Moscow Accent Pool and Spa - Fiberglass Pools
Read the following paragraphs to see what one of the pool industry's most sought after consultants, Marcus Sheridan, stated in his popular book, "How to Buy a Pool the Right Way, From the Right Company, at the Right Price"
Chapter 9: Fiberglass Pool Manufacturers
“The information found in this chapter, as well as the other chapters of this book, consist solely of the author’s opinion based on experience. Fiberglass pool manufacturers are always changing and developing, and therefore the information found herein may at times be slightly outdated (but not much)”
Many of you at this point may be confused as to which fiberglass manufacturer makes the best pool. Based on my experience in this industry, I wouldn’t hesitate to put most of the following pools in the ground myself, but I still wanted you to know what your options were as well as a general description of each. My opinions here are based on the many, many pool conventions I have attended in the past, as well as the substantial inquiries/studies I’ve made on each of these companies. I have personally installed five of these brands and seen just about all of them in the ground at one point. The order I have listed the manufacturers has nothing to do where I feel they rank, as they all certainly have strong and weak points within their companies. I have also included here the location of their main manufacturing facility. (This may have an affect on whether there is a dealer near you.)
Leisure pools (Texas, originally Australia)
Pro: Leisure just made their move to the United States market about six years ago. In my dealings with their company, I’ve been very impressed. Although they don’t have a huge selection to choose from, some of their designs are very elegant (the “Elegance” and “Moroccan” styles) and sharp looking. In fact, I would go so far as to say they have the classiest designs in the fiberglass industry. They also have a very nice, user-friendly website full of helpful consumer information. Another interesting feature of Leisure is that their pools only come available in color. White is not an option (Actually, white is available but it makes up for less than 1% of their pool sales). This is because Australian fiberglass pools are always colored and they have carried that tradition here to the U.S. market. This makes plenty of sense. The rich color selection Leisure offers with their pools is the best finish in the industry, and has been mimicked and studied by most other US manufacturers (to no avail I might add). One reason I have such a testimony of Leisure’s color superiority is due to a job miss-hap my company had in 2008. Once when we were setting a Morrocan 38 in the ground, our spreader –bar (a very large and heavy metal bar used for lifting the pool with an excavator) fell on the pool due to faulty equipment. The fall cause deep scratches in the pool’s colored finish. Had this of been a Viking or CPC pool, the results would have been a disaster, with the patch looking terrible. But because of Leisure’s color, we were able to reapply the finish in the damaged areas and the pool looked as good as new when finished. Along these same lines, Leisure does boast one of the best finish warranties on their product, which is 10 years on the surface. I have also found Leisure’s service to customers to be easily one of the best in the industry. Everyone from the top of the company, to their regional managers, are exceptional people, and very unlike many of the personalities one will find in the swimming pool industry. Simply put, if you want the best built fiberglass pool in the world, with the best colored finish, buy a Leisure.
Con: Small model selection to choose from. Also, Leisure doesn’t have the inlay/mosaic tile selection most other companies have.
Overall Rating: A (and with a few more models, they’ll be an A++)
Blue Hawaiian (Florida, North Carolina)
Pro: Blue Hawaiian has made great strides these past few years with their mold innovations. They’ve produced pool/spa combos, new models, a patio line focusing on smaller pools, and other unique features to their line. This company seems to be the closest thing to San Juan when it comes to emphasis on new mold development and innovations. I’m impressed with their product and I’ve also interviewed many of their dealers, all of which are happy with the company. In 2008, Blue Hawaiian came out with color finishes. I have been to Blue Hawaiian’s plant in North Carolina and came away extremely impressed with their product, as well as the owner of their company. Since we started carrying their pool earlier this year, we’ve now installed over 25 in the ground without any problems. They had a few kinks with their colored finishes, but they’ve addressed those issues now.
Con: The pool pictures on their website stink. Many of their pools look like they’re from the 1980s in the pictures (white pools with no cantilever decking). This lack of solid imaging can hurt a customer’s perception of their product, but done the right way, their pools can certainly look great, and with such an excellent selection, they will fit just about anyone’s needs. One thing they do lack though are pools in the 36’-40’ range. They just don’t have many of this size, and they also don’t have many true rectangles at all.
