I'm fed up with the admittedly cheap garden hoses I've been using for car washing. They kink easily, harden with age and can be troublesome to wind or coil smoothly.

Since this is something I'm using for a good hour every other weekend, I don't mind spending more on something that is truly better. The big box home improvement stores have a pretty wide selection and of course there's tons online, accompanied by lots of claims about kink-resistance and durability...



Can someone recommend a good hose?

I'm also interested in the self-retracting type hose/reel systems, like this:



I HATE hose winding, and if there are good options that function as well my self-retracting extension cord reel [best garage accessory ever], I'll be in car wash heaven. These can get very expensive though. Advice/experience?


Thanks.

 

I wish I could recommend a good hose, but i'm not familiar with what's on the market today. But you are on the right track if you're willing to spend for a good hose and not one of the millions that are junk and a pain to use.

Thirty years ago I bought a Craftsman rubber hose that I'm still using today. I have had to replace the fittings, but the hose is still nice to use. You will find the cheap plastic hose to be as convenient as a piece of spring steel.

I doubt that you can go by a brand name alone, since many will probably offer several different qualities. Perhaps rubber and heavy are two qualities to look for. I wouldn't be surprised to hear from the guys into detailing. They certainly should know what's good to work with.

Can't suggest a hose reel as that's something I never bothered with. One more idea - get one long enough for your needs so that you don't need to add onto a hose that's too short.

 

I have 3 -75' Gilmore Flexogen hoses that are 20+ years old. They do not kink, they lay flat and roll up very nice. I use mine several times every week and even in the winter. I bought 2 extras a few years ago on sale but have not had to use them yet. Gilmore will replace the hose free if you have any problems. All you have to do is cut the end off and send it to them. I would never consider any other hose.

 

Definitely go with the Goodyear Hose, you do get what you pay for; we still have a wind up hose reel, but it is automatic...just turn the crank and the hose goes where it is supposed to!!

 

^ if you get a reel, make sure it has a handle. If the auto-rewind breaks, and you don't have a handle, you are S.O.L.
I have a 100' Gilmore from the local hardware store. It has a coupling in the middle where it got run over and started to leak, so I cut out the bad section and spliced it back together. Only problem I've had with it in 5 or 6 years.
It gets dragged around on my blacktop driveway every weekend and is holding up pretty well.

 

Don't waste your $$ on an "auto-rewind", they use WATER to re-wind and during the 'rewind' process it is spitting out the water the whole time!!
Real valuable resource conscience 'ay...I DON'T THINK SO!!

 

I've got this setup, and it works great!

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...&storeId=10051
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...&storeId=10051

--Matt

 

Thanks for the feedback. I'll check those out the next time I'm at the mighty home improvement store.