Solar Pool Covers matchup
Sun2Solar 1200 Series Blue Rectangle vs Sun2Solar 1600 Series Blue Rectangle
the 12-mil-or-16-mil step-up, and why the $15 between these cards is not the price of it
Tale of the tape — this fight hasn't been booked yet
No showdown has ruled between these two. What follows is the verified data, not a verdict.
Ringside notes
The step-up inside Sun2Solar's own line, and the first thing to say is that the two prices on these cards are not comparable. The 1200 blue rectangle we wire is ASIN B01C4JSPSS, a 16×32 cover at $139.99. The 1600 blue rectangle is B0791J9PRZ, a 12×32 at $154.99. That is 512 square feet against 384 — so the thicker cover is $15 more for a third less material, about 40 cents a square foot against 27, roughly 48% more per square foot. Sizes on both listings are priced separately, so the real cost of stepping up at YOUR size is bigger than the $15 you can see, and this decision means nothing until you price your own dimensions on both listings.
What 16 mil buys on paper: a thicker bubble, a longer stated warranty (8-year limited with 3 years full, against the 1200's 6-year and 2-year), and exactly the same up-to-15°F heat gain — mil grade is a lifespan spec, not a heat spec. Both are blue, both trim to fit, and neither is a winter cover or a safety cover.
Then the owner evidence runs backwards. The verified owner we quote on the 12-mil says it “lasts about 3 seasons before starting to break down and become brittle,” and that they get a fourth season out of it. The owner we quote on the 16-mil says the last one “disintegrated after just 1 season, and was stored all winter.” Two owners are not a study and we are not calling the thin cover more durable. But the durability case for the 1600 rests on the material, not on any owner record we can put in front of you — and the ratings settle nothing either. The 1200's 3.9★ is flagged in our data as POOLED: all 10,754 of those ratings span every 1200 size and every colour. The 1600's 4.0★ across 1,191 carries no basis flag at all, which records an unknown, not a clean base. Neither number is a read of the cover that arrives at your house.
Where that leaves it: buy the 1200 unless you have priced both listings at your exact size and the 16-mil's premium per square foot comes out small. The mil ladder is real. Our proof that it pays at this end of the line is not.
Tale of the tape
| Model | Best for | Warranty | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best value in-ground rectangle (12-mil) | 6-year limited (2-year full) | ~$139.99typical at AmazonCheck price → | |
| Premium / most durable (16-mil) | 8-year limited (3-year full) | ~$154.99typical at AmazonCheck price → |
Prices move constantly — any Amazon price shown is as of the date noted and subject to change; tap through for today's number.
Prices move constantly — tap through for today's number.
What would decide it
- Owner proof: Sun2Solar 1200 Series Blue Rectangle reads 3.9★ across 10,754 owners; Sun2Solar 1600 Series Blue Rectangle reads 4.0★ across 1,191. Depth of sample matters as much as the star.
- The money: Sun2Solar 1200 Series Blue Rectangle streets ~$140, Sun2Solar 1600 Series Blue Rectangle ~$155 — MSRPs, not sale lows, decide the tier.
- Sun2Solar 1200 Series Blue Rectangle — your pick if: a budget-minded in-ground rectangle — the proven 12-mil blue at the lowest reasonable cost, if you accept a shorter lifespan than the 16-mil.
- Sun2Solar 1600 Series Blue Rectangle — your pick if: an in-ground rectangle where you want the longest-lasting cover — 16-mil blue that shrugs off more seasons than the thinner blankets.
The full cards
Sun2Solar 1200 Series Blue Rectangle
Best value in-ground rectangle (12-mil)Your pick if a budget-minded in-ground rectangle — the proven 12-mil blue at the lowest reasonable cost, if you accept a shorter lifespan than the 16-mil.
“We keep coming back to this same solar cover every time we need a new one. It lasts about 3 seasons before starting to break down and become brittle, and we use it for one more season past that.”— MP, Amazon
- 12-mil blue at a lower price than the 16-mil premium cover
- Traps heat ~15°F and cuts evaporation; trim-to-fit any rectangle
- Same proven Sun2Solar 1200 material as the top-rated round
- Its 3.9★ is a pooled listing-wide average across all 1200 sizes/colors — check your size's own reviews
- Thinner than the 16-mil, so fewer seasons of life
- Not a winter or safety cover
It disintegrates, and it disintegrates INTO the pool. "It worked really well until it started to disintegrate into our pool. It lasted less tha[n 2 years]"; "bubbles fell apart after 14 months"; "it started to delaminate and algae was growing"; "this tarp lasted less than a year"; "it lasted one season. The second season we started seeing the bu[bbles come off]." One owner titles their review "unsafe material when it falls to [the bottom]", which is the sharpest version of a complaint several others describe more mildly. Two more find 12 mil simply thin — "1200 series / 12 mil is very thin" — and one had it sink when it rained.
