Table of Contents
Want to keep your garden hose out of the way of your pets and the weather elements that can cause it to get damaged easily? A garden hose reel is your best bet.
Garden hose reels aren’t designed for all types of garden hoses, particularly expandable garden hoses. But for those of us who have the conventional garden hose in our homes, a garden hose reel is a must-have.
Choosing a good hose reel can be inundating, in all honesty.
So we took the time to simplify things by selecting the best garden hose reels for you. In addition to that, we shared some tips on what to look out for when shopping for one.
#1. Best Garden Hose Reel – Liberty Garden 709 Steel Wall/Floor Mounted Hose Reel
We picked the Liberty Garden 709 Steel Wall/Floor Mounted Hose Reel as our best garden hose reel for a few reasons.
First, it is strongly built – you can see and feel the 13-gauge stainless steel frame’s sturdiness.
Secondly, it can support hoses up to 200ft long. That is definitely a lot of weight and only the strongest hoses can support it. And lastly, it’s available in two color options.
Are these all there is to say about this garden hose reel? No. We talked more about it in the article below.
Read Full Review
Buying A Garden Hose Reel – What You Must Know
A garden hose reel is an important investment to make after buying a garden hose. As we mentioned earlier, garden hose reels aren’t meant for expandable garden hoses. If you own an expandable garden hose, you’re welcome to skip.
Let’s find out the important things to consider when shopping for a new garden hose reel.
The size of your property
This is often neglected by a lot of people who believe that the size of one’s property has nothing to do with the type of garden hose reel they should buy.
Truth is, if the property is large, there will be a need for a very long garden hose. In that same vein, you’ll need a hose reel that can easily accommodate the length of your hose.
Furthermore, the hose reel can come in handy when you have to move your hose from one point to another in your house especially if you have a large area to cover.
In summary, the size of your property can influence the type of hose reel you buy. We highlighted some hose reel types below.
Which type of garden hose reel do you want?
There are different hose reel types to choose from. They include the following;
- Hose reel cart – This type of garden hose reel is designed like a cart but a reel is mounted on it the cart. The cart can have two or four heavy-duty wheels. It is suitable for moving the hose to anywhere. Golf courses, for instance, use this type of hose reel a lot.
- Wall-mounted – A wall mounted hose reel is the type of hose reel that is attached to the wall permanently. It is often installed close to a water source so the hose can draw its water from a nearby source.
- Standing hose reel – They are designed to stand alone without being fixed to the wall. Some of them are not hose-reels, but rather hose stands. They are similar to the hose reel carts although they don’t have wheels.
- Retractable hose reels – This can either be wall-mounted, standing or in the form of a box. It is designed to automatically recoil the hose after each use. All you have to do is to push the hose back a little and the reel takes care of the rest or you simply wind back using a hand crank.
- Hideaway hose reels – They are designed to hide hoses away from harsh weather and from prying eyes. Often shaped like a box, they come with a hand crank that is used for winding and unwinding the hose.
Hose Length and Width
The hose length and width is also another important factor to consider.
If the hose reel you bought cannot support the length/width of your hose, then you’ve successfully wasted your money.
When hoses are rolled up, they may become larger than expected. This can create storage problems if you don’t take note of the length and width.
Fortunately, most of the garden hose reels on the market can support up to 100ft long hoses. If you have a hose that is more than 100ft long, it won’t hurt to check the hose length supported by the reel you’re buying.
Portable
Portable hose reels are great for people who intend to move their hoses from one place to another. The best portable garden hoses are the ones with wheels as they are easier to move.
If they’re foldable, that’s an added advantage as it makes it easier to fit them in tight spaces.
Durability
Garden hose reels are meant to last a long time and so, it is important to make sure that they are built for that purpose. Weather factors in your locality can affect the durability, however, if you buy a hose reel with a good stainless steel gauge, you will enjoy it for a long time to come.
Is a hose included with the reel?
Some hose reel manufacturers include a garden hose in their reels.
