Garden Hoses - How do you compare them when shopping?

[anisa]

I need a new hose. mine is 3 yrs old, but has become severely cracked in a couple of spots because of my hubby's refusal to put it away properly.

so i need to buy a new one. of course i will be waiting for a super duper sale on them, but in the meantime how do i narrow down my choices?

I see that there are many different price ranges and quality ratings. really it should be an easy decision... but it isn't.

I need a 50' hose for light garden duty. how do i figure out which ones are the better quality ones?

I do my shopping backwards. i do my research to find a good quality product that i like and that is in a somewhat reasonable price range, and then wait for it to go on sale so i get it at a great price. i'm not looking for the cheapest product, but rather the best bang for my buck

any input would be appreciated.

[BC Gal]

The part that breaks on hoses I've bought is they leak around the swivel. Other than that I just replace the rubber ring every other year. Canadian Tire has really good sales at the beginning and end of the season on better quality hoses. Some have a plastic sleeve that protects the connection (I think so it doesn't get bent and leak at the swivel).

There has been commercials for a new hose that expands and never kinks. Not sure how it holds up to dirt, etc., but here is the website: https://www.xhose.ca/

[anisa]

mine is totally cracked and split in 2 places along the length of the hose. totally unnecessary damage.


my neighbor has that seen on TV, it's hilarious. it shrivels up when you're done using it, too funny

[BC Gal]

I have not had one crack, but that might be the warmer winters here in the Fraser Valley. That x hose looks cool, but I wonder how clean it would stay after dragging it around a garden - would you have to hose off the hose? lol

[sweet sparrow]

I spent months researching ours. I've heard numerous complaints about the ones found at Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Lowes, Rona, etc.

I've heard nothing but good things (so far) about the Lifetime Hose at Lee Valley:
http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/p...t=2,2280,33160
It's a bit pricey, but if you have to replace a hose once, you may as well have bought the one above and they have an amazing guarantee on their products.

We bought the one from Costco (100 ft?), which I hear is not as good quality as it used to be, but Costco also has an excellent return policy. After a year, it hasn't let us down and it's still kink-free.

[marstec]

Buy a good quality rubber hose. It should cost you around $40 for 50 ft, unless it's on clearance. It's better to pay a bit more for one that will last you many seasons than to buy numerous cheap ones.

[anisa]

@BCGal, mine isn't cracked from the weather, it's because my hubby's lazy. just one more thing that i buy and he ruins. it's never ending

@marstec, thank you for mentioning rubber ones. i had a feeling they are better, but really there are so many brands out there and this is one thing i am really not in the mood to research right now.

@sweet sparrow, i totally didn't think of lee valley, thank you

[anisa]

It looks to me like the Lee Valley hose is the same as this one from Sears.
http://www.sears.ca/product/rittenho...archToView_0_2

that's my guess, they look the same to me. sears only has one size on their website, Lee Valley has a variety of diameters and lengths.

is $50 unreasonable for a hose?

apparently Craftsman has a good warranty as well. they aren't on the sears website so i can't see what they look like.

and then there is the whole rubber vs. vinyl debate.

i will find a hose i like and can justify purchasing darnit!

oh, and then there is the whole Gardena line of products that make me swoon.

[Abby5]

Rubber and warranty one from Canadian Tire...just my opinion good luck

[Zonny]

Ours isn't an expensive one, we have a hose reel that we got on clearance to store it on. But it gets put in the basement in the winter; the first winter we left it out, we found it was very stiff and it took awhile to get back to normal.

In your hubby's defense, aren't you able to also put it away properly?

[miztia]

My rubber hose has a rib running inside of it. Never had a problem with it, and I rarely roll it up because the holder broke for it.
I think the rib inside is what makes it a good hose. Other than the dog likes to fight with it and chew on the end, it went from a 50 ft'er down to about 30 ft long over the years. LOL It came from CT, about $40.

[anisa]

Ours isn't an expensive one, we have a hose reel that we got on clearance to store it on. But it gets put in the basement in the winter; the first winter we left it out, we found it was very stiff and it took awhile to get back to normal.

In your hubby's defense, aren't you able to also put it away properly?

haha yeah i just didn't notice he had wrapped it loosely over a 1/2" pipe, making it get a permanent kink over the winter. messed it right up.

i'm the idiot who always coils it up nicely and then drapes it over the holder. hubby has no defense. he grew up always being served on and thinks the wife is just an extension of that, DOH!

ah well, who knew the world of hoses would be so fun

[sweet sparrow]

On this website: http://www.leevalley.com/US/shopping...o.aspx?p=42248, I found a similar issue!

"When we first cataloged our lifetime hose nearly a decade ago, a cynic among us was concerned that customers might leave hoses full of water outside to freeze. As a test, he buried a line between his house and a remote part of his yard, nearly 150 feet away. That entire length of hose has been frozen full of water every winter for 9 years and is still intact.


The secret to our lifetime hose is that it has an internal foam layer that not only gives it flexibility but also allows for a substantial amount of internal expansion. When water inside the hose freezes and expands, the foam compresses. Most other hoses and all PVC or metal pipes would break under such conditions. We actually suspect that our hose lasts longer underground because it is protected from damaging UV rays and the day-to-day abrasions that an above-ground hose is subjected to."

[newb]

Well I was given a used hose over 20 yrs ago and its still good, sure wished I knew what is was made of .. be carefull of the kink free types ... I guess it only means it wont kink at the spigot ..and it has the rib down the hose, but a collar at the tap..but I still get it to kink ...lol, just my luck .. I moved the old hose that never kinks into the garage so as to keep it from the elements, hoping to get a few more yrs out of it ..but it is showing its age. as for storing in the winter .. I dont bother .. the only problem I have is the kinking in the middle of the hose with the kinkfree one, I`ve never had one burst or crack

[BC Gal]

Saw one on sale in the Can Tire flyer this coming week and though of this thread It's a Yardworks 75' anti-kink hose reg. $43.59 on for $24.99.