newbie -- looking for a long lasting above-ground (AG) pool

[doburkett]

Hey I am a newbie here! I am looking to talk to some above ground pool experts before I take the plunge!

[Watermom]

Welcome to the Pool Forum!

Not sure if there are any "above ground pool experts" but people here will certainly try to help. Do you have specific questions?

[doburkett]

looking for a decent above ground pool that will last for yrs. Does anything have any brands you highly recommend? or a post that I can read that goes in detail about selecting one

[PoolDoc]

Intex Ultra pools seem to have a 5+ year life, if cared for. The longest lived AG pools I've heard of are 25 - 30 years old; the only brand name I've seen associated with that has been Doughboy.

Doughboy has been a high end brand that has been sold in the South. FantaSea is another high end brand, but it may be available only in the Northeast. Other than that, long lasting brands seem to be somewhat regional.

Part of the problem is that many AG pools do not reflect 'stable' brands, with one company making pools in one location using a consistent set of methods over multiple years. I would avoid any Asian / Chinese made products that does not have a strong US brand presence (Intex is the only one I know of). From what I've been able to gather, Chinese made products are handled by a Chinese aggregator or importer located in the USA, who takes orders from US companies, and jobs out the work to 1 or more Chinese manufacturers. A single product might be actually made by 4 DIFFERENT manufacturers, and there is often almost no quality control. When there IS quality inspection in the US, the reports I've heard say that the Chinese importer ALWAYS tries to lower quality standards. A friend of mine, employed by a US auto parts distributor, worked almost full-time combating this problem! He said that the importers would sometimes agree on quality requirements, and then come back 2 weeks later and try to lower them.

Not all Asian made pool gear is junk -- Intex offers tremendous value and acceptable, if not great, quality -- but from what I can tell, all Chinese product, not overseen by a LARGE US company or a major Chinese brand, it is INCONSISTENT in quality. So, if you want consistent quality, look for US made products.

One other possible marker for a long lived pool: significant use of stainless steel or aluminum in the pool's construction. Going through Doughboy's video FAQ's may give you some things to look for:
http://www.doughboy-pools.com/Videos/VideoFAQ.aspx

[CarlD]

Kayak is similar to FantaSea. My FantaSea is now 12 years old and I expect it, with maintenance and routine repairs to last indefinitely, although a new liner is on the near horizon....

You may want to look at Splash pools as well, probably the highest of the high-end soft-sided pools. I have not seen many people that have them but have not seen problems with them. They ARE expensive....

[doburkett]

what are your thoughts on this pool deal?? http://www.embassypools.com/content/specials/