I use hoses everyday for work, the old Craftsmen Rubber Hoses with the flat side were hands down the best in value and quality. I might have 300'-400' of them and have only lost one over 15 years, it might have been run over by a forklift but I can't remember. In the winter I use them for my ice rink and never had one split.
Sadly to say. It is no more. I went to my local Sears tonight to exchange a broken usa made rake for a crappy made in china one. while there i had a $25 gift card to use. I though I would pick up another hose. Walked over to the hose section I was surprised to see it packed with different...
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About five years ago we needed some hose for a job and someone bought a few hundred feet of the Pocket Hose, those are life transforming. They definately aren't commercial grade but they are super light and they compress most of the water out of them when done. It's a treat to put all of that length in a five-gallon bucket and throw it in the truck instead of reeling in the regular hose and lifting it and the trolley up on the bed. These need to be babied, you can't leave them in the sun and cars can't drive over it. I recommend using 25' lengths in case you do break one. They do constrict, which is frustrating when using something like a sprinkler, but you can kink it to stop the water. Buy the largest diameter, the small diameter has a very low flow rate.
In a pinch, most home stores have a contractor grade hose, always buy rubber and look at the end connectors for quality, most hoses with plastic covers or metal springs at the ends are ****. You should be able to pinch the hose and it should feel soft and rubbery, don't waste your time or money with the cheaper vinyl hoses.
