Hose recommendations

FlyDragon

Can anybody recommend a good garden hose that isn't incredibly annoying?  That doesn't kink, that is easy to get out and put away whether you need 2 metres that day or 25, that doesn't leak at the point where it connects to the water supply (my biggest pet peeve!) and that doesn't take up loads of space!  I don't mind spending a bit of money, I have big pots that are quite far up the garden and round a corner so it will be worth it to not be wrestling with kinks or coming back to find huge puddles by the tap!

I can't really do wall mounted as the outdoor tap is behind a gate so don't want to restrict it from opening, which is a shame but there must be good hoses out there!

Cambridgerose12

Oh yes--following! (And bumping). I tried Gardena, but they come off the connectors all the time and I get drenched. There must be some brand...

Dovefromabove

We bought another one of these two weeks ago  it's a Hozelock retractable with 20m of hose.

  

We had the previous one for at least 15 years with no problem ... left it outside all year round.  We're very happy with it. 

When I broke my foot the other year and friends came around to water my plants, they were so impressed with the ease of using it that they bought one for themselves on their way home. 

FlyDragon

Dovefromabove said:

We bought another one of these two weeks ago  it's a Hozelock retractable with 20m of hose.

  

We had the previous one for at least 15 years with no problem ... left it outside all year round.  We're very happy with it. 

When I broke my foot the other year and friends came around to water my plants, they were so impressed with the ease of using it that they bought one for themselves on their way home. 

I've looked at that one online actually, so do you mind if I ask you some questions as someone who actually uses it regularly?

Can you set off down the garden with the nozzle in your hand and it unreels freely and easily from the base?  Or do you have to unspool what you need and then set off?

Is it heavy enough that if you're 15 metres down the garden and find you need a bit more hose, you can just pull and get what you need or will it lift the base off the ground and risk disconnecting it?

Do you get any dribbles where your water supply meets the base?  

Does it spool back in easily just by turning the handle or do you have to coax and nurse it back in?  

Sorry for the third degree but whatever I buy will be my 3 hose in 5 years so I'd quite like to get one that doesn't turn me into Basil Fawlty this time! 

FlyDragon

Cambridgerose12 said:

Oh yes--following! (And bumping). I tried Gardena, but they come off the connectors all the time and I get drenched. There must be some brand...

Haha glad its not just me!  I'd really rather it just rained every night!

BenCotto

I have a wall mounted retractable Gardena hose and I honestly think it is the best gardening purchase I have ever made - no leaks, no kinks, no connection issues. It also rewinds perfectly. Despite @Cambridgerose12’s reservations, I would give it an unqualified recommendation.

One word of advice, however, is not to get the ultra spray lance. I used to have the lance with a flexible head designed for hanging baskets but, foolishly, I left it out all last winter in heavy frosts and paid the price. While the ‘hanging basket’ lance filled the watering can in 40”, the ultra model takes 4’ 30”.

FlyDragon

Thanks BenCotto, maybe its the wall mounting that prevents some of the issues, but unfortunately that' not really an option for my space. 

Nollie

Gardena every time for me, sturdy, reliable, don’t kink, well-fitting connectors that never leak. Mine is on a freestanding hose reel and I turn the high-pressure tap on and drag it out over my rough ground when full with no problems. I too highly recommend them, but make sure you use the gardena fittings and not any others. There are various grades though, I have the higher quality flexi-hose which is more rubberised than plastic. Hozelock always leaked for me, the connectors were dreadful. Odd how we each have different experiences.

FlyDragon

Nollie said:

Gardena every time for me, sturdy, reliable, don’t kink, well-fitting connectors that never leak. Mine is on a freestanding hose reel and I turn the high-pressure tap on and drag it out over my rough ground when full with no problems. I too highly recommend them, but make sure you use the gardena fittings and not any others. There are various grades though, I have the higher quality flexi-hose which is more rubberised than plastic. Hozelock always leaked for me, the connectors were dreadful. Odd how we each have different experiences.

Thanks, is the reel heavy/sturdy enough then that it stays still as you are moving around the garden and pulling on the hose?

FlyDragon

Has anyone used this type at all?  Just a hook on the wall would be much easier to accommodate than a wall mounted reel, and its definitely trying to sell the 'no kinks' thing!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flexi-Hose-Expandable-Garden-Function/dp/B08B52JLQY/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=garden+hose&qid=1618753181&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyTU84UUpWR0FYUUVBJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjMxNTI1M0pMM0pGNEtFREpFVCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDUxNzgxMTdVMUNOTU4xMFBTNiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Nollie

Yes, unless I’m dragging it around corners and catching it on benches etc., then the reel can topple over. It gets a fair amount of abuse tbh! You can always weigh it down with a concrete block or even bolt it to a paving slab if that’s a concern. I have noticed that the new Gardena reels in the shops look a little less sturdy than my old metal one. It’s at least 7 year’s old.

The flexi-hoses in your link are notorious for being fragile and short-lived.