A Pain to Blow Up, But the Kids Love It!
The good:
- I have a 6 year old, and an almost 4 year old, and they both absolutely love this pool. They can't get enough. They want to play in it every chance they get, and play for hours when it's inflated.
- It is bigger than I expected. I was expecting this to be a little on the small side for kids that age, but it's not. It's actually quite large, holds a lot of water, and provides plenty of room to play. I would say kids 1-8 or 9 would enjoy this, and you could probably have 3-4 kids playing in it at one time.
- Features - there are quite a few features. They like sending things down the little slides on the side (including the rainbow colored balls that come with it). They enjoy the rings, although they place them on the pegs, rather than tossing them. They like playing with the overhead sprinkler and really enjoy the slide, although it can be tough to slide down sometimes. The surprise hit is the noise makers on one side. They love squeezing them and making fun noises, and I don't find them annoying as a parent (a nice plus).
- Sturdiness - It seems very strong and sturdy. I see it lasting a long time.
The not so good:
- It is a pain to blow up. You absolutely need an electric pump to do it (sold separately). That's fine. The biggest problems are: 1) There are about a dozen different places where you need to put air; and 2) It can be tough to close some of the valves before the air rushes out. The first time I inflated this, it honestly took me about a half an hour. It does go faster with practice though, but it will always be a chore. (Tip: Many have a problem getting the rainbow to stand up straight. After I finish inflating everything, I put more air in the rainbow with my mouth. It does the trick. The rings will weight it down and make it slant a little though, so if you want it perfectly vertical, don't leave the rings on).
- The slide: The kids love it, but it can be tricky for them to really slide down it. Kids will stick on there, and have to basically push themselves down. That said, my 6 year old has figured out how to shift her weight to actually slide. My almost 4 year old is still working on it. It takes practice. Don't expect a kid to just get up there and glide right down. It can be a little tricky for small kids to get up to the slide too, so be prepared to help them if you have small kids. That said, my average sized 3-4 year old can do it when she really tries. Also, the slide isn't overly big, so older kids aren't traveling very far relative to their body size. That said, my 6 year old still thinks it's a blast.
Other: You have to give yourself time to dry it off before you put it away. It has two drain plugs, but you likely won't get all the water out using those. We open them up, and scoop out water while they are slowly draining. Once empty, if you deflated it, you'll need to stretch it out for a few hours to get it dried out. I deflate it to help get the water out quickly, but it may dry faster if it's still inflated, because you won't have so many things folded over, trapping moisture. Just one thing to consider.
Also, the directions say the ground has to be absolutely level. Not true. Don't put it on a hill, but we have it next to a tree, where there is a little bit of a slope. The water is usually a few inches deeper on one side than the other because of this, but it doesn't affect the integrity of the pool. Don't be scared when you read that in the directions. As long as you have a relatively flat area, you'll be fine. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Overall this was an excellent buy. I think it's probably a $35 pool regular price, but I paid a COVID gouge price of $59. I'm actually not sorry I did. I have no doubt we'll get far more than $59 worth of enjoyment out of it, so while I don't enjoy getting price-gouged, it was still a good value. Our kids love this, it's big, it's fun, and it should last a few years. I wouldn't hesitate to buy if you can find a reasonable price right now. Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