Overall Rating: A-
Royal (Illinois)
Pro: Although they are a rather small company, Royal does have a few pretty decent pool designs, especially if you’re looking for a large rectangle with their King Deep and King Shallow (their King Shallow as an inner diameter width of 16’, which is 1’ more than what most companies offer) models. They also have a nice selection of colored finishes to offer.
Con: Terrible Web site, limited amount of models available.
Overall Rating: B-
Trilogy (Tennessee)
Pro: Trilogy is an extremely innovative company, maybe the most in the fiberglass pool industry today. I’ve been to their plant in Tennessee and met personally with the owners. What makes Trilogy so cutting-edge is that they offer a “fusion” line. With this line, you as a customer are able to customize your pool with such features as connected tanning beds, elevated composite bond-beams, and diverse step locations. Because these pieces are modular, they are connected onsite, which means their pools, in certain cases, have the ability to be larger then 16’ wide (an example of this would be a 14’ wide pool with an attached tanning shelf that is 4’ wide). Trilogy doesn’t have a huge model selection, but with the introduction of their fusion line and models, they’ve come a long, long ways. One such model is the Hyperion, what I consider to be the best Roman-End pool on the market, and is available with a tanning ledge. Another one of my favorites is the Regalus. This pool is a modified rectangle and it’s an impressive and classy design. The company also offers “granicoat” colored finishes on their pools. This colored finish is very similar in look to that of a granite marble top.
Con: The great mystery to me with Trilogy is the fact that although they are very innovative, they stink when it comes to marketing resources for their customers. For example, their brochures are a joke. I recently tried to get a brochure that shows their ‘fusion’ models and specifications, but one has yet to be produced. This can make it very hard for you the customer to understand what your options are as you do your leg work. I’ve been told by various sources in the company that they are addressing this issue, but as of today, their marketing is still the pits.
Overall Rating: A-
San Juan (Florida)
Pro: San Juan is one of the most well know names in the fiberglass industry today. Much of their notoriety can be credited to their intensive marketing efforts. They’ve gone through great pains to change the way the fiberglass industry is viewed. They have available on their website a free DVD as well as their magazine, Oasis. Both of these materials are helpful pieces of consumer education. The most impressive characteristic of San Juan is their drive to create new, innovative models. They were the first manufacturer to introduce a true vanishing edge fiberglass pool. The currently have a few models (the Ipool) with this feature. The only problem is that because vanishing edge technology is so new to the fiberglass industry, many dealers have yet to install one. San Juan also boasts some of the largest pools in the composite industry. The Taj Mahal or Luxor models are very impressive, and offer more than enough room for just about any large family. Finally, San Juan just came out with colored finishes at the end of 2008. It’s about time! They were one of the last companies to come out with these finishes. I have not received feedback yet on their color because it is so new, so therefore my opinion on their new colors has yet to be determined.
Con: The weird thing about San Juan that I always hear from past dealers of theirs is that their pools simply aren’t made very well. Plain and Simple. Installers that I know that only do installations for a living find their pools to be some of the most difficult to work with. I have also heard that their customer service to dealers and customers has also much to be desired. I talked with the owner of San Juan at the end of 2008 regarding these claims, and of course he refuted them, but the fact remains that their quality image is poor throughout the composite industry.
Overall Rating: B
Ocean Reef (Florida)
Pro: Another newer company on the market, Ocean Reef has many models that are similar to some of the designs offered by Viking. Ocean Reef offers “Granicoat” color surfaces on their pools.
Con: Because they are so new Ocean Reef has a small model selection right now, with a small presence in the industry.
Overall Rating: B-
Alaglass (South Carolina)
Pro: Alaglass is a small manufacturer out of South Carolina. Based on my conversations with their dealers as well as their company, they make a solid pool at a solid price. In 2008, Alaglass introduced color finishes to their pools for the first time, which certainly enhances the look of their product. If you buy an Alaglass pool you can be rest assured the pool is built to last.
Con: Alaglass has few models to choose from. Also, their web site is so poor that I’ve given them the unofficial “Worst Web Site by a Fiberglass Pool Manufacturer” award.
