Garden Hose

[pwaug]

Same here--hate rolling up hoses. Happy with the Sears Black Rubber hose, but a pain to role up.

Take a look at the Shop Zero--so far I'm impressed with it's flexibility and ease of handling-much sturdier than the "pocket hoses." Shop Zero-G 5/8-in x 50-ft Premium-Duty Kink Free Garden Hose at Lowes.com On Sale for $30

My wife uses the Pocket Hose with the brass fittings for gardening--she loves it as do I since now SHE roles up the hose, but I don't think it would hold up well if used for car washing etc.

I really hate rolling up hoses.

I really hate hoses that leak.

I plan on getting a long Flexzilla.

But I need a small leader hose to the pressure washer.

A "pocket hose" would really be sweet if it worked.

The one I can get locally is called "Pocket Hose Top Brass" with brass fittings. Reviews seem mixed.

Anyone know if it's a piece of garbage?

 

[Swanicyouth]

So after endless research of hoses, I decided to go with this Stanley Fat Max hose.

Was a bit cheaper than Flexzilla, but rated much higher psi. Seems quite similar to Flexzilla when you put your hands on both. Much lighter than the traditional black rubber hose.

100'

 

[Swanicyouth]

As a follow up, Ive had the chance to use this hose and Im completely in love with it.

The hose is soft, pliable, and flexible. Rolls up like a dream. Seems like it would be impossible to kink. I compared it to those "Never Kink" hoses you see a lot - and there is no comparison.

When comparing the two, the NKs, seem like cheap hard vinyl compared to the Stanley. I love this hose so much I wipe it down before I roll it up.

Here you can see the difference of how pliable it is:

Stanley:

My old junker hose:

 

[trashmanssd]

After seeing those pictures all I can think of is that being in one those many Mens commercials that play none stop during football games.

 

[Accumulator]

Sorta-Random thoughts:

- All of my various never-kink hoses did kink now and then, just the nature of the beast IMO
- All of my Lifetime hoses eventually failed- "cut off the fitting and return for replacement" works fine for me as I get another hose and can just repair the failed one
- I dont roll up all the hoses every time, but rather often lay them out in a manner that doesnt take up too much room yet makes it easy to get them into service
- I have my foamgun, rinse, and DI hoses visibly different (color/type) so I dont grab the wrong one or have to spend a moment figuring out which is which

 

[Accumulator]

Swanicyouth- Does that FatMax have conventional male/female ends on it or is it fitted with Stanley-specific (quick-disconnect perhaps) fittings?

If conventional, are they metal or plastic?

 

[Bunky]

- I dont roll up all the hoses every time, but rather often lay them out in a manner that doesnt take up too much room yet makes it easy to get them into service

This is one of my least favorite tasks and I have a hose reel. I want a rapid reel unit. I still do hose washing more than I do rinseless.

 

[rlmccarty2000]

Im with everyone. I hate rolling up and in rolling my hose. A different hose for foam gun and rinsing? Never heard that one. Ive got a never kink hose from Lowes and of course it kinks all the time, less in warm weather. The Stanley looks great and has great reviews, but I cant find the 100 ft one. Got to have 100 ft to reach my wash area.

 

[Swanicyouth]

Swanicyouth- Does that FatMax have conventional male/female ends on it or is it fitted with Stanley-specific (quick-disconnect perhaps) fittings?

If conventional, are they metal or plastic?

It has regular hose ends on it. They are pretty hefty - I think they are aluminum. I added the quick d/cs. The thing you see in the pic is a cover that comes over it.

Mine is 100 foot. Got it at Tractor Supply.

 

[Accumulator]

I used (water) hose reels at my previous shop, didnt even think about using them at the present one, just not whats best for me. AIR reels, yes of course.

Swanicyouth- Ah, OK, thanks for the info. I dont really plan on buying another hose, but that will be on the short-list if I ever do.

A different hose for foam gun and rinsing? Never heard that one...

Noting that my foamgun-centric wash technique calls for a *lot* of rinsing, I need both hoses for my rinsing to be both effective and efficient.

