I bought mine at the end of last season. We were away the last two weeks of August and I planned to take down the pool after Labor Day, so I left the sand filter in the shipping box and didn't set it up until this season. It's been up for over a month now and I'm very happy with it. The improvement in water clarity over the pump that came with the pool is amazing, and no more expensive paper filters to hassle with. I originally used the smaller integrated fittings that came on my Intex 15' but then followed the advice of others here and cut the pool liner to use the larger fittings. It is a little scary at first, but no big deal if you take your time and use a sharp blade. The result was another huge improvement in water flow and water clarity.
In late May the price on Amazon was actually below $160 and stayed there for a few weeks, but now has shot back up to $200 or more. They seem to discount it regularly so set a price watch and be ready to jump on it when it drops. Amazon also offers free shipping which helps with something this large.