INTEX Inflatable Pool Float: Pool Toy for Kids

I’m not your average pool toy purchaser. For the first 16 years of my life, I dreamed of owning this toy. Her gorgeous eyes, that lovely shape, the soft vinyl texture, it all called to me, day after day. When I was 16, I finally worked up the courage to place the order. That orca arrived, and she was everything I wanted and more.Since then, I’ve acquired a lot of pool toys. From standard mass-market rides to some of the most high-end, custom-designed inflatables you’ll ever see, the kind reserved for niche collector circles. You can see them in the photos from my birthday pool party. But right there, front and center, next to all those rare and expensive designs? The classic Intex orca. And she held her own, effortlessly.I spent my whole childhood staring longingly at this exact design. That smile. Those big, gorgeous eyes. The graceful swoop of her fins. There’s something magical about her, the way she made fun look cool and cute feel strong.Now, nearly 14 years later, she’s still unforgettable. Durable, adorable, perfectly shaped for lounging, and ridiculously photogenic. Even next to toys that cost twenty times as much, this little orca never looked out of place. She’s the inflatable equivalent of comfort food: timeless, beloved, and always welcome.Some designs become iconic for a reason. This orca is one of them. She’s got staying power. She’s got heart. And if you treat her right, she’ll always make your space feel like home, pool or no pool. Honestly, they’re like giant sea plushies. And let’s face it: everyone deserves to have an Intex orca in their life.If you’re on the fence about buying one, just do it. You’ll see what I mean.

For context here, I am an "inflatable furry", which means I am a furry who has a special affinity for inflatable toys. If you don't know what that means, feel free to look it up on YouTube as there is a super informative and wholesome doc about it there. However, this isn't what the review is about so I will move on.Anyways as the review date indicates, I have bought this in February so I haven't had the chance to test riding the toy in a pool yet as intended, however so far I just adore this cute little whale. The blue transparent vinyl is just absolutely beautiful in light, and is pretty soft for most current consumer toy standards*. I will note that these are a little smaller than what they appear to be in photos, so if you're an adult of a larger build and wish to ride the toy in or out of the water, keep this in mind and go with the regular "OG" orca whale instead as it is much bigger and perfect for just about any adult who wants a midsize ride on. However, the Lil Whale is a great size for cuddling and those of us with smaller builds like myself can still ride the toy just fine either in or out of water if that is something you wish to be able to do.My only suggestion for Intex regarding improvement would be to make the right pectorial and tail fins a separate air chamber for both added durability and the ability to not inflate the entire toy for cleaning or "impromptu cuddling in small space" purposes if you wish, plus randomly having the left pectorial fin be a seperate air chamber whereas the other isn't just makes no sense to me. Otherwise for the price, this is a solid inflatable and a must have if you collect them!*It's certainly not Inflatable World quality softness wise but for a consumer grade toy, it isn't bad at all. I also will recommend the Poolmaster hippopotamus that's also featured in the review photo as a great must-have consumer ride on for our community as while it is a bit more expensive, it is decently large, has quite soft vinyl yet a durable build and has that signature smell when first opened; which is the only thing about the Lil Whale I was slightly disappointed about as mine hardly had a smell at all when first unboxed and the faint smell it did have was that new smell a lot of Intex and Bestway toys have now instead of the sweet classic smell of the old stuff (iykyk).

Good size . Well made. Looked good. Comfortable to ride. 7 different people Ages 3-83 were riding on it in our pool. Held up well in the water. 3 year old loved it like a pet and named it Swimasaurus. Great buy! Highly recommend for Dino lovers. Smaller kids able to ride around on it easy. Larger adults able to ride on it just don’t lean too far left or right or it may get wobbly but not bad. Good way to get a wave pool going too by jumping up and down on it at the shallow end. Retained air well the whole time.

The media could not be loaded. We took our daughter to see her grandmother who has a pool so we ordered this to get sent there for when we arrived. She absolutely loved the "lil' whale" and named it "Whaley."It's a fun pool floaty that has handles to let her sit on and ride. It's quite large so it takes a while to inflate unless you have superhuman lunges or have an electronic pump. You'll see a picture of its size compared to my SUV for reference. We've only used it for a day so far and it holds air pretty well. I like that they included a patch kit in the event of a puncture. I think the whale specific one has very good value for the amount of fun you'll have with your little one!Highlights:• Ease of inflation: (3/5) - I'd recommend a pump because you'll pass out trying to blow this up yourself; even so, it didn't feel like mechanism was allowing a lot of air in so it took longer than expected.• Stability: (5/5) - once inflated, it was very stable for our daughter to sit on while we pulled her around• Other features: (5/5) - included patch kit and handles for kids to hold on.• Value (5/5) - Small price for big fun!Bottom line: This is a great addition to pool toys. The handles are a nice touch for toddlers to feel secure and in control.

Lemme just start out by saying that to absolutely no one’s surprise, this is a great inflatable. Intex always does a great job with their inflatables. They’re always very durable, very comfortable, super cute, and they work really well in the pool. The vinyl is very thick and feels much better quality than most others on the market. Amazing price for such a cute fun little inflatable, I can buy 3-5 at a time and not feel too bad because the price is so good. Will be buying more.