Your typical garden hose is suitable for watering plants, janitorial operations, washing your vehicle, or even for the kids to play with on hot summer afternoons. But, what makes it the best garden hose? 

At first, you might think this will be an easy shopping decision but think again. Garden hoses come in various shapes and sizes and at different price ranges as well. If you want to ensure you make the right choice, be sure to read our buying guide as well.

So, without further ado, let's get started.

The Flexzilla hose is made from a hybrid polymer that makes it heavy-duty and lightweight at the same time. It is designed never to kink and lies flat when you unwind it as it has no memory of its wound state. The polymer used to make the hose sets it apart from other hose pipes, which are mostly made from vinyl or rubber. You will have a much easier time using the hose around your compound because it bends so easily without restricting water flow. 

Flexzilla, as the name suggests, is a garden hose for all types of weather conditions, since the material remains flexible even in the cold weather, unlike its rubber counterpart.

The hose is not only meant to give you an easy time in the garden with its unrivalled flexibility but also its light weight. You can carry it around your garden in one hand and move it around as much as you need to. Aluminium fittings on either end of the hose are, like the hose itself, built for durability. They connect easily to any faucet you choose. The hose is affordable, and you will soon realize that it was money well spent. The inner tubing is safe for drinking water, as in it's lead-free, although I still wouldn't recommend it. 

Teknor Apex 100519523 Neverkink

As one of the oldest brands of garden hoses in the U.S, you can trust that Neverkink is a reliable hose for your home. The hose boasts patented technology that guarantees it will never kink during use. The Non-Torsion System (NTS) is signified by the translucent strip running through the hose, indicating the bit of Neverkink technology that ensures consumers will never have to complain about the most annoying thing about garden hoses - kinking.

The hose stays flexible even in cold weather and has been tested at a temperature drop of 45 degrees. This, as well as the type of material used to make the hose, makes it one of the best to use in commercial settings. Landscape professionals will find this hose particularly useful as it is perfect to use with attachments of all kinds. 

As is the case with all Neverkink products, the hose is made with Microshield protection which keeps mold and mildew from degrading the material in any way. Whether you are using this on the farm or commercial setting, it is one of the most practical alternatives to go for when it comes to everyday use. The fittings on either end are made from high quality, crush-proof aluminum that also keeps the hose from kinking near the faucet.

The TBI Pro Expandable Garden Hose boasts an impressive build. With it, you receive a complete set with seven items inside. The set includes a sprayer, storage bag, two-way splitter, and hanger. The hose itself has a 3750D fabric strengthened with a 4x latex layer that ensures it will serve you for a long while. The sprayer nozzle is made from an alloy of zinc with a non-slip handle that allows for easy use. The spray nozzle has nine spray patterns for you to choose and can rotate for 360 degrees. It comes with two more washers. 

Part of the advanced and very recent design is the connector protector that ensure there are no leaks as you go on watering your lawn. The hose is flexible sot you can use it in any area within your yard without having to worry about kinks or stiffness. 

The packaging is just as impressive. The hose is packed in a pouch that can be used to keep the other components as well. Carrying it around shouldn't be a problem because the material is lightweight and the 50ft hose weighs 850g. 

There are a lot of glowing reviews on the internet about this hose. Homeowners love the way it works for all types of janitorial services around the home. It also expands within minutes, just as promised in the advertisements.

The Nifty Grower garden hose is one for those homeowners who enjoy tending to the greenery around their home. Do you have backyard plants that need your tender care every day? Then the Nifty Grower is a safe bet for you. Why choose this particular hose over the others? To start with, you will forget about buying a new garden hose thanks to the sturdy build and heavy-duty materials used. The hose is made using 3750D fabric over a double latex tube that can expand to 100ft. You also get a spray nozzle with eight spray settings when you buy the hose for your soaker, jet, cone, shower, mist, flat, rinse or center watering. That means you can use it for your plants, to wash the car or shower your dog. All you need to do is choose a stream, and you are ready to use the hose.

The hose works perfectly well in cold conditions, but you are better off not exposing it to such if you want to use it for many seasons to come. Nifty Grower comes packed in a storage bag that you can use to keep other items for your gardening once the hose is in use.

For an expanding hose, the Nifty Grower is about as heavy-duty as you will find. The ends are fitted with connectors that prevent leaking, and the water valve has an on/off setting which you cannot find on any of the closest competitors for this hose.

