Leaf net or solid pool cover
Updated: 21 October 2026
A leaf net or solid pool cover is an obvious choice after a wet week and a muddy one on the product page. Mesh lets rain into the pool and stops large leaves. A solid sheet holds a pond until you empty it. The nets here are two Hlimior clip-on HDPE sheets. Ring covers with drain holes are a third behaviour. The scored list is the [round pool cover comparison](/hub/swimming-pools/pool-cover-round). Peter F. used the amazon.co.uk listings in this set. No lab test. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
A leaf net or solid pool cover is an obvious choice after a wet week and a muddy one on the product page. Mesh lets rain into the pool and stops large leaves. A solid sheet holds a pond until you empty it.
A leaf net or solid pool cover is an obvious choice after a wet week and a muddy one on the product page. Mesh lets rain into the pool and stops large leaves. A solid sheet holds a pond until you empty it. The nets here are two Hlimior clip-on HDPE sheets. Ring covers with drain holes are a third behaviour. The scored list is the round pool cover comparison. Peter F. used the amazon.co.uk listings in this set. No lab test. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Lets through | Fastening | Stated size | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Hlimior Hlimior 18 ft leaf net | Rain, mesh about 12 mm | 12 metal clips | 6 x 6 m for about 5.5 m | 7.3 | about £26.99 | View offer |
 Intex Intex Easy Set cover 10 ft, 28021 | Rain via drain holes | Rope ties | 305 cm, 10 ft Easy Set | 9.2 | about £12.99 | View offer | |
| Alternative |  QWORK QWORK 10 ft Oxford cover | Rain sits if not emptied | Drawstring, nails, hooks | 305 cm Oxford sheet | 8.3 | about £19.99 | View offer |
On this page
What each cover lets through
A leaf net passes rain and catches leaves large enough to miss the mesh. You still get wet water, and you do not get a puddle on a lid. A solid sheet blocks rain only while the cloth stays above the water. In The Swim’s guide, mesh is lower maintenance because water goes through, and a solid cover needs the water removed. Royal Swimming Pools says a leaf net is not a winter cover on its own. The Hlimior nets are sold as the cover, with clips. Choose the net if rain may enter. Choose a solid sheet only if you will empty it. Measuring is on the round pool cover buying guide.
The solid covers in this set
QWORK, at about £19.99, is a 420D sheet at 305 cm, with a drawstring, nails and hooks, at 4.0 from 97 reviews. Drain holes are not stated, and a UK review says rain collects in the middle. Neuradical, at about £99.99, is the 503 cm sheet for a 16 ft frame, 5.15 kg, at 4.4 from 115. Reviews say the centre holds water until you lift it. Emptying it is on how to fit a round pool cover.
Oiieco’s bullets say water passes or runs off, which is a third claim on a sheet that is not mesh. Intex 28021, 28022E and Bestway BW58032-24 print drain holes, so they are neither a dry lid nor a leaf net.
The two Hlimior nets
Hlimior YCGJ001 is the 18 ft net whose size agrees with itself: about £26.99, a 6 x 6 m HDPE net for about 5.5 m, mesh around 12 x 12 mm, 12 clips. The line is 4.5 from two ratings. The only written review is German. Two ratings are why this net is not the top pick.
The 24 ft net is about £32.29, with 16 clips and no star line. The title says 24 ft, the attributes say 600 cm, and the bullets say 8 x 8 m. Open it only if your rail matches one printed figure. There is no UK review text on how the clips hold a round rail.
Net over a sheet, and the word safety
You could lay the 18 ft Hlimior over the Neuradical or the QWORK. Neither listing describes that pair, the clips are sized for a rail, and you would be buying two covers. If you buy one: mesh when rain may enter, solid when you will empty the top.
Safety net in a title is not a load figure. None of the 11 listings prints a person-load. SPATA says no cover is 100 percent safe. PWTAG says only a cover sold as a safety cover should be used as one. RoSPA’s advice is a fence and a self-locking gate. A 12 mm mesh will not hold a child.
Common questions
Will a leaf net keep rain out of the pool?
No. The Hlimior nets are HDPE mesh, about 12 x 12 mm on the 18 ft model, and rain goes through. That is the point of a leaf net: leaves stay on the mesh, water does not sit on a lid. Your pool still receives the rain. If the water has to stay untouched by weather, a mesh is the wrong side of this choice, and you take on the job of emptying a solid sheet instead.
Will a solid cover stay dry on top?
Only if the water has somewhere to go, or you remove it. QWORK and Neuradical do not state drain holes, and reviews describe rain sitting in the centre. A QWORK review says dragging that full sheet tore the cover. Intex and Bestway ring covers print drain holes, so dirt can enter when the sheet sags. A solid sheet is the right pick when you will empty it, and a poor pick if you want to ignore a wet week.
Can I put a leaf net over an Oxford tarp?
You can lay one over the other as two separate buys. Trade guides talk about a leaf net on a winter cover so you lift the leaves off. The Hlimior bullets sell the net as the cover, with clips for a rail, and the Oxford bullets do not mention a net on top. Budget for both, from about £19.99 plus about £26.99, and do not expect one listing to describe the pair.
What is the mesh size on the 18 ft net?
The 18 ft Hlimior listing prints a mesh of about 12 x 12 mm, on a 6 x 6 m net for a pool of about 5.5 m, with 12 metal clips. The clip length is 13 cm, closed opening 4 cm, maximum 8.5 cm. That mesh stops large leaves and lets rain, and anything smaller than the hole, through. The 24 ft listing does not get the same spec, because its size lines disagree.
Why do the 24 ft size lines disagree?
The title says 24 ft, the attributes say 600 cm, and the bullets say an 8 x 8 m net. A 24 ft circle is about 7.3 m across, so neither 6 m nor 8 m is a figure you can average into a third number. There is no review text to show which size arrived. If one printed figure is your rail, you still accept that the listing contradicts itself. If none matches, skip the ASIN.
Does safety net mean a child can walk on it?
No. Nothing in this set prints a person-load, and SPATA says no cover is 100 percent safe. A mesh with clips is a leaf catcher. A solid sheet is a rain lid you have to empty. PWTAG says only a cover sold as a safety cover should be used as one. RoSPA still wants a fence and a self-locking gate. Keep children off the cover while it is on.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved for this set on 19 October 2026.
- SPATA pool covers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- SPATA energy efficiency (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- RoSPA drowning prevention (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- PWTAG pool covers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BSI BS EN 16582-1:2015+A1:2021 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Jacksons above-ground winter covers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- ManoMano UK pool cover buying guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Blue Wave 15 ft winter cover, overlap example on amazon.co.uk (retrieved 19 October 2026)