 cm and 18.6 kg]   It is very well packed and protected in the carton.

Everything you need to get started is included along with a very large Quick Start Guide sheet and the Owner’s Manual.

Set up is easy, simply assemble the charger base by sliding the two support legs on and plug it into a wall outlet.  Then set the AquaSense 2 Pro onto the base and it automatically starts charging indicated by the blue ‘breathing’ light on the unit.

The first time you set it up, you also need to download the free Beatbot app and let it find your new Beatbot.  This goes quickly through your WiFi (both 5G/2.4G)  and Bluetooth on your smartphone.

Here are the highlights of the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Pro as listed on their official website (https://beatbot.com/products/aquasense-2-pro )

  • 5-in-1 Cleaning: Water Surface, Waterline, Floor, Walls, Water Clarification
  • Skin-Safe & Eco-Friendly ClearWater™ Natural Clarification
  • Efficient Water Surface Cleaning with App Navigation Control
  • Smart Water Surface Parking & One-Touch App Retrieval
  • Full Coverage Path Optimization with 22 Sensors
  • Up to 11 Hours of Continuous Surface Cleaning
  • 3-Year Warranty with Full Machine Replacement
  • Durable Automotive-Grade IMR Coating

It comes with a 13,400 mAh Lithium Ion built in battery capable of easily cleaning a 4000 square feet pool in a single charge.  It is equipped with nine motors and generates 5500 gallons per hour of suction!  It has a removable two-layer filter basket with a 3.7 liter capacity.

The AquaSense 2 Pro has a dry weight of approximately 25 pounds (11.34kg) and an automated feature that empties the water as you remove it from the pool.

It lists for US$2,499, though from time to time they offer a discount directly on their site.

Preliminary Field Test Results

The manual tells you to (1) turn off your pool (pop-up cleaner, water input from the pool pump) (2) remove any objects including people 😊 floating in the pool that can interfere with the multiple sensors, and (3) place the robot on a level surface by the pool for 5 seconds to allow it to calibrate.  Then you are ready to ease it into your pool.  It will turn itself on shortly after it senses the water and begins the cleaning process depending on the mode you selected.

I set this unit up to use the Pro Mode.  There are four cleaning modes you can select ranging from Floor Mode- cleans the pool floor once, Standard Mode- cleans the pool floor, walls and waterline one-time, Pro Mode- cleans the pool floor, walls, waterline and surface one time, and Custom Mode.

The testing was done in a pool I considered a challenge for it to clean: a 14,000-gallon salt water free-form pool with two sets of steps/landings and attached jetted hot tub.  The pool depth varies from about 3 feet to 5 feet, the walls curve to the bottom and the waterline has several boulders that jut down into the water.

The AquaSense 2 Pro had no issue climbing the curved walls and even cleaning the bottom edge of the small boulders at several locations around my pool.  It thoroughly cleaned the pool bottom of debris including fine sand and wind-blown dirt.  It did a good job capturing leaves floating on the surface but had some problems with small lightweight flower petals.  They would tend to get pushed away from the intake of the AquaSense 2 by its wake.  Additionally, when the unit would back up or raise its front slightly, some of the captured petals would float back out.

It captured leaves, dirt and even fine dust blown into the pool as seen in the AqualSense 2 Pro dual bins.

I also tried the new feature on the app to remotely control the Beatbot when it was on the surface.  It was a trial-and-error learning process since the Owner Manual does not go into using this feature, nor does the app.  The app has a dial with arrows at the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock positions that control the direction.  It also has two speed options along with a recall of the unit to dock at the edge of the pool.  Unfortunately, I did not find you could accurately control the direction by fine movements, but it has possibilities that perhaps will be enhanced with future software updates.

Here is a short video of the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Pro in action: https://youtu.be/m2gMIHInVx4

Summary

Like the earlier version I tested, this Beatbot AquaSense 2 Pro truly automates the pool cleaning process and does an outstanding job.  I did not find it significantly better than its predecessor the Beatbot AquaSense Pro, since both did excellent jobs in cleaning.  The paint job on the AquaSense 2 Pro is nicer and in fact changes perceived color depending on the lighting.  The app is improved as is the size of the battery over previous versions.

The ability to remotely control this unit is fun but not as practical as it should be.  I anticipate that it will be improved with future software updates.  I would also like to see a means other than using the hook, to bring the Beatbot back early if your plans change.  I realize this isn’t practical using WiFi or Bluetooth underwater, but perhaps some sonic sensor could be incorporated to allow this.  For example, slapping the water three times in rapid succession would trigger the Beatbot to return to the surface and edge of the pool.

To answer my leading question: I don’t think the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Pro is the paramount of pool robots.  Perhaps the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra will be.  Stay tuned for my upcoming review of that!

Thanks for visiting and reading. If you have a question or like to comment, please feel free to enter it below!

