I hope you agree with me when I say:

 “A good garden hose makes the gardening much more fun and therapeutic. Buy a bad one and you’ll end up cursing the company, or maybe yourself.” 

With thousands of versions and models available on the market, it often becomes mind-boggling to select the best garden hose for you. It tempts to buy the cheapest one, thinking its only a hose, what difference can price make. But trust me it makes a world of difference.

You need to do your homework. Read up on the best garden hose reviews. Read up blogs for recommendations. There are lightweight garden hoses, heavy-duty garden hoses, flexible garden hoses, 50ft long, 100ft long garden hoses, heck even fabric hoses. Recommendation blogs will surely help.

But as the saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

I have also included a link to the Best Garden Hoses Available On The Market after the Conclusion so that you can put your knowledge to the test now.

So, when looking for a garden hose, here are the things you should consider:

1. Length:

Unless you have a huge lawn, trust me buying a very long hose will only be a hassle. Don’t think that since you are spending, why not buy a long one. Long ones cost more, weigh much more, are difficult to drain to keep them away for winters, take more space, and even let water out from the end at considerably lower pressures.

In order to ensure you are buying the optimal length simply measure the distance from your tap to the end of the yard diagonally and buy a hose that’s just 2-3 feet longer than that. You don’t want to be tugging on the hose. That can cause leaks and cracks, especially when the hose gets old. This is the optimal length of a garden hose.

2. Water flow:

Water flow directly relates to the diameter of the hose. Not the external, the internal diameter. Most light-weight garden hoses are small diameter hoses i.e. three-fourths inches or five-eights inches. Unless you work in the fire-fighting department and require very heavy-duty hoses, anything bigger than 3/4 or 5/8 inches shouldn’t be needed.

The bigger the diameter, the more water shall pass through the hose. Generally, 5/8 is the perfect once since it carries the optimal amount of water and delivers great pressure as well.

3. Material:

Under normal circumstances, Rubber garden hoses provide the best value as well as durability. You’ll find 3 kinds of garden hoses materials:

• Rubber
• Vinyl
• A mixture of both.

As said above, the rubber makes the best garden hose. They are heavy duty garden hoses; however, they do come with a heavy price tag as well. Rubber is much more long-lasting, weather-resistant

can carry hot water as well. They are more flexible and usually don’t develop kinks and cracks and last through all 4 seasons easily. However, as well as being expensive, they are also very heavy to move around the yard.

Vinyl hoses on the other hand are inexpensive and lightweight garden hoses. They are easy to carry around or wrap up to store in the shed. But they also are the least sturdy ones. They are prone to develop kinks and cracks very soon especially if left in the hot sun for long times. They are not very weather resistant either. However, they are common due to their prices and simple gardening tasks. For the price, they can be considered as the best garden hoses for small yards and simpler tasks.

The best way to go around is the mixture of both rubber and vinyl. These are relatively stronger yet lighter. Inexpensive as well and can last longer than vinyl hoses.

But obviously, if the budget allows then a heavy-duty rubber hose is the best garden hose available on the market.

4. Strength:

The strength of a hose can be determined by “burst pressure” i.e. the water pressure at which it is likely to rupture the hose. If you plan on using a garden hose nozzle or a sprinkler then the optimum burst pressure would be around 350psi or a bit higher.

But if you are using something that requires more pressure such as pressure washers then consult the manual of the equipment you are using. It is quite possible that the best garden hose you need should be capable of handling much higher PSIs.

Click here to find out more about the best garden hose for pressure washer

5. Flexibility:

A garden hose should be flexible in its motion. It shouldn’t be so stiff that a normal turn will cause it to kink. This would potentially lower the hose’s life causing it to develop cracks and raptures. To check how flexible the hose is, simply bend it in a U-form. If it kinks, put it away and look for some other hose.

Twisting any garden hose would cause is to kink obviously, even the ones that claim to be “kink-free” however some are better than others. Rubber hoses here outperform any other since they are prone to the least kinks and ruptures.

6. Couplings:

These are basically the end pieces that connect your hose to a tap, nozzle, or sprinkler. They usually are of 2 materials; plastic and metal.

Even though metal couplings can cost a bit more but you really want to keep yourself away from plastic couplings if you want peace in your life. Plastic couplings are weak, can break easily, are much prone to leaks, and weaken over time due to weather changes.

Metal couplings on the other hand are exactly what the plastic ones are not. Sturdy, strong, weather-resistant, and leak proof. They are usually made from brass or sheet metal. They usually are made in octagonal shapes so that they can be tightened or loosened easily with a wrench.

Also, do look for a collar i.e. a piece of plastic or rubber extending around 3-5 inches from the end of the hose to one coupling. This mitigates the chances of the hose developing kinks and cracks around the spigot, where it is particularly common.

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