Adam holds a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Linguistics, and creative writing has always been his greatest passion. For more than 25 years he's been working for several well-known automobile and travel magazines as an editor and expert consultant, but when Adam started his writing path here, at WisePick, it turned out that he's capable of writing practically anything about everything.
Initially being an engineering specialist, Tom has never stopped learning and acquiring other knowledge and skills. Now he’s involved in technical support for a well-known household appliances manufacturer, so no wonder he knows everything about almost everything you buy for your home.
Last updated: May 17, 2021
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While most people go to the swimming pool for relaxation, they also look for ways to make that time as fun-filled as possible. With the best pool slides, you can easily turn your swimming pool into an amusement park. Amazingly, pool slides are exciting for both adults and children alike, so you would be mistaken if you thought these slides were only for kids. It’s a fantastic way to take enjoyment at your pool to the next level.
Having said that, we must also warn you that while pool slides are excellent, buying the wrong one could make for the worst pool experience of your life. That means when you decide to buy a slide for your pool, you must ensure it’s the best one. To help facilitate your decision, we’ve reviewed the top five pool slides on the market, with the S.R. Smith Rogue2 Pool Slide being the best overall. It does a lot of things better than the others, which include its incredible height and flume length.
As usual, our picks were determined after taking some valuable variables like height, flume length, and weight limit into consideration. The first two determine the amount of fun a slide gives, while the weight limit will let you know who can use the slide. In terms of the organization of the article, we’ve made it as simple as forward for you, including a comparison table, a review section, and a very comprehensive buying guide.
While the pool slide industry has expanded rapidly in recent times, you will still be hard-pressed to find a slide that is better than the S.R. Smith Rogue2. It’s such a high-quality slide that screams fun. In fact, it’s our Editor’s Pick out of all the slides we featured on this list, and it isn’t more than what it deserves. The first thing we will talk about is the flume of the slide, which is nothing short of remarkable. It’s rotomolded from plastic and can hold a weight of up to 250 pounds, which means parents can also slide in along with their kids.
Thanks to the premium-quality plastic construction that the flume has, it is not likely to get damaged by extreme exposure to sunlight, which is a massive plus. It’s also a nice thing that the flume is wide and long, measuring 9 feet 3 inches. This is also great in many ways at more sliding length directly or indirectly translates to much more fun. The fume’s width also makes the slide much more convenient for adults. The height of the slide is also not bad, as it measures seven feet, which provides you with a lot more velocity. Of course, sliding without water is impossible, so this slide comes with a high-volume water delivery system.
Designed to be connected to a garden hose, the water delivery system is of high quality and makes using this slide a lot fun. It’s also worth mentioning that the ladder is produced using aluminum, making it more durable and corrosion-resistant. For safety, both the flume and the ladder have built-in railings. On top of that, the slide is CPSC-approved, which means you have nothing to worry about. The installation is, however, where the little concern kicks in. You actually need to buy some installation hardware separately, which isn’t nice.
Why is it special?
High-quality construction
High weight capacity
Wide and long flume
Safe to use
High-volume water delivery system
Suitable for kids and adults alike
What are the flaws?
Some installation hardware needs to be bought separately
With the WOW Watersports Slide N Smile Waterslide, you don’t need much efforts to keep your children happy during the summer period. This slide is an excellent model that’s equipped with inflatable side railings, designed to prevent you or your kids from falling off. Also, the slide is made in bright colors, which your kids will absolutely love. Apart from that, the bright colors will enable you to easily observe what your kids are up to since the slide is highly visible. The bright colors and design apart, the slide also provides a lot of space, as it measures more than nine feet in length, six feet in width, and four feet in height.
Furthermore, this product provides different types of options and uses, as it can be set up as an on-the-water playground. Also, you can tie the slide to your dock using the two grommets on the side or the zipper connection system. While all these are great, the real spice of the story is in the weight capacity, which is rated at 350 pounds. This is the highest weight capacity on this list by a long margin, allowing you to join your kids in the fun. However, the manufacturer recommends that the product shouldn’t be used by more than four kids at a time, so you might want to keep that in mind.
Another thing you might want to keep in mind is that the inflatable water slide is vulnerable to holes and damage, so ensure you keep sharp objects away from it at all times. Besides, the slide has a slippery surface, which adds a lot more fun, but you need to regularly refill it to keep it nice and firm. It also has little tikes and inflatable slide bouncer. There are also some accessories included, which include a repair kit, a space-saving storage bag, and a heavy-duty blower. All things considered, this is the best slide for families with many kids.
The Backyard Discovery model is a hard, spiral tube slide that measures 5 feet tall. It has a weight capacity of 250 lbs and 24 inches inside tube diameter. Around 5 to 7 children can make use of this spiral tube slide. Children within the age range of 3 to 10 can use this. The slide includes 15 sections and openings of 25.5 by 27 inches.
