A Quality Garden Hose Should Last for Years

If you find yourself buying a new garden hose every two to three years, you’re doing something wrong. A good quality garden hose should last you as many as ten years before it needs to be replaced. If you’re fighting with your garden hose because it kinks, twists and gets tangled up, you’re also buying the wrong garden hoses for your needs. In the overall scheme of things, shopping for the best garden hose may not rank up there with comparison shopping for the best car, but taking the time to select a the right hose for your climate, garden and typical use can make your everyday life much easier and less frustrating.

Garden hoses are easy to find. You can pick them up just about anywhere – garden centers, hardware stores, big box stores, department stores – even supermarkets sometimes carry garden hoses in season. Finding a garden hose that won’t leak at the faucet, kink up or refuse to coil or burst at a weak spot just when you need it the most – that’s a nifty trick. If you’re tired of watering your garden and washing your car with a hose wrapped with cotton rags to slow the leaks, it may be time to start shopping for a better garden hose for your use.

What to Look for in a Garden Hose

If you’re looking for the best garden hose, you should consider a few important factors. Those include the material of which the hose is made, the couplings on both ends of the hose and the diameter of the hose. You should also consider how you tend to use your garden hose and what the climate is like in your region.

Garden Hose Fittings

The couplings at either end of your garden hose are the place where you hose is most likely to leak or fail. Look for a hose with solid brass couplings, which will retain their shape better and resist leaking. The coupling itself should be set onto a brass collar rather than being attached directly to the hose, so that you can easily screw the hose onto the faucet or to the sprinkler without twisting the entire hose.

Garden Hose Materials

Most garden hoses are made of either rubber or vinyl, often reinforced with some sort of fiber to give it more body and flexibility. Rubber garden hoses are generally more pliable and durable than vinyl hoses, and reinforced hoses are nearly always easier to work with than those that are not reinforced.

Diameter

Thinner garden hoses are generally less expensive than those with a wider diameter, but the tradeoff is in less water pressure and less usability. Most hoses sold are 5/8 inch garden hoses to ¾ inch garden hoses. Unless you intend to use your hose for low pressure applications, a ½-inch garden hose is probably too small for your needs.

Climate

If you live in a cold climate, you’ll either need to bring your hose in during the winter or opt for a heated garden hose or one that can withstand low temperatures.

When you choose the best garden hose for your needs, you may end up paying a little more at the register, but you’ll save money – and a lot of frustration – in the long run.