Air Hose Reel - HF or ??

[BikerDad]

I'm looking at getting a 50' air hose reel, and noted that Harbor Freight has theirs in the upcoming Parking Lot Sale for $65. I'm a woodworker primarily, and do some maintenance and such on my motorcycles, so the reel won't be heavily used.

With that in mind, is the HF reel likely to hold up for my purposes, or is there another $100 or less reel that has a good reputation I should be looking at?

(I'm really pretty sick and tired of coiling my air hoses by hand ... )

 

[jim1987]

I got my dad the Walmart brand (central pneumatic?) Reel last year Christmas. Been holding up great so far.was about $60 iirc. Quite possibly the same OEM as harbor freight. Which also gets decent reviews.

 

[48fordnut]

I looked at the H/F unit and it seems good.I didn't need that much hose, so I opted for the 30 ft hose set up. Way cheaper.Didn't look far enough ,it is not a auto rewind. I do have it set up and don't mind the manual rewind. Fits my space good and is well made.

 

[gagreen]

The hose reels are nice. We have them at work and no issues. The hose feels cheap tho

 

[Rondog]

I'll be watching this thread! I've been lusting for one of those for a looong time, but was leery of the HF reputation. Although I have a lot of HF stuff already, some ****, and some just fine.

 

[Slowbra]

I just bought the HF 50' after reading through a bunch of reviews in here from other members. I'm expecting it to last for a while.

 

[GTO]

The HF hose are fine for home shop.
Plan on replacing the hose in time as it will dry rot.And don't buy the HF whip hoses,they are junk.Spend the extra $$ and get the USA made yellow Goodyear.
The reels work great,it just ***** that they can't (or won't) put a decent quality hose on them.I'm replacing one of my hoses now with the 25' yellow Goodyear.
Good luck

 

[gary300]

I got the HF 50' retractable reel for 60 bucks on sale and have had no issues with it. Works great. One tip: Remove the spool by taking off the big nut from the bolt that holds the spool to the bracket. Makes mounting the bracket soooo much easier, especially if you are by yourself.

 

[great white tj]

I have a the HF 50' reel in my 24x24 shop, one of the best things I did to the shop. The air hose is never on the floor or hung up on a tire or bench legs.

 

[Fcvapor05]

What would you expect to pay for 50' of quality hose? Seems to me the hose is the spendy part..

 

[great white tj]

I have a 50' hose that my Dad had and I am sure it is 30 to 40 years old or older it stays inside. Most of the hose I have are Good Year, but I have never had a hoes fail on me """yet""

 

[cagullett1]

50' Goodyear hoses run under $30 on Amazon

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=85668&page=264

Air hose can be had for $60

 

[RCStocker]

I am sure the unit will work for a long time. The hose is not very good. I would use it until it cracked then just know it will need replacing. Good hoses can last 30 years. I have some that are older they are still good. It is hard to beat the price. Good high end used ones are hard to find these days. Before the depression they would come up every month for sale. It is only dinner and drinks for 2. It is not all that much money.

 

[shooting4life]

Mine works for me, I have a 50 ft and a 25 ft. I turn them on and off with a ball valve when in use so if it has a small leak it is not a big deal.

 

[srmofo]

menards runs pretty good deals on the 30' flexzilla hose and retractable reel. Less than $30 IIRC.
http://www.menards.com/main/tools-h...tractable-air-hose-reel/p-1744771-c-12914.htm

You could buy 2 and mount them in different locations. Then youre not tripping over 50' hose. or having to drag it clear across the shop.

its also incredibly light when compared to a rubber hose and doesnt retain memory like the cheap PVC hoses. And it wont mare any unfinished wood surfaces like rubber can.

 

[92GreenYJ]

I have both sizes of the HF reels and one of the enclosed Husky units mounted around my garage. I kind of dislike the enclosed Husky one. The HF ones have both been great though. Been running them for a good five years now and they still work great and the hoses are still in good shape.

 

[Fcvapor05]

menards runs pretty good deals on the 30' flexzilla hose and retractable reel. Less than $30 IIRC.
http://www.menards.com/main/tools-h...tractable-air-hose-reel/p-1744771-c-12914.htm

You could buy 2 and mount them in different locations. Then youre not tripping over 50' hose. or having to drag it clear across the shop.

its also incredibly light when compared to a rubber hose and doesnt retain memory like the cheap PVC hoses. And it wont mare any unfinished wood surfaces like rubber can.

Nice. That hose is really awesome. Guy I used to work with had a little 10' extension he put between the shop hoses and his air tools whenever he used them- it seemed like that hose was a big upgrade as far as flexibility when you're using a die grinder or whatever.

 

[wef]

I've got the Sears enclosed 30' retractable. Since it's first use, the hose will not completely retract. Very time consuming to get it down to 4' dangling toward the floor. I would like to find a 50' capacity with the HF quality but with a good hose.

 

[Slowbra]

I've had a bit of drama with my HF 50' reel. I ordered one online since the closest HF is like 45min from me. Today was the day that I was finally going to install it when I noticed the hose about 20' in had a chunk missing out of it and wouldn't hold air. After calling HF online I decided to make the 1.5hr trip to and from HF since I wanted to get it done today. I inspected the new reel the best I could in the parking lot and made my trek home. While driving I couldn't help but notice a strong smell of rubber/chemical. When I got home I took the entire hose out to air out and fully inspect it. 4 issues were spotted..

1. There is some chemical/lubricant leaking from the reel near the spring mechanism.
2. Lots of condensation was coming out of the hose to the point the bag the reel came in had collected water.
3. The hose had a slice in it near the end of the line and the big kicker....
4. The hose was only 38'long. That's right.. 38'.. Not. 50'.. 38'.

Needless to say this experience is beyond absurd. The customer service online is sending me a shipping label via snail mail to get a refund. I can't believe the bad luck I've has with this part.

 

[monomach]

I have the reel; it's nice. The hose is still fine after four years; I expected to have to put a goodyear on it after a year.

 

[sweetk30]

in shop use daily for over 5 years friend has 2 no problems .

I have 1 and no problems .

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk...3.TR0.TRC0.H0&_nkw=L8306FZ&_sacat=0&_from=R40 got mine with flexzilla hose 75ft and off ebay for just around $220 shipped.

also made in usa and comes with full parts blowup just incase you ever need parts for it .