Best Garden Hoses for 2024

First and foremost, I used CNET's hose testing guidelines to evaluate each product in three specific areas: connection, kink, and flow rate. These performance-based tests helped identify how the hoses functioned, and also how they compared to each other.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Garden Hoses Manufacturer.

Each hose passed the connection test, which checked to make sure none of them were leaking when screwed on to the spigot or when used with a spray nozzle. Each had a perfect connection out of the box. Each time I connected a hose to use it, I also checked the connection to confirm there were no leaks. 

None of the hoses leaked at the point of connection after at least five times of screwing them on and off, either. The rubber O-ring will likely deteriorate over time, so there may be leaking in the future, but when the hoses were in new working order I didn't see any design flaws that would lead to a bad experience right from the start.

Tyler Hayes/CNET

Similarly, all the hoses passed the kink test, with 100% water flow when holding the hose about two feet from the end and wrapping it around my hand. Some of the hoses, such as the Flexzilla and the Briggs showed slight kinking and made sounds to suggest that they were on the verge of kinking, but neither of those had a slower water flow.

Beyond the standard kink test, I did notice that water was restricted in some of the hoses for other, adjacent reasons. For example, though wrapping the WeGuard fabric hose around my hand didn't restrict the water flow, stepping on it did.

To test the flow rate of each hose, I turned on the water spigot to completely open and timed how long it took to fill a 5-gallon bucket to a line marked near the top. Then, I measured the weight of the water.

Tyler Hayes/CNET

The Flexzilla hose filled the bucket the fastest, with a speed of 1.26 pounds per second. For comparison, the slowest hose was the WeGuard, at 0.66 pounds per second. The Zero-G and Briggs and Stratton hoses both had a speed of 0.98 pounds per second, Eaduty had a speed of 0.96 pounds per second, and the Giraffe Tools Hybrid Garden Hose had a speed of 0.92 pounds per second.

The Rosy Earth Metal Hose was a little slower than most others, with a speed of 0.86 pounds per second. The hose has a narrower body, which doesn't allow as much water through. However, I also found that the narrow design led to more natural pressure from the hose, which could be beneficial in certain use cases.

In terms of durability, I can't predict how these hoses will fare over time, but I did want to try to see as much initial wear as I could. To do this, I dragged each of the hoses across a concrete driveway back and forth 10 times. I wanted to see how the end pieces and the hose material held up, in addition to whether the hose caused any damage to my driveway.

Tyler Hayes/CNET

The most noticeable damage happened to the WeGuard fabric hose, which began fraying almost immediately. The results don't suggest this hose could hold up very long being used exclusively across concrete or pavers. 

The rubber hoses showed only the faintest of scratches, most of which wouldn't be noticeable unless finely inspected. I have almost no concerns about the longevity of the Eaduty or Briggs and Stratton hoses. The Flexzilla hose had no visible scratches on it, and the plastic tubing around the end of the hose took all the abrasions, but even those weren't of consequence.

Tyler Hayes/CNET

For more Wholesale Electric Garden Prunersinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

I was most curious to see how the Rosy Earth metal hose absorbed scratches, or didn't. After dragging the hose back and forth, I saw that it definitely had wear marks, but they weren't noticeable from a distance. The metal end piece scratched up visibly, but the damage didn't seem to cause any functional issues. Thankfully, the hose didn't leave any marks or signs that it had slid around the driveway, either.

Out of curiosity, I left all the hoses in direct midday sun for 45 minutes to see how hot they got. The rubber hoses got the hottest. They were very warm to the touch but didn't burn my hand. The Rosy Earth metal hose, Zero-G hose, and the WeGuard fabric one were each warm, but not hot. The Flexzilla hose didn't seem to heat up at all.

A lot of the hoses we’ve used, tested, and recommended over the years work great for a year or two but then start to kink easily or otherwise degrade.

It isn’t perfectly kink-proof, but its sturdiness and dependable performance go far beyond those of the twisted, knotted, worthless garbage hoses that probably inspired you to search for something better.

The Hoselink hose pulls out easily and retracts on its own, making it a great choice for those who need the length but want minimal hassle.

The Eley hose reel offers top-notch durability, overall quality, and ease of use. It’s not cheap, but it solves all of the problems people have with hose reels.

The Dramm hose has a lot of the high points of the Continental hose, but it typically costs more, and it kinked more easily in our tests.

This tough rubber hose isn’t cheap and can be heavy to wrangle, but its strong fittings and durable body should last for years—and it has a lifetime warranty, just in case.

