Suggestions for a good water hose

[Andrew Fleck]

After patching my water hose for the third time in as many years I am in the market for one that isn't garbage. Do they exist? I'm looking for a 100' hose that will last me a very long time through normal household use. I'm thinking an industrial type hose. Maybe one with brass fittings that are real and thick. I've already replaced both ends of the current hose because they eroded on me. Now as the hose is a little bit older a random geyser will erupt out of it for some unknown reason. My hose stays on a reel and the most abrasion it gets is sliding through the grass and driveway.

I spent a decent amount of money on my current hose because it looked like it was heavy duty. I got it at either Lowes or Home Depot, but I'm about to the point where I'm considering never shopping at those places again. I keep getting burned with stuff like this.

Anybody have any good experience with some type of industrial hose? I don't care about the price as long as it's not hideous.

[Jim Koepke]

We have some red heavy ribbed hoses that have not given us a problem in the years we have owned them. They came with a "lifetime guarantee" for what that is worth. I have the paper around here somewhere. I think they were only available in 50'. That is okay by me. We have a valve and a quick connect in the middle.

A trick my brother taught me, he lives in a rough neighborhood, with a new hose... Wrap electrical tape around it in a few places and then drag it through some dirt. Very few thieves will still a dirty, old patched up hose.

jtk

[Charles Wiggins]

When we bought our house in 2009 it came with a 100' Craftsman garden hose. The outside is heavy black rubber. It's been great. No worries. I do have it on a mobile reel, and I wind it back up when not in use, and avoid dragging it as much as possible. The previous owner just had it laying on the ground, but it did not look very old.

[Brian Elfert]

Do It Best hardware makes some that have lifetime warranty with brass fittings. Not cheap, but the material the hose is made from is very flexible and doesn't get hard when cold. I believe Flexogen also makes hoses like this and the Do It Best hoses might be made by Flexogen. As a bonus I think they are Made in the USA.

[Matt Meiser]

We got a Flexogen at Amazon and its lasted us a few years. Nozzles we buy at Do It Best. They are made by Nelson and just like the Nelson branded ones with no warranty they only last a year but Do It Best has a lifetime warranty on theirs so we just take them back for new ones.

[Greg R Bradley]

I started using "industrial" hoses at home when I bought my current house that has very high water pressure outside the house. A 3/4"x50' hose was $200 then and they are more like $300 now. Like a lot of truly industrial stuff, the price is hard to justify unless you really need it.

Water Right and Gator Hyde both seem to be plenty good enough for serious homeowner use. I bought a GatorHyde 3/4"x200' two years ago and it works well. The 200' is about the same price as the 50' industrial hose and not much heavier. That means it is about 1/3 the cost and weight per foot.

I don't know if those would have handled the 180+ psi like the industrial hose did since I added a 125 psi regulator behind the meter at the street.

The best hoses at bLowes and Home Dopey last about two years for me. That is with 125psi and SoCal sun. That wasn't bad for the price but I noticed that the best ones a bLowes just went from brass to aluminum fittings. Even the best of the junk keeps getting worse.

[Jerome Stanek]

I bought a real good red one from Sams club about 20 years ago

[Andrew Fleck]

Thanks for the replies. Funny thing is I started this thread this morning and then went outside a little while ago to water something and it sprung a brand new leak. It now resides in the garbage can.

Greg, where do you get these industrial hoses?

Jim, Do you have something like this one? http://www.grainger.com/product/8Z674?gclid=CjgKEAjwnfGbBRDlxoHrl6uikyESJAD-nzCFuyFDD1tcT6xmczj7b8qpdw3jOWhD7VPW--XEdrCzwPD_BwE&cm_mmc=PPC:GooglePLA-_-Outdoor%20Equipment-_-Hoses%20and%20Sprinkler%20Systems-_-8Z674&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=8Z674&ef_id=UiaOsgAABdeVa0mO:20140521225844:s

[Chris Padilla]

http://www.leevalley.com/US/garden/page.aspx?cat=2,2280,33160&p=71856

Lee Valley just emailed me an ad for this brand of garden hose.

[George Bokros]

I bought one of these a year or so ago. Been working well. I am satisfied so far.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_6131-1596-8885-100_0__

[Kevin Bourque]

A customer of mine bought on of those "expanding/contracting" type hoses you see being sold in cable TV ads. They shrink into a tiny ball when not in use. The thing lasted about 2 months before it self destructed.

[Brett Luna]

I don't know how hard you are on hoses but I've had a couple of gray NeverKink hoses from one of the big box stores. They have a heavy strain relief spring and beefy hex-nut type fittings. They aren't the most supple hose out there but the do take some work to kink.

ETA: If shipping wasn't such a big penny, I'd give those LV hoses a try.

[Greg R Bradley]

Thanks for the replies. Funny thing is I started this thread this morning and then went outside a little while ago to water something and it sprung a brand new leak. It now resides in the garbage can.

Greg, where do you get these industrial hoses?

Jim, Do you have something like this one? http://www.grainger.com/product/8Z674?gclid=CjgKEAjwnfGbBRDlxoHrl6uikyESJAD-nzCFuyFDD1tcT6xmczj7b8qpdw3jOWhD7VPW--XEdrCzwPD_BwE&cm_mmc=PPC:GooglePLA-_-Outdoor%20Equipment-_-Hoses%20and%20Sprinkler%20Systems-_-8Z674&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=8Z674&ef_id=UiaOsgAABdeVa0mO:20140521225844:s
The one I bought was from Graingers. It is a Goodyear 300psi washdown hose. I bought it about 2000. Looks like they are $265 at Graingers now. The red rubber hoses that I've seen are rubber and designed for hot water use. The ones I've seen are really stiff when cold and kink easily.

