Ok, I can totally help here! My father in law has the same pool, same filter/pump with SWG.
Test Kits - Don't buy anything but the TF-100 Kit or the Taylor K-2006-Salt kits. You won't find these in the pool stores unfortunately, buy them from this site or Amazon. I personally own the Taylor, but both will get you the results you need to keep that pool hassle free. The tests are NOT hard to run, and they are very accurate. You already mentioned you had 3 types of kits and don't trust them. Trust these 2 kits.
Leaves / pool clutter: Keep up the fight, leaves and such cause problems after they sit a while and decay in the pool, but don't panic, you don't need to run home from work at lunch and scoop 'em, just keep an eye on it.
Your Intex Pool equipment. Here's how to make it work like a champ.
1. Using your TF-100 or Taylor K-2006-Salt kit, determine your level of salt in your pool in PPM. The Intex equipment likes about 2500ppm - 3500ppm, 3000ppm is dead on. My F-I-L (Father in laws) is at 3400ppm, and that's fine, because he's going to lose a little during backwashes with the sand filters.
2. Your pump is a simple pump, and the instructions are somewhat clear, but not the greatest. You pump will have a display, and it will show a number like "93", "06", or even letters like "FP" sometimes. It's likely showing a number, from 01 to 12, meaning it's currently running, and that's how many hours are left until the cycle is done. I set my FILs pool for 6 hours, but it will depend on a few factors for you...all of which you can figure out using your test kits.
3. The "Boost" mode does 2 things. It runs 4x longer than normal, and it only runs 1 cycle then goes back to normal. Lets say you run your pump normally for 4 hours a day. Boost mode will run 16 hours for that day, then, at the same time it started the previous day, go back to the normal schedule of 4 hours. To be clear...if it always starts are 8 A.M., it will run normally until noon. In boost, it will run until 10 PM (16 hours), then run again for just 4 hours at 8 AM the next morning, since it's back on schedule. The boost must be manually pressed each time. It does add a bit of additional strain on the equipment, so an easy fix is to keep bleach handy and "boost"/"shock" with it instead. That way you pump just does it's thing and YOU adjust for irregularities, such as lots of swimmers, heavy rains, junk in pool.
4. There's a pressure gauge on the sand filter, when it gets yellow or red, you need to backwash until the sight-glass is clear again. Should only take a minute or two. This will dump water, so after a few of these you could lose some chemicals that normally don't evaporate, such as CYA, Salt, and Borates. Test kit will tell you if you're still in a good range.
5. Brush your pool to stir it up. Doesn't take long, it's good exercise, and it helps keep stuff from settling at the bottom, because your intake is kind of high on the wall.
6. Adding bleach to your Saltwater pool will never, ever, hurt your pool. In fact, Bleach is made using a SWG at a factory. It's the same stuff, it's only that you're buying a refined product in the bottle vs making it in real time in your pool.
7. When you add stuff to your pool, don't just dump it straight in, dump it in front of the return jet (the one pushing water back into the pool). This helps mix it so it doesn't just sit at the bottom and possibly hurt your liner. Then, brush! (Essentially...STIR!).
Ask more questions, I probably didn't share everything I learned about that pool just yet.
