Coil garden hoses were all the rage a few years ago. People loved how you could stretch out the hose for use, and when you’re finished, it automatically recoiled back into an easy to store compact form.
This product suddenly took off, which quickly brought on a flood of imported knock offs to saturate the market with inferior performing hoses.
Other bi-products like the pocket hose have also saturated the market. These cheap imports almost killed the expandable garden hose market because consumers got frustrated when they stretched out their hose to use it and then after a few times the garden hose wouldn’t retract back into place.
These low-quality hoses quickly found their way into garbages and landfill sites. The news soon spread by word of mouth and on forums – Avoid coil hoses. We disagree – the concept of a retractable hose is still viable. There is still quality made self-coiling hoses on the market.
Here are some quick pointers to look for in choosing the ones that work over a long period and with heavy use.
Domestic or Import Coiled Hoses?
I know I have a bias because my friend owns a manufacturing facility in the UK that produces high-quality air hoses, garden hoses, and coil hoses. The reviews that are out there on the imported coiled products do not speak highly of them, and I feel justified in my remarks on their being an inferior product.
The UK-made coil products and garden hose are the best performings on the market. We are not the only one to supply good quality recoiling water hose. Many UK competitors also make top-quality products.
Buy a domestic made coil garden hose, and you will be glad you did now, in one month from now and for years to come.
When Purchasing Coil Hoses
Remember this tip – the longer the hose, the more coil strength needed to retract the hose when it is full of water. Again I am going to take a shot at the imported retractable garden hoses.
They work great when you try them at the store when they have no water in them, but as soon as the water weights added to the coil hose, they lose their elasticity.
A longer hose means more water which equals more weight. The longer the hose, the more you need to rely on a quality made product to provide the required retracting strength to pull the hose back into its storage position.
Here is another important tip when looking at length: a coil hose will stretch out 80% of its range. A 50-foot recoiling water hose on average extends to 40 feet with a 25-foot hose stretching to 20 feet.
The Inside Diameter
Most water hoses are measured by their inside diameter. Some, trying to mislead, will make the outside diameter of their product the prominent number they display.
Always look at the inside diameter when looking for a garden hose product. The most retractable garden hose has a 3/8 inside diameter.
The reason for this goes with the comments above about water weight. A larger diameter hose has more water weight which creates a need for more coil strength to pull the hose back to its original position.
We use both 3/8 and ½ inch coiled garden hose, and they both work well because of being high quality. The inside diameter of 3/8 will provide enough water to water plants and spray down a small area. If you need more water volume goes with the ½ inch inside diameter.
I hope this information was helpful to you in choosing a good quality coil garden hose. A high-quality hose is an excellent choice for the conscientious gardener.
Happy Gardening!