Air Hose Reel Recommendations

[Beamer]

Looking for a hose reel and hose for my home workshop and could use recommendations.
I don't particularly car for heavy old school rubber hoses. I have one that stays coiled on the wall because it always seems to up for a wrestling match when used. It has lasted almost 40 years but heavy things tend to get used less and less here.

I've seen a video on Flexzilla but I have a number of their water hoses and they tend to grow a black moldy coating that makes I hate to even handle bare handed. That happens after a season outside. Also I tend to have problems with their connectors.

I've also seen a video promoting CoxReels but they are quite an investment for my limited use and the included hoses seem to be in that heavy range that I am not fond of.

Suggestions?

I should add that I do not run air tools. It's used for blowing to clean things and tire service.

 

[cvairwerks]

For general use, I prefer this style reel: https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200658815_200658815

We've got a couple different brands of high quality auto rewind reels at work, but are seeing them all have internal pawl and spring failures after several years. A coworker got yanked off his feet a couple of weeks ago when one of the cord reels had a pawl break and the cord whipped around and caught his feet. He's going to end up having to have surgery to fix the damage. Yeah, manual wind can be a pain, but it's easier to pull hose or cords off of and no worries about the locking mechanism.

Ours at work have 75 feet of 3/8" id hose and are mounted anywhere from 9 to 14 feet above the hangar floor.

 

[jonshonda]

Coxreels from Amazon warehouse! I know you dislike flexzilla but I have one and like it, but do agree the water hoses get dirty.

 

[larry_g]

I too have the manual rewind hose reels and they are perfectly good for the home shop. When done working I have a cleaning rag in one hand and wind with the other. Hose is cleaned going on the reel.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Beamer]

For general use, I prefer this style reel: https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200658815_200658815

We've got a couple different brands of high quality auto rewind reels at work, but are seeing them all have internal pawl and spring failures after several years. A coworker got yanked off his feet a couple of weeks ago when one of the cord reels had a pawl break and the cord whipped around and caught his feet. He's going to end up having to have surgery to fix the damage. Yeah, manual wind can be a pain, but it's easier to pull hose or cords off of and no worries about the locking mechanism.

Ours at work have 75 feet of 3/8" id hose and are mounted anywhere from 9 to 14 feet above the hangar floor.

Wow, that's scary.

Does that reel lock? It's hard to tell from the listing.

 

[Beamer]

I too have the manual rewind hose reels and they are perfectly good for the home shop. When done working I have a cleaning rag in one hand and wind with the other. Hose is cleaned going on the reel.

lg
no neat sig line

Reminds me of when we wound surveyor's measuring tapes with a WD40 treated rag on one hand and the tape reel in the other and one hand short for the procedure. Surveyor's tapes can be hundreds of feet so it's no small undertaking,.

 

[tarbellb]

Reelcraft > Coxreels

 

[vwpieces]

Does it need to be retractable?

I have this and like it.
https://www.harborfreight.com/air-hose-reel-40131.html


I also have a Flexzilla retractable reel on the ceiling in front of the lift. But it didn't take long before the Flexzilla hose was replaced with Flexeel.


Cox reels are the Industry Standard but you are payng for the quality. Out of budget for most home gamers and small shops.

 

[cvairwerks]

Wow, that's scary.

Does that reel lock? It's hard to tell from the listing.

Non locking type. If you jump to the larger reels that will carry hundreds of feet on them, they are locking.

As to the ones that have failed at work, they are Cox, Reelcraft or other high dollar units that are locking, spring rewind units.

 

[PoorUB]

I have a twenty year old Harbor freight 50" foot reel that gets used every few days.

 

[GeoBruin]

Coxreels from Amazon warehouse! I know you dislike flexzilla but I have one and like it, but do agree the water hoses get dirty.

I have two coxreels and one reelcraft, all from Amazon Warehouse deals posted on this forum.

 

[tarbellb]

I have two coxreels and one reelcraft, all from Amazon Warehouse deals posted on this forum.

