I am so bloody sick, tired and done with cheap hoses that crack, split, get stiff, leak at the connectors, etc., etc. I just fetched out my long hose for the spring and found out the hard way that it had cracked when I turned it on and the geyser drenched me–and it was 50s and raw, so doubly not a good experience!
I’m ready to spend whatever it takes for a really, really good one, and I’ve come to the COTH Fount of All Knowledge for advice and experience.
My electric one is the best! No more frozen hose!
But I baby that one. Never leave it in the sun, only use it from October until February. Nicely packed up over the spring and summer.
As for the rest of the hoses, I have decided to go cheap. The more expensive ones that claim to be tougher haven’t really been that way. I have just come to the conclusion that hoses are disposable. Replace when the spring a leak. I think it is a conspiracy from the hose manufacturers:yes:
I’ve had one of those coil hoses (drinking water-safe) for well over 10 years now.
there is a hose at Lowes with a gold strip on it, has heavy duty grass fittings…warrantied for lifetime … keep the receipt even though the Lowes system is supposed to keep record
I have taken back seven year old hoses, with my receipt and exchanges the damaged one for a new one… they were surprised I had the receipt
Try a Gilmour Flexogen Super Duty Hose. This is a heavy duty hose made with an 8 layer construction process. It’s also backed by a lifetime guarantee.
[QUOTE=Equibrit;8653088]
Goodyear are way the best ! http://www.goodyearwaterhose.com/[/QUOTE]
Yes. I’ve now got a mix of Goodyear and Craftsman (that look like they might be made by Goodeyear). The black rubber made in USA hoses are medium priced but really last. They are easier to kink than the really expensive ones, but bounce back from kinks when you fix them. The stiff expensive ones tend to keep a weak bent spot if they kink once.
I find the heavy duty hoses weigh a lot more than the others especially if they are long.
Most of the heavy duty hoses are not rated for potable water and leach carcinogens into the water that is trapped in the hose between uses.
My trainer has one that looks like the Goodyear and I would swear it is older than I am, she also babies it which I cannot do, mine wind up being disposable no matter what they cost, and I sure wish I knew if mine were the lifetime ones because they were Lowe’s expensive buggers.
I think they are right up there with the spray nozzles, planned obsolescence, designed to fail so you have to buy another and keep the wheels of the consumer machine moving.
Will try one of these next: http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Flow®-Water-Hose-Collapsible/dp/B00M8UUWWQ
I like the idea that they are called food-grade and don’t have the lead etc that regular garden hoses are said to have.
What you need is a hose made of good thick RUBBER. Any of the new fangled materials seem to get damaged by UV degradation.
"All types of UV can cause a photochemical effect within the polymer structure, which can lead to degradation of some sort to the material. The higher energy UVC is the type most likely to affect plastics.
Absorbed UV energy can excite the photons in a plastic. Exciting the photons can create free radicals. While many pure plastics cannot absorb UV radiation, the presence of catalyst residues and other impurities (examples: oxygen, sodium) even at trace amounts, will often act as free radical receptors. Those free radicals can cause breaks in the polymer bonds."
[QUOTE=Equibrit;8653088]
Goodyear are way the best ! http://www.goodyearwaterhose.com/[/QUOTE]
Absolutely without question. But there is a trade off when it comes to weight. Good rubber hoses weigh a lot more. But IMO and experience they are worth it. I have rubber horses that are going on 15 years old. They do not split, develop leaks if water freezes in them. May develop a bubble. They can be driven over by a tractor or car. The brass ends are heavy duty and do not bend if driven on or a horse stepping them.
They can be damaged by shod horse if stepped on just right. But they are worth cutting out the damaged area and splicing. They do not get stiff as a board in cold/sub freezing weather.
I have bought the expensive “no kink” which work well enough but don’t stand the test of time and horses stepping on them. They get stiff in the winter and will crack if frozen.
I just buy the “standard” size rubber horses, not the heavy duty commercial size. They are even heavier. Home Depot and other of like put them on sale from time to time, $30 for 50’ even cheaper at longer lengths.
For long runs and to store in a warm room in winter it is worth getting a well made hose dolly.
I agree with the others that GOOD black rubber hoses are amazing, but so stinkin’ heavy and pricey. They rarely get kinked, and when they do, they don’t seem to retain memory of the kink like cheaper hoses do. My barn has a 100’ black rubber hose that is ~5 years old now and used (ABUSED) 365 days a year and it is still going strong. It is NOT treated gently or babied other than being stored in the heated viewing room in the winter when it isn’t being used to water the arena.
I also have this hose: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/flexzilla-garden-hose-5-8-in-x-100-ft-150-psi in the barn for filling buckets down the aisle. It is lighter weight than the rubber and very “stretchy”. It gets MORE abuse than the rubber hose and has handled it for 3 years now. NONE of the barn kids know how to put a hose back up properly, which had previously resulted in permanently kinked hoses. This one has no kink memory, and is lightweight enough the little kids can carry it around. It loose and supple without water but stiffens significantly when the water is pressurized in it - which does make it “roll” and coil but it doesn’t kink to stop the water flow.
[QUOTE=alfonsina;8653722]
Will try one of these next: http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Flow®-Water-Hose-Collapsible/dp/B00M8UUWWQ
I like the idea that they are called food-grade and don’t have the lead etc that regular garden hoses are said to have.[/QUOTE]
Love mine!!!
Thanks to all! I will go through the websites and suggestions and report back.
I do know that the heavy duty hoses are also, well, heavy, and I think that’s what kept me from buying them in the past. I’m going to look closely at the length I need (just a two-stall barn, but the hose has to reach out to the donkey dry lot) and do some lifting tests in the store.
My husband had to use very heavy-duty hoses - hundreds of feet of them - in his work, for many years. Heavy-duty as in semi trucks drive over them and they’ll bounce back. He’s a big believer in rubber, and he has hoses that have lasted 20+ years. He recommends using the “over-under” technique when coiling hose, so that the hoses lay flat as they are uncoiled, but when using this method, it’s vital to uncoil correctly so as not to end up with a series of knots.
Downside is that these commercial- quality hoses are so heavy for me to move around - I have to drag them - and they make pretty big coils, too, IMO.
The best kind of hose is the kind that winds and unwinds itself on command, never breaks, never freezes, never kinks, and never leaks.
I use the HD rubber hoses. I rarely need to coil one up. I live in N. Ga. so the weather is not that extreme. I can leave it hooked to the faucet in the summer and just draining it out downhill is enough in the winter months.
Another recommendation for the Goodyear hose. Boarding barn had the cheap hoses and they were always leaking (though people loved to leave the water on full blast with the nozzle off - bad for the fittings) and hot water made the vinyl sticky. The Goodyear hose lasted for years with no issues.
I’m going to check out some of the hoses on this thread. It’s a very good thread for those of us wanting to find a good hose. Thanks.
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