Garden hoses are a hassle in so many ways. To store. To drag around. And especially to roll up and keep free of kinks.
Enter the expandable garden hose. I get the appeal: It’s small, lightweight, easy to store and kink-free. Sounds perfect. So instead of dragging out my plastic hose reel cube and its ancient 75-foot, lime green hose, I ordered myself a FitLife Expandable Garden Hose to see if it would be everything I dreamed it could be.
What Is The FitLife Expandable Garden Hose?
It’s a lightweight, collapsible and kink-free hose available in lengths of 25-, 50-, 75- and 100-feet. It features a triple-layer latex inner hose, wrapped in a woven elastic fabric made to expand to three times its drained storage size.
The heavy duty brass fittings connect the hose to the water supply and the spray nozzle, with a built-in valve to shut off the water if switching between spray nozzles or linking multiple hoses together. The hose comes with an eight-setting spray nozzle, great for washing your vehicle or other gardening purposes.
The 25-foot hose is absurdly lightweight, less than two pounds, and measures out to just under under nine feet when drained. It’s easily bendable and pliable, resembling a large spaghetti noodle, and easily wraps up into a small gardening pot for storage. The woven black exterior of the hose feels durable and well-made.
How We Tested It
I planned to using the hose to wash my vehicle, water my plants and newly laid grass seed and spray off my patio. I was curious to see how it maneuvered when full of water, how the included nozzle performs, and how it works when attached to a sprinkler or other nozzle.
Performance Review
Performance
As the hose fills with water, it slowly starts a dance reminiscent of the snake ash fireworks I remember from my childhood. Once filled, the 25-foot hose measured out to 28-feet — three feet longer than advertised! The full hose feels durable and strong, but with flex to it. So if you step on it while watering the garden, you’ll notice an instant drop in water pressure.
The FitLife hose and spray nozzle worked together beautifully. The eight-setting spray head seems to have an action for everything. The “cone” and “flat” settings worked great for washing my car, the “shower” and “mist” for watering potted plants and the grass, and the “jet” setting for soaking my neighbor’s kids when they came running out in their swimsuits.
Compared to traditional rubber hoses, expandable hoses do have a few downsides. They don’t work well with a sprinkler or high-flow nozzle, because the hose needs water pressure to maintain its expanded length. When I used the hose with a couple of different sprinklers, it worked fine. But a moment I turned off the water, the sprinkler came flying across the yard with the hose as it deflated.
Expandable hoses also don’t work without an attachment. You can’t simply put one end into a kids’ swimming pool or a large flower pot to fill it.
Value
Comparing to other expandable hoses I found online, the $29 price for the FitLife Expandable Hose seems about right. But it offers some nicer features than the others, like solid brass end fittings and a triple layer latex hose. The FitLife is also the only product that I’ve seen in this price range with a spray nozzle included.
Reliability and Durability
Expandable hoses aren’t known for durability, but the FitLife feels different. When I opened the box, I was pleasantly surprised to see sturdy, solid brass end-fittings attached to the hose at each end. Other brands use plastic end fittings, which tend to crack and leak.
The FitLife also features a latex inter-hose lining, which is more flexible and less likely to burst than the TPE plastics in other expandable hoses. The FitLife Expandable Hose also earned more than 12,500 five-star reviews on Amazon, so I’m not alone in my affinity for this product.
Ease of Use
The FitLife hose is incredibly easy to use. Just attach it to the spigot, let the water pressure enlarge the hose and begin your watering adventure.
Just be mindful that when you turn OFF the water, the hose retracts. It will drag a sprinkler or open nozzle straight through a newly-planted flower bed — or worse yet, into your ankle on knee.
Why You Should Buy This
If you’re in the market for a new hose, skip those traditional kink-filled rubber hoses and pick up a FitLife Expandable Garden Hose. You’ll get an affordable, compact, lightweight hose made from durable high-quality components that’s easy to store and comes with a spray nozzle. Seems like a no brainer to me!
Where to Buy
The FitLife Expandable Garden Hose is available in multiple sizes at Amazon.com.
Article source here: Family Handyman Approved: FitLife Expandable Hose
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