Pool Gear Reviews
Researched best-of guides to pool equipment: variable-speed pumps, robotic cleaners, filters, salt systems, test kits, heaters, covers, and chlorine, with picks for every pool and budget.
Best Variable-Speed Pool Pumps
Quiet, efficient pumps that slash energy bills.
Read more →Best Robotic Pool Cleaners
Hands-off cleaning for floors, walls, and waterline.
Read more →Best Pool Filters
Cartridge, sand, and DE filters compared.
Read more →Best Salt Systems
Salt chlorine generators for easier sanitation.
Read more →Best Pool Test Kits
Accurate kits for FC, pH, TA, CYA, and more.
Read more →Best Pool Heaters
Gas heaters and heat pumps to extend your season.
Read more →Best Pool Vacuums
Manual and automatic vacuums for every budget.
Read more →Best Pool Covers
Solar, safety, and winter covers that pay off.
Read more →Best Pool Chlorine
Tablets, liquid, and granular, and when to use each.
Read more →Best Pool Skimmers
Nets, robots, and surface skimmers for debris.
Read more →Best Above-Ground Pools
Sturdy, good-value pools for a first setup.
Read more →Best Pool Shock
Cal-hypo, dichlor, and liquid shock picks.
Read more →Hayward H-Series 400,000 BTU gas pool heater review
Four hundred thousand BTU covers a very large pool, and the gas line is the part people underestimate.
Read more →DR. Infrared DR-1100HP pool heat pump review
One hundred and ten thousand BTU of inverter heat pump, and the air temperature that decides whether it works.
Read more →Hayward H-Series 250,000 BTU gas pool heater review
Rated for pools and spas up to 750 square feet, which covers most of what people actually own.
Read more →Raypak 266,000 BTU natural gas pool heater review
Electronic ignition, a case that does not hold residual heat, and a price that undercuts the obvious competitor.
Read more →Hayward TriStar VS 2.7 HP review
A permanent magnet variable speed pump that can pay for itself, and the reason bigger is not better.
Read more →AQUASTRONG pool heat pump review
Inverter heating and cooling for around half what the established brands charge, and the trade that comes with it.
Read more →Pentair IntelliFlo VS+SVRS review
A variable speed pump with a safety vacuum release system built in, which is a feature about entrapment rather than energy.
Read more →Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra review
AI mapping, five surfaces cleaned and a clarifier dispenser, at a price that buys a heat pump.
Read more →Hayward AquaRite salt chlorine generator review
The most widely installed salt system in America, and the cell replacement cost nobody mentions at purchase.
Read more →CircuPool CORE55 review
Fifty five thousand gallons of capacity and an eight year cell warranty, which is the number that matters.
Read more →Hayward SwimClear 425 sq ft cartridge filter review
Four hundred and twenty five square feet of cartridge, and the water you stop sending down the drain.
Read more →Hayward ProSeries 24 inch sand filter review
A six position valve, a corrosion proof tank, and a cleaning routine that takes under a minute.
Read more →Dolphin Nautilus CC Supreme review
WiFi scheduling, dual drive steering and waterline scrubbing, from the brand that has been doing this for forty years.
Read more →Pentair IntelliFlo3 VSF 1.5 HP review
It holds a flow rate rather than a speed, which is a more useful thing for a pool to do.
Read more →Pentair SuperFlo VS 1.5 HP review
Three programmable speeds, a 24 hour clock and universal voltage, with nothing else to go wrong.
Read more →Hayward TurboCell T-CELL-15 review
The replacement cell that decides whether your salt pool was ever cheaper to run.
Read more →Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus review
WiFi scheduling, wall climbing and a caddy included, which is more useful than it sounds.
Read more →Hayward Super Pump 1 HP review
The best selling medium head pump in the world, and the running cost that variable speed made obvious.
Read more →Aiper Scuba V3 review
A front facing camera that recognises debris, a wireless dock, and a three micron filter layer.
Read more →Polaris Vac-Sweep 280 review
It cleans a pool in three hours and it needs a second pump to do it.
Read more →Pool Care & Maintenance Planner
9 printable worksheets to log your water tests, track chemical dosing, and stay on a weekly and seasonal maintenance schedule.
Get the Planner for $39