6 Best Garden Hoses To Buy In 2021, According To Experts

Experts recommend garden hoses, nozzles and reels for your garden. Portra / Getty Images Mili Godio Select editorially is independent. Our editors selected these deals and items because we think you will enjoy them at these prices. If you purchase something through our links, we may earn a commission. All prices and information are correct as at publication time.

Maintaining your outdoor area is a top priority during the warm summer months. A quality garden hose is a useful and long-lasting household tool that can help you maintain your outdoor space, whether you are interested in gardening or just want to clean up the outside of your vehicle.

Kristiana Lagen, Handy’s home care specialist said: “Choosing a garden hose to replace your old one should be treated as an investment.” A hose with the correct length, material, water pressure and other features can easily last for a decade. However, it is difficult to find the right one. Laugen pointed out that they may also make a good investment. One good-quality hose, reel, and nozzle combined could cost as high as $100. To simplify your search, we consulted gardening experts to determine how to shop for a garden hose and rounded up some highly rated and expert-recommended options.

Best garden hoses

What To Consider When Shopping For A Quality Garden Hose

The length is the most important. Most often, hoses are available in 25-foot increments. The right hose length is the one that makes the most sense for your setting. You can use a flexible tape measuring tool to find the perfect length. A 50-foot length is sufficient for suburban yard tasks, such as washing cars, watering plants and spraying down decks.

Though you could buy hoses longer than 50 feet, it will still be expensive and more difficult to obtain. For this reason, we recommend that you begin with a 50ft hose. Next, connect on any additional hoses to increase length such as coil hoses or shorter hoses. So if a section breaks down or springs leakage, you can just replace it.

The diameter of a hose is usually between 1/2 and 3/4 inches. A larger diameter moves more water per minute. In the same time, a 3/4 inch hose can deliver three times more water than a 1/2 inch hose.

The materials available in garden hoses vary. Although rubber garden hoses have the best durability and versatility, they can be more expensive at $50+ per 50-foot. The rubber hose is resistant to cracking or kinking. However, it can also be heavy when filled up with water. A hose reel can help simplify storage. Proper tip: Protect rubber hoses from the sun, as they are more vulnerable to UV-light damages. Another durable material is stainless steel. However, it is less flexible than rubber hoses. It is also resistant to kinks or leaks. Vinyl and synthetic materials are the most affordable hoses. In warm climates (no freezing winters), a cheaper synthetic hose is a good choice. Plus, they’re typically lighter, making them a better fit for people with limited lifting mobility.

The material of the fittings is also important for durability. Brass hose fittings, which are made of metal such as brass, can be more resilient to damage than plastic. A hexagonal-shaped fitting is also a nice feature to look for since it means you can use a wrench if you need to loosen a too-tight seal.

Experts do not recommend that you drink from your garden hose. We didn’t prioritise this claim. However, if you are concerned about whether or not the hose is delivering water to plants and herbs, we suggest that you look for one labeled as “drinking water safe” to ensure that you only pay what you need. The hoses with a lower price tend to have thinner materials, which can cause them to kink. These kinks can cause cracks and leaks. The short version is that cheaper hoses can leak sooner than their more costly counterparts. When researching and testing the recommended garden hoses, we considered these important factors.

Amazon

Dramm ColorStorm Rubber Hose ticks all boxes. Made of durable EPDM rubber, this 5/8-inch hose is 50 feet long (also available in 25 feet and 75 feet) and features nickel-plated brass couplings and a hexagonal design. Kelly Smith Trimble is a master gardener, and the editorial director at HGTV.com. She says Dramm hoses are durable and have less chance of kinking. This may be due to their hexagonal design. They also come in a great range of colors for brightening up the garden and the chore of watering. It’s also great that the hoses were made in America.

