The Best Garden Hose Reels
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When watering your lawn or garden, a good garden hose reel can make the job much easier. A hose reel replaces the hassle of manually winding up your hose for storage, and it looks better around your house than an unruly hose.
Garden hose reels are devices that roll your hose onto a cylinder housed in a decorative plastic or metal container. They can wind the hose automatically or manually, with a crank, and mounted to your house or standalone.
Garden hose reels have the added benefit of extending the life of your hoses by preventing twists and kinks in your hose, which are common issues when you do not have a reel and rely on manually winding your hose when done using it.
Our Top Garden Hose Reels
Here are a few of the hose reels that have the best feature-to-cost ratio. As with anything, you can spend a little more money upfront for quality and get a garden hose reel that will last many seasons.
- KLZ_KLZ 150 ft. Hose Reel Cart and Hideaway: A popular, reasonably priced quality garden hose reel.
- Liberty Garden 710 Navigator Rotating Garden Hose Reel: Mounted to your house, this garden hose reel holds 125-feet of 5/8-inch hose.
- AMES 2415500 NeverLeak: Poly Wall Mount Reel with Manual Guide and Tray, 225-Foot Hose Capacity
- Giraffe Retractable Garden Hose Reel: 100ft with nine pattern hose nozzle, wall mounted garden hose reel automatic rewind with any length lock, and 180° swivel bracket.
- Giraffe Metal Hose Reel Box: heavy-duty retractable garden hose reel hideaway with crank handle, 150ft 5/8″ hose capacity
KLZ_KLZ 150 ft. Hose Reel Cart and Hideaway
Likes:
- Easy to assemble
- Lightweight
- Easy to use
Dislikes:
- Not as sturdy as other models
- Hard to maneuver
The KLZ-KLZ garden hose reel is a great, affordable choice for many homeowners.
It’s a manual and portable garden hose reel that is easy to assemble and operate. It keeps your garden hose presentable when not in use and easy to maneuver when it is time to wash your car or water your lawn.
It does not come with a hose, but it can easily handle up to 150 feet of heavy-duty garden hose.
Say goodbye to unsightly hoses thrown on the ground and the kinks and tangles that causes. This garden hose reel will keep your hose organized and in good working order.
Liberty Garden 710 Navigator Rotating Garden Hose Reel
Likes:
- Easy to install
- Sturdiness
- Looks nice
Dislikes:
- Hard for one person to install
- Metal may rust over time – potential quality concerns
- Kind of basic – all show and no go functionality-wise
The Liberty Garden 710 hose reel is an attractive, sturdy choice if you are looking for a hose reel you can mount to the side of your house.
Made of decorative metal, it is priced around $90 (not including the hose). It is advertised to hold 125 feet of 5/8 inch diameter hose.
The reel itself is a manual crank, and it swivels to turn towards you wherever you are in your yard. It also has a decorative shelf above the hose reel, enabling you to store nozzles, sprinklers, or other accessories.
It is heavy, so you may need help installing it, but if you are looking for a bit of style in your garden hose reel, this may be the model for you.
AMES 2415500 NeverLeak Hose Reel
Likes:
- Ease of assembly
- Ease of use
- Looks great
Dislikes:
- Harder to mount than some other hose reels
The AMES 2415500 NeverLeak garden hose reel features an aluminum water system that claims to be eight times stronger than the typical plastic fittings in other hose reels. This is a giant plus since plastic breaking is one of the main reasons why you might be shopping for a new hose reel.
This unit also includes a manual hose guide that helps coil the hose smoothly as you recoil the hose back in after use. It also features a top shelf for storing accessories.
The Ames garden hose reel will accommodate anywhere from 50 feet to 225 feet of 5/8″ diameter hose. It comes assembled and only needs to be mounted to your wall. This was a step some consumers have reported having trouble with, but overall this is a well-made garden hose reel for about $50.
Giraffe Retractable Garden Hose Reel
Likes:
- Automatic hose winding – definitely a game-changing feature
- The hose is included with this unit
- The unit is very maneuverable and sturdy
Dislikes:
- Plastic susceptible to fading in direct sun
- Mounting hardware works but could be sturdier
The Giraffe Retractable Garden Hose Reel is a perfect choice for homeowners that want a higher-grade option than a typical hose reel and don’t mind spending a little more on it. This unit sells for around $150, but it is fully automatic and comes with the hose included.
The Giraffe Retractable Garden Hose Reel also comes with a 9-setting nozzle, and the unit swivels 180 degrees. A gentle tug on the hose activates the retractor.
All in all, this is an excellent, higher-end garden hose reel that takes watering your lawn to the next level.
Giraffe Heavy Duty Metal Hose Reel Box
Likes:
- Extremely sturdy and durable
- Easy to use
- Attractive enough to leave on porch or deck
Dislikes:
- More expensive than other models
- Heavier than plastic models
The Giraffe Heavy Duty Metal Hose Reel Box is extremely durable. The metal construction is about 29 pounds, which is enough to keep it from moving when pulling out the hose. How many times have you pulled the whole reel when pulling out a hose while washing the car, watering plants or while watering the lawn after fertilizing? No more with this tank of a hose reel.
The design is attractive enough to leave the box on your deck or patio and is rust-resistant.
This garden hose reel can hold up to 130 feet of 5/8″ hose, or 200 feet of ½” hose.
It also includes an auto-track guide that distributes the hose evenly as it is retracted, and the retractor is a sturdy hand crank. This unit sells for about $180.00 but represents a textbook case of you getting what you pay for.
Conclusion
After researching many different garden hose reels, my choice for most homeowners is the Liberty Garden 710 Navigator Rotating Garden Hose Reel. It represents the best mixture of features and value for the price. It will suit the needs of most.
If money isn’t a factor in your decision, I would go with the Giraffe Heavy Duty Metal Hose Reel Box. It is the best garden hose reel money can buy, in my opinion.