A big float takes about two minutes with a real pump

A large pool float takes somewhere between 60 seconds and four minutes with an electric pump, and the pump matters more than the float.

The cheap little 12V inflators that plug into your car’s cigarette lighter are painfully slow. For a big unicorn or a six-foot lounger, plan on three to four minutes, and the motor will get hot. A proper high-volume electric pump — the kind you’d also use for an air mattress — will fill the same float in about 60 to 90 seconds.

One thing people always mess up: don’t run the pump until the float is rock hard. Vinyl stretches in the sun, and a fully inflated float left outside will blow its seams by mid-afternoon. Stop when it’s firm but still gives a little under your hand.

The pump you buy matters more than the float.