If you don’t have a garden hose already, this is a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
However, it is not a must that the hose reel should always come with a hose.
Ease of Use
This refers to the ease of winding and unwinding your hose from the reel. Is it a full-time job or something that can be done within the twinkle of an eye?
Does the reel have the automatic rewind function? These are some of the questions you need to ask with respect to ease of use.
Leak-Proof
For hose reels that come with their own hoses, ensure that the hoses are marked leak-proof before you purchase them. If they’re marked leak-proof, it’s an indication that they’re built to be durable.
Hose Hangers
Some people usually mistake hose hangers for hose reels.
Hose hangers only serve as a tool to hang your already coiled hoses.
Using hose hangers involves being patient when unwinding the hose.
We suggest you stay away from hose hangers if you want things to be easy when unwinding and winding hoses as well as ease of movement.
Garden Hose Reels Reviews
Take a look at our top garden hose reels and see if any of them fits your needs and budget.
#1. Best Garden Hose Reel – Liberty Garden 709 Steel Wall/Floor Mounted Hose Reel
Type: Wall/Floor Mounted
Holds: 200ft of 5/8” hose
Features: strong stainless steel frame, handle for winding and unwinding the hose, it can be mounted on the wall or on the floor, comes with 5ft leader hose that attaches to your hose, non-skid rubber feet for floor mounting, two color options to choose from.
As you already know, the Liberty Garden 709 Steel Wall/Floor Mounted Hose Reel is our top pick for the best garden hose reel. It is made from industrial type 13 gauge stainless steel material with rubber accents on the handle and on the feet.
The hose is designed to meet as many needs of yours as possible. One of such is the mounting location. You can choose to mount it on the wall or on the floor.
When mounting it on the floor, you can decide to fix it permanently or just place it on a flat surface. It comes with removable rubber feet that help keep it in place.
The only issue you’ll have with mounting it is that you’ll have to purchase the mounting hardware separately since it’s not shipped alongside the reel.
We love the fact that the Liberty Garden 709 Steel Wall/Floor Mounted Hose Reel is capable of holding as much as 200ft of 5/8” hose. This is made possible by the stainless steel frame.
The frame is powder-coated and gives the reel a nice finish. Our test model was the tan-colored model but there’s also a stainless steel variant to choose if you don’t like the tan color.
Learn More
Cart Type Garden Hose Reels
The two garden hose reels we reviewed in this section are the cart-type of hose reels. They’re of the finest breed and are definitely worth owning over and over again.
#2. Best Garden Hose Reel Cart – Rapid Reel Two Wheel Garden Hose Reel Cart
Type: Reel Cart
Holds: 150ft of 5/8” hose
Features: 2-wheel reel cart, made from high-quality diecast aluminum and brass materials, can hold 150ft of 5/8” hose, strong flat-free 10-inch tires with rubber stop feet, crank handle with good rubber grip.
If you have a large property and you’re looking to move your garden hose around very often, the Rapid Reel Two Wheel Garden Hose Reel Cart should be top on your list.
What makes it special?
First of all, every inch of it looks premium – from the wheels to the rubber feet, the handle and of course, the reel itself. At a glance, you’ll notice how strongly built it is.
It’s made from a combination of materials including top of the line diecast aluminum and brass. The tires are the 10-inch type you’ll see on garden carts; they are made of thick rubber and are flat free.
We didn’t get any resistance when winding or unwinding a garden hose on the reel. In fact, it’s something that kids – from early teens – can do. Your wife probably won’t find it difficult.
The hose is designed to reel in 150ft of 5/8’ garden hose. It takes only a few minutes to reel the hose in. However, if you’re a user of heavy-duty hoses like the Dramm hose, you’ll have a bit of tough time winding the hose back.
Installation can also be a bit tricky as you have to assemble the hose yourself and you’ll need a few hands to install it. Save for these two negligible flaws, the Rapid Reel Two Wheel Garden Hose Reel Cart gets a yes from us.
