Tell me about hosepipes

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I'd like a new hose pipe that can reach the bottom of my garden. Approx 25m

While I'm at it, I'd like it to be on a reel and easy/quick to wind back in.

Is it possible to use them partially wound or do you need to fully unwind it even if you only need it shorter?

I'm a fan of buying well and buying once so I'll pay what it takes to get a decent one that works well and will last, but the price range is huge. How do you know what to buy?

I'll also need a rose attachment. Anything else?

What do I need to know/look for?

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MNHQ

Don't buy an expandable hose.
Hozelock are the best!
Can be used partially unwinded.
Some come with different attachments.
I bought a cheap sprinkler from b&m to attach to mine.

I've got a hoselock retractable jobby. it has an autostop on it so you can unreel it as far as you want then release it slightly and it holds the hose at that length if you see what i mean.

it is pretty good and winds it back in automatically but the key tip is to do that with the tap off but the hose end open so that the water isn't in the hose when it goes back in. if you don't then the pipe does not wind in nicely and it will drive you nuts (hard learnt lesson)

i have hozelock on a manual reel. you can still use it when partly unwound.

my only mistake was getting bright yellow instead of green. on the days I don't both with winding it in (too lazy), a green hose snaking down the garden would be camoflagued but the bright yellow is obvious and ugly.

i have hozelock on a manual reel. you can still use it when partly unwound.

Me too. We've had it years and it's still fine. We've had to replace the fittings a few times - this year DH has got some with metal joining bits and they seem so much better than plastic I think the latter are false economy. I'm mainly using a thing that looks like a gun - it can do a jet or a spray, and the trigger seems to work well so I'm not wasting water or spraying the dog as I move to different areas that need it.

www.hozelock.com/product/jet-spray-pro-ii/

Depending where in the country you are, I have a hose on a reel I no longer need but it’s not really postable 😂

The Aldi retractable hose is a bargain with great reviews. We've just bought a cordless lawnmower and hedge trimmer and the quality is really good!

hose

(I don't work for Aldi!)

The best hoses are the ones professionals use, they are made to last without kinking, unlike the majority of hoses. I use a Tricoflex hose which has lasted years. Have a look on waterirrigation.co.uk for examples.

I have a birthday coming up and my generous parents always ask what I'd like. A hosepipe is a reasonable request, right? If I'm really good my dad might fix it to the wall for me.

Last year I had good quality wellies

I'd second a Hoselock one too. We're on our 2nd one at this house (been here 29 years though!). Ours is a manual rewind but it's easy to do and as others have said you can unreel just the amount of hose you need. Ours is attached to the wall on the back of the house but reaches all the way down our side path and to the far end of the house (5 bed detached). Lots of different attachments available too.

Those of you with older Hozelock's - treasure them. I've had to return about 5 in the past 5 years due to faults, tried the expandable, regular, tough... now 3 months into an X-hose and so far so good, it's compatible with Hozelock parts. If that fails I'll try Gardena I guess.