Nobody buys a pool to stare at the skimmer lid. And yet there it is, sitting in the middle of your deck, white plastic against beautiful stone or wood, quietly ruining the view you spent a fortune creating. Most pool owners just accept it. Hayward decided that was worth fixing.
The X-Pro 600 is their answer, and the concept behind it is pretty simple. The lid can be covered with the same material as your surrounding deck. Wood, composite, ceramic, whatever you’ve laid around the pool. Done properly, you stop seeing it.
It just becomes part of the terrace, which is exactly the point. Compatible with all inground pools, it was designed to integrate harmoniously into any pool style, whether you’re dealing with a sleek modern build or something more traditional. It sounds obvious when you say it out loud. It’s taken a while for someone to actually do it.
Getting the water level right
Here’s something that makes a bigger visual difference than most people expect. The height of the waterline relative to the pool edge.
With a standard skimmer, the water sits noticeably lower than the coping. Functional, sure. But it creates that slightly sunken look that keeps a pool from feeling truly finished. The X-Pro 600 and its wide, slim weir brings the waterline to within 5.5 cm of the edge. The result is that near-flush surface, the one that reflects the sky like a mirror, that you usually only see in high-end builds or overflow pools. It creates a fluid, continuous transition between the water surface and the terrace that immediately changes the feel of the whole space. Most people don’t realize how much until they see it in person.
And beyond the aesthetics, the wide weir does its job properly. Filtration is optimal, the water stays crystal clear, and the slim profile actually reduces the risk of poolside accidents compared to bulkier traditional models.
The skimmer body and lid come in four colors too, white, beige, light gray, and anthracite. Enough range to match whatever liner or coating you’ve gone with without compromising.
The practical stuff
The basket capacity is 3 liters, which is bigger than most standard models. What that means day to day is roughly one emptying every two weeks instead of every few days when things get busy. Leaves, insects, pollen, it all adds up fast in summer. A larger basket doesn’t solve the problem but it does make it less of a chore.
The lid has a safety latch so it doesn’t open by accident, useful if you have kids around the pool who are naturally curious about anything with a cover on it. The slim design of the weir also reduces the risk of accidents in and around the pool more broadly, and an anti-entrapment system is built in to address one of the more serious underwater hazards. Both details matter more than people tend to think until something goes wrong.
Automation, if you want it
The X-Pro 600 can take an optional water level sensor that connects to Hayward’s AquaRite treatment system. When the level drops, the pool refills itself. It’s a small thing but one of those features you wonder how you managed without once you have it, especially if you’re away from home regularly. You can add temperature probes and other sensors too for real-time monitoring of your pool’s key parameters, putting everything you need to know in one place.
A brand with some history behind it
Hayward has been in the pool equipment business since 1925, which is long enough to know what actually matters to pool owners. The group expanded significantly in Europe after acquiring Kripsol in 2016, a specialist in residential and commercial pool equipment, and later Sugar Valley, known for its intelligent water treatment solutions. Today the focus is on combining technical performance with a more eco-responsible approach, managing pools precisely and efficiently rather than just powerfully.
The X-Pro 600 fits that philosophy well. It’s not trying to do more than necessary. It just does what it does very cleanly.
The bottom line
It starts at €192.50 excluding VAT with a three-year warranty, and the components meet the most rigorous standards in terms of safety and durability. Not the cheapest option out there, and Hayward isn’t trying to pitch it as one. This is a product for people who’ve put real thought into their pool and want the equipment to reflect that. Whether it’s a new build or a renovation, the X-Pro 600 is one of those rare upgrades that you notice every single time you look at your pool. For better reasons than before.