And with respect to weight, the reel is noticeably thick to push but not heavy. The thickness, we believe, comes from the materials that are used to make the frame.
Learn More
#3. Palm Springs 4 Wheel Portable Garden Hose Reel Cart
Type: Reel Cart
Holds: 250ft of 5/8” hose
Features: sports 4 large wheels for easy movement, can hold 250ft of 5/8” hose, includes a storage basket for keeping accessories handy, stainless steel frame with a powder-coated finish, comes with a 59” leader hose
If you need something more than what the hose reel cart we reviewed above offers, then the Palm Springs 4 Wheel Portable Garden Hose Reel Cart should be next in line.
Sporting a unique design, it addresses some of the flaws we saw on the Rapid Reel Two Wheel Garden Hose Reel Cart.
First, it weighs just about 35lbs making it one of the lightest we’ve seen so far. The frame doesn’t look as thick as we expected but it is strong enough to support about 250ft of 5/8” hose.
That’s way more than what any of the hoses we’ve reviewed so far can support.
It is made from a combination of steel and brass and comes with a swivel connector. The frame is powder-coated thus giving it a fine finish. All round, it’s every inch worth every penny you pay for it.
The crank handle is firm but doesn’t in any way impede on the ease of winding or unwinding your hose. There’s the rubber grip that adds a layer of comfort when turning the handle.
We also like the fact that the Palm Springs 4 Wheel Portable Garden Hose Reel Cart has 4 wheels that make movement easier. In addition to that, it features a storage basket for keeping your tools and other stuff.
To crown it all, this hose reel cart comes with a 59” leader hose that you can easily attach your own hose to. Cool, right? As we mentioned earlier, the Palm Springs 4 Wheel Portable Garden Hose Reel Cart is a great pick for anyone interested in hose reel carts.
Learn More
Retractable Hose Reels
Looking for retractable wall mounted hoses? These two retractable hoses we reviewed today are worth picking and it is especially tailored towards those that don’t mind using the 3/8 and ½ hose types.
#4. Best Retractable Garden Hose Reel – Gartenkraft XG-75S Retractable Hose Reel
Type: Retractable wall mounted
Holds: 75ft of ½” hose
Features: two color options to choose from, slow rewind technology, hard plastic casing, mounting brackets that allow for easy detachment or swivel, access panel for removing the damaged hose, has a multi-function spray nozzle, can hold 75ft of ½” hose.
If you’re in the market for a small retractable garden hose reel with that comes with its own hose, you should be looking for the Gartenkraft XG-75S Retractable Hose Reel.
It’s a compact-sized hose reel with an enclosing plastic casing that can be removed by taking out the screws. Although the reel is made from hard plastic material, we’re still concerned about its ability to withstand tough weather.
The Gartenkraft XG-75S Retractable Hose Reel is designed to support up to 75ft of ½” hoses. Anything other than that will cause the metal mount and handle to snap.
Talking about mounts, this hose reel comes with a solid detachable metal mount. The mount features a 180-degree swivel point that allows you to turn the reel in the direction you desire.
When you pull out the hose for use, the reel simply follows you towards the direction. The hose itself stops pulling out when you don’t tug any further. It is briefly locked in place until you pull it out again.
Gartenkraft offers this hose reel in two color options, black/grey and off white/grey. In addition to that, there are also different hose lengths to choose from starting from 50ft all the way to 130ft.
The only major concern we have is with the hose it comes with which we’re skeptic won’t last long. Aside from it, we’ve got no other issues with the Gartenkraft XG-75S Retractable Hose Reel.
Learn More
#5. YeStar Plastic Garden Water Hose Reel
Type: Retractable wall mounted
Holds: 84ft of ½” and ¾” hose
Features: provides support for 84ft ½” and ¾” hoses, very portable and comes with a handle, made from plastic materials, has an automatic rewind system, comes with hose suitable for pressure washing, easy to mount and features a swiveling mounting bracket.
We love the YeStar Plastic Garden Water Hose Reel because of its compact size and portability. If you intend to visit your folks in their home and you’re looking for a good hose reel, this is it.
