Bestway Steel Pro Max Pool Review

The simplest type of above-ground pool you can buy is an inflatable model like the Bestway Fast Set or Intex Easy Set. These have some pretty major disadvantages, though. In particular, with nothing rigid to hold them up, they’re prone to collapsing and spilling their contents if they’re not entirely level or shoved too hard.

A basic metal-framed pool like the Steel Pro Max doesn’t cost that much more, yet offers significant advantages in terms of sturdiness and durability. Instead of just a sack full of water with an air-filled donut at the top to keep it upright, a framed pool has a structure of its own to keep it from falling down, even when empty or only partially filled.

This allows bathers to get a little more rowdy without endangering the pool’s balance, and also makes it possible to erect it on a slight slope. Of course, one end of your pool will be shallower than the other if it’s on an incline and the supports on the downhill end will be under greater strain, so leveling your site as much as possible is still advisable.

Steel Pro Max VS its Intex Competitors

Bestway’s Steel Pro Max range of pool sets is comparable to the Intex Metal Frame and Intex Prism Frame ranges in almost every way. The main difference is that the Bestway doesn’t have an aerating filtration system, which slightly impacts your water quality.

On the other hand, the Bestway Steel Pro Max structure uses oval pipes for the vertical posts and the rim the liner drapes over, making its frame a little sturdier and easier to assemble.

It also may come, depending on which size you buy, with a liner printed to resemble a stone wall, grass, or just a solid gray. These may suit people better than the traditional bright blue color. The rattan design of the Power Steel Deluxe is even better.

Setting up a Bestway Steel Pro Max Pool Set

In much the same way as Intex Metal Frame pools, the Steel Pro Max uses locking clips to keep the frame together. These are, however, much less prone to falling out or snapping, and the oval cross-section of the supports means that these line up without having to rotate each pipe in its T-piece.

Even when properly assembled, the joints do have a little give. This is not a sign of poor workmanship; instead, it’s essential in a metal-framed above-ground pool for absorbing the motion of the water when people are frolicking inside. It does, however, allow water to get inside the pipes, leading to corrosion.

How Well Will It Hold Up?

The outside of the steel frame is coated to reduce the chance of it rusting, but this will inevitably happen sooner or later. The frame’s design is supposed to seal the joints to prevent moisture from entering the pipes’ interior, but this doesn’t seem to work a hundred percent of the time. You may want to apply a coat of paint yourself before getting ready to enjoy your pool, as this is a serious concern. It’s basically a toss-up to see whether the lining or frame will fail first.

Fortunately, Bestway offers a 90-day warranty on their liners, rising to 12 months for the filter pump. For most kinds of products in this price range, this would be laughable, but it’s a definite point in Bestway’s favor when it comes to above-ground pools. It’s not uncommon for any pool lining to arrive with loose seams or small punctures, and manufacturers and their customer support teams are currently swamped due to the high demand for their products. Having a month or two extra during which you can ask for a replacement liner is definitely worth it.

One thing which does concern us is that the pump’s hoses connect directly to rigid fittings that screw onto the pool wall, with no reinforcement to speak of. Tripping over a hose may well cause the lining to tear and half of your pool to empty, so you may want to plan your pool’s location carefully so the pump is out of the way.

What It’s Like to Own a Bestway Steel Pro Max Pool Set

A Bestway Steel Pro Max pool set can be put up in about an hour by one enterprising individual or two less handy people willing to use some common sense and read the instructions. These could frankly be better: you’ll only get a series of pictures that tell you what should be done but not necessarily how to do it. Perhaps this video helps, though:

Stability is enhanced by a support band that goes around the vertical frame pipes about a third of the way up. The 18′ by 48″ version also has a rope that locks the base of each pole in place, a feature that smaller models lack for some reason.

A ladder, ground cloth and cover are usually included with the 48″-deep pools, but it’s best to check beforehand what you’re actually paying for and order these items separately if needed. In some cases, the pool frame and lining are actually sold without a pump and filter (?!), and the product descriptions on Amazon in particular are confusing.

Contacting Bestway’s customer service about missing parts is something you’d prefer to avoid, especially if you bought your pool kit from a third-party seller. In any case, the ladder is a little narrow and flimsy for adults, while you may want to supplement or replace the ground cover with a thicker, tougher tarp.

Keeping Your Pool Water Sparkling

One of the perks of Bestway pools is the chemical dispenser located between the filter assembly and pool wall, which negates the need for floating chlorine buoys. As with almost all budget-friendly pools, however, the included pump is on the meager side. It can also be difficult to get compatible replacement filters except from Bestway itself.

Many choose to replace the standard pump with something a little more powerful. One option in this regard is a salt water system, which will do the lining no harm but may accelerate corrosion on the steel frame. Unfortunately, getting the best price on one of these can mean looking outside the Bestway brand, and you may have some trouble locating all the adapters and fittings you’ll need to hook this pool up to anything but a Bestway product.

Keeping a careful eye on your water quality and perhaps getting an alternative cleaning gadget will probably be easier if you have limited plumbing experience.

When you start feeling winter’s icy breath, you can either leave your pool up, drained, covered and weighted down, or disassemble it for storage indoors. In the first case, you risk damage from frost, hail and wind. In the latter, you yourself may cause some minor tears or punctures in the lining as you wrestle it into something resembling a portable bundle.

In any case, the amount of time you should expect this kind of pool to last is about three to five summers, which is typical for this type of construction. You may get lucky and have it serve you for much longer, but don’t count on it.