Head-to-head · Best Inflatable Pools

Intex Rainbow Ring Inflatable Play Center vs Intex Sunset Glow Inflatable Baby Pool

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Intex Rainbow Ring Inflatable Play Center and Intex Sunset Glow Inflatable Baby Pool score essentially the same (4.5 vs 4.5). Pick the one whose trade-offs match your priorities — the strengths and watch-outs below are where they actually differ.

Ranked #2 in Best Inflatable Pools

Intex Rainbow Ring Inflatable Play Center

4.5

1 sourceall derived$51.76as of Oct 16

The Intex Rainbow Ring is a toddler play center rather than a swimming pool: a small inflatable slide, a ring-toss game, a ball-toss game and a rainbow sprayer that arches over the water, with two pools holding 46 and 54 gallons. Bob Vila tested it with toddlers, named it the best baby play center, and found children 3 and under enjoyed it most. Expect to spend a while inflating its many separate chambers, and bring your own air pump.

Strengths

— Built-in water slide, rainbow sprayer, ring-toss and ball-toss games, per Bob Vila
— Sprayer strength can be lowered by turning down the garden-hose flow, which Bob Vila found fixed the spray-in-the-face complaint
— Room for three or four children at once, per Bob Vila

Watch-outs

— Many individual air chambers make inflation slow, and no pump is included, per Bob Vila
— Too small for older kids; Bob Vila found it suits children 3 and under best

$51.76 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Ranked #1 in Best Inflatable Pools

Intex Sunset Glow Inflatable Baby Pool

4.5

1 sourceall derived$9.95as of Oct 11

For two decades the Intex Sunset Glow has been the classic 34-by-10-inch baby pool in American suburban backyards. Three rainbow-colored inflatable rings stack on a soft inflatable floor, holding 15 gallons of water at a safe-for-toddlers 6-inch depth. Five minutes of mouth-inflating and ten with a garden hose gets it ready. At under $20 and built for ages 1-3, it is functionally consumable: buy one each summer, recycle the punctured one, repeat. Bob Vila's pool roundup named it the best baby pool category-wide.

Strengths

— Soft inflatable floor cushions toddlers' bottoms — no hard PVC against tailbones, per Bob Vila
— Holds 15-22 gallons, which a garden hose fills in roughly 10 minutes
— Lightweight enough (1.4 lbs deflated) to fold into a beach bag for trips

Watch-outs

— No included drain plug; you tip it over to empty, per Bob Vila

$9.95 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

Intex Rainbow Ring Inflatable Play Center

Its two pools hold 46 and 54 gallons per Bob Vila, several times the Intex Sunset Glow's 15 gallons but far below the Intex Easy Set 10ft's 1,018 gallons, and it adds a slide, sprayer and toss games that neither of those has. Like the Intex Swim Center Round Family Lounge Pool, it ships without an air pump.

Intex Sunset Glow Inflatable Baby Pool

Within this list, the Sunset Glow is the only pick designed for kids one to three — every other pool in the category requires age 2+ or 6+. It is also the smallest and cheapest by an order of magnitude versus the Intex Easy Set 10ft, which needs an older child to be useful, or the Intex Rainbow Ring Play Center.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Intex Rainbow Ring Inflatable Play Center	Intex Sunset Glow Inflatable Baby Pool
Size	117 x 76 x 53 inches (inflated)	34 in diameter x 10 in tall (inflated)
Water Capacity	46 gallons (wading pool); 54 gallons (main pool)	—
Capacity	3 or 4 toddlers	15 gallons (6 in water height)
Features	Slide, rainbow sprayer, ring toss (4 rings), ball toss (6 balls)	—
Air Pump Included	No	—
Repair Patch	Included	Included
Model	57453EP	—
Age Range	—	1-3 years
Material	—	PVC, 8-gauge rings + 7-gauge floor
Setup Style	—	Three stacked inflatable rings + inflatable floor
Inflation	—	Mouth or pump, ~5 minutes
Drain Plug	—	No — tip to empty
Weight	—	1.44 lbs deflated
Filter Pump Included	—	No
Dimensions	—	34"L x 34"W x 10"H

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