In fact, it comes with its own hose although it’s the small width hose. The hose is fully retractable and rewinds with minimal effort.
As we mentioned earlier, portability is one huge factor that was taken into consideration when making this reel. To complement its compact size is a handle that sits atop the reel. It is made from plastic but it can carry the reel without any issues.
Installing this hose reel is pretty much easy as it mostly involves screwing it to the wall using the quick connector screws. Unlike some of the hoses on the market that require assembly before installation, this one doesn’t.
The YeStar Plastic Garden Water Hose Reel also features a swivel mount that allows the hose to be turned around 180-degrees. With this swivel ability, it’s pretty easy to turn the reel to any direction the hose goes.
Based on its design, this hose can only support 84ft of ½” and ¾” hoses. Anything other than that and you will have a hard time fitting and reeling it in.
This hose reel is meant to automatically rewind the hose after each use. Turns out that you must not leave the hose to automatically rewind itself or you risk damaging this reel.
Instead, we suggest gently guiding it as it reels up the hose back into its casing. In all, the YeStar Plastic Garden Water Hose Reel is a fantastic portable garden hose reel.
Learn More
Wall/Floor Mounted Hose Reels
The hose reels you’ll find in this section are mostly the floor and wall mounted hose reel types.
#6. Best Wall Mounted Garden Hose Reel – Rapid Reel Wall Mount Garden Hose Reel
Type: Wall mounted
Holds: 150ft of 5/8” hose or 100ft of 3/8” hose
Features: wall/floor-mounted design, made from high-quality marine grade stainless steel, supports 150ft of 5/8” hose, it is easy to assemble and mount on the wall, comes with 6ft rubber inlet hose.
Earlier, we reviewed the Rapid Reel Two Wheel Garden Hose Reel Cart, the cart reel variant of this wall-mounted reel. It shares the same quality with this wall-mounted version.
To start with, the Rapid Reel Wall Mount Garden Hose Reel is made from tough stainless steel material. At a glance, you’ll think it’s a heavy-duty hose. Although it looks tough, it is only designed to support 150ft of 5/8” hose.
This is quite smaller than the 250ft support we’ve seen on some of the reels on this review. They should have made improvements in that regard.
The stainless steel frame is powder-coated to give the reel a premium finishing. We like the fact that the crank handle is firmly attached to the body of the reel. It offers a good grip and enables you to turn the reel with ease.
Rapid Reel includes a 6ft long inlet hose into the frame of this reel that you can easily attach your own hose to. The inlet hose comes with high-quality brass fittings.
In addition to the inlet hose, all the mounting hardware you’ll need for mounting the Rapid Reel Wall Mount Garden Hose Reel is included.
With respect to mounting, you need to assemble a few things together before mounting the reel. It’s pretty easy to do but can be a bit overwhelming at first.
Unfortunately, this reel doesn’t come with a swivel mount and it is one thing that is a major letdown for the reel.
Learn More
#7. Liberty Garden 713 Multi-Directional Garden Hose Reel
Type: Wall-mounted
Holds: 125ft of 5/8” hose
Features: it supports 125ft of 5/8” hose, bright red color, 360-degree swivel mount for easy turning, easy to use the crank handle, 24 locking positions for hose, high-quality 18-gauge steel with a powder-coated finish, easy to mount.
The Liberty Garden 713 Multi-Directional Garden Hose Reel is a beauty no doubt – its red color is appealing. And it’s one of the three wall mounted garden hose reels we’re reviewing.
It sports a rather unique design, one that we’ve not seen so far in the course of this review. The design features the reel suspended below a storage tray which serves as the reel’s mount.
This mount is screwed to the wall with relative ease while you store any hose accessories on the storage rack.
As we mentioned earlier, the reel itself is attached to the mount by a swiveling pivot. This allows the reel to turn 360-degrees – wherever you’re facing with the hose – without any hassles.