Best Runner-Up Garden Hose: Craftsman Rubber Garden Hose Amazon

Craftsman rubberhoses can also be used as versatile garden hoses. The Dramm hose has hexagonal, crush resistant, nickel-plated brass fittings. It’s made in America. Premium rubber makes this hose kink-, and abrasion-resistant. Unfortunately, this particular hose is not always in stock. Depending on your location, you may be able to order online and pick it up in-store at Ace Hardware Buy It Best Expandable Garden Hose: Flexi Hose Lightweight Garden Hose With Nozzle Amazon For a compact and lightweight option that’s more versatile, this expandable hose with nozzle from Flexi Hose is a great choice. It is only 3 pounds in weight and made of an elastic material with 4 layers of latex which allows it expands when filled with water. The hose comes with an adjustable tip, saving you the cost of buying one individually. However, our tester found that it felt cheap and did not have enough power to clean tough dirt or grime as other nozzles. Overall, she loves how lightweight the hose is compared to her old hose and that it takes up less space by the spigot. The fabric feels, looks and is stronger than a rubber hose which can crack and cause kinking in the yard.

Long Water Hose solution 01:09

With this easy solution, you don’t have to struggle with water hoses for long periods of time.

Amazon

You can use a soaker garden hose to water your vegetable gardens that are very dry. You don’t have to carry a heavy rubber hose from your storage area to your garden. Instead, leave the soaker hoses in your gardens or landscaping beds. The spigot can be turned on at any time. You can also use soaker hoses to water vegetable gardens. They water at the root level, and do not get water on the leaves. Our tester loved this option from Rocky Mountain Goods that’s made of PVC liner with extra strength fabric because it was super easy to install and soaked the ground around her veggies in just a few minutes. Jackie McGilvray, HGTV.com editor/master gardener says: “I like the fact that it is light and easily transportable.” The hose was easy to use and lay flat from the box. Flexzilla Lightweight Garden Hose Walmart – This Flexzilla hose has been a huge hit and is highly rated because of its light polymer material. It is approximately 50 feet long with aluminum fittings. Also, it has a strong outer cover, which resists mold and UV damage. When testing, we liked that it was lighter than the rubber and stainless steel hoses, but it wasn’t as kink-resistant. We’re skeptical that it would hold up as well over time, but it’s a great option if you want something cheaper and/or only have infrequent watering needs versus a demanding summer vegetable garden.

Best Stainless Steel Garden hose

Buy it

Our Choice

Dramm ColorStorm Premium Rubber Hose (50 feet) The best garden hose This tough rubber hose isn’t cheap and can be heavy to wrangle, but its strong fittings and durable body can last for years and there’s a lifetime warranty, just in case.

Amazon $58

Dramm ColorStorm Premium rubber Hose 50 feet is not the most affordable hose. However, after using both the lower-end models and midrange ones, we believe the Dramm ColorStorm Premium Rubber Hose is the most cost-effective. Dramm’s non-crushable, nickel-plated brass couplings are flat and easy to grip. We are confident that Dramm’s lifetime warranty and excellent customer service will be of great benefit to you. However, after our tests and hearing from customers about their long-term performance we believe it may not be necessary. 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).

Advertisement Continental Commercial Grade Rubber Hose (50 feet) A solid standard hose This simple, dependable hose is a good midrange value it’s far tougher than the bargain options, and it’s often easy to find for an excellent price.

$43* from Home Depot *At the time of publishing, the price was $40.

While it isn’t as perfect as our pick in all details, the Continental Commercial Grade rubber hose (50 feet) offers an incredible value. It is tougher and more reliable than any other hose on the market, and cost less. We’ve been recommending the Continental for years as a Craftsman rubber-hose. The Continental has almost become a common item in home centers and hardware shops, even though it has become difficult to locate. While the Continental might seem like a bit too big for small tasks such as watering plants, it can be a great choice for someone who needs something sturdy, durable and reliable for their landscaping, maintenance, construction, or other work.

for tiny spaces

The coiled Hose is compact, light, and portable. This makes it ideal for small spaces, such as patios or areas that don’t have a lot to water.

$40* from Hose Coil *At the time of publishing, the price was $35.