10 critical cards read on page 1 of 10,754 ratings (a base pooled across every 1200 size and colour); a sub-two-year failure appears in 7 independent reviews, with the cover shedding into the water named in 4. 10/10 Verified Purchase, 0 Vine. · critical reviews read August 2026
Sun2Solar 1600 Series Blue Rectangle
Premium / most durable (16-mil)Your pick if an in-ground rectangle where you want the longest-lasting cover — 16-mil blue that shrugs off more seasons than the thinner blankets.
“I just hope this one lasts longer than the same one we bought 1 year ago. Last one disintegrated after just 1 season, and was stored all winter.”— Cody, Amazon
- 16-mil: the thickest, longest-lived Sun2Solar bubble — best cost-per-season
- Blue balances heat gain against algae; trim-to-fit any rectangle
- Longest warranty in the line
- Heaviest to handle — a reel is worth it on a big rectangle
- Costs more up front than the 8/12-mil covers
- A solar cover is not a winter or safety cover
One to two seasons on a cover sold for durability, and one owner draws exactly the comparison this line is sold on and gets the wrong answer: "HEAVIER ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER. This heavy duty cover lasted only two seasons. The previous thinner, cheaper cover lasted [longer]." Around it: "barely lasted one year, 5 year w[arranty]... this is my fifth one of these"; "only last a season — you won't get more than a year out of these"; "I am on my third cover in 5 years"; "lasted one season... 16 months, now it's starting to fall apart." On the warranty: "be aware that the 7 year warranty is pro rated yearly, so 7 years is not entirely accurate." And the six heavy-duty grommets the listing promises are called out as not being heavy duty.
10 critical cards read on page 1 of 1,191 ratings; a one-to-two-season lifespan appears in 6 independent reviews, pro-rated-warranty disappointment in 2. 10/10 Verified Purchase, 0 Vine. · critical reviews read August 2026
FAQ
Sun2Solar 1200 or 1600 — is the 16-mil worth the extra money?
Not on the evidence we can show you, and not at the numbers on these two cards. They look $15 apart, but they are different sizes: the 1200 we wire is a 16×32 (512 sq ft) at $139.99 and the 1600 is a 12×32 (384 sq ft) at $154.99. Per square foot that is about 27 cents against 40, so the thicker cover is roughly 48% dearer for the same area. Sizes are priced separately on both listings, so price your own dimensions on each before deciding. If the per-square-foot premium at your size is small, 16 mil is the better cost-per-season bet on material grounds. If it is not, take the 1200.
What is the actual difference between the Sun2Solar 1200 and 1600 series?
Bubble thickness and the warranty term. The 1200 is 12 mil with a 6-year limited warranty (2 years full); the 1600 is 16 mil with an 8-year limited (3 years full). Everything else on these two covers matches: both are blue, both are cut for in-ground rectangles, both trim to fit, and both claim the same heat gain of up to about 15°F. Mil grade decides how many seasons the blanket survives sun, chlorine and folding — it does not decide how warm your pool gets. The thicker cover is also the heavier one to drag off by hand, which is why a reel earns its keep on a big rectangle.
Do the star ratings tell me which one lasts longer?
No, and it is worth knowing why. The 1200's 3.9 stars is a listing-wide average pooled across every 1200 size and colour — that is what the 10,754-rating base is measuring, not this cover. The 1600's 4.0 across 1,191 carries no basis flag in our data, so we record it as unknown rather than clean. On lifespan specifically the two verified owner quotes we publish point opposite ways: the 12-mil owner reports three seasons plus a fourth, the 16-mil owner reports one season and total failure. Treat both as anecdotes, and buy on mil grade and price per square foot instead.
Full fight coverage
Every number on this page derives from the same verified data that renders our showdowns — dated owner-rating reads, MSRP-based tiers, and rulings only where a real fight happened. Data last verified: August 2026. Methodology and monetization disclosure: how we test.