Furthermore, it allows you to lock the hose up to 24 times whilst you’re using it. The 360-degree swivel is activated when you pull the knob that controls it.
The frame of the Liberty Garden 713 Multi-Directional Garden Hose Reel is made from 18 gauge stainless steel material. In addition to that, it is covered in a powder coated finish to ensure that it’s weather resistant.
We aren’t really impressed by the length of the hose it can hold. Liberty Garden says this hose can only support 125ft of 5/8” hose. This is a lot smaller than the 150ft we’ve seen on models from Rapid Reel and even the best overall garden hose reel we reviewed in the beginning of the article.
In addition to that, we think the hose is slightly overpriced. But what do we know?
Learn More
#8. Best Decorative Garden Hose Reel – Liberty Garden 704 Decorative Garden Hose Reel
Type: Wall-mounted
Holds: 125ft of 5/8” hose
Features: compact sized and wall-mounted, comes with a storage shelf, made from cast aluminum and covered in the powder-coated finish, good to be used as a decorative garden hose reel, can hold 125ft of 5/8” hose, easy to mount.
For a much lesser price, Liberty Garden offers you the Liberty Garden 704 Decorative Garden Hose Reel. It does lack a few features we saw on its distant sibling we reviewed above.
Let’s start with the construction. As we expected, the quality is good – top-notch to be exact. The reel is made from cast aluminum material. It feels thick yet is considerably light when compared to other garden hose reels.
The cast aluminum is entirely covered in using a weather-resistant powder coating. A layer of bronze color is added to the mix to give the reel its resplendent glow.
In terms of capability, the Liberty Garden 704 Decorative Garden Hose Reel can only support 125ft of 5/8” hose. Bear in mind that it can support more than that length for a 3/8” hose.
It comes with a storage shelf, similar to what we saw on the Liberty Garden 713 Multi-Directional Garden Hose Reel. However, this is slightly smaller than the former.
There is a hose guide that helps you to retract the hose when winding your hose. It’s sold separately as an attachment and you can decide to skip it and buy only the reel if it shoots beyond your budget.
We like the crank handle on this garden hose reel, but we don’t like the fact that it cannot swivel. It’s certainly going to make using some tasks a bit cumbersome.
Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a great decorative garden hose reel that still serves its purpose, it should be Liberty Garden 704 Decorative Garden Hose Reel.
Learn More
#9. Best Hideaway Garden Hose Reel – Suncast Resin Swivel Hose Hideaway
Type: Hideaway
Holds: 225ft of 5/8” hose
Features: swivel base, can hold 225ft of 5/8” hose, slide track hose guide, durable covering, smooth ergonomic crank handle, feels sturdy and smooth.
Hideaway hose reels are great for homeowners who have a lot of pets and people around the house or live in places with harsh weather conditions. A hideaway hose reel provides your hose with a good cover from the elements.
The Suncast Resin Swivel Hose Hideaway is enclosed in a high-quality enclosure that keeps the hose safe. This enclosure is made from heavy-duty plastic material – a clear indication that it’s going to last long.
In addition to that, the reel’s enclosure sits on a swivel base. With this swivel base, it is possible to turn the reel to your chosen direction without any form of stress.
Let’s not forget to mention that it can accommodate at least 225ft of 5/8” hose. You can also use the 3/8” hose and it can accommodate up to 250ft. This is undeniably one of the best garden hose reels with large reeling capacity.
To fully enjoy the swivel base, you need to permanently fix the reel to the ground. Did we mention that the Suncast Resin Swivel Hose Hideaway is 29 inches tall and is noticeably large?
This may be partly due to the fact that it comes with a storage tray inside. The storage tray can accommodate a sizeable amount of your tools including nozzles, spray heads, etc.
We like the Slide Trak feature. It’s simply the name of the hose guiding system on the Suncast Resin Swivel Hose Hideaway. With this hose guide, sliding the hose back to the reel is a lot easier and it reduces the chances of kinking in storage.
In all, this is a great enclosed garden hose reel to buy.
