Intex 6ft x 20in Easy Set Pool: A £15 Summer Gamble Worth Understanding
Spend £15 on a 6ft Intex pool and one of two summers follows: splashing kids and lounging adults, or a sagging ring and a flooded lawn by teatime. Here is what tips the odds.
There is a particular type of British summer purchase that costs about the same as a takeaway and carries about ten times the emotional weight. The Intex 6ft Easy Set pool is exactly that. At roughly £15.37 it is the sort of thing you toss in the basket the moment the forecast turns, picturing the kids splashing about while you nurse a cold drink. Most of the time, that picture comes true.
But not always, and that is the part worth weighing up before you buy. The listing carries a lifetime rating of 4.3 stars across more than 38,000 reviews, which on its own would have me reaching for the buy button. Dig into the most recent batch of 100 verified UK reviews, though, and the average drops to 3.38. Almost half are full five-star raves. More than a quarter are one star. There is barely any middle ground, and that split tells you everything about what you are actually buying.
A Pool That Splits Buyers Down The Middle
Most products earn a spread of ratings: a few delighted, a few disappointed, and a big cluster of three and four-star "it's fine" reviews in between. This pool does not behave like that. In the recent 100-review sample, 47 people gave it five stars and 28 gave it one. The three and four-star reviews together barely scrape 16. People either love this thing or they want it in a skip.
That pattern usually points to one thing: a product that works beautifully when it works, and fails completely when it doesn't. There is no "a bit disappointing" version of an inflatable pool. Either the ring holds air and the seams hold water, or you have a wet groundsheet and two crying children. Charlieee wallace, who gave it five stars, called it "the best pool I've ever had. Amazing size especially for the price. So durable and looks great out on my garden." That review picked up six helpful votes, among the most of any in the sample.
Then there is Amazon Customer at one star: "This is by far the WORST thing I've ever bought on Amazon. The inflatable ring kept deflating and despite spending literally HOURS filling it the sides collapsed." Same pool, same week, opposite universe.
What Goes Wrong: Leaks, Holes And A Sagging Ring
If you want to know why a one-star review happens, the complaints are remarkably consistent. Two faults come up again and again. The first is holes, often present straight out of the box. Splash (1 star) wrote simply: "Had several holes in the bottom so leaked straight away." Mrs C Tough (1 star) found "a hole in the bottom discovered after pool had been filled. Had it had no hole it would be a good pool." leon mowlds (1 star) described a "hole in base, looks like a hole punch created it."
The second recurring fault is the inflatable top ring losing air. stevemclfc (1 star) summed it up: "The inflatable ring on top of pool does not stay inflated therefore rendering the pool unstable." Georgina A Hasler (1 star) had the same on second use: "the top inflatable ring had a leak somewhere as it wouldn't stay up." The ring is what holds the walls up as the pool fills, so when it fails the whole thing slumps sideways.
A quieter pattern worth flagging: several buyers found the fault after the returns window had closed. joanne o'donnell (1 star) was filling hers "2days after the returns window closed" when she found a hole. With a seasonal product that sits in its box waiting for sunshine, that gap matters. My advice is to inflate and water-test it the day it arrives, not the day the heatwave starts.
The Single Biggest Factor: How Level Your Ground Is
Here is something the happy reviews and the angry reviews quietly agree on. The ones that work were almost always set up on flat, level ground. The ones that toppled or bulged usually weren't. This pool is far more sensitive to your lawn than the listing lets on.
Kamil Kuklinski (5 stars) put it plainly: "Works bloody great, just needs to be set on a very flat surface and mke sure you make the bottom flat, no creases. Even the small slope will make water push on one side and skew the shape" (sic). On the other side, andy (3 stars) warned it is "only gd if u have a perfectly flat space other wise its a bit rubbish" (sic), and Karen Brown (3 stars) found it "extremely difficult to get it flat with all the sides level."
