The Expert Guide to Buying a New Garden Hose Reel

Creating the perfect garden takes a lot of planning and effort. It isn’t enough to just have the right plants, or lay the perfect law, you also need to look after them properly. All green-fingered folks know that watering your plants is absolutely crucial for keeping them in good shape. It can take a lot of time to keep filling up a watering can so the best thing to do is to buy a top-quality garden hose and reel. With so many options available, however, choosing the right one can be difficult.

To help you out, here is our buyer’s guide to the different types of garden hose reels you may want to consider, 

1. Retractable Hose Reels

These reels can be a great choice if you want a reel that you don’t need to carry around or manually wind in the hose yourself. All you need to do is push the button or step on the pedal, and this will wind your hose in automatically. If you have a particularly bulky or long hose, a retractable hose reel can be particularly useful. It will save you a whole lot of elbow grease, and will also ensure that your hose is reeled away nice and neatly. The majority of hoses just require a quick tug and this will disengage the lock and allow you to pull the hose up. The hose reel will contain a  steel spring that will offer great traction. Most reels come with a warranty so if you have any problems you can easily get it repaired or replaced. This can be very useful because although most reels are well built, general wear and tear or accidental damage can occur. 

2. Wall-Mounted Hose Reels

Wall-mounted hose reels are made from the lightest aluminum and are naturally durable and resistant to rust. These reels can be placed horizontally or vertically on the wall depending on the space available. Most wall-mounted reels are able to carry at least a 125 feet hose. This tends to be a six feet polyurethane hose with a powder coating that ensures durability and provides anti-rust and anti-corrosion protection. There are some really attractive wall-mounted reel designs so you don’t need to worry about an eyesore. You can even paint wooden reels different colors so that they blend in or stand out depending on the style of your garden.  

3. Portable Hose Reels

Portable hose reels have a manual crank that winds the hose up and also has wheels so that you can easily move them around your garden. This is very useful if you have a large garden or you need to reel for commercial purposes like landscaping business. The best reels are made from cast aluminum because they are the most durable. Most reels can carry a 125 feet hose so that you can reach every inch of even the biggest gardens. These hoses are usually 1.5cm thick so that they are robust enough to last for years, just make sure you check the build quality of the wheels and the crank of any portable reel you are considering.

4. Hideaway Hose Reels

Hideaway hose reels come in both portable and stationary models and are designed to conceal the reel and hose. This is usually in some kind of box with different designs such as a fake birdhouse. Hideaway reels come with hand cranks so that you can wind the hose in easily but the crank is also hidden. Make sure that the box is tough and is designed for bad weather. You may need to treat a wooden box so that it is waterproof and won’t rot. Different hideaway reels can accommodate different lengths of hose depending on the size of the box but the vast majority will be able to hold at least a 125-foot hose. There are even some models which can hold hoses of more than 200 feet so make sure you shop around if you have a bigger area to water.

There are many benefits to using a hose reel. It will provide you with a safe, convenient place to keep your hose and also enable you to wind your hose in easily. Depending on the type of reel you choose, you may also be able to protect your hose from the weather and damage from pets or other animals chewing on it. Make sure that you choose a hose reel that is resilient and that has a decent warranty so if there are any problems, you will be able to get it repaired or replaced before your plants and lawn start to dry out.