Upgrading Your Pool Tools for 2026

 The new season is the perfect time to audit your truck and upgrade the tools that decide your pace, quality, and profit. We start with the backbone of daily service: the pole. Carbon fiber poles have matured into a clear win for pool service pros because they’re lighter, stiffer, and more durable than aluminum, which means fewer sore backs and faster control when netting, brushing, and vacuuming. Among SkimLite, Ultimate Pool Tools, and Primate, the Primate pole stands out for its feel, balance, and vertical lever locks that adjust fast with one hand. The 3-piece Primate 3X collapses to six feet for small truck beds yet extends to cover most pools from one side, reducing time and fence-dings. If your route demands a 2-piece, the 8x15 2X works well, but the key is investing in a lighter, stronger pole that you grip 90% of the day.

Vacuum systems have diversified, and choosing right can change your week. Cart units like Riptide and Hammerhead still rule heavy debris and large properties, with Riptide earning top marks for rugged carts and stellar customer support. Power Vac remains a capable dark horse but is often hard to source. For pure portability, the Bottom Feeder and Shrimp shine, especially now that their cartridge filter assembly lets you collect fine dirt down to about 20 microns without a hose or cart. This upgrade makes a cordless head act like a rolling cartridge filter: drop it, vacuum, and bag or filter debris without setup hassles. If you’re wrestling seasonal leaf loads or wide decks, a cart system still pays for itself. For mixed debris and frequent stops, a cordless head with the cartridge filter saves minutes at every pool and handles both leaves and silt.

Skimming speed is another silent profit lever. Two leaf rakes rise to the top: the Purity Pool Red Baron and Smart Company’s Piranha 2 (PA2-533). Both are strong, but the Piranha 2 edges ahead with a quick-flip bag and a balanced lip that bites into the floor and walls without chattering. The thinner quick-flip and rag-style bags make dumps faster and cleaner, especially with wet, clingy leaf piles. Less fuss clearing the bag means more strokes on the water and fewer minutes per stop. The Red Baron remains a fantastic choice, yet if you haven’t tried the Piranha 2’s white quick-flip bag, it’s a simple upgrade that immediately feels smoother and lighter in hand.

Accurate water testing builds trust, prevents callbacks, and protects surfaces. On price-to-performance, the LaMotte ColorQ 2X Pro 9 hits a sweet spot: it’s a budget-friendly photometer that adds copper and iron testing to your routine. Metals are more common now from fill water and equipment wear, and photometric testing reduces guesswork when stains and tint appear. While the LaMotte Spin Touch is excellent, its cost makes it a niche tool for startups or commercial accounts with tight tolerances. The ColorQ 2X Pro 9 is practical for monthly audits across your route, verifying sanitizer, pH, alkalinity, calcium, CYA, and metals with clear digital reads that remove color-match bias.

Speed on filter breakdowns saves skin and schedule. The Multi-Torque socket set turns stubborn lids and knobs into a quick drill operation, slashing time and protecting knuckles. With common sizes like MT100 for Pentair and Jandy lids, MTJ770 for Sta-Rite System 3, and MT50 for older Pentair knobs, you can cover most pads with one compact kit and a high-torque cordless drill. Faster lid work reduces the most annoying part of filter service, and consistent torque application helps avoid damage from cheater bars or worn wrenches. Factor the time saved over a season, and the set pays for itself quickly while making filter days less dreaded.

Finally, protect your hands. Nitrile-coated gloves keep chemicals off skin, add grip on wet gear, and prevent cuts from baskets and covers. Lightweight options from GNF feel comfortable even when damp and dry quickly between stops. When temperatures drop, long-cuff Atlas 772 nitrile-coated gloves keep hands warm and dry, reaching past the forearm to grab skimmers without soaking sleeves. Warm, protected hands mean steadier control and fewer mistakes, and a dashboard warm-up between stops makes cold mornings more bearable. Combine these gloves with the upgrades above and you’ll feel the compounding effect: less strain, fewer delays, and a smoother route that frees capacity for growth.