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Thread: Expandable garden hose - is this real deal or gimmick?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,688
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    The scrunch ones are small diameter so reduced flow rate.
    Bil lD
    Ours is not like that at all...in fact, the inside diameter is larger than our regular hoses. The limiting factor for flow rate we have is the connection between the hose and both the bib and the nozzle...
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  2. I bought one at Costco this spring that has functioned well all season. It is not like the ones that "scrunch" together as they drain--those are, in my experience, generally garbage. This one is nylon mesh on the outside and it expands and contracts, but remains smooth. I would not use it for heavy duty use where it would get walked on, driven over, dragged over rocks, etc, but for light use at the front porch it has been very good. There are few things I hate more than coiling up a heavy rubber hose, so I avoid it when possible.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Carlyle IL
    Posts
    2,183
    3/4" x 50' Swan Flexrite Hoses.

    and/or

    3/4" Gilmour Flexogen hoses.

    don't mess with 1/2" or 5/8" hoses.
    Last edited by Joe Mioux; 10-11-2019 at 8:27 PM.
    Vortex! What Vortex?

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Orlando, FL.
    Posts
    34
    Ed, I've owed three of them, all because SWMBO wanted them. The prices ranged from $28-$40, all different brands (which ought to be a tell). SWMBO used them exclusively for watering plants.

    Granted, all were exposed to about 6-8 hours of the Florida sun every day, but not a one of them lasted more than four months. Conversely, I have a heavy duty rubber hose that has been exposed to about the same amount of sun and it's going on it's sixth year.

    Just sayin'

    -Ken

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Hot Springs, VA
    Posts
    763
    Thank you, guys. Looks like I will pass on expandable hose for now and will buy a good rubber one instead.
    Ed.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
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    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Eduard Nemirovsky View Post
    [edited]
    Any recommendations for nozzles?

    Ed.
    Just bought a couple from these folks last week.

    https://www.utahbiodieselsupply.com/...ies.php#foggit

    They didn't have the combination selection set up for my needs, a 1/4 gallon/minute and a 4 gallon/minute. Left a message on the listed phone number during the hours of business. Received a call back in a couple of hours. My order was received in a couple of days. The call also saved on shipping charges.

    This is the best price found in my searches for these nozzles. Some of mine have been in use for more than 20 years.

    Somehow we keep losing the 4 gallon/minute nozzle. We have had all the sizes except the 1/4 gallon/minute nozzle. We also use quick release connectors on all of our hose bibs, hoses, and watering utensils.

    Lee Valley looks to carry the same nozzle or a similar model. The Lee Valley site doesn't list the flow rate of the one model on their page.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  7. #22
    When buying hoses pay attention to the hose ends, a lot of them are aluminum now and do not perform well long term, look for brass for best results.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Falls Church, VA
    Posts
    2,336
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    1
    It's kind of gimmicky but we have one. We have a circle drive and the landscaping in the middle has a spigot in-ground in this little plastic enclosure. A regular hose wouldn't fit but an expandable one is perfect. I can get a 30' hose in there in minimal space.

    I wouldn't use the expandable anyplace else though. It's basically latex tubing inside a cloth tube to keep it from ballooning up and exploding. The sun rots that cloth pretty fast. By storing it underground, I get a couple of seasons out of a hose.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Cambridge Vermont
    Posts
    2,282
    My wife has bought a couple of the expandable ones and they haven't lasted. Both were name brand ones. They have surgical tubing inside them and the fabric on the outside to stop the tube from expanding too far. What broke them seamed to be tugging on them when your trying to drag the hose. The wife now has a coil hose (like the coil air hoses). It's not tool long but it's tough like a regular hose.

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