If all you want is a softer "feel" to the water you can get that far easier just by adding sufficient salt to your water--no SWCG required!. Home Depot sells 40# bags of Morton swimming pool salt for under $8/bag. Even 10 bags is less than $80...and will give you the "feel" without spending $800-$1600 on an SWCG system.

The SWCG is simply to generate chlorine from breaking the Sodium Chloride (salt) into chlorine. It doesn't save you money but it can keep your pool chlorinated for far longer without adding anything.

Generally, the thicker the liner the better, and 20mils is the absolute thinnest liner you should get. 25mils or 30mils will be tougher and stronger.

I think buying pools from local dealers is a lot like buying cars....