Learn More
#10. Suncast Aquawinder 125′ Wicker Garden Hose Reel
Type: Hideaway
Holds: 125ft of 5/8” hose
Features: Can hold up to 125ft of 5/8” hose, compact-sized, water-powered with automatic rewind function, made from plastic materials with wood-like finishing to complement your outdoor décor.
If the previous Suncast garden hose reel which we reviewed doesn’t appeal to you, then this one should. It’s more compact sized than its other sibling but it’s missing some of the features.
The Suncast Aquawinder 125′ Wicker Garden Hose Reel is designed with the intention of making hose reeling a much easier task for many people.
It’s one of the few garden hose reels we’ve seen that comes with a good auto-rewind hose rewind system. In fact, its hose rewind system doesn’t require you to guide the hose with your hands since it does that automatically by itself.
There’s a lever that you need to hit before the auto retract is initiated.
The reel is designed to accommodate about 125ft of 5/8” hose and can also accommodate the 3/8” hoses. Its hose capacity is a major downside one for a product in a market where the majority of the hose reels can accommodate an average of 150ft.
That aside, it’s a good hose reel. It’s made of hard plastic material and given some sort of wood carving to make it more aesthetically appealing. It gives it a resplendent look which is also projected by its brownish color.
The hard plastic casing is made to be weather resistant. In fact, it makes the reel weather-resistant, at least for the first few years.
One other important thing that is missing on this reel is the crank handle. Suncast should have included it in the event that the water rewind function ceases to stop working.
Learn More
FAQs: Best Garden Hose Reels
You’ll find answers to some questions you may have concerning garden hose reels.
Who makes the best garden hose reels?
There are tons of garden hose reel manufacturers and it’s difficult to pinpoint one brand as the one that makes the best. Picking a particular hose reel manufacturer is a tough nut to crack considering the various types of hose reels and the preferences of people.
Yes, people’s personal preferences come into play when selecting a hose reel. For instance, Mr. A may have a need for a swivel hose reel whilst Mr. B may desire a reel that is decorative or even hideaway.
Brands like Liberty Garden, Suncast, and Rapid Reel are most known for their best-selling hose reels. But this doesn’t mean that the other brands don’t make good hose reels.
Will the reel cause the hose kink?
Hoses kink from time to time and hose reels are sometimes fingered as culprits. There’s a great likelihood that your hose will kink if you have a faulty reel.
In addition to that, reeling your hose back in without guiding it can cause the hose to kink in the long run. This is why it’s important to buy hose reels that have a hose guide or better still, manually guide the hose when you’re reeling it back in.
By doing so, you reduce the chances of the hose kinking at the slightest opportunity.
What if the reel doesn’t have swivel?
Having the ability to swivel isn’t a major prerequisite for owning a garden hose reel. The swivel is great for people that intend to use the hose to reach the surroundings either up to 180 or 360 degrees.
By using a swivel hose reel you can have the maximum length of your hose to work with since the swivel turns the hose to your direction.
Are there any special things I should do to care for my garden hose reel?
Of course, there are tons of things that you should do to keep your reel in perfect working condition.
First, if you have a reel with a crank handle, ensure that the handle is oiled/greased regularly to keep it turning smoothly. The moment you start experiencing friction in the handle, that’s a sign it’s time to oil it.
The crank handle isn’t the only place you should oil. Other parts including the hose’s moving joints should be oiled.
By oiling the reel’s moving joints, you also make it easy for the hose to leave the reel when you’re pulling it out.
Secondly, let’s not fail to mention that the wheels of your cart hose reel should also be oiled. Store the reel in a dry place whenever it’s not in use – this will help prolong its life and the life of your hose.
Thirdly, replace the faulty/leaking connectors as soon as you notice them in your reel.
Conclusion
Remember to take a look at the different types of garden hose reels and pick the one that can possibly fit your needs for the best price possible.
Take care of your hose reel and it’ll last for years with little or no issues.
We hope you found this article helpful.
Leave a Reply