The Continental Commercial Grade Rubber Hose (50 feet) is far from being the cheapest hose you’ll ever find, but after testing the bargain models and the midrange options, we’re convinced that the best value in a garden hose is the one you can buy once and use indefinitely. Although the lifetime warranty is reassuring, we’re confident (after doing our own tests and reading customer anecdotes about long-term use) that you may never need to take Continental up on it. Durable and versatile, this hose is perfect for all kinds of utility work (even though it can be a bit of a beast if you’re just quickly watering a small patio garden). Availability shouldn’t be an issue, as the Continental hose now has nearly ubiquitous availability at home centers and hardware stores.

Advertisement

We also like the Dramm ColorStorm Premium Rubber Hose (50 feet). It offers many of the same features as the Continental and some that the other hose doesn’t have—like nickel-plated brass couplings—but it typically costs more, and in our tests it kinked more easily and held a memory of the kinks (once it kinked, it was prone to kink in the same spot again). We like that it comes in a variety of colors, but that’s not enough to offset the kinking issue. The Dramm was our previous top pick in this guide, but its increasing costs, coupled with the results of our long-term testing, have led us to see the Continental as the better option.

The Eley 5/8-inch Polyurethane Garden Hose was a revelation to us. It’s the best hose we’ve ever handled, and after using it for a while, we came to see all other hoses, including our other picks, as cumbersome, primitive, and dysfunctional. Compared with quality rubber hoses like the Continental and the Dramm, the Eley is lighter (much lighter), easier to loop, and more durable, and it seems immune to any kind of folding or kinking. The brass fittings at the ends are large and easy to tighten by hand or wrench, and it comes with a 10-year warranty (twice as long as the coverage that Eley offered on its discontinued rubber hose). With all of these high points, this Eley hose doesn’t come cheap—costing roughly $110 for a 50-foot length, it’s certainly an investment. But if you have trouble hefting a heavier hose or if you just want to simplify and eliminate as many of the daily micro-frustrations of a garden hose, this Eley hose is very much worth considering. It’s available in a variety of sizes, and Eley can even make custom lengths.

The HoseCoil ⅜-inch Self Coiling Garden Hose (25 feet) is neither as tough nor as long as our other picks, but for a small patio, balcony, or yard—where dragging around a big 50-footer feels like overkill—it’s a fine alternative. The HoseCoil’s main selling point is its retractable corkscrew design, which works as advertised in making the hose easy to extend, recoil, and store. Compared with our bigger picks, this ⅜-inch-diameter hose loses a quarter-inch of capacity, which translated to slightly lower water pressure in our side-by-side trials. Although the HoseCoil’s total length is 25 feet, in practice it’s really good for only about 17 feet before it starts to strain. As with our heavier-duty picks, the HoseCoil’s nozzle end has flat facets for a wrench to grab. Its two-year warranty is reassuring, too; though we’ve heard of some HoseCoils lasting longer, hitting the two-year mark is about what we’d expect. We have a test unit that has been doing fine after two years of intermittent use and daily Southern California sun exposure.

You can find a lot of inexpensive hose reels out there, but in our experience, we’ve seen too many limitations and frustrations—poor quality, iffy stability, and small wheels—for us to recommend one. For a far superior reel, one that solves all those frustrations, we recommend the Eley Portable Garden Hose Reel Cart, or if you prefer a wall-mounted version, the Eley Wall Mounted Garden Hose Reel. In the world of hose reels, Eley models have a stellar reputation, and after testing one, we fully understand why.

The build quality of the Eley reel is as good as it gets: The strong metal frame provides stability, the giant tires easily bounce over an uneven lawn, the handles are comfortable and well placed, and the reel itself pulls in a hose with minimal effort. The components are heavy-duty, and it’s an item that we expect would last a lifetime with proper care.

The Hoselink 82ft Retractable Hose Reel offers a simple way to manage a lot of hose with minimal effort. It’s 82 feet of hose on an enclosed reel that pulls out easily and retracts on its own after a slight tug, like a window blind. A guide roller at the reel moves back and forth as the hose retracts, guaranteeing that the hose spools on evenly, not all in one lump. The set comes with 6.5 feet of leader hose, and a quick-connect system on both the leader hose and the main hose makes attaching and detaching the connections easy. The quick-connect piece at the end of the main hose even has its own shutoff, further simplifying a nozzle swap; this quick-connect piece also freely rotates, so you can shift the spray nozzle around without twisting the hose. Because you can mount the Hoselink reel at any height, it eliminates any bending over or back strain associated with knee-level reels or hose spigots. We were skeptical of the Hoselink reel at first, but after having used it daily for a month, we’ve found that it’s an efficient way to keep a hose off the lawn. So far the only downside we’ve seen is that the hose is only ½ inch in diameter—not ⅝ inch like the others—so jobs like filling buckets take longer.

Are you interested in learning more about Wheelbarrow Manufacturer? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!