Choosing The Right Hose For Your Garden - A Detailed Buying Guide

Your garden requires regular watering and maintenance and the best tool for that is your garden hose.  Aside from keeping your grass green and maintaining your plants, a garden hose is one of those indispensable, evergreen tools in your rustic shed.  It's useful for a bunch of things, such as cooling down your patio, washing your car, even washing your pet if you have a low pressure mode. So, how many of you have actually thought about finding not just any garden hose, but the right one?

Several kinds of hoses have cropped up in the market in recent years.  There’s the retractable type, the ultra-long rubber tube, heavy-duty, and the list goes on. Each of these promise to be the last hose you’ll ever need, but is that the truth? Garden hoses are generally affordable, but make no mistake, some are priced so low for a good reason. The old saying is true here, "You get what you pay for". Needless to say, you want your garden hose to be of good quality and to last you a long time. So, having said that, here are some key considerations to keep in mind when buying a new garden hose.

Hose Length

A garden hose comes in different lengths varying from 25 to 100 feet. It’s easy to overdo it and buy the longest and largest hose you can, just to be safe.  While the length will always be a factor, not everyone will benefit from a large hose.

You have to consider the space you will hose off in the first place.  It’s not very efficient to use a 75-foot garden hose on a small patio.  First and foremost, the garden hose will likely cover your entire space, which will hamper your movement (nobody likes tripping on the hose). And besides, a long hose will mean it is heavy as well, not to mention bulky, which can complicate your storage and make hosing down your garden more difficult.

You will notice that longer hoses are slower to drain given their length.  To get the appropriate hose length for your garden, you can simply measure the distance from the furthest point of your garden to the water source.  The garden hose should then be slightly longer from your measurement, just to be on the safe side.  This way, not only will you have the right length, but you will also avoid stressing your tube by overstretching it too frequently.

Hose diameter

When you need to hose down a larger area, having a fuller tube diameter will be ideal.  The interior portion is the point of reference rather than the exterior as this holds the water in.  As such, your water pressure will be strong enough to finish off the job at hand much faster.

Meanwhile, the average diameter size of a hose is ⅝ inch which suits many types of gardens. The smallest size is half an inch while the biggest is ¾ inch.

You can use the smallest diameter if you prefer your hose to be lighter and at the same time, it will enable you to perform your garden duties with less weight.  In this regard, it also works for shorter hoses that measure less than 50 feet.

On the other hand, if you are looking at giving your car a quick rinse, you should go for the bigger diameter in order to scrape off its dirt in no time.

Hose strength

There are typically three types of material used for garden hoses, namely, rubber, vinyl, and a hybrid of both, all of which may be a matter of preference.  Ultimately though, you want to use a material that is strong to ensure a longer lifespan.

One example is a rubber hose, which is a popular fixture in many home terraces.  After all, it is the most reliable hose material there is because it often enlists the help of polyester and nylon in its composition.  You can leave it out in the sun, and it’s all good.  You can use it with either cold or hot water without issue. It doesn’t tend to kink as much and can hold a lot of water at a time.  There is no question on its durability.  The setback, however, is its cumbersome weight and higher price.  Coiling it up can be a massive task as a result.

Vinyl hoses, on the other hand, are much lighter and cheaper to buy.  But don’t expect anything more than that.  The problems with vinyl material may outweigh whatever good qualities it has.  Hoses made from vinyl or vinyl-reinforced tend to break easily.  They are more likely to kink when placed at an angle.  Worse, they crack under prolonged sun exposure.  In any case, you can still consider this option for lighter watering tasks.

It’s great that you can find the best features of both rubber and vinyl in one hose that combines these materials.  Combination hoses are very durable with their rubber component while they manage to be lightweight because of the reinforced vinyl. What’s great is that they are cheaper and offer a lot more flexibility without the kinking problem.

Hose flexibility

Speaking of flexibility, it sure is a factor when buying a garden hose.  You will be lugging it around your lawn; hence, without its pliable features, it will be quite a hassle to handle it. If you often hose around corners or just find that your hose bends at weird angles, then looking into a flexible hose is definitely recommended.  While a flexible hose is a no-brainer, it also goes without saying that you want it to be free from kinks and cracks.  You can perform a flexibility test on your hose by merely bending it to form a letter U. If it retracts to its original shape without fold marks and cracks, then it is one flexible tube indeed. 

Hose couplings

Yes, those end pieces that connect your hose to the water nozzles should have ample strength to withstand water pressure. Under normal circumstances, they must be leak-free to maintain the pressurized state of the water. Plastic couplings are standard among inexpensive hoses. They are not the ideal kind because they break in a heartbeat, and it’s rather challenging to tighten it. It is also the case with thin metal platings.  As such, you will get more from a brass coupling which you can count on to not have leaks and may last a lot longer.