Most UK back gardens are not perfectly level, so this is the bit to take seriously. Pick the flattest spot you have, clear it of stones and twigs, and lay a groundsheet underneath. CaggieG (5 stars) managed fine on imperfect ground: "It's not on totally flat ground but it works. It's a great size for keeping cool on hot summer days." A small slope is survivable. A noticeable one will leave you with a lopsided pool that strains its seams.
When It Works, It Really Delivers
Step away from the faults for a moment, because the five-star half of this pool is a lovely thing. For the price of a couple of coffees, people are getting whole summers of use. James Flexton (5 stars) is on his fourth one: "Used every year for the past 3 years alongside the index pump, heater and cover... pool was 28c all summer last year (uk). Sturdy and will easily last the summer." He happily replaces it each season and calls it a bargain.
The size surprises people in a good way. Pamela P (5 stars): "Didn't realise how big it was when I ordered it. Worth every penny!!!" TheGDog (5 stars) in London found it big enough to share: "My kids are 5 and 7 and can swim (small) circles in the pool and I can join them comfortably. Love it so much I ordered another one in case it breaks!" And it isn't only for children. Mark (5 stars) used his as a "temporary pond" for his koi carp while he fixed the real one, and Ginger Ninja noted it is ideal "if you have a giant, thirsty dog."
Setup, when the product is sound, gets near-universal praise. tracey (5 stars) called it "the easiest set up," and the routine most reviewers describe is the same: pump up the top ring, smooth out the base, then fill. The walls rise as the water goes in. Angie Dee (5 stars) reported it filled in "3 - 4 hours," faster than she feared.
Three Things The Listing Doesn't Make Clear
Beyond the lottery of build quality, there are a few expectations worth resetting before your pool arrives.
No cover or groundsheet included. This is the most repeated non-fault complaint. Warren (3 stars) found the listing "lists in several places that the pool comes with a cover. Upon arrival, I opened the package to see no pool cover." Mr PBB Maletroit (3 stars) was blunt: "Does NOT come with pool cover or filter so ignore the 'what's in the box description'." Izziesnan (3 stars) found no groundsheet despite the instructions referring to one. Budget for a cover and chlorine tablets separately if you want to keep the water clean between dips.
It's a paddling depth, not a swimming depth. At 20 inches (about 51cm) deep, and with the water sitting lower than the rim, this is for sitting, splashing and cooling off rather than proper swimming. springerlady (4 stars) described it well: "not deep enough to swim in but lovely to chill in on hot days." For young children that depth is the point. For adults expecting lengths, adjust your hopes.
The 6ft is the diameter, and some find it small. A handful of buyers expected more floor space. NIKI (4 stars) and Ursula (4 stars) both noted it was "smaller than I thought" but still rated it well for the grandkids. If you want room for several children plus an adult, the larger Intex sizes may suit you better, though they ask more of your lawn and your water bill.
Should You Buy It? My Take
I'd buy it, and I'd go in with my eyes open. At £15.37 this is a low-stakes punt on a high-fun summer. The maths is hard to ignore: even if one in four arrives faulty, a sound one gives you a season (or several, going by James Flexton's four) of garden cooling for the price of a round of ice creams. Treat it as a consumable summer treat rather than a long-term investment and the value stacks up.
To stack the odds in your favour: order it early so you can water-test on a flat patch of garden well before the returns window closes, set it up on the most level ground you have with a groundsheet underneath, and budget a few extra pounds for a cover and chlorine tablets. Do those things and you are very likely to land in the 47% who love it. Skip them, set it on a slope, and unbox it on the hottest day of the year with no time to return a dud, and you are courting the 28% who didn't.
It is not a flawless product and the recent reviews make that plain. But for keeping kids, dogs, and the occasional koi carp cool through a UK summer, few things give you this much for so little. Just go in informed.
Intex 6ft x 20in Easy Set Swimming Pool
A cheap, easy-to-set-up garden pool that keeps the family cool all summer. Set it on level ground, test it early, and it's a small price for a lot of fun.