They each have economy/high end models, what are your thoughts on the overall equally between the two brands?

 

[sparky 1971]

I have the 50', 3/8" retractable sold by Menards under the Masterforce name and absolutely love it. It appears to be the same as the Klutch brand sold at Northern Tool in every way but the color. Once upon a time, I had the manual rewind type. One of the happiest days of my life was when I threw it away.

 

[Terry D]

I'm not a big fan of harbor freight, but I have had their retractable hose reel for at least 8 years. For a home shop, I would recommend it. I recently had to replace the hose, but other than that, no problems.

 

[csp]

My HF reel is about 15 years old. The hose it came with leaked after two years, so it was replaced with a Goodyear hose that coincidentally came from HF several years prior. I've had to replace a leaky o-ring at the input side as well, which only took a few minutes to do.

I suspect the HF comes out of the same Chinese factory that many others suggested in this thread come from.

 

[brownbagg]

i like the HF reel with the hand crank. its mounted directly to the air compressor

the one outside is an old car rim bolted to a post

 

[TJMtl]

I have a Coxreels Ez-Coil reel, very disappointed with it. The hose has to be babysat all the way in or it will bunch up in the middle and jam.

 

[zmotorsports]

Does it need to be retractable?

I have this and like it.
https://www.harborfreight.com/air-hose-reel-40131.html


I also have a Flexzilla retractable reel on the ceiling in front of the lift. But it didn't take long before the Flexzilla hose was replaced with Flexeel.


Cox reels are the Industry Standard but you are payng for the quality. Out of budget for most home gamers and small shops.

I had the same manual reel as vwpieces in my last shop for 25 years. It worked well but I did have to replace the o-rings in the pivot multiple times over that 25 year span.

In my new shop I have two Reelcraft air hose reels. One mounted on my two post column approx. in the center of my shop and another mounted on the wall just over the man door at the front of the shop where I can reach into the middle or outside.

Here is the one on the column, I don't think I have a picture of my man door from the inside to show where the second is mounted.



So far I love the Reelcraft hose reel. I have had mine exactly four years now and would purchase them again as they are a quality reel.

 

[GeoBruin]

I have a Coxreels Ez-Coil reel, very disappointed with it. The hose has to be babysat all the way in or it will bunch up in the middle and jam.

Is it a 1/2" hose?

 

[TJMtl]

3/8 Prevost Stoflex hose. Maybe I need to drag it in sawdust to make it less grippy.

Is it a 1/2" hose?

 

[Kobuck]

I have this one. 10 year warranty

R3 Engineered Thermoplastic Heavy Duty Hose Reel Air Water Service 3/8 inch x 65 ft 300 PSI Blue Case / Orange Hose PN# RO365B-02

Keep your workspace safe and organized with a reliable, auto-rewind 65ft reel that pulls smoothly every time. Shop the authentic hose reel now!

www.macnaughtusa.com

 

[vwpieces]

I had the same manual reel as vwpieces in my last shop for 25 years. It worked well but I did have to replace the o-rings in the pivot multiple times over that 25 year span.

Both my reels were out of service for a bunch of years. Just plumbed this shop for air and dug them out. I did replace the orings in the manual one before mounting it. I used some viton ones from the harbor freight kit. Might last a while, no worries if not, easy fix. But I did clock the T so it was square to the fitting with rings. Figured that would help save wear on the orings too.

 

[GeoBruin]

3/8 Prevost Stoflex hose. Maybe I need to drag it in sawdust to make it less grippy.

I have one 1/2 hose and one 3/8. The 1/2 hose can stack up on itself high enough to hit the hangar and bind. The 3/8 doesn't.

 

[TJMtl]

These things get mangled in shipping, as you can see by the wobble. My 1/4 price Lincoln reel works better other than this because it keeps enough tension to roll onto the reel nicely.

 

[Beamer]

Thanks for all the replies.