Hi Jane,

I do not have that hose but I understand the watering. I am watering right now and have to also water the annuals and pots daily--with these 100 degree temps. I am looking forward to cooler weather.

Betty

Yes - have worn one out in the backyard & miss it. The mounted type that you wrap around is a lot more work.

When you have a large space away from the house if you can leave some hose in the garden to connect up when you need to water it saves time & energy.

Last year, bought the Craftsman no kink hoses, but since they're fatter they didn't fit on the front hose reel, so we're using them in the back instead.

I think we have used every kind of hose reel, hanger, pot, etc. ever produced. And you know what we like the best? We keep a hose at every spigot and neatly coil it flat on the ground behind a bush each time we use it. Neat, handy, and honestly the least effort, in our opinion.

The problem with reels is how heavy they get as they fill up, thus making your arms increasingly more tired as you get near the end of the job. By coiling it on the ground there is no weight on your arms. (The battery powered ones run out of power remarkably fast, and who wants to make a special trip inside to hunt for more batteries that you may or may not have?....This of course, tells you a bit about how organized I am about such details.:)

I have a portable one by Ames - hose retracts into its own self-contained housing, and has a handle to carry. While I *HATE* watering, this contraption makes it more tolerabble, as it is lightweight (relatively speaking...), easily portable, can take it front yard to back yard so no need for two hose set-ups, and stores easily out of sight when not needed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hose reel

BTW: I bought mine locally less expensively than Amazon.com, but these are not easy to find in brick and mortars. I had an old one (same brand) that lasted something like 15 years (seriously!) but it finally sprung a big leak (DH said wasn't fixable, as he had done minor repairs on it previously) and I happened to get lucky and stumbled across a lone one at the local Meijer for $39.99; hadn't seen but the one of these locally in all those years I had the old one, and haven't seen another one locally since I grabbed this one.
However, I would pay full price for it - so if you're interested, just order on-line and be done with it instead of wasting time driving all over.

Thanks everyone for your replies.

If I did not need such a long hose the Ames sounds like a good product. I think I mentioned I have a 1/2" 100' hose. I believe it is by Gator and it never kinks which is what I wanted but it is heavy duty, rather stiff, and kind of awkward to roll. It seems to have a mind of it's own.

As was mentioned to reel in a 100' hose takes some strength. I am not going to get a battery operated reel for this reason, but I still might try a hand crank if I can find one that is heavy duty.

Thanks. Jane

I know this thread is old but wanted to add that the battery powered hose reel is a Suncast . I've owned one for 12 years and it still works fine......still have the same battery and charge it once a year. It has no problems winding a 75' hose and I find that letting the water run while it rewinds allows it not to wind too tightly on the reel and it rolls off easier the next time I use it.

I paid $125 for mine and I now see the lowest price is $144. But, I still think it's worth every penny, especially since I've developed some arthritis in my thumbs!

I'm REALLY late to the party, but many years ago, I had a Suncast that I used for a long time, and it was great. Replaced it with a $200+ Gardena that was crap from the get go. Just a warning.

I think I'll look for another Suncast, altho Amazon only gives it 4 stars. Sometimes I think Amazon unloads defective product, hoping people won't bother returning. In fact, I'm sure of it.

My husband and I have been researching hose and hose reels. I need a 100 ft hose, and last year I broke down and just bought a cheap hose because I was so tired of how heavy and unruly the kink free hose I have tried were. We are leaning to a Suncast reel with the battery. Can those of you (MizAnneThrope) who have this reel share which length and brand of hose you use with it that

worked well. Thank you.

I have a Suncast battery-operated reel that is 100'. I got it at Home Depot two year ago, not sure which model. WORTH.EVERY.PENNY. No clue what brand hose I have, it came with the house; it is quite heavy, though -- not a cheapo quality hose.

Laurie, I ended up getting a Hoselink, which I really like, but it is only 82 feet. Reviews seemed better to me than the Suncast. I think I read that people were saying newer models of Suncast weren't as good as older models, which I had many years ago. And I ended up buying on Amazon, bc that's where Hoselink's website sent me.

Hoselink Website