HoseCoil 3/8-inch Self-Coiling Garden Hose 25ft is not as durable nor long as the other choices, but it works well for small spaces such as a balcony or patio where carrying a 50-footer around feels excessive. HoseCoil is known for its retractable corkscrew design that makes it simple to recoil and lengthen the hose. Comparable to our more expensive picks, the HoseCoil’s 3/8 inch diameter hose has less capacity. This means that side-by sides trials will show a slightly lower water pressure. While the HoseCoil has a total length of 25 feet, it is really only good for about 17 feet before it strains. Like our heavy-duty options, the HoseCoil has flat facets on its nozzle end that allow for easy access to a wrench. And its two-year warranty is reassuring; though we’ve heard of some HoseCoils lasting longer, hitting the two-year mark is about what we’d expect. A test unit we have is doing just fine, despite months of intense Southern California sunlight exposure.

6. Melnor Flat: Best Soaker

Although lawn care involves watering and spraying frequently, some plants do not like being sprayed so it is important to keep your lawn hydrated. It can promote disease spread by moist foliage.

It is better to water the plants at their base with a deeper, more thorough method. This is where the Melnor Flat Soaker Garden hose comes in handy.

Users say it’s an easy-to-use, flat model, which can be woven around and through plants. This product is very popular among straw bale gardeners. This construction makes it simple to fold up and store.

This fitting is standard at 3/4 inches. It is available in sizes 25-, 50 and 75 feet. You can also remove the cap and attach multiple hoses.

It can be buried under mulch to make it semi-permanently installed in your garden. However, a heavy covering will reduce its effectiveness.

Some users have complained of leakage or deterioration. It isn’t as strong as the traditional model. But, this latter issue was much more noticeable if the Hose was kept out constantly, and not rolled up and stored afterwards.

The product can be made of PVC, ABS, or polyester. This product is covered by a limited two-year warranty.

Walmart offers a wide range of products and customer reviews.

Learn More About Garden Hoses

Anyone who has ever tried to lift a gardenhose knows how cumbersome they are. They’re heavy, difficult to drag around, and seem to kink just as you turn on the water. They are now lighter and more kink-resistant than hoses made of steel.

The two easiest ways to lower the weight of your garden hose are to make it from lighter materials or reduce its diameter. The hose with a smaller diameter is less heavy, and it holds less water. This makes it easier to use. Out of 50-foot hoses tested, 7/16″ was the smallest, holding 3.25lbs. Half-inch and 5/8-inch hoses held respectively 73 and 44% more water per weight.

Hoses are typically made of rubber, rubber hybrids, vinyl, or polyurethane. The most malleable, regardless of temperature and the most rigid material is rubber. However it can also be heavy. Lighter and less likely to kink, polyurethane and its hybrids are better than rubber. Vinyl, which can be used for inexpensive products, tends to be heavier and more likely to kink.

A newer variety has a thin flexible lining and a jacket made of fiber. These hoses can be very flexible with no coil memory. Some of these hoses expand both in length and diameter when pressurized with water, until the liner is restricted by the woven jacket. These types of hoses are convenient to store since they collapse when the water is turned off and pressure is released.

Most hoses will get kinked, even the water-proof ones. A hose reel is the best method to avoid kinks. It allows the hose roll up or unroll without twisting. It will eventually kink when you take a hose off a coil and place it on the ground. You can avoid this by twisting your hose while you are dragging it.

The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) has approved hoses that you can use to provide water for your animals, children’s swimming pools and RV connections. Ordinary, or unapproved, hoses can leach lead, BPA , or phthalates into the water as it passes through them.

Here’s How These Garden Hoses were Tested

These hoses have been carefully vetted by the editors and evaluated. We research the market, survey user reviews, speak with product managers and engineers, and use our own experience with these hoses to determine the best options. The hoses were evaluated on the following factors: dry weight, friction at dragged, kink resistance, and flow rate. To measure friction, we used a spring scale attached to the hoses, and dragged them, while full of water, across grass and concrete. We determined the flow rate by attaching each of our hoses to a faucet and then using a stopwatch, to track time in a five gallon bucket. For hoses with crush-resistant couplings we used a 4500-pound truck to drive over them on a pavement. These hoses are likely to be the best for your situation.

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