April 16, 2024

GTECHNIQ Complete Wheel Coating Kit: Does it work?

by Jeff Daum, Ph.D., PPA Technology & Product Analyst

WhiteHot gets treated to GTECHNIQ Complete Wheel Coating Kit

As some of you may recall a while back WhiteHot placed second in the first ever Corvette In An Interesting Setting photo contest held by CorvetteBlogger and GTECHNIQ.  Part of the prize was the GTECHNIQ Complete Wheel Coating Kit. Last week I had Costco mount new Michelin Pilot AS run flats on her front and rear.  The change in handling and driving over the OEM Michelin’s which were six years old is very noticeable.   Specifically, the Ackerman effect had gotten so bad that turning out of my garage felt like I was driving on either flat tires or had a broken steering component.  Now there is no Ackerman effect whatsoever.  The tires are inflated to the same psi as were the ones I took off.

At any rate, since I had new tires, I decided it was time to do an in-depth wheel cleaning and take advantage of the GTECHNIQ Complete Wheel Coating Kit.  The kit contains buffing microfiber towels, a bottle of Panel Wipe, a bottle of Wheel Amour and several small applicator pads.  What follows is first the PROCESS which I thought I’d include for any new members or members who have not removed their wheels but are considering it, next the APPLICATION and then the RESULTS (which you can jump to if not interested in the process 😊 ).

Here are some images of the wheels before cleaning:

PROCESS:

Removing wheels from our Corvettes is relatively straight forward but does require having the right tools/equipment including:

  • Low profile jack (I used a Mychanic Low Profile 3 ton jack)
  • Jack pads or pucks to prevent damage to the area around the specific jacking points (I used Korop jack pads from Amazon)
  • 19 mm socket, breaker bar, short extension and wrench (I used a ½ inch Craftsman)
  • Torque wrench (Danaher GearWrench micrometer adjustable Torque Wrench)
  • GM Anti seize lube
  • Wheel chock
  1. The first step is to have your Corvette on a level surface with working space around it.  If you have the OEM alarm, be sure to turn the Tilt Alarm off before starting to jack it up. 
  2. Put the wheel chock behind the rear wheel on the opposite side from where you are going to use the jack. 
  3. Hook your jack pad/puck into the jacking slot behind the front wheel or put your puck on your jack pad. Carefully place the jack pad directly under the jacking point and slowly raise the jack to ensure you are correctly positioned.
  4. Pre loosen the wheel lugs on both the front and back wheels before you start jacking-  you aren’t taking them off, just getting them started.  You will probably want to use a short extension bar with the 19 mm socket to keep your wrench away from your wheel surface.  You will also probably need to use the breaker bar to initially slightly loosen the lugs since they should be on at 100-foot pounds.
  5. With the lugs slightly loosened, start jacking until both the front and rear tires just clear the floor.  NOTE:  you don’t have to do both tires at once, but if you are cleaning them, it saves time.  You can just jack high enough to remove the front tire and once you put it back on you can then move the jack to the rear jacking point (in front of the rear tire) and repeat the process.  Be sure once you have the car lifted that the jack handle is vertical so that you don’t trip over it or bump it while cleaning the wheel.
  6. With the tire(s) off the floor, proceed to remove all the lug nuts and lift the tire off.
  7. This is a good time to check your brake pads, condition of your brake rotor, suspension, etc.  You also might want to clean your caliper cover at this time.
  8. Now you can wash off your wheel inside and out using something like Dawn and possibly an iron remover. Thoroughly dry your wheels and you are ready to apply your wheel treatment.
  9. Once cleaned/treated, remount your wheels.  Before mounting them, GM recommends using anti seize lube or grease lightly only on the center of the wheel hub to help prevent rust.  After lifting the wheels onto the lugs, lightly tighten the lugs following GM’s recommended pattern.
  10. Gently lower your jack and get your torque wrench.  It should be set to 100 ft pounds.  Following the recommended sequence, tighten each lug nut to 100 ft pounds.  NOTE:  It is highly recommended that you recheck each lug nut using the torque wrench after you drive about 25 to 100 miles.
  11. Finally, reset your torque wrench back to zero to maintain its integrity.

APPLICATION of GTECHNIQ Complete Wheel Coating

This is basically a two-step process:  You first use GTECHNIQ Panel Wipe by spraying it on one of their microfiber towels and cleaning the inside and outside of each wheel.  Next, out of the sunshine and in a well-ventilated area, you moisten one of the applicator pads (cotton like flat round pad) with the shaken Wheel Armour.  They recommend you do one half of the wheel at a time, and then buff it with their microfiber towel within 30 to 60 seconds.  The entire application process was very easy to do and took under 15 minutes per wheel.  They recommend waiting 12 hours before exposing the wheels to the elements.

Wheel Armour applied. Note the great reflection in the wheel barrel:

RESULTS

The shine was very apparent as can be seen in these images.  They look great.  Now whether it will hold up for the claimed 1 to 3 years is yet to be seen.  Let me know if you have any questions.