Installing the slide is easy, although the instructions are vague and require time to study it. Just bring the slide elbows together so that their edges meet and the holes are attached through each hole with a pan bolt and a lock nut. Make sure the lock nut is on the side with the octagonal opening and then tighten. Repeat to complete the assembly of the slide elbow section. Using a total of 8 pan bolts, assemble three more elbow sections in the same manner if the edges of the slide pieces don’t quite match up. It helps to lay them in the Sun for a while to make them more pliable.
Your children like to make a big splash when swimming in your pool, and the S.R. Smith Cyclone Pool Slide allows all that and even more. Despite being a little shorter than most S.R. Smith models, this fantastic slide packs all the stunning features often found on slides from this company. It doesn’t only come with fun features, but also with effective safety features like an enclosed ladder, doesn’t have many exposed metals, and has built-in handrails. It’s also great that this slide can be used for chlorine and saltwater pools without you needing to worry about corrosion.
Furthermore, the pool has an incredible water delivery system, which is connected through a garden hose. It’s also worth mentioning that the slide comes in multiple colors, so you’d pick the color that’s perfect for your backyard. The slide also accommodates children and adults of up to 175 pounds and it completely adheres to the CPSC safety standards, making it safe to use. Another nice thing about the pool is that a small deck can accommodate it, which is because of its size. On top of that, it’s designed for budget-conscious pool owners, so you don’t need to worry about the price.
The slide comes with a seven-feet long flume, which can be utilized for standard pools. And installation and assembly are easy and completely straightforward, thanks to an included installation manual that comes with the purchase. S.R. Smith is a reliable brand, and the three-year warranty they included with this purchase signifies it. Besides, it has a rotomold design, which guarantees optimum durability. However, the only little stain we found with this pool slide is that it’s only designed for inground pools.
If you are in the market for an exciting ride in an exciting slide, you may look at the FibroPool Full-Sized Swimming Pool Slide. While it can hardly stand any comparison with any of the S.R.Smith models, it’s a decent slide that promises to keep your children happy and excited during the summer holidays. With its six-feet height and ten-feet flume length, this pool slide has been designed to double or maximize the fun you and your kids will have. Its 200-pound weight capacity also makes sense, as it means it can accommodate a wide range of people.
In terms of aesthetics, you’ve got to give some credit to the manufacturers of this slide, as they have designed this slide in such a way that it will improve the looks of your backyard and your pool. It also boasts a right curve design, which exudes elegance. It’s also worthy of note that this slide includes different accessories such as sprayers, adapters, and hose clamps. It also includes surface mount anchors, which help aid installation. On top of that, all the stainless-steel hardware included are built to stand tough against the element.
However, despite everything included, it’s still a bit surprising that installation is still a bit difficult. Apart from the fact that the included instructions are poor, the holes are also mis-drilled and do not align, which makes installation difficult and time-consuming. Also, while there are many accessories and hardware included in the package, most of them are things you don’t actually need, so you may still need to spend more money on hardware.
What are its best features?
Beautiful design
Anti-corrosion hardware
High weight capacity
Comes with many useful accessories
Provides lots of fun and excitement
What could be improved?
Difficult to install
Not all hardware included
Things to Consider
While there are many pool owners, not all of them know the kind of fun a pool slide adds. If you are in the market for a pool slide, there are chances that you need some pointers. In that case, we have put together a few pointers below.
Features to consider when choosing a pool slide
Of course, the worst way to start your shopping is going to the market without knowing the essential things to look at or consider. We don’t want you shopping blindly like that, so we have compiled the most important factors you need to consider when buying a slide in this section.
Slide type
Swimming pool slides are usually made in different types and different designs, as you probably know already. Primarily, the designs vary because of the flume’s curvature. That said, the most common types of slides are – cyclonic slide, straight slide, typhoon, twisting, and helical. The excitement of using a slide depends significantly on the flume’s design.
For instance, the helical flume will provide more fun than the straight flume, so you may need to discuss it with your family members before choosing a particular flume type. Pool slides are usually available in left and right curvature.
Flume
The flume construction is one of the most important factors when choosing a pool slide as it determines the slide’s quality. If you intend to be sliding with your children, ensure the flume is sufficiently wide for adults. The flume also needs to be extremely slippery. Apart from that, its abrasion resistance capacity has to be guaranteed as gradual sliding makes the surface to become rough, and it’s impossible to slide on a surface that is rough.
Since a slide is also likely to be exposed to water and sun, it has to be resistant against the two elements. While the color of the flume largely depends on the preference of the user, we recommend against going for an extremely light-colored flume. Thanks to the constant sunlight that will be shinning on the slide, any bright color will get faded in no time, which will make the slide look odd.
Curvature
The curvature is another important factor to take into consideration when choosing a pool slide for your needs. As you must have figured out already, pool slides usually come with different curvatures. Meanwhile, the amount of fun you will get when using a pool slide depends greatly on the flume’s curvature as the more the curvature, the more the fun. Therefore, we recommend you to go for a slide with more curvature, such as the Backyard Discovery Tall Spiral Tube Slide.
