I researched this a few years ago and bought one. It was this kind shown below. It was enclosed inside a box which looked nice, too. I was happy with the way it performed. It cost over $80, but it functioned well enough. It retracted really well. All I had to do was to guide the hose. Pulling the hose out to use was quite difficult, though. I would have to pull with one hand, and open the top and manually rotate the reel at the same time. But then after only 2 years, the gear inside that controls how the hose comes out and in broke. My engineer husband said none of these will work for long, as long as that gear is made of plastic. Pulling the hose out strained the mechanism.

I’m looking for recommendations. I could buy a new one of the same model and just plan on replacing it every 2 years. But I hope there is a product out there that really is designed better… Thanks!

This one is heavy duty metal and it has a leader hose so you can mount it high up on the wall which means you don't have to hunker down to crank the hose in.

It also pivots so the hose reel can follow the line of the hose.

Pair this with one of those new, lightweight polyurethane hoses and you will be golden!

Link below, and I can add a pic of our install if that would be helpful.

Just remember, don't buy the one that is flourescent green (it's a cheap knockoff), but the one that is grass green or medium blue is the good one. I put two together to make a full 50-feet, but I am pretty sure it actually is longer than that. Comes with a sprayer, too. I can see a lot of benefit to using this type of hose for someone with physical issues. Very cool.

tj

Dee

I'm afraid I would not have the patience to lay the hose in a figure 8. It’s too long. Besides, I’m not the only one that waters. It would be tangled in no time, and look like a mess. Just like the one in the back, on a hand crank cart, that is too hard to crank, so I just throw the hose to the side.

After reading reviews for the automatic ones, it looks like they are all plastic and break quickly. Now I’m leaning towards an industrial type all metal one. Even though they are ugly, I need functional, and easy to crank. It doesn’t need wheels: it will never be wheeled anywhere.

Funnthsun, I have not heard of that type of hose either. Tell me more!

Actually, to be honest, I never heard of an automatic one till linnea posted this thread. To find one that would work with 150 feet of heavy duty hose would be a dream come true! Probably more like a pipe dream, though!

Dee

Here is a pic of the two hoses compared to each other. The true color of the darker green is the spots where it isn't wet, fyi.

Hope this helps.

I'm thinking it can't be any heavier than the black hoses I have now, but I'm just trying to visualize how this hose works.

Thanks! This is intriguing!
Dee

They work great!! I don't know what I did before I had them and they are well worth it. I haven't seen them available since, so I have no idea where to get them.

They work great!! I don't know what I did before I had them and they are well worth it. I haven't seen them available since, so I have no idea where to get them.

No product will meet everyone's expectations 100%, of course. However, if you googled "consumer reviews flexible hose", then you got the reviews for the knockoffs as well and those deserve terrible reviews. The original patented hose is the X-hose, although the other link that I provided seems to be the only "knockoff" that is comparable in quality. All of the rest of them are very poor quality, someone that doesn't know the whole story behind these hoses would pick up the wrong one, decide it is low quality and then review it as such, lumping them all together, not realizing that there is a huge difference in quality between different manufacturers. With that said, the lawyer in me would have to say that just b/c it is my very best friend, doesn't mean that it will be yours and anyone interested does need to do their own research and make your own accessment/decisions. I can't imagine anyone not liking the higher quality hoses, though. They are perfect for me!

:)
Dee

I also wonder about the material that hose is made of. There are so many chemicals being used on everything from towels to clothing that have a 'chemical' odor to them, that anything that is made of a synthetic material I am always suspect might have that same odor to it, and in the case of a hose that water runs through, might leach something chemical into the water. Especially over time as it wears out.

I'm with you about wondering what hoses are made of. I also agree that hoses are heavy, stubborn and love to kink in an evil way. This is a fact of life for gardeners, but I have found a new hose that I am in love with!

It's made of polyurethane, is drinking water safe, is made in the USA and it even comes in fun colors. I have a 25 foot and a 100 foot so far and they are both great. On the longer hose there is a noticeable decrease in water pressure since the hose is narrower than a normal hose, but so far it's a tradeoff that is well worth it.

A link to the Lee Valley site is below, but the hose can be found on Amazon, Gardener's Supply Co, etc.

Which leads me to ask about the DAP company and how reliable we think their lifetime guarantee on the Pro series is?

I know no one can make my mind up for me, but a total of $90 (hose is $70 plus two 9.95 shipping charges) is a lot of money for me even if I am getting two 75 footers for that price.
Plus I need a set for the front yard!
Just want to be sure I am not making a mistake and I don't live near enough anywhere to go have a feel for myself.

thank you so much for your comments, they helped me a lot!
Although, I am using titan pipes and other industrial supplies made by them, and I can tell you they are 100% great. I find them very great provided that they are facilitating my life in so many ways. So, if you are, by any case interested, hop on and see it for yourselves. Hope you like it :)