Fit guide
Surface skimming, floor, walls, waterline and shallow features are different jobs
“Cleans the whole pool” is not a useful comparison unless the model explains what part of the pool it means, in which mode, and under what conditions. A robot may have more than one cycle, and a long-running schedule can be intentionally less thorough per session. Separate floating-debris skimming at the water surface from the floor, submerged walls, waterline, steps, benches and shallow shelves; then find the exact page or manual entry that supports each job.
Water-surface skimming is not submerged scrubbing
An autonomous surface skimmer collects material floating at the top of the water. It is a different cleaning task from a robot vacuuming a floor or climbing a submerged wall. The Dolphin Skimmi 9997001 and Skimmi 300 9997003-US are two separately numbered surface models in this library; their water-surface mode does not establish floor, submerged-wall or waterline cleaning. Read the 9997001 assessment and the separate Skimmi 300 assessment, or open the finder for the same water-surface requirement.
Floor coverage is not wall coverage
A floor-only mode may make sense when most of the debris collects on the bottom or when a reduced schedule is more important than climbing. It does not address the waterline or vertical surfaces. A wall-climbing claim is also not a statement that every transition, slope or finish is suitable; look for the exact pool-length, surface and depth boundaries for the model.
Waterline and shallow features deserve separate checks
Waterline scrubbing can be an important task for pools that collect a visible ring, but verify that the manufacturer lists it for the exact model and mode. Steps and tanning ledges can be more conditional still: a robot may need enough water depth to move across a feature, and a different cleaning schedule may omit it.
The LIBERTY 600 provides a concrete example. Its product page lists floor, walls and waterline. The English manual's Full Coverage mode adds steps and sun ledges at least 13 inches (32 cm) deep. The manual separately describes Eco schedules: the half-week and one-week schedules are full coverage, while the two-week schedule is floor-only. Those facts support different answers to “Will it reach my ledge?” and “Will every schedule reach my ledge?” The answers are not interchangeable.
Look for capabilities that coexist
A comparison can accidentally combine a filter option from one setting, a coverage feature from another, and an app function that only works outside the pool. The practical question is whether the requested features operate together in one documented arrangement. For example, if the ledge must be cleaned by an automatic schedule, confirm that the specific schedule includes ledge cleaning; do not rely on the unit's general feature list. This is why our matcher keeps operating plans separate and why an unknown value does not count as a positive match.
Use a field check, not a generic guarantee
Measure the pool's length, note the shallowest part of steps and shelves, and identify the finish. Compare those observations against the manual's limits and the seller's exact package. A manufacturer-rated pool length is a ceiling to respect, not evidence of a guaranteed route over every pool shape. When a page says only “full coverage” without spelling out the boundaries, treat that as an unanswered question and look for the manual or support documentation.
For one exact-model example, see the Dolphin LIBERTY 600 review and its manufacturer product page. The page describes the model; it does not promise the same performance on every pool.