Overall Rating: B
Viking (West Virginia, Florida, Texas, California)
Pro: Along with San Juan, Viking is the most established name in the fiberglass pool industry today. They are a huge company, owned by an even bigger company, Poolcorp/Latham Int., which owns just about a piece of everything in the pool and spa industry. Viking has many models to choose from and some very nice designs (the Caribbean and Cancun are very popular and look great if you want a very curvy pool). Viking does offer a variety of colored surfaces.
Con: I haven’t been impressed with Vikings innovations over the past few years. This is due to their focus on expansion versus innovation, basically the opposite approach of San Juan, Blue Hawaiian, and just about everyone else. Although Viking’s colored finishes (aka crystite colors) have a great look and luster, if there is ever a repair needed it is very hard to make the patch match well. In fact, their repairs are normally a disaster. I have talked to quite a few people since I wrote this book who have related stories to me regarding all the problems they’ve had with Viking. The color problem isn’t Viking’s only issue though. In 2007, my company had to send back to the factory a handful of ‘new’ pools because of spider cracking in the gel coat after shipping. Simply put, with so much attention to growth and expansion the product has now suffered to the point that my company left them and I flat-out don’t recommend their product. One other issue about Viking, and that’s the fact that they stink up the joint when it comes to fixing their shells if there is a structural problem with your pool. Because their warranty department is so inundated in repair calls, it takes them forever to get to a job. This, in my opinion, is ridiculous.
Overall Rating: C-
Composite Pools (West Virginia, Florida, California)
Pro: Composite Pools is the sister company to Viking. My company has installed over 400 composite pools and we were pleased with the product until a few years ago (see above). They have all the colors Viking offers and some nice designs as well.
Con: Because of Poolcorp’s emphasis on growth, (more plants) Composite Pools has not shown the design innovations that other companies have demonstrated over the past 5 years. Their pool quality and service is currently the pits in my opinion. (The one exception to this is their Florida plant, which is run by a man named Steve Ramsey and he is a great guy who actually cares about his product). Basically, the whole business model of Latham (Viking, CPC, Crystal Palace, Liberty, etc.) is flawed, placing too much emphasis on introducing new lines without enriching their existing product. This fact has also alienated a huge amount of their dealer base.
Overall Rating: C-
Crystal Palace Pools
(North Carolina…actually, it was N.C. but when the economy slowed they shut that plant down and moved it in with their Viking-Cpc plant in West Virginia).Pro: CPP is Poolcorp’s third fiberglass (they actually have more but I won’t bother with all their excess endeavors at this time) company and their most recent venture. Although their model selection isn’t huge, they do have some nice designs to choose from. They also have a very unique colored finish that came out in Jan. 08 that is unlike anything available in the industry. I’d describe it if I could, but you’ll just have to see it for yourself. I have yet to see though what this new color looks like when the pool is full of water, and I’d be really scared to see what a repair looks like with such a color.
Con: See Viking and CPC, - - -same issues, different name
Overall Rating: C-
Sun (Kentucky and Florida)
Pro: Compared to other companies, Sun does very little to stand out, but from what I have seen, they do build a solid pool and did come out with a few color finishes in 2008.
Con: Limited design selection
Overall Rating: B
Water World (New Jersey)
Note: Water World is a very unique company in the fiberglass pool industry because they are truly what you would call factory direct. They do not have dealers. Basically, they sell directly to potential customers their shell, and they will also send out an installer to set and backfill the pool.
Pro: Many models to choose from, including the industry’s only 18’ wide pool. Their prices are very low.
Con: Water World is your typical factory direct company. Their prices are cheap and so is their ability to service your pool if anything goes wrong with their part of the installation (I asked one of their reps what their warranty on the installation was and he gave me no answer)or the shell. I have talked with previous Water World installers that have told me the product is of low-quality. I would certainly concur with this statement, as I believe their quality is by far the worst in the industry, and I can also clearly say customers that go with Water World are usually in the dark when it comes to the different aspects of what it is to install or maintain a swimming pool. They also usually think they are saving much more money than they actually do once they’ve incurred all the “hidden” expenses that come with a fiberglass pool installation. This is especially true when dealing with the concrete decking, as most customers have to go with VERY UGLY non-cantilevered decking because so few concrete finishers have the skills or knowledge to do cantilever. Do yourself a favor and think very hard before you use this company.
Overall Rating: D
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