I currently have 3-4 of the Lowes "Neverkink" ones linked to above. Those are the ones that last about two years for me and the new ones now have aluminum fittings. That would be the weak point for me. They dropped the 3/4" ones and when I had them warranty them, I ended up with 5/8" hoses with aluminum fittings. I passed them (new) onto someone that is easier on hoses than I am. I have 60 fruit trees and lots of plants in pots.

[David Weaver]

I don't know how hard you are on hoses but I've had a couple of gray NeverKink hoses from one of the big box stores. They have a heavy strain relief spring and beefy hex-nut type fittings. They aren't the most supple hose out there but the do take some work to kink.

ETA: If shipping wasn't such a big penny, I'd give those LV hoses a try.

They're on amazon for some amount less than that.

[Tom M King]

I doubt there are any that we haven't tried on our horse farm. Hoses are handled here several times a day. We've come down to one standout. Gatorhyde.

http://www.factorydirecthose.com/product/Gatorhyde34x25-N


My own timed tests, on our well, filling up horse waterers have shown that a 3/4" hose will flow double what a 5/8s will, so it results in time saved for us every day. I designed our barn to be able to use a 25 foot hose for everything. In freezing weather, a 3/4 x 25 footer can be blown out with one breath. The nickel plated ends really pay off there. I don't blow out hoses that have brass ends by mouth because of taste. The nickel plated ones add no taste, and it becomes much easier to just blow it out, than to drain it by hand.

The Gatorhyde hoses come in all combinations of lengths and diameters, and every one that we've ever bought is still in use. I've forgotten how many years old some of them are. I've even replaced commercial black rubber ones that we use with the pressure washer with Gatorhyde hoses, after the rubber finally rotted on the big, heavy black ones.

[Wade Lippman]

My experience is that if you don't buy cheap, they last forever. What do you do with them that they wear so poorly?

[Andrew Fleck]

Those are the ones that last about two years for me and the new ones now have aluminum fittings. That would be the weak point for me.

For me as well. I was appalled by the thin brass fittings my hose had before. I won't even consider aluminum. I think I'm going to give the Gatorhyde hose a try you talked about before.

[Andrew Fleck]

My experience is that if you don't buy cheap, they last forever. What do you do with them that they wear so poorly?

Nothing out of the ordinary. I take pretty good care of my stuff. That is usually my experience as well, but this particular hose was expensive...for a hose. Based on the replies it sounds like I may have just ended up with an overpriced dud.

[Andrew Fleck]

Tom, you should get a cut from Gatorhyde because I think I will pick one up. If they work good enough for you on your farm then they should do the trick at my house. Thanks for linking me to them.

[Rick Potter]

I have a couple of black rubber hoses I bought from Sears over 20 years ago. I had to replace the couplings after 10 years, but the hoses are still in great shape, sitting out in the sun. The rubber hoses do not take a 'set' like some other hoses, and always coil up nicely on the ground. The bad thing is that they make your hands black after they age a bit, but I have seen red rubber hoses available recently.

I like them so much, I bought two more recently.

My wife bought one of those self coiling hoses. What a pain. It's 50', but won't uncoil anywhere near that, and it catches on everything.

She also bought three of those 'pocket hoses' at the fair last fall. The ones with the surgical tubing inside. We put one in the back yard, and the dog ate the plastic couplings the first day. We put one in the front yard (no dog), and after using it a few times, it sprung a leak about 10' from the coupling. Currently, all three are in a bag, awaiting the fair this fall.

About that Flexzilla hose...I cannot comment on the garden hose, but I have an air hose in the shop that never wants to coil correctly. I start to hang it on the wall, and about 6' from the end, the coil wants to reverse. I hate it....OK, OK, maybe it's just an extreme dislike. Nope, it's hate.

Rick Potter

[Brian Elfert]

One problem with the hoses I have are they will kink when there is no water pressure because the material is so flexible. (I think mine are made by Flexogen for Do It Best.) It really hasn't been an issue for me.

[Val Kosmider]

Sears. Craftsman. 5/8" x 50 feet. Rubber hose that does not kink. Run you about $30; less if you catch the autumn sale.

Lifetime warranty.

I have six of them; took one back this year after I did something stupid and destroyed the coupling--which they replaced, no questions asked.

Of course, there is that slight issue of how long will Sears last.....

[Matt Meiser]

You might be better with a 1 year warranty from someone else.

[Ken Massingale]

These (http://www.sears.com/craftsman-5-8-in-x-100-ft-all-rubber/p-07169605000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3) Craftsman 5/8 100 foot rubber hoses are great.

[Al Launier]

I bought a real good red one from Sams club about 20 years ago

Same here! 17 years ago in fact. 110' long, gray, brass fittings, somewhat heavy, but still going strong. Hard to beat that!

[Tom M King]

The Craftsman hoses are indeed very good. We used them for years until I figured out that the flow rate going to 3/4 was double, and as long as I was checking, the Sears hoses were only available in 5/8's.

The only trouble with the Gatorhydes is that they do keep a little bit of a set from being coiled in the box, but not as bad as a Flexgen.