Efficacy- The "clear water rinse" setting on the foamgun can do some light rinsing and is useful for tight spots, but it sure cant compare to a regular hose. I need to really *FLOOD AWAY* all the sudsy foamgun output that my wash technique depends upon. Found out that, surprisingly, my pressure washer is *not* a good way to do it, just not enough water volume.

Efficiency- Taking off the foamgun and attaching a nozzle and then switching them back..and doing that numerous times per section..is just too much of a PIA. This way, I can just drape each hose over a nearby bucket and grab the other one; quick and easy to switch between the two. (Plus I run redundant systems, got that two-hose system on each side of the washbay.)

 

[Woob]

Flexzilla! Regular & pro version, they are awesome. Craftsman Black lifetime ones would be a good bet as well.

 

[Accumulator]

Craftsman Black lifetime ones would be a good bet as well.

Thats what I thought until I figured out how much hassle I was going through getting the replacements so often. I do appreciate the lifetime policy, but it got to be too much with the Craftsman hosed. Sorta like how it went with Craftsman tools..

 

[Swanicyouth]

Picked up another hose. We got these in stock at my pharmacy - so I couldn`t resist.

It`s on TV - so it has to be good.

Didn`t use it yet - but filled it with water to see it expand. I never had a hose like this. The outside webbing is some type of canvas type material. It feels like the inside part is a rubber bladder type "hose" that expands with water pressure.

Initial thoughts are - it`s super light and easy to roll up. Fittings seem like decent quality - and on has an on/off switch:

So, the negatives... I read the directions - and it says it may take several expansion / contraction cycles for the hose to fully expand to 50`.

When I filled it up - it did expand - but to nowhere near 50`. So, I will keep you posted how it works out.

 

[Bill D]

Mine just sprung a leak. This is the third one I owned. I can`t recommend them until maybe they improve the material

 

[Swanicyouth]

Mine just sprung a leak. This is the third one I owned. I can`t recommend them until maybe they improve the material

Lolz. I should have read the reviews before I bought it. Reviews seem pretty bad.

I`m already thinking of ways to repair it when it leaks - and I haven`t even used it yet.

 

[tom p.]

My father has one of those, too. It didn`t last very long...same issue as Bill reports.

 

[ShawnF350]

Lolz. I should have read the reviews before I bought it. Reviews seem pretty bad.

I`m already thinking of ways to repair it when it leaks - and I haven`t even used it yet.

The FatMax failed on you?

I`ve got two Flexzillas 100 and 50.
Both Going strong after a year.
But i gotta buy reels. Tired of it twisting as i pull it out of the pot.

 

[512detail]

Lolz. I should have read the reviews before I bought it. Reviews seem pretty bad.

I`m already thinking of ways to repair it when it leaks - and I haven`t even used it yet.

my regular X hose sprung a leak after about 6 months but it was gift to me and I`d say it was worth the 0 cost of entry

BUT I tried to use Teflon tape and duct tape, etc but nothing worked, the leak just sprung somewhere else so I trashed it

I`d image the X hose pro would do the same but has fittings you might want to try and salvage (brass) if possible

 

[Swanicyouth]

The FatMax failed on you?

No. I`ve devolved a hose fetish. Planned on just using this one for light duty.

 

[pwaug]

I`ve used the Sears Black Rubber hoses for years. They are heavy duty, stay flexible in cold weather and have a lifetime warranty. While they don`t kink, I`ve always found them to tangle while moving them around the car etc and after a few months they start to get your hands black when using them. I picked up the Shop Zero from Lowes when they were on sale. My wife uses the X Hose Pro for gardening--the Shop Zero is similar, but much more heavy duty and has a 5 year warranty. It doesn`t shrink like the X Hose, but just goes limp. Very, very light and you could just throw it in a 5 gallon bucket when you`re finished if you wanted to. Happened to notice it has full flow fittings at either end so really keeps the pressure up. Doesn`t kink or tangle and hangs in a snap on the garage wall hanger. So far very impressed -- one less hassle to deal with!!

Shop Zero-G 5/8-in x 50-ft Premium-Duty Kink Free Garden Hose at Lowes.com