I purchased this product after some serious reservations... I am a fully-grown adult buying a rubber blow-up swimming pool? :-) I was NOT disappointed. For the price, it has been a wonderful backyard investment. I was able to have a nice summer with a decent pool available to me at all times for less than 500 dollars.

I purchased the 18' 42" pool. It was not too bothersome to put together, but you do need to have an ABSOLUTELY level area to put it in. My yard has one such spot, I thought, and there is where I put it. I was wrong. And while this did not really adversely affect my use of the pool, a few inches of slope makes a big difference. There was a definite lopsided appearance to the pool. I can see that with any more of a grade, I would have been in trouble. Don't rely on your own perceptions...measure and use a level to find out if the area truly is level.

The pool needed to be cleaned daily, because that level spot happened to be located near a tree, but since I used it daily, that wasn't a big deal. The filter does a good job and it comes with a skimmer and a vacuum attachment. Any pool you buy requires maintenance, so I wasn't really put off by this. One disadvantage is that the filter intake is located rather high up on the side of the pool, which prevents a lot of the stuff that ceases to float from getting pulled out. In a higher-end, more permanent pool, a center drain would help take care of this. Frequent use of the pool helps keep the water filtered and circulating. I would recommend covering it with the accompanying cover if the pool is not going to be used for a few days.

I really enjoyed this product and I would definitely buy another one if I had to. I found it really met my needs as far as capacity...I was able to do short (very short--6 stroke!) laps in it, as well as various aquatic exercises, which was part of the reason I bought it. It is also perfectly suited to floating around on an air mattress with a cold drink (another reason I bought it.)

I found the cover to be nice but a real pain to put on and take off, and I wished that it had also included a more porous cover (like a mesh cover) simply for keeping out leaves and such. The debris cover it comes with takes on water very easily and is difficult to remove, despite the drain holes.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 400
Age Range of Child: Whole Family