Weight limit
Another important factor you must think about is the weight capacity of the slide you are choosing. This factor is especially vital if you know adults are likely to be using the slide as well. If you are buying a slide for your kids only, you can go for a low-capacity slide like the S.R. Smith Cyclone Pool Slide. However, if you intend for adults to be using the slide as well, you must buy a slide that has a weight capacity of 250 pounds at least, or even higher. Plus, if you know you weigh more than a regular adult, we advise you to look for higher capacity. Before making your purchase, make sure you check the slide’s ladder and flume capacity. Both must be able to accommodate the user’s weight.
Water supply
While a pool slide can actually be used without water, the fact that you will be wet is likely to cause friction, which may subsequently affect your speed. Therefore, we recommend you to add a water supply to your slide or even buy a slide that comes with a great water supply system such as the S.R. Smith Rogue2 Pool Slide as adding a post-purchase water supply could be an extra expense.
Accessories included
You also need to check if the pool slide you are buying comes with all the necessary accessories as some manufacturers leave you by yourself to get everything you need, both for installation or then daily usage of the product. In that case, make sure you choose a slide that comes with everything you need, especially if you are on a budget, and you don’t have extra cash to shell on additional hardware. In that case, you could consider a model like the FibroPool Full-Sized Swimming Pool Slide as it comes with a lot of accessories.
Other features
You also need to consider other features like the warranty and the color options. While some buyers usually don’t care about the included warranty, it’s an important consideration as it helps gives you an idea of how trustworthy the company is. If you are keen on style and the slide’s perfect integration into the decoration of your backyard, you may also consider the color options as different slides come in different color options.
How to maintain a pool slide
While nothing can match the amount of fun a pool slide delivers, it can only continue to make your pool time fun-filled if it’s regularly maintained. To help you get started, we have put this quick guide together.
Clean the slide regularly – The first thing that can be done to maintain your slide is to make sure it’s clean at all times. This is vital as swimming pools usually contain chemicals, which can damage the slide over time if not cleaned. Use a non-abrasive cleaner to clean the slide as often as possible. It’s simple to do. Just apply your cleaner, let it sit for a couple of minutes, and use a soft sponge or a brush to clean the pool slide. Now, rinse off the cleaner using clean water, after which you can remove any excess water with a dry cloth.
If you like, you can disinfect the pool slide also, but we must warn you that you can’t do this using a typical household disinfectant. Instead, you will have to adopt a special disinfectant made specially for pool slides.
Get rid of scratches from the slide – If your slide has a couple of scratches, you can remove them easily. While we recommend that you buy a plastic polish for this, you can even make use of a car polish. Now, apply the polish to the area that is scratched and then rub it until the polish gets hazy. As soon as this happens, you will have to buff off the polish with a clean cloth. Buff off until no polish is coming off again. This should get rid of minor scratches from the slide or make them less visible, at least.
Check the slide periodically – Apart from cleaning the slide; you also have to regularly check it, at least once time per year. This is to ensure that the slide is still structurally safe to use. Prior to the beginning of the swimming, season is a good time to do this. Look over the slide very well and ensure that it has no loose bolts, rough areas, rust, or wear and tear. In the event that you find worn and torn areas, you may have to call someone to come take a look. If the issue is, however, some loose bolts only, you can retighten them yourself easily.
Depending on the kind of pool slide you own, these are the general tools you would need for its installation; socket wrench set, pliers and vice grips rotary hammer drill, regular hammer, screwdrivers, hex key set measuring tape, and carpenter’s level.
All pool slides come with fiberglass and polyester resin slide surface. Besides, the whole range utilizes extra-durable slides of outstanding mechanical strength and also high weather and UV resistance to guarantee a long life and an excellent appearance.
Depending on how often you use your pool slide, it’s advised to clean your pool slide at least one time per year. To clean it, simply apply your cleaner and allow it to sit for a few minutes, before cleaning the slide using a soft sponge. Then, rinse off the applied cleaner using clean water. Use a dry cloth to clean any excess water.
Our Verdict
The flume’s quality is usually what separates good and bad slides and that’s exactly why the S.R. Smith Rogue2 Pool Slide is our Editor’s Pick. It comes with a flume that has nearly everything: excellent curvature, sufficient width, and made of rust-resistant plastic. Apart from that, the slide also has a high weight capacity of 250 pounds, which should be enough. Without much talk, this is the best pool slide on this list and it completely merits the praise it’s getting.
That said, we must also give credits to the WOW Watersports Slide N Smile Waterslide and the Backyard Discovery Tall Spiral Tube Slide, which are two high-quality slides competing with our Editor’s Pick. While both slides are completely different, the amount of fun they give make them similar. While the highlight of the WOW Watersports slide is its incredible 550-pound weight capacity, the unique thing about our third pick is the 360-degree full spiral rotation.
