Hose Reels

Hose Reels

A reel is what stops a hose kinking, cracking in frost and degrading in sunlight, so it does more for the life of the hose than the hose itself. Three formats cover every garden. Wall mounted reels suit a fixed outside tap where the hose always runs the same direction, keeping it off the ground and out of the weather, and this is the tidiest option by a distance. Auto retractable and auto rewind reels pull the hose back in themselves rather than needing to be cranked, which matters increasingly as length rises, because winding 40 metres by hand is a job people stop doing. Cart and trolley reels are the answer where the hose has to travel: a large garden with beds at opposite ends, or a yard with more than one tap. Two numbers are quoted and they are not the same thing, so read both. Capacity is the maximum length of hose the drum will hold, and supplied hose length is what actually comes in the box, which is often less. A 60 metre cart supplied with 25 metre of hose has room to add more later. Diameter is 12.5mm half inch throughout, which is the standard garden fitting size. Measure tap to furthest corner and add slack rather than buying exactly.

Hozelock is by far the widest range, covering compact reels with 25 metre of hose and fittings, a 2-in-1 compact reel at 25 metre, an auto retractable reel at 30 metre, a 40 metre AutoReel, a wall mounted 40 metre Fast reel, a wall mounted auto reel with 25 metre supplied with a spray gun, and 60 metre capacity carts and trolleys supplied with either 25 metre or 50 metre of hose. Karcher covers a 20 metre reel set with wall bracket, a compact auto reel with 20 metre and wall mount, and a 25 metre wall mounted reel with hose and fittings. Aquaplus makes a wall mounted automatic retractable reel supplied with 20 metre of hose. For hose on its own see Garden Hoses, and for couplings Hose Connectors.