I was wondering if anyone has found a brand of those expandable hoses that to have improved their quality over
the ones from years past that got bad reviews.

Has anyone found any of these hoses or a lightweight compromise that they are happy with?

Thanks for sharing any comments

I have two 50' Ace (i.e., Ace hardware chain) expandable hoses that I like very much. They cost about $20 each. Several years ago I had a cheaper one that exploded when overfilled, so perhaps that is the category that got bad reviews.

I have the black X hose. I like that one. I learned my lesson (I hope) from a year ago when I had the previous hose still strung out up in the greenhouse. I think the heat melted a hole or 3 in it. This spring I coiled it up and set it on a shelf OUT of the sun.

We got three of the 50 ft black expandable ones this spring so far they have worked perfectly, they are stored out of direct sunlight when not in use.

I get 2-3 seasons from the 'pocket hose' which I think is advertised on TV but also sold locally. I got mine from Bartell Drug for about $20. Don't leave them charged, that ruins them quickly. And empty and put them away during winter. Eventually they fail, usually at one of the connections (I really hate a leaky hose so I just toss them at that point). I've never had one spring a leak in the actual hose part.

Update see my message above, one of ours blew up today as I was using it. The black outside somehow let the inner flimsy part escape so it looked like a large balloon when I noticed it and it exploded. Will not be buying more of these since they were new this spring, two left wonder if they will make it until the end of the season.

Any new thoughts on these hoses? I see one called Zero G at Lowe's and would love a review on that one - and any others you have tried. I keep a regular 50" hose on my very long deck and while I do not mind it being there, I have dozens of pots up there, it is not very pretty and right now my house is for sale. I think it would look a lot neater if I had one of those tiny ones, maybe I could just coil it up in a flower pot or something attractive. The spigot is under an eave so it would not sit in the sun which is a big issue here.

Your thoughts? TIA

I use them for watering plants on my porch and deck. To preserve the hose itself, I run a short hose from the faucet to a shut-off right before the expandable hose. I keep the small hose charged, and just turn the pocket hose on when I use it. And, yes, you could easily just coil the pocket hose into a pot. I hang one on a nice looking hook and let the excess hose dangle behind a shrub on the front porch.

Thank you, I'll try one and that's a good idea about the short hose, I think I have one of those 6" ones around, that would prevent any pulling on the long hose. The spigot is right up on the deck but we can never leave anything charged here, at least during the summer. It gets too hot, even in the shade and the rubber or vinyl softens and *poof* the hose bursts.

My experience with the expandable hose purchased last year is I will not waste more money on them. After a short period of time using it carefully releasing pressure on the hose, the worthless thing blew up like a big water balloon and exploded. They are suppose to handle water not blow up. I want hoses that stand up to normal use for at least a number of years.

Update - I now have one 50' Zero G and two similar 100' ones from Costco (I forget the brand.) They are not the expandable type but they are very lightweight and super easy to handle and neatly coil into a large flower pot. They seem quite sturdy and hopefully will last through our hot summers. At my age the weight is important and these are easy to deal with. I just gave two very heavy duty rubber hoses away and could not be happier to be rid of them.

I loved my Zero G hose......it got a hole in it after I had put it out of the sun all of last summer. I had kept the receipt.......a lifetime warranty was on the box....I had kept that too........amazing on MY part. Got my money back. I got another of the same brand because I really liked it. I used it a month and THAT one blew a hole in it. I gave up and got a Gorilla hose and put up with tripping over the length in the greenhouse.

I have 3 other Gorilla hoses on my hose winder cart that I used to run water from the shop to the greenhouse. Pricey but worth the money.

Had to look up Gorilla hoses, looks like some of them are the expandable type and their regular heavy duty ones weigh 8 lbs for the 50', the Zero G is only 4 lbs. The ones I got from Costco are also only half the weight of a traditional hose. That extra weight makes a big difference to me. Buying from Costco means I can return them anytime if they fail and I don't have to keep the receipt (I am terrible at that.) In the meantime as long as they hold out until I sell the house I will be happy.

Anna, are you in Texas already?

Oh, my, no. Not till December 1st.

I really loved my Zero G hose, but having to replace them all the time, even tho it was a lifetime warranty, got old. I know the Gorilla ones are gonna last as long as *I* need them, provided I can keep The Kid and the SU away from them "most" of the time. LOL The expandable hoses did not work for me when I tried them to water my potted plants in the yard. The distance from the spigot to the farthest plants was too far and I had no pressure to "expand" the hose. Would have been great to gather up when I mowed, but it didn't work. I had to go back to my "regular" hoses. I need about 150 feet.

LOL, I know, I went through several expandables one summer. There were times when I only got one or two uses out of them. Hard to believe they are still selling them. They were nice for scrunching down into a small pot though. The Zero G and the Rapid Flo are more like regular hoses, they do not flatten once they are used. But they coil up so much easier than a heavy hose. My husband was sure they would tear up the first time we used them and he fussed because I bought one but after he washed the car the first time with one he went back and bought another.

I'm on season three with two expandable hoses, no leaks. I do release the water and coil them up after each use, one is in full sun, the other in shade. I love them. I don't get extreme heat, though, which may well be a failure factor. I've never even heard of Zero G or Rapid Flo - might see if my local Ace carries them. I do string out hoses to water new trees and such, and like to keep those in place so all I have to do is turn them on.

I have trouble with water pressure while using a hand handwand with the expandable hose on one spigot. I switched to a Dramm Low Pressure Nozzle but it barely helps. The hose is great though. I mistakenly left it out over winter and it held up to freezing temps. I was surprised not to have any issues! I will eventually switch all my hoses to them. Winding 100ft hoses is a sad chore even using a hose-winder!

I released the water pressure and let what was in the hose run out when I was done..........still blew holes in it.

Try one of the metal hoses. I bought one a year ago to use in my greenhouse and have been very happy. Lightweight and easy to move around. I don't know long term durability but so far I am impressed. I have left the faucet on many times with the hose under pressure, accidentally, and have had no problems.
Michael

Metal hoses?

I had to Google metal hoses and see that they do exist -I'd never heard of them. They are latex but they have a woven stainless steel outer coasting just like washing machine hoses - only they are garden hose lengths. Interesting, I will definitely try one of those if/when the ones I have fail.