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Comparison · 2 robots

Degrii Zima Lite · Polaris EPIC 8520

All robot pool cleaners. Every measure below is plotted against the full class, so a difference can be read against how much the class itself varies.

Degrii Zima Lite
Polaris EPIC 8520

Degrii, Inc.

Degrii Zima Lite

Autonomy: III Conditional Autonomy
Score: Not scored
Readiness: Promising Progress
Price: $699list

Polaris

Polaris EPIC 8520

Autonomy: III Conditional Autonomy
Score: Not scored
Readiness: Ready Now
Price: Not tracked

Up to three

01 Classification

What each one does on its own.

The Autonomy Ladder is the same five rungs for every robot on the site. A rung describes the conditions a robot handles without you, not how good it is.

Generalized

Any task, any setting

Environmental

Handles new obstacles without help

III

Conditional

Finishes familiar jobs on its own

Degrii Zima LitePolaris EPIC 8520

Assisted

Runs preset routines, needs rescue

Manual

One action, on command

02 Assessment

Where they actually differ.

The Robovations Score is nine inputs across three pillars, each weighted as shown and each scored so that more is better. A robot can lead on one and trail on another, which is the point of showing them apart. Cost of ownership and data handling are reported on each robot's own page and are never averaged into the score.

None of these robots carries a scored assessment yet, so there is nothing to plot here. The classification and evidence below still apply.

03 Measured against the class

How far apart is a long way?

A number only means something next to the spread it sits in. Each track below is the real range across every classified robot in the class, with the median marked.

These robots share no measured specification with enough published figures to plot. That is a gap in the record, not a finding about the robots.

04 Ownership

What the numbers leave out.

The trade-off

What each design gives up to be good at what it is good at.

Degrii Zima Lite

Dual-ultrasonic-radar 3D path planning across floor, walls and waterline is a real capability by manufacturer design, but Degrii’s own regional listings disagree on how large a pool that planning actually covers, and this research could not reconcile the two figures.

Auto-parking at the nearest wall reduces how far a robot has to be fished from open water, but it still requires manual lifting rather than a full self-exit, so the retrieval task is reduced, not eliminated.

Polaris EPIC 8520

Not recorded for this robot.

Who each one is wrong for

Stated by the record itself. A robot being wrong for a household is a fact about fit, not a fault.

Degrii Zima Lite

Buyers who need a single, confirmed maximum-coverage figure before purchase: Degrii's own EU and US listings state different maximum pool sizes for the same product, and this research could not resolve which applies.
Pools with tall drains, ledges or fittings near 4 in or taller: The manufacturer's documented maximum obstacle-clearance height is 3.9 in.
Buyers who require independently verified cleaning performance before purchase: No independent, non-manufacturer test of the Zima Lite was located during this research.

Polaris EPIC 8520

Not recorded for this robot.

What stays your job

The upkeep ownership hands back to you, whatever the autonomy level says.

Degrii Zima Lite

Filter baskets: Dual 180-micron ultra-fine filters with 6.5 L combined capacity need periodic emptying.
Retrieval: Auto-parks at the nearest wall on completion or low battery, but a person must lift it out by hand unless it parks within reach.
Setup: Mode and schedule selection happen in the Degrii app over WiFi or Bluetooth.

Polaris EPIC 8520

Not recorded for this robot.

05 Evidence

How much each of these is standing on.

Classifications rest on different depths of evidence. A pre-release assessment and a verified one are not the same kind of claim.

Evidence behind each classification
Robot	Evidence status	Sources reviewed	Last assessed
Degrii Zima Lite	Verified	5	Aug 2026
Polaris EPIC 8520	Provisional	1	Aug 2026