My Annoying Pool Experiment
Alright so this all started last summer when I decided to teach my nephew some basic swimming. Thought those colorful rubber rings would be perfect, right? Grabbed the cheapest pack I saw online. Big mistake. Those things smelled like a tire fire, turned slimy after two days, and one actually snapped when he tugged it. Kid got a mouthful of pool water. Yeah… not cool.
Right then I decided to actually figure this crap out myself. No more random buys. Went full detective mode next time:
Step 1: The Sniff Test
Seriously, pulled every ring straight out the packaging like a weirdo and took a big whiff at the store. You won’t believe how many smell like straight-up toxic waste! Good ones? Barely any smell, maybe like faint plastic. If it punches you in the nose, RUN.
Step 2: Thickness Means Business
Started pinching them walls like I was checking fruit. Flimsy, thin ones? Forget it. Held a thick one next to a loser thin one. Felt worlds apart. Aimed for stuff that felt solid when I squeezed hard. Squishy is good for comfort, flimsy is bad news.
Step 3: The Stretch Test (For Science)
Grabbed different brands. Pulled them like taffy. Some cheap ones stretched permanently! Kept the shape of my hands, never bounced back. Scary. Found a couple brands that stretched but pinged right back to circle shape. That’s the keepers.
Step 4: Surface Feeling
Rubber shouldn’t feel like it’s covered in baby oil! Rubbed them hard between my palms. Good ones stay kinda dry. Slimy feeling or leaving weird residue? Trash.
Step 5: Color & Dye Checks
Got suspicious with crazy bright neon colors. Rubbed them hard on a white paper towel after dunking in pool water for an hour. Saw faint dye marks on a couple cheaper ones. Total dealbreaker. Better ones? Zero color transfer.
Took me nearly three trips to different stores comparing all this junk, but finally nailed it. Found one pack checked all boxes:
- No strong chemical smell
- Thick walls that didn’t fold easily
- Stretched like mad but bounced back instantly
- Felt smooth but dry, not slimy
- Colors stayed put, no bleeding
Been using them for months now with zero complaints. Even left them baking in the sun (accidentally). Still perfect. So yeah, sounds dumb testing rubber rings, but saves so much headache and cash later.