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Rechargeable pool lights vs an Intex magnetic light

Updated: 21 October 2026

You have narrowed the search to two products that both say magnetic, and they do not do the same job. Rechargeable pool lights vs an Intex magnetic light is a choice between a battery disc you lift out to charge and a mains wall set that keeps 230 V outside a thin non-steel wall. How often you use the pool after dark, and what the wall is made of, decide it. Shelf prices are on the [magnetic pool light comparison](/hub/pool-care/magnetic-pool-light). Peter F. used the amazon.co.uk files and the Intex and H2O Fun pages, updated 19 October 2026, with no soak test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have narrowed the search to two products that both say magnetic, and they do not do the same job.

Our top picks

Intex Intex magnetic pool-wall light 28698

Best overall

Intex Intex magnetic pool-wall light 28698
8.8/10about £54.95
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TEPENAR TEPENAR magnetic pool light, 1 pack

Best value

TEPENAR TEPENAR magnetic pool light, 1 pack
8.4/10about £19.99
View offer
TEPENAR TEPENAR magnetic pool light, 2 pack

Alternative

TEPENAR TEPENAR magnetic pool light, 2 pack
8.4/10about £26.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What each light actually is
  2. 2.Evenings, cables and charging
  3. 3.Which wall accepts which light
  4. 4.When to buy which

What each light actually is

The Intex magnetic light is a corded wall pair. The 28698 is about £54.95 and 4.4 from 1,883. H2O Fun describes 230 V transformed to 12 V DC through the wall, for pools up to 7.32 m. A rechargeable pool light here is a sealed LED disc. TEPENAR lists 2.5 W at about £19.99, £26.99 and £46.99. The magnet on a disc holds the lamp. The magnet on the Intex pair couples power through an allowed wall. A disc is not a fixed zone-0 luminaire under BS 7671 Section 702.

Evenings, cables and charging

For most evenings, the Intex set does not need a charge cycle. You switch it on at the unit. There is no separate remote, and the sheet says not to add a timer, an extension lead or a portable RCD. The cable has to reach an RCD socket more than 3.5 m away, with a BS 1363 plug. One review says the plug had to be changed. The distance is on how to fit a magnetic pool light. A disc stays dark until you charge it. TEPENAR bullets say 40 to 150 hours. One shared review timed about six hours. Charge with the port dry. A damaged Intex cord is scrap.
Intex Intex magnetic pool-wall light 28698

Testsieger

Intex Intex magnetic pool-wall light 28698
8.8/10about £54.95
View offer

Which wall accepts which light

The Intex pair is for a storable pool with a non-steel wall 1 mm thick or less. A 28698BS review says steel does not work. PoolPro names soft-sided PVC. A disc magnet can grip steel. On a bare liner it needs a washer, glue or a holster, because TEPENAR suction cups fail once wet. A hot tub or a pond is disc territory. Glue in the TEPENAR two-pack reviews held on a rough shell. The Intex set has no glue-on hot-tub option. Ignore 50 W and 5,000 lumens on the 28698 table. Maker pages describe a low-watt LED.

When to buy which

Buy the Intex wall light when the wall is thin, non-steel and storable, and you want repeated evenings without charging. The 28698 at about £54.95 is the top pick if the plug is BS 1363. The short list of ASINs is best magnetic pool lights. Buy a disc when the wall is steel, the job is a hot tub or a pond, or you will not fit an outdoor socket. The TEPENAR one-pack at about £19.99 is the best value if a washer or glue is enough. The two-pack suits the rough shell. Leave SANSI when people will swim hard. A disc has no mains in the water, and it can still leak.

Common questions

Which one stays on all evening without charging?
The Intex wall set. It is mains, with no battery in the lamp. Reviews of the 28698 say you control it on the unit, without a separate timer. A disc needs a charge first. One TEPENAR review timed about six hours against a bullet of 40 to 150 hours, so an evening every evening is the mains case.
Which one has no cable near the pool?
The rechargeable disc. There is no mains lead at the water because the cell is inside the lamp. You still charge it indoors, on the lead in the box, with the port dry. The Intex set always has a cable, and that cable has to plug in more than 3.5 m from the pool. It must not be extended with a reel.
Which one works on steel?
A disc magnet can grip a steel wall. The Intex pair is specified for non-steel walls of 1 mm or less, and a 28698BS review says it does not work on steel above-ground pools. If your pool is steel, leave both Intex listings and choose a disc, then plan for glue or a holster if movement knocks the magnet off.
Which one has a remote and 16 colours?
The discs. TEPENAR lists 16 static colours and an RF remote that reviews say can run more than one lamp. SANSI lists 20 modes. SoulBay lists 16 colours including white, plus 2, 4 and 6 hour timers, and the remote needs AAA cells you buy separately. The 28698 changes colour from controls on the unit, not from a remote in the reviews.
What fails on each side?
On the Intex side, one 28698 review needed a plug change, and older comments mention leaks. The 28698BS file is small and includes a steel-wall failure. On the disc side, TEPENAR suction cups fail when wet, a shared review includes a cell that died after one charge, and SANSI reviews describe water inside the lamp and magnets that fall off. SoulBay's doubt is the charger lead, which one review says is not USB-C.
Is the disc safer in a way you can print?
You can print a narrower point. A disc has no mains in the water, so it does not need the transformer distance. It is not a certificate, and it is not the safest pool light in the UK. Reviews still describe leaks. A fixed light in a permanent pool is a different product and an electrician's job under BS 7671 Section 702.

Related pages

Magnetic pool lights buying guide

Magnetic lights for above-ground pools

Magnetic pool light

Best magnetic pool lights and who should skip them

How to fit a magnetic pool light, and when to stop

Sources

Public UK and maker sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines in the display file.

  1. IET Wiring Matters, Section 702 — swimming pools and other basins (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. NAPIT, BS 7671:2018 Section 702 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Intex LED pool-wall light safety rules, model WL698 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Intex Wetset UK magnetic LED pool-wall light (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. H2O Fun, Intex 28698 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. NICEIC garden electrics (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Electrical Safety First, RCD questions (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. IEC 60529 preview — IP code (retrieved 19 October 2026)