Choosing the Right Garden Hose

A rose by any other name may still be a rose, but a garden hose is more than just a hose if you’re depending on it to get water to those roses. If you’ve ever had to fight a cheap garden hose when watering your garden, you know that any old hose just won’t do. Your gardening life will be so much easier and more pleasant when you’re not spending a hefty chunk of your time trying to un-kink your hose or wrapping it with tape to bandage yet another leak. Consider these factors the next time you go shopping for a replacement garden hose and you won’t have to replace it for years.

Materials

Rubber hoses may have a place in folklore, but today’s garden hoses are generally made of many different materials and rubber is only one of them. The best hoses on the market are made of multiple layers of vinyl and rubber, reinforced with nylon, rayon or even steel. The higher the quality of the materials, the more you can expect to pay for your new garden hose – but quality can be worth paying for. Don’t be led into believing that number of plies or layers is a good gauge of quality. While more plies may mean a sturdier hose, it’s more important to consider the materials from which the hose is made than the number of layers that make up its bulk.

Fittings

Hose couplings are a good indicator of quality in garden hoses. The best hoses feature garden hose fittings made of brass – the thicker, the better. The swivel – the piece that attaches the coupling to the hose – should be hexagonal for easier gripping and attaching to a faucet and made of heavy-duty brass. The best garden hose will feature a protective collar just below the coupling to prevent the hose from kinking at the faucet.

Drinking Safe Garden Hoses

Most garden hoses are not designed for drinking safety, but there are a few that are constructed of materials that are considered drinking-water safe by the FDA. This may be a  concern for you if you use your garden hose to water edibles or fill drinking containers from your hose. It can be especially important if your garden hose lies in the sun for long periods of time, since the heat of the sun may soften the plastic or vinyl material and make it more prone to leaching into any water left in the hose.

Size

The most typical sizes for water hoses range from ½-inch to 1 inch in diameter. Obviously, a 1-inch garden hose will deliver more water more quickly than a ¾-inch garden hose or a ½-inch garden hose. If you need higher water pressure, choose a larger garden hose. Smaller garden hoses are likely to be less expensive, and often are of lower quality than larger ones.

As with anything else, you get what you pay for when buying garden hoses. Even the most expensive garden hoses will only cost you about $50 for a 50-foot garden hose, so there’s no real reason to skimp on quality. A high-quality garden hose will last you for years, making it a reasonable investment for years of service.