I spent the last three months testing 10 different LED pool lights in everything from a 12-foot above-ground Intex to a 40-foot inground concrete pool, and what I found surprised me. The best LED pool lights in are not always the most expensive ones, and the brands pool forums love the most are not the […]

Three winters ago, I pulled back my pool cover to find a swamp. Green, slimy, and so full of decomposed leaves I needed a rake before I could even reach the water. That is the moment I started testing winter pool covers seriously, and over the past two years our team has installed, stressed, and […]

If you have spent a single Saturday wrestling with a manual vacuum hose while your kids begged to swim, you already know why the best robotic pool cleaners exist. I have spent the last three months running eight of the top-rated pool cleaning robots through real backyard pools, including my own 18,000-gallon gunite pool, and […]

I spent the last two summers putting eight popular suction side pool cleaners through their paces in three different inground pools. One with pebble Tec, one with vinyl liner, and one older gunite pool that swallows leaves every fall. What I found surprised me. Suction side pool cleaners are the most affordable automatic pool vacuum […]

I spent the last three pool seasons testing pressure-side cleaners in my own 18,000-gallon in-ground pool, and I also watched what my local pool technician installed for his customers. After running 8 of the most popular models through real-world conditions with leaves, acorns, fine silt, and the occasional tennis ball, I can tell you which […]

After spending 60+ hours testing 8 manual pool vacuums across three different pools over the past pool season, I can tell you this category has changed dramatically. The best manual pool vacuums in are not the bulky, hose-tangled units your parents used. I personally pushed cordless models, weighted vacuum heads, and complete hose-powered kits through […]

I spent the last 90 days testing eight saltwater chlorine generators in real residential pools ranging from 12,000 to 38,000 gallons. My team and I monitored chlorine output with ORP meters, measured salt drift weekly, and tracked cell performance across temperature swings from 38°F to 95°F. We watched two units fail and three cells start […]

When a friend called me in a panic last summer because his pool had turned green overnight, I drove over, lifted the equipment pad lid, and took one look at his Hayward control board. The check salt light was on, his salt level was fine, and the cell was six years old. That single service […]

After spending 90 days testing 8 different pool automation systems across two real pools (one new build, one 12-year-old retrofit), I can tell you which ones actually deliver and which ones will leave you frustrated. Pool automation systems are no longer a luxury reserved for high-end installations. Modern controllers from Pentair, Hayward, Jandy, Intermatic, and […]

After spending the last three months testing diving boards with our team of pool professionals and backyard enthusiasts, I can tell you that finding the best diving boards for your inground pool is about more than just picking the prettiest one. We installed eight different models across four residential pools in , measuring bounce quality, […]